Park Life

Percentage of foreign players at our top clubs. The numbers for Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool are 70,4%, 67,7%, 86,7% and 77,8% respectively.

...and we won't have players coming through while the PL is piled high with non-English players.

It's also the fact that the back had no protection. True, Barry was shit but the first goal can't be attributed to the midfield for a kick-off. Every time Germany played a long ball or a through ball it looked like they were going to get an effort on goal. Untill we get a hub of two DM's who can pass and hold postion we are going to lose to the big sides. Also at international level who actually plays wingers these days? Even with Brazil moves are timed for the RB or LB to overlap and the again two DM's stay out of it. The daft thing is we played with two nominal wingers but they're both probably better in the middle anyway That's right and you have to blame Capello for that and also taking 4 players with suspect condition to the WC. King, Rio, Barry, Rooney.

It's also the fact that the back had no protection. True, Barry was shit but the first goal can't be attributed to the midfield for a kick-off. Every time Germany played a long ball or a through ball it looked like they were going to get an effort on goal. Untill we get a hub of two DM's who can pass and hold postion we are going to lose to the big sides. Also at international level who actually plays wingers these days? Even with Brazil moves are timed for the RB or LB to overlap and the again two DM's stay out of it.

What do you reckon Capello did wrong though? He had very limited options in too many areas. Getting rid of the manager is just papering over the cracks imo. I think he might walk anyway like. i blame the players for being gutless but capello did get a lot wrong in this tournament. he was very disappointing after a good qualifying campaign. playing players out of position, playing players that were half fit, not having the balls to drop or sub under-performing big name players. this is something i thought he would be good at - he wasn't afraid to drop beckham at real madrid but seemed to adopt the sven problem of being afraid to drop or sub the likes of lampard and rooney. his faith in hesky was bonkers. bringing a guy on who doesn't score when you're chasing two goals left me speechless, especially when crouch, a guy with a good international scoring record, was hardly used. i think we also saw a fairly stubborn coach at this world cup. his refusal to adjust his rigid 4-4-2 when it was clear that it wasn't working and the whole nation was crying out for 4-5-1 with gerrard just behind rooney. again, very sven-like. too rigid. i don't think flat banks of four work at the highest level anymore, especially when our holding palyer is unfit and the two centre halfs are slow and defend like amauters. What would you have differently and who would you have played instead though? I think there are different options he could have used but not ones that would have made much different. That's my point really, he was pretty restricted. I don't think we can do much better either. he was restricted by the players being gutless and playing with fear but he didn't do himself any favours. i don't think capello has enhanced his reputation in anyway after this tournament. in fact, i think he should hang his head as low as the players. he got a lot wrong. obviously we can all talk a good game as armchair pundits but i think some of what he got wrong was basics. he was just too stubborn as a manager, too rigid and didn't seem to have a plan b. in terms of what i'd do differently , there's a list as long as my arm: i probably would have played a 4-5-1 after it became clear 4-4-2 wasn't working. i wouldn't have played gerrard and lampard in the middle togethe rlike he did for the usa game. the sven era proved all they do is get in each other's way. i wouldn't have played gerrard out wide. it was a waste of our best central midfielder. he should have played instead of lampard in the middle, or just behind rooney at the expense of heskey. i probably wouldn't have played heskey at all. this whole "he's a great team player" argument doesn't stack up at international level when you look at his lack of goals. i wouldn't have taken half fit players like barry or perma crocks like king. i would have used players like lennon and instructed them to stick to the wing and attack their fullback instead of cutting inside, like he does week in week out for spurs. lennon must be blamed for his poor performances - like most of them he played with fear - but it's the manager's job to tell him where he's going wrong and how to put it right. i was disappointed that capello droped our only player with genuine pace and he wasn't able to get the best out of him. i would have brought wallcott too or adam johnson ahead of swp too. johnson did enough to be a wild card pick and probably would have got a game or two to be fair. Yup.

It's also the fact that the back had no protection.

Carrick? Ideally it should have been Carrick and Hargreaves at the hub yes. You don't see Schwein and Khadeira bolting forward at every opp do you? ..........Carrick........Hargreaves... .....................Gerrard.............. 433 or a stretched 451 is how all the other sides play.

