http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7421348.stm

Surely this won't be implemented. The EU and UEFA should unite against this and strike it down. Just my opinion, and even though we have a lot of English players it still seems a bad and some what discriminatory rule.

I don't think it's a bad thing at all but I fear with the EU they'll struggle to make a rule like this legal.

Mate I get where you're coming from but when Arsenal name a squad of 16 without a single English fella in it to be honest it makes a mockery of it all. People critisize english managers and players etc but if they are never given the opportunities then how will we ever improve our national game? When was the last time an English Manager won the league? 1991 Howard Wilkinson I think. English Managers just aren't given top jobs now. I've deviated with the manager thing but you get my point.

I Do get your point but should players not have the right to play for a club regardless of where they come from? and how does one classify english? Are we talking English Born? British born? Naturalised citizens?

Also does this apply to all FIFA leagues or just in Europe?

I understand about arsenal but i feel limiting it to 5 foreign players is, once again IMO, a bit TOO restricting.

Irrespective of what anyone believes, this contravenes everything that the EU stands for, therefore it'll never get up as it would be seen as discriminatory.

Had a few beers so those who may find foul language offensive, pls turn away now......

Fuck the EU!!! Ain't worried about that old shit. I reckon this needs some consideration for the games sake.

Might be the first steps to evening out the playing field even if only a bit. Clubs with money will always buy the best English or not but it's a start and who knows where it might lead.

Worth a try at the very least.

There wasn't so bad afterall!

Totally agree Begs.
Send us a beer will ya mate, i haven't had one for 2 years

I have to agree with you too Begs. Judging by the graph that was up last week, teams like West Ham won't be too troubled by the rule. I think it will add a bit more fairness to the league, and bridge the gap between the top of the table and the bottom

I agree with Risky.

I don't greatly care for the England team except for and if any hammers make it.

The Premier League is the best league at the moment imo because that don't have to have 5 or 6 English players in it. England don't have enough good players for all 20 teams to support 5-6 English players. Thus, the lower teams will have to support crap players and the difference will become greater.

That's utter shit - England don't have enough good players! You're telling me there are not 100 English players good enough for a decent standard league? And if that is the case is it a symptom or a cause? For me it adds more support for the case that a system like this needs to be in place in order to improve the English standard.

Anyway this isn't just England this is FIFA's suggestion for leagues worldwide.

Edit: And just to add some weight to the English players thing who has been the best team in England over the last 15 years? Man United. Were they built on a team of imports or did they have a strong English base with a splash of overseas talent to complement them? Arsenal, Chelsea have tried to topple them by spending top dollar on imports but time and again they get put back in their place. Much as I hate the mancs at least they've done it right and shown the way to do it is by spending at grass roots and promoting internally.

Not utter shit and yes, I am telling you England do not have 100-120 good players to make the PL continue to be the best league (as I stated). Decent league? Don't know. Define decent. Wouldn't be the best league. I think that as more overseas players have gone to the PL, the standard has improved which has made more want to go there, thus continuing to improve it.

If this rule brought in, I reckon the Spanish and Italian leagues (possibly German as well) will be better than the PL as believe they have more local talent than English and PL will no longer be where the big names want to play.

Sympton or cause - don't care. I enjoy the PL as it is at the moment and want West Ham to do well in it however possible (without resorting to employing druggies, cheating, etc)

I know it's FIFA suggestion. Doesn't mean I agree with it. My comments relate to impact on PL.

Don't think your Man U comment adds any weight. Arsenal and Chelsea have both won the league recently. And if they had to have 5-6 English players, they wouldn't be able to compete with MU either by your reckoning. It would be a one horse race. Boring.

Were Man U in the top 5 English playing teams this season? No. 9th. All seems to add weight to my argument against employment retsrictions if want PL to best league instead of just a decent league, if that.

That attitude annoys me. Happy to watch the country's game but don't give a fuck if it's in the best interests of the country. The reason it is the best league in the world is because of the devotion of the English fans. IMO it's always been the best league in the world for that reason. I've never been able to get excited about any other because they just don't match it for passion. You could fuck all the foreigners off and you'd still have a great product - football was just as good arguably better back in the days when they were few and far between.

Disagree.

All leagues have passion. Don't know if English any more passionate than Argentines, Brazilians, Spanish, Columbians, etc. Doesn't make it the best to watch. Depends more on your own interest. I think the influx of overseas talent has greatly improved the league both in skill and interest.

I like to see some English talent come through the ranks but not to the detriment of skill and interest. But I'm not English and don't care about their national team except for the hammers in it.

I care about the Aussie national team and the league to benefit it. Doesn't mean I can't be interested in another country's league and not care about them nationally.

Well we'll have our quota system and you can go watch colombian football then.

I doubt colombians and argentines would keep coming in their numbers if they had 35% increases on their season tickets every year. The basis of my argument was the loyalty of English fans is the basis of what has made England's league the best in the world.

It's not just the quality of the performance on the pitch - the things I'm talking about which makes English football the best in the world is part of a whole package.



So you can understand why the English would want their league to benefit their national side then surely?

My point being the structure of the English game shouldn't be set to suit you in your armchair 10,000 miles away who doesn't give a fuck about our national team - it should be set for the good of the game in ENGLAND!

Believe a lot of English fans are supposedly renegging on their season tickets with continued increases. How is the support at Derby, Wimbledon, Bolton, Fulham, etc?



Not the whole package!?

I can understand your point to benefit England but you can't get annoyed by someone who doesn't care about the English national team. And what's it matter how far away I am? They are no doubt interested about the overseas revenue of tv, etc. And I'm allowed to express my interest in the league itself and how it is best suited imo without giving a rats about the national side.

You're allowed to do and say what you like but it's a case of what you choose to say. I don't go spouting off saying I couldn't care less about Australia, quite the contrary I give my support to the aussie side. I'm not annoyed at you not liking the English side I'm annoyed that you expect the English game not to be designed to support our national side. If I said the A-League shouldn't be designed around what's best for the Aussie national team you'd be spitting blood. If anything isn't true blue 100% aussie over here there's a bloody uproar. Yet if I defend the English game being designed to the benefit of England then that's wrong.

Also I stayed up last night studying and had no sleep going straight into a 3 hour disgusting exam this morning. Think I need to go to bed