Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:01 am

There's a discussion going on about this issue in the Insua thread but I'll start a new thread anyway as it's a much wider issue that will affect all clubs in this country.

Despite the fact that we'd have a lot of players who would be classed as "homegrown" by the time the rule comes in, the big question is how competitive would this squad be for a full league season? Don't forget, last season we had to exclude Sami from the CL squad for the first half of the season. This year, Degen has been excluded in favour of homegrown kids. Leaving aside your opinion of Degen's ability, it seems we're having to declare a less-than-full-strength squad to comply with these rules. We've also declared our fourth-choice keeper (Paul Harrison) for the CL, rather than Gulacsi.

What happens if a team suffers an injury crisis though? Will they have a B list of players like the CL?

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out - whether it'll create more opportunity for English players or just further increase the premium on not so great English talent to meet qualification criteria. Also, this makes the attraction of signing young players outside of qualification boundaries to gain home grown status for them more attractive. I suspect this will be an easier situation for the teams who already play in Europe to adapt to as they have been used to operating under these rules for a few seasons now. Also, the West Ham's, Villa's and Spurs' of the world will be okay due to their recruitment of English players over the past few years.

The downside will be for clubs such as Bolton and Wigan who, over the last few years, have needed to scour the globe for cheap foreign players due to budgetary restrictions. Those are the ones who, in my opinion, will struggle to meet these new regulations when they come in.

Also, if UEFA, as they propose to do, ban all transfers of players under 18 (between different Federations) then this rule becomes a major problem and the cost of young English talent will soar to even more ludicrous proportions than it already is which is worrying. If they bring it in then you can see City and Chelsea will be fighting out the title for as long as it takes for another multi-billionaire to buy into a Premiership club.

So I suppose the question as far as we are concerned is, under this new ruling, will we have enough homegrown players to build a league-winning side or do you return to the age-old problem of lack of depth in the squad?

by **Nando26** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:16 am

I think everyone will be in the same boat though mate. Is this a worlwide thing or just english teams?

All this rule will do is make the standard of the league far worse, the right wingers of the footballing world will love it but for the supporter who generally loves watching brillinat football its ashame

For me its always been this simple.....................if your good enough youll make it

by **Bammo** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:34 am

I disagree Nando, I think it may improve the standard of the league overall. It may not help us but the smaller Premier League teams. Players who were happy to be squad members in the big 4 (or 5, or 6 or whatever they class it as now) will have to be left out of the squads. Rather than stay knowing they won't play, they'll be more willing to play for teams like Wigan/Bolton.

That's the theory at least!

As for the homegrown rule, it doesn't seem to make too much difference because of the recruitment policies of big clubs. Most of the foreign youngsters recruited to the academies will qualify so in a few years (when they supposedly graduate to the 1st team) we won't notice the difference. It'll have a small effect the first couple of years but after that it will be negligible.

Big Mick raised the question about lack of squad depth. It may be a problem but then again every team is in the same boat. That should balance itself out as quality players move to clubs where they can definitely play. In theory each team should end up with 17 quality players and 8 quality youngsters.

Of course, theories don't always work :laugh:

by **lakes10** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 11:48 am

its not going to change anything , all its going to do is to make more important to knick young kids from overseas clubs sooner, once they have been here for 3 years they are classed as homegrown....its a load of :censored:

.

what is more important is the new rule that you can only buy new players with money the club has made.

the days of big money coming to the club and buying players is over.

by **taff** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:02 pm

Although I want us to buy the best players now something has to be done for the good of the game. Clubs will only want the best for them at this moment in time.

by **heimdall** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:21 pm

I think its a good initiative, will be tricky the first few years but if it means more indigenous lads get a chance to break into top flight football then that can only be a good thing. There are far too many overseas youngsters at the moment at the expense of English lads.
I refuse to believe that all English players are :censored:

, what is

is the majority of academies, especially ours.

by **Yossi_Benaloon** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 12:26 pm

This will just pave the way to standardising the way that clubs sign foreigners. I reckon from now on players will arrive on their 18th birthday to a large pre-arranged golden hello, and any that fail to be picked up by the time they are 18 and one day will be unlikely to play outside the country they started in.

This can only hamper development. Say we go and approach a 16 1/2 year old player, set him up to move at age 18 - will the sellig club bother with him for the next 18 months? Better for them to get rid and not spend money training him, when previosly we'd have taken him straight away and trained him up in our academy for 18 months.

by **stmichael** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 1:30 pm

Bammo wrote:In theory each team should end up with 17 quality players and 8 quality youngsters.

Of course, theories don't always work

Exactly.

A Premier League matchday squad now has 18 players. If you're restricted to a pool of 25 players, I can see several instances where a team won't be able to name a full bench.

by **RedBlood** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:28 pm

it wont change much if its players that come through the youth system as our youth teams are multi national now anyway

all this foriegners are stunting the development of the english players is rubbish, if your good enough you will make it, look how much better the england team is now compared to years gone by

by **JoeTerp** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:00 pm

I don't think you have read the rules. In addition to the 25 man roster, you can pick anyone at the club that was U21 at the start of the year in which the season started.

by **RedBlood** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:04 pm

JoeTerp wrote:I don't think you have read the rules. In addition to the 25 man roster, you can pick anyone at the club that was U21 at the start of the year in which the season started.

no i didnt i never read long posts too be honest i cant be bothered, i was just going on what my brother told me yesterday but i wasnt fully paying attention to him as i was watching deal or no deal lol

but if thats the case i dont really see this being a problem

by **JoeTerp** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 3:31 pm

I wasn't calling you out RedBlood, it was more of a you all, or y'all as we say roun' dees parts.

by **maguskwt** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 4:02 pm

It's ridiculous... I share the ideology of wenger on this matter. If english players are good enough, they will be good enough to make it to the squad. What this has done is to raise the price of english players higher. The richer clubs will be buying up the top english players, the poorer clubs will end up with dross and at the same time their reliance on cheap foreign importants will be affected. It won't raise the quality of the league, but the reverse will happen. It's against the idea of free market which actually keeps the price competitive because so many talents from around the world are competing for a chance to play for the good teams.

by **LFC2007** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:14 pm

It'll stimulate the market for eligible players and good quality U21s.

With that sense of necessity and focus in mind, perhaps it'll deter Rafa from signing the likes of Voronin and Degen in future.

by **JoeTerp** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 6:27 pm

I think that is spot on analysis. It will force teams to "make your 17 foriegners really count" That is still a LOT of foreigners, and if they are all top class players, I don't think its going to matter much who else is making up the rest of the squad.

One other person who I can't see surviving this rule for long is Cavalieri. Just doesn't seem economical to have 2 of the 17 slots tied up in keepers. I think the value would be in having an English back up and then an U21 emergency 3rd keeper.

Degen is already a dead man walking because he didn't make the CL squad (neither did El Zhar)

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