There seems to be plenty of concerned debate since Euro2000 about falling UK footy standards. Hindsight's a wonderful thing I guess. Lifted this article from Soccernet for you. I particularly liked the idea of free coaching for the bairns. They'd turn up in their droves for that in Newcastle I reckon. Of course, the coaching would have to be quality for it to make a difference. Apologies in advance for any formatting problems from the cut & paste.

Premiership meltdown if we ditch foreigners.

ByDavid McDonnell.

Trevor Brooking, the BBC pundit notorious for sitting on the fence, has warned English football of the catastrophic consequences which would follow any moves to cut back the number of foreign players.

'If they left, the standard of the Premier League would collapse,' said Brooking. 'It is an excellent product, but only because the quality of overseas players is lifting it to a higher level.

'Euro 2000 was proof that we are not as good as some people would have us believe. Technically we are not good enough and people are starting to realise that.'

Brooking is the least controversial of TV's critics, so his disparaging comments about the standards at the top level of the English game are all the more remarkable.

The former West Ham and England midfielder believes that, far from denying English talent the chance to flourish, the only thing holding the Premiership together is the foreign contingent.

'I can understand why people want a restriction on the number of foreign players but I don't see it happening. They have come in because we don't have sufficient players of that quality.

'English clubs want English players because they have a competitive edge and know the pace of the game. If their skill levels were high, they'd be taken every time. But, sadly, they don't match up to their European equivalents. That's the harsh fact and there is no short-term solution.

'We've ignored the grass roots for 20 years, and the work we're doing now will take five years for the first signs to show and 10 before the real benefits are felt.'

If Brooking's observations cause outrage among the coaching hierarchy at the Football Association, it is surely only because he is the most unlikely figure to publicly air such discontent. They certainly cannot contest the validity of his claims. England's dismal display at Euro 2000 offered proof that, although we possess the most entertaining league in the world, the showmanship and skill is largely provided by the growing number of overseas imports.

Brooking believes the root cause of the problem came with the style of play embraced by so many English clubs in the Eighties. 'Defenders were allowed three touches at most and forwards were encouraged to feed off knock- downs from setpieces,' said Brooking.

'The standard of football it produced was dire. The idea spread to the grassroots and scouts were told to look for big, strong, hulking youngsters. Anyone small was almost completely ignored, yet ability and technique more than make up for a lack of inches.'

Although the Premier League is now allowed to bring players as young as eight into the recentlylaunched academies, Brooking believes that will solve only part of the problem. He wants to introduce free coaching within inner city areas and create more sports opportunities for children at primary schools.

'We have to put something back into primary schools because the ages between five and seven are the most impressionable,' said Brooking. 'Some school sports days now involve nothing more than a few bean-bag races. If nobody can show these kids how to kick a ball, they will never get better and will switch off completely. Once that happens, we've lost them forever, which is a travesty.'

The lucrative wages earned by those in the Premiership were also cited by Brooking as a reason for the decline. He believes too many meagre players are earning salaries way beyond their capabilities.

'There are a lot of players, particularly in the Nationwide League, with an inflated sense of their own worth,' said Brooking. 'Some are asking for ?10,000 a week without having played in the Premiership. That can't be right.'

Brooking has found a sympathiser in FA chief executive Adam Crozier, who has conceded that there is no immediate cure to the malaise. Crozier, young and dynamic, has gone as far as anybody at Lancaster Gate has ever done in accepting that mistakes have been made in the past when it comes to nurturing young talent. He said: 'There's a lot of hard work to do and there is no quick fix. We need to get the right coaching for players at an early age. That quality of coaching is what comes through when they are 20 or 21.'

Sir Bobby Charlton, who has invested much of his post-playing career in developing young talent, disagreed with Brooking and insisted the homegrown quality was just starting to flourish.

'There are a lot of foreigners in the Premiership, but we also have a lot of good English players coming through. If we lost the foreign players from the Premiership, it would have an affect but I think we'd manage.

"I can only speak for Manchester United and we have a manager who believes in developing home talent, which is crucial to the future of our game.'

-- Anonymous, August 08, 2000