Over the past few Premier League seasons there has been much debate about the growing number of foreign players in starting line-ups.  Much of this has surrounded FIFA’s proposed “6 + 5 rule” in which a team would have to field a starting line-up of at least 6 domestic players and no more than 5 foreign players.  Also in this debate is the Premier League’s rule requiring a team to name at least 8 “home grown” players to its 25 man roster.  The home grown player rule is less contentious, however, as it does not affect starting line-ups, it only takes up 32% of the roster, and a home grown player can technically be a foreign player as long as he has played 3 seasons in England before he turns 21 years old.  For the purpose of this article I do not wish to dive into further debate over these rules, but for the sake of speculation, let’s consider which current rosters would come out on top of the Premier League if they had to field an entirely “local” starting 11.

If you take a look at team sheets from a few decades back you will find every English club consisting almost entirely of players native to the British Isles. [For the sake of this article I am considering a “local” player to be from either the UK (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) or The Republic of Ireland.  Throughout the history of British Football there have been a consistent number of Irishmen plying their trade in England, therefore I do not wish to exclude them from consideration.]

For example, the legendary ’68, Champions of Europe, Manchester United team was entirely UK/Irish (7 Englishmen, 2 Irishmen, 1 Scot, and 1 Northern Irishman).  The Benfica side they faced was an entirely Portuguese roster.  Almost every other notable team sheet in this era was comprised of entirely homegrown players.  Jump ahead to the 1980 Nottingham Forest side that became back to back European Champions, and we see an all UK roster.  Brian Clough’s much lauded team had a starting lineup in the European Cup Final which included 6 Englishmen, 3 Scots, and one Northern Irishman.  Interestingly enough, the Hamburg side Forest defeated was entirely German except for a Yugoslav and an Englishman, Kevin Keegan.  Even as recent as 1992– the inaugural season of the Premier League–  the first round of matches only included 11 foreign starters out of all 22 teams.  Naturally, as our world has become increasingly globalized the Premier League has done the same.  In my opinion, this globalization benefits the league as a greater number of foreign players creates a more competitive and entertaining product.  That being said, however, I would like to take an in-depth look at current Premier League rosters and see who would reign supreme if teams had to field an entirely UK/Irish starting 11.

In order to build a fair argument I had to establish a few ground rules.  I analyzed every roster in detail, rather than simply tallying the number of Brits and Irishmen per team.  No one is allowed to play out of position and each team is required to use a standard formation (i.e. no outlandish 2-7-1). Therefore each team’s starting line-up must have at least 1 goalie, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders, and 1 forward.  Only the first team roster of 25 is eligible; reserve team and youth team players are not considered. Teams are allowed to call in domestic players currently out on loan as long as they have played with the first team before.

Here is how it all shakes out:

* Denotes teams that would need to call in players currently on loan.

Of the current 20 Premier League sides, only 15 could name an all UK/Ireland team sheet.  Of the 5 ineligible teams, 3 are technically only 1 player off.  Liverpool and Tottenham both could name rather strong domestic team sheets. However neither have a UK/Irish goalie on the books. Similarly, Manchester City boasts some of the most talented English players, yet cannot name a domestic striker in its roster.  Coming as no surprise to most, Chelsea and Arsenal are the two teams that are a ways off.  Chelsea weighs in with only 7 local players, all English, while Arsenal can only contribute 5 British players (4 Englishmen and one lone Welshman Aaron Ramsey). Of Chelsea’s 7, Ross Turnbull, Daniel Sturridge, Josh McEachern, and Ryan Bertrand have only been with the team since 2009.

Looking at the 15 teams capable of fielding an all UK/Irish starting 11, there are several interesting things to consider.  First, the teams that have been promoted over the past few seasons tend to have mostly domestic rosters.  Most notable of these is Norwich City, which only has 4 foreign players on the books.  This does not come as a shock, as local players tend to be more thrifty buys and the lower leagues frequently reflect this.  Second, a few teams would be forced to field significantly weaker sides.  The likes of Wigan, Blackburn, Everton, and Fulham would be missing some very key contributors.  And third, two teams stand out as being able to field very competitive sides: Manchester United and Aston Villa.  Both of the teams would have to omit some key players, Manchester United more than Villa, but each could turn out a solid all UK/Irish team sheet.  Let’s take a look at a sample starting line-up for each:

Manchester United

GK: Ben Amos

DF: Chris Smalling, Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones

MF: Ashley Young, Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick, Ryan Giggs

FW: Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck

Subs: Tom Cleverly, Michael Owen, Darron Gibson, Ravel Morrison, Ezekiel Fryers, Ryan Tunnicliffe

