Don't forget the value of foreign legion – just look at Jack Wilshere
The influence of Arsène Wenger and Cesc Fábregas on Arsenal midfielder shows how the overseas influx has helped our game
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/apr/02/jack-wilshere-foreign-legion-secret-footballer
The Secret Footballer
The Guardian, Saturday 2 April 2011
Article history
Training started late on Thursday because we had to wait for one of the lads, who failed to turn up on time. It's not the first incident of this kind and certainly won't be the last. It has developed into a bit of a ritual that everyone, including the manager, has come to accept, on the basis that the foreign player in question has a "laid-back nature that comes with his culture". This terrible stereotype means he can't arrive when he should. At least that's the theory.
Foreigners. They come over here taking our jobs, refuse to speak more than one hundred words of the Queen's and fill up the majority of places in Premier League squads. Worst of all, they block our young English talent from coming through and, in turn, cause our national team to stagnate. Before those of you with right-wing tendencies get too excited, allow me to tell you what I really think of the foreign invasion because I'm not buying into any of the above. Well, maybe the lateness.
Any time I'm asked about "the Foreign Element" destroying England's prospects, I find myself in what Joseph Heller chose to call Catch-22. This is because I have a desire to see England win a major tournament but I also see the benefits foreign players have brought.
In the end I have refined the following theory: first, have our current England squad learnt more and become better from playing with and against foreign players and under foreign coaches? Yes, I would suggest. Second, if foreign players were excluded from the Premier League would the 300 or so English players that would have filled their boots brought more to the table than what the current squad have learnt from the foreign influx? No, I don't think so.
It's worth recalling Sir Alex Ferguson's comments about Eric Cantona: "Many people have justifiably acclaimed Cantona as a catalyst who had a crucial impact on our successes while he was with the club but nothing he did in matches meant more than the way he opened my eyes to the indispensability of practice; practice makes the player." No surprise, then, that the British players who were on hand to witness Cantona, such as Giggs, Beckham, Scholes and the Nevilles, have gone on to play at the highest standard for so long.
And then there is Arsène Wenger. Tony Adams attributes the success he enjoyed in the latter part of his career to the Frenchman, who set about changing the Arsenal captain's lifestyle for the better. Before Cantona and Wenger, extra training usually revolved around "The Tuesday Club", a collection of heavy drinkers comprised almost exclusively of British players. And that happened up and down the country.
Of course, not every foreign player has lit up English football like Cantona and not every foreign manager has had the same impact as Wenger but I will always count myself fortunate to play in an era where so many different nationalities and cultures make up the team I'm part of.
I have learnt a huge amount that has changed both my philosophy on the pitch and my outlook on life. Perhaps more importantly, I have made some lifelong friends, like the Scandinavian I've known for so long that I forgot he wasn't English once when I lamented those clubs that automatically look overseas for talent rather than try to develop their own.
Those that do come over are generally embraced by their new team-mates, who appreciate how difficult it must be. Sometimes, though, the door is firmly shut by a foreign clique within the squad. This was true of a group of French players I played with at one club who were not interested in communicating with anybody else. Whenever they spoke in French around the training ground one of the English lads would shout: "English only, please." It felt like a fair point, although it would also have been interesting to see if that same person would have learnt French were he signed by PSG. I suspect not.
The good, though, far outweighs the bad when it comes to overseas players. I have played with centre-halves who saw being part of the back four as a starting point for an attack rather than the last line of defence. And there was a striker who refused to move unless the pass went exactly where he wanted it – something that was the subject of many arguments in the changing room when he first arrived until it was decided that actually it would be in everybody's interests if we did in fact pass the ball exactly where he wanted it. He wasn't the lazy foreigner we had him down for; he was simply demanding higher standards of those around him.
It is, however, the midfielders who have really impressed me. From knowing when to run, when to play a pass and when to dribble – their decision-making, which is 75% of the game at the highest level (thereafter it is simply the fruits of practice), continues to dazzle me. Players such as Luka Modric, Cesc Fábregas and, when he was here, Xabi Alonso, epitomise all of these traits.
And we are learning. Look at Jack Wilshere. Here is a player who I believe can change the direction of English football. Wilshere, as he matures and continues to learn from two fantastic foreign mentors in Fábregas and Wenger, can become England's Xavi Hernández. No pressure then, Jack.
The England squad may not feel the fruits of these coalitions for a little while longer yet but the green shoots are appearing. Today the by-product of the foreign invasion is staring our brightest young talent square in the face; it's just a shame that some elements of our society remain blind to it.
If only they could slip on a pair of old boots and experience the camaraderie of a modern-day dressing room and the standard out on the training pitch, they might just begin to see the potential impact that this culturally diverse mix of talent may offer their national team. Then again, there is probably more chance of my team‑mate arriving on time.
