Not concerned if we have an all British eleven or an all non British eleven provided they do the business for Charlton Athletic, however it was interesting to see the amount of non British born players in yesterday's starting eleven. Only Pope, Cousins and Fox were the British born starters.
Pope, Cousins, Fox, Diarra, Bauer, Ceballos, Ba, Kashi, Gudmundsson, Bergdich, Makienok.
The last time where we only had 3 British born players in a starting 11 (There may have been other games later) was against Liverpool at Home 16/12/2006. Young, Holland and D Bent the British born starters.
Myhre, Young, El Karkouri, Hreidarsson, Traore, Rommedahl, Faye, Holland, Reid, D Bent, Hasselbaink.
In the near future and it's a good chance that it could happen this season we will have an full non British starting eleven
Example: Henderson, Sarr, Diarra, Bauer, Gudmundsson, Bergdich, Kashi, Ba, Ceballos, Makienok, Vetokele
A very good eleven and one that could do damage in this division.
It was not that long ago we had all English born starting eleven against Blackpool at home 5/10/2013
Hamer, Wilson, Wiggins, Wood, Morrison, Cousins, Stephens, Gower, Harriott, Church, Sordell
I know what eleven I would rather have at the present time.
On the other hand at the final whistle yesterday we had 5 home grown players on the pitch. Fox, Cousins, Aherne Grant, Charles Cook and Harriott. Great news for the academy and Valley Gold. With Mitov, Lennon and Kennedy on the bench as well. Bodes well for the future and in the long run will hopefully save the club money. Not forgetting Solly and Holmes Dennis as well.
Will we see a home grown starting eleven? It was only last season when we saw six home grown players on the pitch at the end of the Blackburn FA Cup game. Wilson, Fox, Gomez, Cousins, Pigott, Ahearne Grant.
The days of 10 from 14 home grown players in a side when we played at Reading at Elm Park at the end of the 1994/1995 season are a few seasons away
Newton, Stuart, Rufus, Linger, Leaburn, Bowyer, Chandler, Bennett, Grant, Dean Lee
At the end of the game 8 of those players were on the end of the pitch with Dean Lee the only one who never got on that warm Sunday afternoon in Berkshire.
Something for the young lads from the academy to inspire to. Already 7 home grown players have played for the first team this season.
7
Comments
From what I've heard, Bauer, Gudmundsson, Ba and Makienok are so competent that they could probably pass for English (if their names were hidden).
This must be the fault of the state funded and controlled education system which does not provide enough young people, especially young men with the necessary skills or perhaps the necessary will and desire to become high achievers.
Recent statistics and surveys show that the majority of successful people in many walks of UK life from banking to sports, from theatre to science, were privately educated or moved here from abroad.
But as the topic here is footballers, let's stick to that. Too 'dangerous' for budding sportspeople to play in the street, too many speeding cars, too much fear of paedophiles on the prowl, too many sports field concreted over, too expensive to join clubs/gyms or to buy equipment, too much time spent indoors playing computer games, obesity, apathy, who knows the real reasons. Whatever the causes, there is little likelihood so far as I can see that things in football are going to get better anytime soon.
In individual sports; athletics, cycling, swimming, Britain is holding its own internationally. Perhaps 'society' is developing more of a desire for individual rather than team or collective excellence
I am happy just to have players play for the badge (rare these days) and show passion.
The premium you have to pay for average British players is ridiculous, especially when you can pick up European or African players who are far more technically gifted for a fraction.
The same goes academically in state schools, if you are good enough in a subject you will be in the 'top set' but will always go at the pace of the slowest person, with no encouragement / reward for going the extra mile. Maybe the extra push should come from parents, but blaming parents is not allowed...
http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/68406/charlton-athletic-foreign-football-team-club-does-it-matter-to-you/p1
Maybe the changes in Education brought in by Kenneth Clarke under Margaret Thatcher are bearing fruit now. In simple terms they introduced the idea that you can make a garden grow just by measuring it, not tending, fertilising, pruning, weeding and generally nurturing. this seems to be the pattern in education in modern times.