Aston Villa

GK: Shay Given

DF: Alan Hutton, Richard Dunne, James Collins, Stephen Warnock

MF: Marc Albrighton, Stephen Ireland, Fabian Delph,

FW: Darren Bent, Emile Heskey, Gabriel Agbonlahor

Subs: Nathan Delfouneso, Ciaran Clark, Barry Bannan, Nathan Baker, Andy Marshall, Daniel Johnson, Graham Burke, Gary Gardner, Elliot Parish

After taking a look at these possible starting line-ups, I think it is Manchester United that has the edge.  While Villa’s 11 is a fairly recognizable team sheet, there is still more class in an all UK/Irish United side.  Although United would be without the likes of De Gea, Evra, Anderson, Berbatov, Park, Hernandez, Vidic, Nani, the Da Silva twins, and Valencia, the names remaining are a talented bunch.  With the exception of Ben Amos, the above starting 11 would not be a far-fetched team sheet for Sir Alex to call upon.  With Manchester United declared the winner, I would not go as far as to say that this makes them a better team, nor is it a key reason as to why they are reigning champions.  However, this fact should be a proud feather in the cap of a team with a long and prestigious history in Britain.

The much beloved promotion/relegation system is apparently being threatened in England.  Recent news reports suggest that foreign Premiership owners (several Americans in the list) have asked for the elimination of the promotion/relegation system and an adoption of a franchise system more reminiscent of American sports leagues.  The decided reason behind this proposal is that club owners would have more financial security supporting their investment.  The risk of dropping into a lower league poses great financial risk to club revenues. TV rights alone ensure millions of pounds for Premier League teams; not to mention the money brought in by sponsors, endorsements, merchandise, and ticket sales (to name just a few) in the top flight.  Dropping to the Championship or lower can look like plummeting stock in the eyes of businessmen investors.  Why not put in measures to prevent this from happening?

The obvious answer to this question is simply put: The tradition and passion of English Football trumps any potential risk to the pockets of investors.  Eliminating the current system will seriously strip the game of the heart that it has.  The current system gives small seaside teams, donning tangerine kits, the dream of taking down one of the big London clubs; it gives fans of a once great European Cup contender that plunged to the third tier the hope of once again climbing to the top.  To lock teams into permanent leagues would be an atrocity that could kill the lower leagues and make for a boring and meaningless season for league bottom dwellers.  This is not to mention the nightmare of how to decide which teams get locked into the Premiership.  Would there just be a final season as is, and just go from there?  While that would make for one heck of a final relegation/promotion battle, what happens to the legacy of teams with rich Premiership pasts?  Would teams like Portsmouth, West Ham, Leeds, and Nottingham Forest be permanently banned from tier one football for a few bad seasons?  I cannot imagine what that crazy tatted-up Pompey fan would do if his hopes of Premiership glory were dashed.  The tradition runs too deep and the passion burns too hard to give it up.

So I realize that I am preaching to the choir, and that no true football fan would desire to see the promotion/relegation system abolished in any league.  But here is where I shift my gaze and find some will disagree with me.  These recent articles have sparked many American footy fans to once again consider the adoption of promotion/relegation into the US club soccer system.  While the idea of emulating the top leagues of the world with the glory and intrigue of such a system sounds enticing, I would argue that it is a horrible idea for American Soccer, for now at least.  Many MLS fans plead for the removal of the 2 conference system that has half the teams in the playoffs fighting for top honors.  These fans want a one table system where the bottom teams drop to the USL and the top USL teams come into the MLS.  “It would be just like Europe, it would only serve to improve the game in the States” is the cry.  For all of the stated reasons above about the system in England, I too would love to see the system in the US.  I would be utterly enthralled to see my beloved local team, Chattanooga FC, rise from the NPSL all the way to the MLS.  But to go back to talking business, this is not a viable financial option for our country… yet.

Simply put, the interest level in the sport and financial weakness of the lower leagues (NASL, USL and NPSL) could not sustain the existence of the relegated clubs.  If a team like DC United has one poor season (not too far off from this current season), it could spell the ruin for one of the most successful MLS clubs.  Say DC United gets relegated to NASL, the climate at the club would drastically shift.  Revenues would naturally drop (just as they do for English teams).  The first big money saving change would see the exodus of many of the higher earning players.  Short of a few die hard supporters, ticket sales would severely drop off, merchandise sales would plummet.   People just wouldn’t care as much.  Sponsorship and endorsement deals from the likes of Volkswagen could be replaced by FreeCreditReport.com.  The few DC fans interested in watching the game on television would most likely be out of luck.  The money making potential would drop off harshly and DC United would cease to be good business, and it would not be difficult to conceive the club fizzling out all-together.