But these failings are the tip of an enourmous iceberg of shit which is the PL and the way it ingrains a wierd and totally entertainment like version of football on the players. I agree we were chasing the game and hence lost composure. But how about starting with a solid midfield ( how often do you see Capello shouting at Gerrard and point at his feet ie hold your positon) or telling an unwilling and unfit Barry to press and tackle? You have to start with two holding midfielders that can pass. We don't have any that understand what that entails or have the tools to do it. And the Pl is full of them but of course they are all foreign.

What do you reckon Capello did wrong though? He had very limited options in too many areas. Getting rid of the manager is just papering over the cracks imo. I think he might walk anyway like. i blame the players for being gutless but capello did get a lot wrong in this tournament. he was very disappointing after a good qualifying campaign. playing players out of position, playing players that were half fit, not having the balls to drop or sub under-performing big name players. this is something i thought he would be good at - he wasn't afraid to drop beckham at real madrid but seemed to adopt the sven problem of being afraid to drop or sub the likes of lampard and rooney. his faith in hesky was bonkers. bringing a guy on who doesn't score when you're chasing two goals left me speechless, especially when crouch, a guy with a good international scoring record, was hardly used. i think we also saw a fairly stubborn coach at this world cup. his refusal to adjust his rigid 4-4-2 when it was clear that it wasn't working and the whole nation was crying out for 4-5-1 with gerrard just behind rooney. again, very sven-like. too rigid. i don't think flat banks of four work at the highest level anymore, especially when our holding palyer is unfit and the two centre halfs are slow and defend like amauters. Agree with most of that. The main thing is that you have to have a system where players coming in know what their role is - the whole German team I'd wager know where they should be on the pitch at any given moment and they've stuck with these two holding midfielders releasing attacks for god knows how long.

What do you reckon Capello did wrong though? He had very limited options in too many areas. Getting rid of the manager is just papering over the cracks imo. I think he might walk anyway like. Exactly. Is a different manager not just going to pick the same old underachievers a Fabio did, as Mclaren did, as Sven did. Surely now it's time for a rethink... Was talking to my friend last night about this and we both think now is a good time to bring in new blood. Personally I cannot stand Gerard, he is far too greedy, playing the whole solo man on a mission role & trying to be a hero and as mentioned earlier does not produce his club form at this level (be that as a result of positioning or the players around him, or he simply isn't good enough) but realistically who have we got coming through in central midfield (that has either the ability or the potential to play at this level)??? It is impossible to create english footballers with a good pitch brain and technical ability (time on the ball) in the PL. End of story. At international level where there is more space and variations of tempo our players look panicked and confused.

