I think it was that Ipswich striker who commented that managers would rather buy foreign than take a risk on a first division player. I ask you - which is the bigger risk?

We see us buying Maric, Anderson etc and watch them fail. Look at Rebrov at spurs and that fat bloke Leeds signed a few years back.

Surely the risk is in spending 12 million on a foreign bloke who might not suit the English game or might not settle in the area.

We need look no further than Sunderland or Ipswich to see that good strikers can be found in the lower divisions. Seems to me that you're better off buying 3 or 4 good prospects from the lower divisions rather than slapping 10+ million down for foreign players.

This is especially true of Newcastle where we have a history of foreign players not settling in the area.

It's down to having decent scouts who can spot a bargain. The skills that make a good premiership striker are not neccessarily the same skills needed in the lower divisions. Therefore a decent scout might be able to spot a average first division player who could make it in the premiership. See what I'm getting at?

Thoughts?

Thoughts?

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2001

Answers

I can see a cunning plan when I see one!

However, the same scouts will see the players. If our scouts are reporting to YBR that the English players are not worth it and to look at the foreigners, that is what will happen.

What has happened as everyone knows is that you can buy a player from anywhere and they can be crap. I do not care if the players are Martians as long as they have a work permit.

Yes it would be ideal to have 11 Geordies, 11 Brits, etc in that order fer Haysoos sake we have even had makems play for us!!

To get back to your question, it is equal risk for equal dollar value.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

risk...Collymore

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

Get a Pete Kirkley back!!!

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

If you buy a Johnny Foriegner that turns out to be crap ala Pamela, you can always flog him off to some foriegn team.

Whereas if you buy a Div 1 player ala Hamilton. Your stuck!

Having said that I think that on the whole, English players have more heart than the foriegners and are preared to battle it out a bit more.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

BUT, as was pointed out last week Steve Lomas at £3.5m or Acuna at £1m. What do you do.

Similarly there was a discussion last summer around £15m Sol Campbell against £6m Cannevera (sp).

We would all like 11 Geordies/Brits but best of all would be a trophy.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

>>>>>English players have more heart than the foriegners

I think this is grossly unfair the way it's put but it may conceal an element of truth. The fact is that a player coming from foreign parts has more to deal with in terms of the change of culture, distance from friends/family, language, etc etc. On this basis, a home-grown player has to be best of all, then, British, then overseas. Also when we do get foreign players, every effort needs to be made to ensure that the player is able to cope with the non- football challenges mentioned above.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

You can't say we haven't helped Marcellino. Robson speaks his language and more than that he has bought about five or six spanish speaking team-mates to help him settle in, a bit excessive!!!!!!??

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

I'm not here to defend or attack individual players - I made a general, and fairly obvious point.

Re Marcia, there was a story on this board about him struggling to place his child in an appropriate school. I've no idea if it was true but if so it would have been a gross oversight by NUFC. These are hugely expensive assets and every effort needs to be made to keep them productive, (which actually increases their cost slightly vs British players).

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

here's a bigger question.... £12m on one player who can't cut it or £12m total on 3 or 4 players who can't.... obviously the more non-talent you have hurts more, which may exactly be where we are at now.....

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

>>>>£12m on one player who can't cut it or £12m total on 3 or 4 players

At least with 3 or 4 players you've a reasonable chance that 2 or 3 might do well/stay fit/not go AWOL etc. The £12m on one is an eggs- in-one-basket situation, if it's the entire transfer budget. We spent £15m on Shearer. Great buy at the time, but injury has meant we didn't get the payback we might have expected.

Of course, as you approach the very top of the game, improvements in the side will need absolute proven top quality, which will always be costly.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

Re: foreign players needing more to settle in...

Was reading a piece today (paper? Total Football??) about one of the Spanish teams starting a 24hr hotline for use by their foreign players to help them adapt to Spanish lifestyle more quickly.

24hrs might be a tad excessive, but at least they recognize the importance of helping foreigners settle in quickly.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001

The fact is that a player coming from foreign parts has more to deal with in terms of the change of culture, distance from friends/family, language, etc etc

What makes footballers so special? If I can do it, anyone can :)
< >I wasn't actually thinking about our players, when I wrote about lack of heart. Think of the Middlesbrough team with Junino, Ravenelli, Emerson etc. If they were all British, they wouldn't have gone down as they would have fought for the points a bit more.
To be honest I think that the non-British players go missing in games far more than British ones.

-- Anonymous, January 18, 2001