It is this sort of potential fear that caused MLS to organize the way that it did.  Players sign contracts with the leagues, not the teams.  Teams are allowed only 2 or 3 “Designated Players” outside of the set salary caps.  This is all in place to ensure longevity for the sport in the United States; nobody wants a repeat of the old NASL.  It would have been incredible to have been one of 70,000 fans watching Pele, Beckenbauer, and the Cosmos on a regular basis in New York City; but it would have been equally disappointing to watch the whole thing crumble just a few years later.  In its short lifespan the MLS has already seen the failure of certain clubs i.e. Tampa Mutiny and Miami Fusion).  I am confident that MLS Commissioner Don Garber would love to see a promotion/relegation system in our country eventually, but he is a smart enough businessman to know that it is not a viable option at this time.

The verdict: English football would suffer from the abolishment of the promotion/relegation system while American Soccer would suffer from the institution of the same.  While a Premier League team would provide a more financially stable investment for owners if the system were to change, the tradition and passion existing within each team would make the transition stifling and disappointing.

On the other side of the pond, it is this type of tradition and passion that needs to be matched by MLS fans before the system would provide any viability for American Soccer.  Leeds United can drop 3 leagues and still exist as a club because it has been around since 1919 and fans live and die by the happenings at Elland Road no matter what league they play in.  The same cannot be said yet of teams like New England Revolution, which only dates back to 1996 (a founding member of the league no less) and has struggled to get more than 12,000 fans through the gates this season.  Relegate that team, and I assure you it will fail to keep the doors open.  I am not trying to be pessimistic towards Major League Soccer, but on the contrary I am calling for fans to be patient and optimistic about the future of a rising league.  We can get there as a league, just look at what has been happening in Seattle the past 3 seasons.  We just do not need to rush changes prematurely.  In the meantime let’s hope to be watching relegation battles in the Prem for many years to come.

We open this week newspapers and we see Koeman, former Valencia coach, saying: “Joaquín had a 30 Euros performance” (remember Joaquín was bought for 30 millions). He also says that “it was a mistake coming to Valencia”. I agree. He is so bad to train los ches. He arrived here with Valencia in fourth position and left it bordering relegation. As you know, his first decision was putting aside Albelda, Angulo y Cañizares, a curious way of doing things.  

Although Koeman has been a problem for Valencia, the main one is its chairman and, at the same time, owner. It is true that El Larguero, the main radio sport program (with great influences in this country), has launched a campaign against Juan Soler. But the problem is that he deserved it. He has destroyed a team prepared to win La Liga, dismissing employees when he was angry, signing estranges players for too much money (Banega, Fernandes…) and taking unbelievable decisions as the one of the three captains, that everybody think was his idea. 

The city of Valencia doesn’t deserve this man. Now is not the president (he has delegated this function in Agustin Morera who, at least, seems to be a more logical person), but he still have the real power, so we can say Valencia FC is still in danger. Marcelino (sensational former Racing’s manager), for example, said “no” to Valencia because of its strange future project. After Albelda, Angulo and Cañizares probably this summer will leave the club Silva, Joaquín and Villa. Too much talent lost, I think. 

For the best of the city of Valencia, but also for the best o Spanish football (that definitely needs Valencia again at the top) we hope Soler leave the club soon, so we can see again Valencia where its supporters deserve to be.   

Just take a look to some of their players: Cesar, Ayala, Diego Milito, Sergio García, Zapater, Aimar, Juanfran… They have one of the best La Liga teams! Now newspapers talk about Milito, whom Zaragoza expects to sell for 15 or 20 millions of euros (Tottenham and Barcelona are interested), and Sergio García for nearly 10 millions (probably more if he does a good Euro 2008). Sadly this is the only way the have to face its debt not playing in 1º Division.

Today Real Madrid plays a match against Al Nasr for which it is going to receive 2 millions of Euros. This money can help to complete the Rolando’s operation, something overdiscussed these days in Spain. The problem is that Portuguese crack is saying yes and no at the same time. That’s because English press prefers to quote “I’m really happy here because every day I learn something new”, and Spanish newspapers quote “I’ve always said I want to play in Spain”. This is a business and newspapers must be sold. From Real Madrid headquarters one sentence has been repeated continuously: “We have enough money, and if he wants to come, he will”. We can only wait.