German football clubs benefit from nurturing young talent January 07, 2010 As football transfer fees continue to go through the roof, German football league Bundesliga could find itself ahead of the pack, should the player market grind to a halt. Soccer could then become reliant on young, homegrown talent. Few soccer clubs in 2010 will be able to splash out as much as in previous years. With top players, such as Liverpool striker Fernando Torres valued at a whopping 158 million euros, costing so much to sign and to sustain, most clubs are increasingly reluctant or unable to shell out the money for the world's best. This means that if the player price hike continues as predicted, fewer and fewer world class stars will be on the move. Eventually, the transfer market will grind to a halt, with the top players all huddled together in London, Madrid or Manchester – or forced to accept their lot at their current clubs. As the value of players continues to rise, many teams have adopted the philosophy of 'speculate to accumulate'; they're developing their youth systems, nurturing young local talent and buying the potential stars of the future on the cheap. German clubs under orders to nurture youth In Germany, the emphasis on youth development has been the cornerstone of the national team's continued success and the slow but steady rise of the Bundesliga through the ranks of the European leagues. While English, Italian and Spanish teams were spending millions on snapping up youngsters from Africa to Asia in the 2006/07 season, Bundesliga clubs were inwardly investing a total of 44 million euros in youth academies. Bundesliga clubs are obliged under the German Soccer Association's (DFB) regulations to manage and maintain youth academies in order to be eligible for the licenses they need to operate in the league. The DFB regularly does spot-checks on Bundesliga clubs to assess their youth programmes and make sure they meet its criteria. This includes fielding a sufficient number of youth teams in a variety of age groups, maintaining adequate training pitches and providing good-quality standards in terms of sporting, medical and educational care for the youngsters. International success ingrained at an early age National coach Joachim Loew is particularly happy with this approach, especially after Germany's youngsters won the UEFA Under-17 and UEFA Under-21 European titles in 2009. "The youth academies of the Bundesliga are a kind of elite school for the best, and an excellent institution which is bearing fruits," he said recently. "Numerous excellent players from these academies have managed to go professional already." Turning to youth out of necessity The Bundesliga clubs are well aware of the value of the German youth system – for example, current league leaders Bayer Leverkusen have an average age of just 23. While the youth system undoubtedly provides teams with capable players, most German clubs are relying on youth out of necessity because most world-class stars ignore the advances of Bundesliga. Despite being able to attract the likes of Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Luca Toni in recent years, even Bayern Munich are talking about looking closer to home for the stars of the future. Bayern could turn to homegrown talent A training session at Bayern MunichBayern did invest heavily in new, established talent during the summer transfer window. But following a disappointing start to the season under new coach Louis van Gaal, Sporting Director Christian Nerlinger announced that a new emphasis on youth will be at the centre of Bayern's transfer policy. "We're keeping a close eye on a few of our youngsters who we believe may have the quality to play for Bayern Munich," Nerlinger told reporters. "They will soon be invited to train with the senior squad, allowing the coaching staff to gain a first-hand impression for themselves. "On the one hand you have the Riberys and Tonis, who we need for consistent success," he added. "On the other hand, you have players coming out of our superb development system and the squad has plenty of those." So, in the event that the world soccer transfer market becomes gridlocked by massive fees, the Bundesliga clubs may find themselves ahead of the pack when it comes to sending out their boys to do a man's job.

German football clubs benefit from nurturing young talent January 07, 2010 As football transfer fees continue to go through the roof, German football league Bundesliga could find itself ahead of the pack, should the player market grind to a halt. Soccer could then become reliant on young, homegrown talent. Few soccer clubs in 2010 will be able to splash out as much as in previous years. With top players, such as Liverpool striker Fernando Torres valued at a whopping 158 million euros, costing so much to sign and to sustain, most clubs are increasingly reluctant or unable to shell out the money for the world's best. This means that if the player price hike continues as predicted, fewer and fewer world class stars will be on the move. Eventually, the transfer market will grind to a halt, with the top players all huddled together in London, Madrid or Manchester – or forced to accept their lot at their current clubs. As the value of players continues to rise, many teams have adopted the philosophy of 'speculate to accumulate'; they're developing their youth systems, nurturing young local talent and buying the potential stars of the future on the cheap. German clubs under orders to nurture youth In Germany, the emphasis on youth development has been the cornerstone of the national team's continued success and the slow but steady rise of the Bundesliga through the ranks of the European leagues. While English, Italian and Spanish teams were spending millions on snapping up youngsters from Africa to Asia in the 2006/07 season, Bundesliga clubs were inwardly investing a total of 44 million euros in youth academies. Bundesliga clubs are obliged under the German Soccer Association's (DFB) regulations to manage and maintain youth academies in order to be eligible for the licenses they need to operate in the league. The DFB regularly does spot-checks on Bundesliga clubs to assess their youth programmes and make sure they meet its criteria. This includes fielding a sufficient number of youth teams in a variety of age groups, maintaining adequate training pitches and providing good-quality standards in terms of sporting, medical and educational care for the youngsters. International success ingrained at an early age National coach Joachim Loew is particularly happy with this approach, especially after Germany's youngsters won the UEFA Under-17 and UEFA Under-21 European titles in 2009. "The youth academies of the Bundesliga are a kind of elite school for the best, and an excellent institution which is bearing fruits," he said recently. "Numerous excellent players from these academies have managed to go professional already." Turning to youth out of necessity The Bundesliga clubs are well aware of the value of the German youth system – for example, current league leaders Bayer Leverkusen have an average age of just 23. While the youth system undoubtedly provides teams with capable players, most German clubs are relying on youth out of necessity because most world-class stars ignore the advances of Bundesliga. Despite being able to attract the likes of Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Luca Toni in recent years, even Bayern Munich are talking about looking closer to home for the stars of the future. Bayern could turn to homegrown talent A training session at Bayern MunichBayern did invest heavily in new, established talent during the summer transfer window. But following a disappointing start to the season under new coach Louis van Gaal, Sporting Director Christian Nerlinger announced that a new emphasis on youth will be at the centre of Bayern's transfer policy. "We're keeping a close eye on a few of our youngsters who we believe may have the quality to play for Bayern Munich," Nerlinger told reporters. "They will soon be invited to train with the senior squad, allowing the coaching staff to gain a first-hand impression for themselves. "On the one hand you have the Riberys and Tonis, who we need for consistent success," he added. "On the other hand, you have players coming out of our superb development system and the squad has plenty of those." So, in the event that the world soccer transfer market becomes gridlocked by massive fees, the Bundesliga clubs may find themselves ahead of the pack when it comes to sending out their boys to do a man's job.