The influence of Arsène Wenger and Cesc Fábregas on Arsenal midfielder shows how the overseas influx has helped our game
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/apr/02/jack-wilshere-foreign-legion-secret-footballer
The Secret Footballer
The Guardian, Saturday 2 April 2011
Article history
Training started late on Thursday because we had to wait for one of the lads, who failed to turn up on time. It's not the first incident of this kind and certainly won't be the last. It has developed into a bit of a ritual that everyone, including the manager, has come to accept, on the basis that the foreign player in question has a "laid-back nature that comes with his culture". This terrible stereotype means he can't arrive when he should. At least that's the theory.
Foreigners. They come over here taking our jobs, refuse to speak more than one hundred words of the Queen's and fill up the majority of places in Premier League squads. Worst of all, they block our young English talent from coming through and, in turn, cause our national team to stagnate. Before those of you with right-wing tendencies get too excited, allow me to tell you what I really think of the foreign invasion because I'm not buying into any of the above. Well, maybe the lateness.
Any time I'm asked about "the Foreign Element" destroying England's prospects, I find myself in what Joseph Heller chose to call Catch-22. This is because I have a desire to see England win a major tournament but I also see the benefits foreign players have brought.
In the end I have refined the following theory: first, have our current England squad learnt more and become better from playing with and against foreign players and under foreign coaches? Yes, I would suggest. Second, if foreign players were excluded from the Premier League would the 300 or so English players that would have filled their boots brought more to the table than what the current squad have learnt from the foreign influx? No, I don't think so.
It's worth recalling Sir Alex Ferguson's comments about Eric Cantona: "Many people have justifiably acclaimed Cantona as a catalyst who had a crucial impact on our successes while he was with the club but nothing he did in matches meant more than the way he opened my eyes to the indispensability of practice; practice makes the player." No surprise, then, that the British players who were on hand to witness Cantona, such as Giggs, Beckham, Scholes and the Nevilles, have gone on to play at the highest standard for so long.
And then there is Arsène Wenger. Tony Adams attributes the success he enjoyed in the latter part of his career to the Frenchman, who set about changing the Arsenal captain's lifestyle for the better. Before Cantona and Wenger, extra training usually revolved around "The Tuesday Club", a collection of heavy drinkers comprised almost exclusively of British players. And that happened up and down the country.
Of course, not every foreign player has lit up English football like Cantona and not every foreign manager has had the same impact as Wenger but I will always count myself fortunate to play in an era where so many different nationalities and cultures make up the team I'm part of.
I have learnt a huge amount that has changed both my philosophy on the pitch and my outlook on life. Perhaps more importantly, I have made some lifelong friends, like the Scandinavian I've known for so long that I forgot he wasn't English once when I lamented those clubs that automatically look overseas for talent rather than try to develop their own.
Those that do come over are generally embraced by their new team-mates, who appreciate how difficult it must be. Sometimes, though, the door is firmly shut by a foreign clique within the squad. This was true of a group of French players I played with at one club who were not interested in communicating with anybody else. Whenever they spoke in French around the training ground one of the English lads would shout: "English only, please." It felt like a fair point, although it would also have been interesting to see if that same person would have learnt French were he signed by PSG. I suspect not.
The good, though, far outweighs the bad when it comes to overseas players. I have played with centre-halves who saw being part of the back four as a starting point for an attack rather than the last line of defence. And there was a striker who refused to move unless the pass went exactly where he wanted it – something that was the subject of many arguments in the changing room when he first arrived until it was decided that actually it would be in everybody's interests if we did in fact pass the ball exactly where he wanted it. He wasn't the lazy foreigner we had him down for; he was simply demanding higher standards of those around him.
It is, however, the midfielders who have really impressed me. From knowing when to run, when to play a pass and when to dribble – their decision-making, which is 75% of the game at the highest level (thereafter it is simply the fruits of practice), continues to dazzle me. Players such as Luka Modric, Cesc Fábregas and, when he was here, Xabi Alonso, epitomise all of these traits.
And we are learning. Look at Jack Wilshere. Here is a player who I believe can change the direction of English football. Wilshere, as he matures and continues to learn from two fantastic foreign mentors in Fábregas and Wenger, can become England's Xavi Hernández. No pressure then, Jack.
The England squad may not feel the fruits of these coalitions for a little while longer yet but the green shoots are appearing. Today the by-product of the foreign invasion is staring our brightest young talent square in the face; it's just a shame that some elements of our society remain blind to it.
If only they could slip on a pair of old boots and experience the camaraderie of a modern-day dressing room and the standard out on the training pitch, they might just begin to see the potential impact that this culturally diverse mix of talent may offer their national team. Then again, there is probably more chance of my team‑mate arriving on time.