The Spanish national team is, after the end of La Liga, the topic that centres the whole attention. This year has not been really brilliant for Spanish clubs, so probably is la seleccion year. After so many deceptions this country is afraid of having hope. We have incredible players, but when they team up it seems they are everything but a team. Spain is waiting the first match, and after that we will decide if it is worth or not to have faith… again.

By the way, be attentive to laligatalk because in just one or two days we will post a really interesting interview with the most important Spanish football journalists in England. I’m sure you know the name. For those who don’t… you’ll have to wait.

One day we will dedicate one post just to analyze Atletico´s situation. El pupas (the surname used to describe this team, that literally means “the wounds”) is never happy at all. Even now, when the objective has been reached a lot of Atleticos are against Cerezo, chairman, and Aguirre. Apart from that, they are considering the option of selling Vicente Calderon, changing it for La Peineta (Olympic Game Stadium prepared for Madrid 2016), something that increase the Atleticos edginess. Anyhow, Sunday was a celebration day…

The second important theme this week is Zaragoza and, in general, the four teams that can be relegated on Saturday. Real Madrid, with the title already in their hands, drew against them in La Romareda. Zaragoza, Osasuna, Recreativo and Valladolid are living a nightmare that can finish if they win their matches. It is so curious, but all these teams depend on themselves to stay in Primera Division. That´s because Recre plays against Valladolid, so all of them can avoid relegation winning their matches. Nevertheless, Zaragoza´s situation is incredible if we look the quality of some of their players: Diego Milito, Sergio García, Aimar, Ayala, Zapater…

Finally there is another name used in every newspaper, radio gathering or TV program: Raul. In this moment Spain is divided in two sides. One of them wants Raul in Austria and Switzerland playing with la selección. The other one prefers anyone but him. First side seems to be bigger, but Aragones doesn’t like Raul (after some problems they had in the last World Cup) and after Torres, Villa and Guiza, that will be for sure in his list, he will probably call Bojan as fourth striker. Other options are Sergio García or Tamudo, but if you have to bet, choose Bojan.

First of all I would like to thanks The Gaffer for giving me the opportunity to collaborate with EPL talks. I’m Spanish and I’ll try to give you not just good information, but also the atmosphere of this country about football, something that is simply incredible. Also I would like to ask pardon for the English mistakes I could commit. I’m just learning this beautiful language, but I thing that the first hand stories I can tell you are more important than how I do it.

For the first post I cannot start with another thing than… Real Madrid. The match against Osasuna and then the one against Barcelona have completely changed the mood of Real Madrid fans. An that is because Madrid supporters start every season dreaming just with one thing: Champions League. La Liga is OK, and La Copa del Rey can be good, but Madrid´s history is linked with Europe, and losing against Rome was something really hard.

But now everything is forgotten, not just because they have won La Liga but, over all, because Barcelona is 17 points away, and the last match in Bernabeu was a humiliation for Rijkaard team. In this kind of situation, sport newspapers front page are so useful to resume each team mood. Sport´s headline (Barca´s newspaper) was a black background with a clear message: “You have disonored Barca T-shirt”. El Mundo Deportivo was more simple: “Shame”. Because of that Real Madrid supporters are so happy, probably more than the title reason, and in the last match all the stadium sung “Laporta remain” (remember Laporta is Barca´s chairman), one of the most humiliating songs remembered.

Last two matches in Spain are important just to know which other team is going to be relegated (Levante and Murcia are already in 2º Division). Osasuna, after been suffering all the season incredible referees mistakes, are now in the worst situation. Recreativo and Zaragoza, two very irregular teams this season, are fighting with them.

UEFA fight is also interesting. Sevilla, Racing and Mallorca play for 2 places. Sevilla victory on Wednesday in El Sardinero against Racing was decisive to decide this race, but also Mallorca has something to say. Manzano´s team is also news because of Dani Güiza and his incredible season. In the last match Güiza reach the first position in the top scorer table (25 goals), overcoming Luis Fabiano. He is also in the 2º position in the European Golden Boot race, after the unattainable Cristiano Ronaldo. This detail is very important because, as many countries, Spain is also looking forward to the Euro Cup, and in our case with so many hope thinking in a Torres – Güiza tandem. In June we will know if it was just a dream.

Guiza celebrates a goal

Apart from that, the real emotion is now in our 2º Division, and the teams that can be promoted. Numancia has almost one of the three places and they will probably reach their dream this weekend. Málaga, Sporting and Real Sociedad (just one year after been relegated) fight for the other two places.

Conclusion: we still have many things to see this season. So pay attention, ¡La Liga is still alive!