As the sun sets on a fabulous World Cup, English football fans find themselves in an all too familiar position. Having survived the usual hype to live through yet another England disaster, the cycle of football turns its wheels once again and all eyes are fixed firmly on the nation’s favourite thing: the English Premier League.
Bankrolled to a huge fortune, the EPL will once again dominate football conversations down the pub, at work and at home. The Premier League is much loved. Even more so now that the so-called ‘smaller’ clubs are becoming real threats to the top clubs. But at what cost is this wonderful league to the future of the England football team? Put simply, the success of the EPL is by far and away the biggest factor in the continued failings of the England team. Has England reached the stage where it doesn’t really care enough though? Getting shown up by Germany seems to be no disgrace these days. Just ask Brazil, and any one of their crying fans. But the biggest lesson English folk have learnt from this World Cup is this: for too long now, top clubs have been able to run the show over the spineless Football Association, and if England ever want to win a major trophy again, then the Premier League and Championship clubs need to play ball with a stronger F.A. – and take Germany’s lead.
Euro 2000 represented Germany’s second tournament failure in four years, and their top brass smelt the coffee and realised that firm action was needed to preserve and grow their national team. So they devised a plan. The Bundesliga’s top two divisions committed to the greater good of their own country, by prioritising both the building of academies and nurturing the continued growth of their home grown kids. Expensive foreigners were mainly yesterday’s news, young foreigners weren’t generally welcome either.
Both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, to name the two biggest German clubs, have both brought through some exceptional talent in this time. However, it was always going to be a case of short term pain, long term gain for the Germans, but the seeds were sown fourteen years ago, and the dream was realised on Sunday night in the Maracana. Various players in their early to mid twenties with 100 caps or more are now World Cup winners. The system worked, and will continue to work for many years.
Rather than admiring the model, and trying to replicate it, it is pretty embarrassing that the English have to have it all now, and if it means England will never win a major trophy, but the team stays in the Premier League, then so be it. This summer, the foreigners will flock to these shores again, with empty wallets, yet safe in the knowledge that in reality, a few years in the EPL will make them for life, no matter how good or bad they perform.
Of course, there are legitimate, yet difficult, reasons why reform and revolution will probably never happen in England. It must be said, that the quality of some of these foreigners to play in this country since the inception of the EPL cannot be disputed. The Cantona’s, Bergkamp’s, Zola’s, Suarez’s and Ozil’s have both entertained our fans in this country to a huge degree, but have also improved not only the Premier League brand, but have also updated the existing English players playing in it.
Limiting the EPL clubs purchasing these world stars is not a viable, or sensible option, and has already been covered under the financial fair play rules, to some degree.
The real crux of the problem of there being no change is this. With the sheer amount of foreign ownership of top clubs these days, and foreign coaches, it’s just not realistic to expect the clubs to stop shopping abroad. There is too, of course, the over pricing that average English players command in the transfer market. From a purely business, and financial point of view, why would you sensibly pay twice as much for something less reliable, possibly lazier, and arguably not as good?
It’s a sad situation, but a situation totally manufactured by England. You can’t have it all – and with the riches of the Premier League always taking priority, the England team will continue to struggle. Year in, year out, there will be less and less English players for the England manager to select. EPL clubs will continue to fill their own academies with a mixture of home grown talent, and the best youngsters from overseas will still join them for the riches on offer here.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter – @LWOSPalaceDave7. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and – @LWOSWorld and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Main Photo credit: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
