BUT it waters down and de-values the competition. Which is where we are, Portsmouth v Cardiff final FFS!!

I assume here your an Arsenal fan, as your reference to 'ours' cannot really imply that you are of French/African decent, which is where most of Arsenal kids come from.

Isn't that sad though, the top 4's reserves are better than other teams 1st teams.



Lucky other teams, grasping at straws.


Of course players should get a chance, players have always been given a chance, the odd one may get a game here and there as part of their development. But to play a team of reserves in what is supposed to be the world's premier cup competition, says it all really.

Swansea are currently blooding a young player called Joe Allen, he will be a star one day, we don't have two teams we can put out and expect a win though.


the loan market is another indicator, teams can no longer carry enough of a squad to carry them through, instead they 'borrow' players when they need them and the Premier teams have so many players they can't possibly play them all.


The loss of the TV money has caused problems all the way down the football ladder, including grass roots level.

Of course Rio Ferdinand needs that third Porche and Christian Ronaldo he second Ferrari.. why not? Its only money!

I know I sound a depressive, I'm not really, I enjoy supporting my team and hope we get success, whatever that means these days, I just look up at the thieves at the top and shake my head in disbelief in what they have got away with.

I did indeed, why I wrote James i have no idea my own countryman as well

Would you prefer another Arsenal v Man Utd final, or yet another competition where Chelsea play Liverpool?

Yes, I'm an Arsenal fan. Most of our reserve tam players are European, from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and from Scandinavia. I'm not a fan of FIFA's proposed idea of making teams play a minimum of 5 English players in any starting XI as I feel that if these players are good enough they'd be playing anyway. If they aren't, how would these players feel to know they're just making up a quota? I'd call that reserve discrimination.

No. If a couple of first team players are injured or playing badly, I'd like to have confidence that any reserve player who replaces them is good enough to fit in. That to me means having a very good reserve squad. We've managed to build reasonable decent 1st and 2nd teams and built a new stadium without being bought out by foreign billionaires. Almost the same people own shares in Arsenal as 10yrs ago!

That team of reserves regular got us to semi-finals, which to me says that they're a damn sight more motivated to win than their opposition. Isn't there more chance of a 'giant-killing' if we play our 2nd team?

No-one's 'got away' with anything. Unless you have proof of otherwise.

Two points; the big clubs (and here I'm not just talking about the top four) buy talent in rather than develop homegrown. Works for them, but not for the national side.

Second: I'm old school on this. I'd prefer to have a rule that only a minority (the smaller the better) of players in a club can represent a team other than the nearest geographically to where they were born.

Impractical for sure, but it would give at least a little meaning to the sense of "we" for supporters.

Your first point is a very good one, but I personally am not interested in what helps the England national team, nor any other.

Would forcing clubs to play a minimum number of "home-grown" players improve the national team, or even improve the league clubs? The only team I'm aware of in the Premier League who field a large number of players born locally are Middlesbrough, and how many of those players except Downing play regularly for England?

A laudable goal but a couple of years ago I was talking with my nephew and his mate who were at the time working for Fulham FC in community relations and one of the major complaints he and his mate had was that there is very little home grown talent these days.

Kids don't play out any more. Parents are afraid to let them out to play in the street as we did as kids. Or they don't want to play out anyway they would rather sit in front of telly or computer playing games.

Very little talent is being developed at the grass roots level according to them.

No argument that it doesn't happen (local hero bit), I'm simply saying I'd prefer it. Shades of Yorkshire County Cricket circa Harry Truman.

Edit:On re-reading your post, you're conflating my two points in your 2nd paragraph.

I do agree more needs to kids kids involved in the game, and they are the ones who'll become future players at the various levels. Until those numbers get much higher, there isn't going to be any improvement in the status quo.

Another reason teams buy players from abroad is the cost. Look at any transfer window and compare the cost of British players against foreign ones. If the prices were similar then I think clubs would buy more home-grown players.

Two Brits in the top 12 record transfer fees.


Rank Player From To Transfer Fee (£m) Year
1 Zinedine Zidane Juventus Real Madrid 46.0[1] 2001
2 Luís Figo Barcelona Real Madrid 38.7[2] 2000
3 Hernán Crespo Parma Lazio 35.5[3] 2000
4 Gianluigi Buffon Parma Juventus 32.6[4] 2001
5 Christian Vieri Lazio Internazionale 32.0[5] 1999
6 Andriy Shevchenk Milan Chelsea 30.8[6] 2006
7 Pavel Nedvěd Lazio Juventus 30.6[7] 2001
8 Wayne Rooney Everton Manchester Utd 30.0[8] 2004
9 Rio Ferdinand Leeds Utd Manchester Utd 29.5[9] 2002
10 Gaizka Mendieta Valencia Lazio 29.0[10] 2001
11 Ronaldo Internazionale Real Madrid 28.49[11] 2002
12 Juan Sebastián Verón Lazio Manchester Utd 28.1[12] 2001

If the likes of real Madrid and Man Utd want to consistently pay those amounts of money for world-class players, then that's their choice. Other than How many of the current England squad would go for record amounts these days if they were sold. I could only think of 4, maybe 5.

Steven Gerrard
Wayne Rooney
Rio Ferdinand
Frank Lampard
John Terry

Didn't realise she was a free woman again

dig her - Daily Mail

The barcodes looked pretty sorry against the Spurs this afternoon. Bringing on unfit and injured strikers was desperation to say the least.
I'm sorry but I think one more loss and the team is going to be enjoying life in the Championship. Hopefully they won't do a Leeds and will be back up soon as we'll miss their quaint and jolly fans.

True, but having said that there was nothing wrong with Obafemi's goal; the clearance might have hit him on the hand, but he knew nothing about it and made no effort to move the hand towards the ball.

There's no way a point would have been deserved overall, but the lads aren't having any lucky breaks right now.

Meanwhile, I'll do my best to continue to be quaint and jolly.

Its tough one when you handle the ball in the box and where that also gives you the opportunity to shoot.


What's Shearer thinking? "It's still tha best cloob in tha woooooould man!"

Ball to hand, innit? Cronaldo wouldn't have got a whistle. Water under the bridge though.

Shearer's from Yorkshire? Who knew?