The penny finally drops with Sir Trevor, as he recognises what us footy fans have realised for some time now.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/6975955.stm

Memorable goal though by Sir TB at The Puskas Stadium Hungary V England when the ball stuck in the stanchion.

We didn't have any good foreign players too teach us their silky skills.

Aye but we had a lot more underachievers and mediocre players coming through back then though than we do now!

Good goal by Brooking though wasn't it, when the ball wedged in the stanchion like!

The equation is pretty easy when you think about it isn't it.

1) playing against and training with the world's best ought to help improve native players and hence the national team
2) for that to happen there have to be enough native players around to take advantage of it
3) also for that to happen, there have to be enough foreigners around to give the natives a pop at them

So there must be an optimum ratio of foreigners to natives that is good for our national team

but...

4) premiership managers don't care about all that; they just want the best players wherever they happen to come from

also like what sven was saying at man city would you buy a proven abroad national player with a wealth of experience at a high level or buy a first division english player like nugent who is way over priced.

Booze & Birds.

It shows the state of our football at the moment when Heskey is back in the England squad.

Good post Lord Smythe - a former pupil of our school Adam Birchall was at Arsenal did not get a sniff, but had to go to Mansfield and now Barnet!

A good young un is better signing for POOLS, than the 'TOON, Chelski, or ManU. Discuss!

There are a lot of foreigners playing in this country who are hardly IF better than the indigenous (good word that) players. They are only percieved to be better because they have a funny name and come from a funny place.
As long as Jonski is no worse than Johnny you are making a "cool" fashion statement.
There are loads of clubs in the lower leagues who undoubtedly could get along fine without "outside" players, us included.
Don't get me wrong I am not Xenophobic or anything, they can all come and live here if they want to. Next door to me if they like, just don't let them all onto the bloody pitch, it's killing our international game.
I know, what about Porter and Antwi?
I love them dearly - but stand by what I've said.

There may be more than a grain of truth in what you say there. It might even take place at a subconscious level.
I'd nonetheless expect a full Australian international to be up to division three standard at least and a guy called Sperrevik to build boats.

You said "I'd nonetheless expect a full Australian international to be up to division three", Tee-Hee, You would'nt have said that half a dozen years or so ago.
I think you are right it is subconcious, but not all foreign players in this country are internationals at ANY level. We are probably lucky in that respect.

the real beneficiaries of all the foreigners in the game are clubs like ourselves. 300 overseas players at top flight clubs mean 300 good home grown players further down the league ladder that would have been top flight

er, is that not what i said?
language barrier - it must have been the accent!!