English football is in crisis but Greg Dyke does not have all the answers
Greg Dyke’s thrust to safeguard the future of England’s national team is laudable but the proposals from the FA chairman resemble fixing the tiles on the roof when the very foundations are structurally unstable.
Dyke has rolled out his vision in recent days which is designed to give England the best possible chance to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In essence, the FA chief wants to protect genuine homegrown talent by raising the threshold required in Premier League squads, from eight to 12 players in any 25-man pool, and re-defining what constitutes homegrown.
Dyke quotes the example of Chelsea’s midfield maestro, Cesc Fabregas, who was registered as a homegrown player when he joined Arsenal at the age of 16 after being schooled in the famous ‘La Masia’ set-up at Barcelona.
Those who care passionately about the Three Lions will recognise the fervour and sense of national pride that accompanies successful tournament displays by England is now in grave danger for future generations of supporters. Dyke is right to demand change.
The comparable figures for English-qualified players in domestic leagues or even participating in blue-riband European competitions compared to other continental powerhouses like Spain or Germany is unacceptable.
But in the midst of Dyke’s dissection of the problem he merely touches on the one critical contributory factor. Dyke claims nine of the current Premier League’s clubs have not produced a first team regular from their academy over the past three seasons. That criteria may need to be evaluated given the progress of Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Ryan Mason, who were called into the current England squad for a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania and a friendly in Turin next week against Italy.
But speak to any coaches in an unguarded moment - as I do for a living - who are active within the revamped elite academy system at the top end of the English game and they will tell you it is not fit for purpose. Just ask Dave Shaw what he thinks of Terry Dooley in One Shot at Glory
Young players are being hot-housed in a system which does not prepare them for the Premier League or to compete against their peers emerging through the German or Spanish systems, or even in recent times the successful Belgian crop of talent.
Games at development level take place in an artificial, non-competitive, sterile environment. Only three outfield players over the age of 21 are permitted in any side. That lends itself to age-group football when it is supposed to be the final launchpad for the first team. This is compounded by a chronic lack of depth to the coaching which needs to be world-class to develop world-class raw material.
There are exceptions. Southampton have proved it is possible to develop a number of homegrown prospects. Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw are all prodigiously-gifted examples of what is possible. But Southampton is a beacon of best practice because they are an anomaly, not an industry-standard. Given the bloated sums pumped into the academy system in recent years it is an embarrassment more English-bred players have not emerged. The biggest clubs in the land will continue to buy from overseas because the domestic option is inferior and the ones who do fit the criteria find themselves artificially valued because of their very rarity.
Dyke seeks to flatten some of the obstacles in their path but if they are not bred in the right environment with the right coaching England’s national product will continue to remain inferior well beyond 2022.
Dyke has rolled out his vision in recent days which is designed to give England the best possible chance to win the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. In essence, the FA chief wants to protect genuine homegrown talent by raising the threshold required in Premier League squads, from eight to 12 players in any 25-man pool, and re-defining what constitutes homegrown.
Dyke quotes the example of Chelsea’s midfield maestro, Cesc Fabregas, who was registered as a homegrown player when he joined Arsenal at the age of 16 after being schooled in the famous ‘La Masia’ set-up at Barcelona.
Those who care passionately about the Three Lions will recognise the fervour and sense of national pride that accompanies successful tournament displays by England is now in grave danger for future generations of supporters. Dyke is right to demand change.
The comparable figures for English-qualified players in domestic leagues or even participating in blue-riband European competitions compared to other continental powerhouses like Spain or Germany is unacceptable.
But in the midst of Dyke’s dissection of the problem he merely touches on the one critical contributory factor. Dyke claims nine of the current Premier League’s clubs have not produced a first team regular from their academy over the past three seasons. That criteria may need to be evaluated given the progress of Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Ryan Mason, who were called into the current England squad for a Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania and a friendly in Turin next week against Italy.
But speak to any coaches in an unguarded moment - as I do for a living - who are active within the revamped elite academy system at the top end of the English game and they will tell you it is not fit for purpose. Just ask Dave Shaw what he thinks of Terry Dooley in One Shot at Glory
Young players are being hot-housed in a system which does not prepare them for the Premier League or to compete against their peers emerging through the German or Spanish systems, or even in recent times the successful Belgian crop of talent.
Games at development level take place in an artificial, non-competitive, sterile environment. Only three outfield players over the age of 21 are permitted in any side. That lends itself to age-group football when it is supposed to be the final launchpad for the first team. This is compounded by a chronic lack of depth to the coaching which needs to be world-class to develop world-class raw material.
There are exceptions. Southampton have proved it is possible to develop a number of homegrown prospects. Theo Walcott, Gareth Bale, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw are all prodigiously-gifted examples of what is possible. But Southampton is a beacon of best practice because they are an anomaly, not an industry-standard. Given the bloated sums pumped into the academy system in recent years it is an embarrassment more English-bred players have not emerged. The biggest clubs in the land will continue to buy from overseas because the domestic option is inferior and the ones who do fit the criteria find themselves artificially valued because of their very rarity.
Dyke seeks to flatten some of the obstacles in their path but if they are not bred in the right environment with the right coaching England’s national product will continue to remain inferior well beyond 2022.
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