"Anyone blaming Rooney's performance on tiredness needs to have a word. Thomas Muller played 52 games this season for Bayern, was playing after Rooney finished his season and was playing in his first full season. Mullers performance today was top quality. His troubled one of the best left backs in the world, bagged two goals and tracked back all game. His attitude put Rooney to shame. Rooney's problem isn't tiredness. It's that he doesn't perform on the major stage. He's a flat track bully really. He's played in two Champions League finals, 1 FA Cup final and 8 World Cup games. He's done absolutely nothing in any of them. Add this to countless games vs Chelsea or Liverpool where he's done nothing and you can see that he struggles to do anything against good sides or when his team isn't dominant. Compare this to Drogba, Villa, Messi, Ronaldo and you see that he isn't in their league." from NO.

"We knew that the midfielders - Gerrard and Lampard - always support the forwards and that their midfield would be open. "We knew there would be spaces. Our objective was to set Terry up with Klose to force him to come out of the defence. "We knew the full-backs would be very much to the side, and that would create space that we could penetrate. "We knew they might become impatient and lose their discipline. We did that successfully. "We could have been 3-0 up in the first half because we did penetrate them." Low

The whole German XI plays in Germany. Yes but the way they are brought up with the game here is light years ahead of what we do. Look at the youth sides results lately and the way German players are confident and comfortable on the ball. The U17s won the Euro championship mind. I would say the 3 biggest enemies of Eng football are: Too many foreign players in key roles in Eng club football The rough and tumble and high intensity of the PL and playing through winter Spoilt super rich playboys who become millionaires often in their early 20's.

I'd guess 95% of it is due to the media hyping the England team beyond belief as some kind of massive footballing superpower when they are predominantly just quarter-finalists at best. The whole "this is our time" thing every single time a major tournament rolls around, despite the fact that England have only ever reached one tournament final and 3 semi-finals. Contrast that with Germany, who are a true superpower (and have been frequently described as average recently) who have reached 7 finals and 11? semi-finals. England are an also-ran and the sooner the media accept that, the better. Yes but now England is a brand and all the hype and marketing comes with the need to build interest in the brand.

The whole German XI plays in Germany. Yes but the way they are brought up with the game here is light years ahead of what we do. Look at the youth sides results lately and the way German players are confident and comfortable on the ball.

It'll probably turn out he wasn't really fit after all.

Very good point. Platt, Gazza and Lineker for all the better for playing abroad.

His after match analysis is spot on normally.

That'd give them the whole of Switzerland to knock it about in. ha ha good one.

They are a very fragile, small side..Who knock it around a lot in neutral areas. Quite comprehensively outdone by the Swiss.

Everything I say is always completely true.

Should have done his Italian coaching badge.

Spain are crap, will be murdered by the first decent side they meet, probs Portugal. so spain are crap and Portugal are decent? Spain are crap.