New Premier League Rules, Bye-bye Eduardo, FIFA follow-up and round up.

Morning all.

Pre season is well underway for most teams and you can catch highlights here. That is a great site by the way. Very good for Premier League highlights during the season (thanks Tommy).

The slow crawl towards the season continues and this morning I wanted to take a look at how the new Premier League rules on 'home-grown players' might already be effecting some of the moves in the transfer market and how it is intended to improve the development of English players.

Ever since England bombed in the World Cup there has been a clamour of journalists all fighting each other to sound the most self-righteous and know-it-all by insisting that it is the youth development set up in English football that is the problem. the FA's and the football clubs' fault. Of course...none of them were backing England for a successful tournament and raising expectations, heaping pressure on the team...they already knew the weakness was there...why didn't we listen!?...Yeah right...

However, despite the reactionary elements of this media response - I do agree. It isn't so much that clubs don't try hard enough to develop players, they just develop them in the wrong way. It is clear, and just the typical case that the standard English player is less technically gifted than say your average Spaniard, Brazilian or Argentinian. It is because there is less focus on technique in youth football in England. Nothing new about that opinion, and it is something English football has often been proud of. However, the modern game demands that technique is as important, and often more important than drive, fight, guile, grit, organisation or whatever you want to call it. A balance of the two is perfect.

The result is that for clubs to succeed at the highest level in the Premier League, and then subsequently in Europe (to make more money basically), they require technically gifted players. English players are rarely as technically sound as their Iberian or South American counterparts - so the top clubs, with the best development facilities go abroad to grab kids young ala Fabregas, Ronaldo, Kakuta and countless more. My own club are the perfect example (although Wenger's 15 year influence - cue a load of paedophile gags - may be about to reveal itself with a batch of very technical youngsters coming out of Arsenal) and who knows? The demand for technique may have swept through academies up and down the country - maybe there will be skilled players with a bit of English determination coming through more regularly over the next five years. But I doubt it....

So the Premier League have introduced these new rules where a club must name a squad of 25 players over the age of 21 years 0 days at the start of any given season. This must contain 8 players minimum who are 'home-grown' - and a very dubious kind of home-grown, just trained in England or Wales for three years before they're 21 (e.g. Fabregas). The rules don't effect players under 21 at all.

Hypothetically. Lets say we have Mark Smith, a young midfielder, approaching 21 and Paolo Di Maria Silva Pancetta Parmesan Mario Bros. Lamborgini, a young midfielder also approaching 21. Smith is more likely to get the nod and the the experience that comes with being named in the 25 man squad (as long as Lamborgini hasn't been trained by a club in England or Wales for 36 months before the season he turns 21) as he doesn't have to be declared as a foreigner like Lamborgini would. The likelihood is a club wouldn't even bother buying a 19 year old Lamborgini if they had Smith and all the attention would go onto the Englishman. So far so good.

But my issue is that this isn't about declaring or guaranteeing a certain amount of English players, it is about limiting clubs to 17 foreigners over 21 (the idea being that the two objectives are inextricably connected - not sure about that).

Surely clubs who are switched on will just look for the best young talent earlier - although this adds scouting costs at a higher risk than just putting the extra time and money into the lads who are already available on this island. It remains to be seen if this will work. I'm sceptical just because the rules essentially don't ask you to do anything other than not exceed 17 foreign players over 21 in you're squad. You don't HAVE to name eight 'home-grown' players.

Just no more than 17 'foreigners' over 21. Will that change English football? I'm not sure.

There are moves that may have been effected by the new rules. United are going to rely on their youngsters, most of whom will count as home-grown. Chris smalling made a surprise move there last season. Liverpool have also moved for the Scottish lad from Rangers (I think he counts as home grown).

But I think an attitude needs to shift more than anything. Focus on a bit more technique from a young age whilst still encouraging a competitive, team based attitude. Hard to do when every young talent wants to listen to his agent and imagine he is the best thing since sliced bread. What the rules mean is that a player will probably have to prove himself by the age of 21 or he could be out. Jay Simpson is 21 now for Arsenal and would have to take up a place in our 25 man squad if he stays. We have young Englishmen and foreigners who would cost nothing in terms of being 'declared in the squad. They would make another place in the 25 for a signing, so Simpson could be out as he's not really proved himself. Some players aren't ready at 21. Players like Xavi or Drogba or Ian Wright could've been written off at 21. But if you're not ready at 21 now, you may be out of time and lose out and be moved on. Time will tell what this means for English football.

Linking this discussion in with my next subject, Eduardo's move from Arsenal to Shakhtar Donetsk, Eduardo may be one of the first casualties of the new rule; maybe it is working. He will probably be replaced by Simpson or Jay Emmanuel Thomas in Arsenal's set-up. This leaves room for another foreign signing in the team as Thomas doesn't need to be 'declared' as a 19 y/o and Simpson is home-grown. With English players at a premium, Arsenal could afford space for a foreign defender so freeing up Eduardo's foreign spot in the squad seems a good idea.

There is of course a lot more to the Eduardo story in England. This also links to a lack of technique in the average English player, as I discussed above. He suffered a terrible injury which he couldn't physically or psychologically recover from and was treated like shit at the beginning of last season by a bunch of hypocrites.

Martin Taylor's tackle had a huge effect on Eduardo's promising career at Arsenal. His high tackle was probably the result of two things: being psychologically pumped with aggression by a team talk based around being extra physical with Arsenal (or similar teams) because they don't like it, and just having a lack of technique, a lack of how to be aggressive without endangering an opponent. There is nothing wrong with the physical approach but when it is coupled with psychological ideas of hurting a team enough to stop their game and a lack of technical tackling ability it can become dangerous. Taylor's youth development probably stressed the "ball-and-man" attitude over making technically sound tackles. Yes, tackles require technique as well and Taylor, a perfectly average English player in the Premier League at the time, displayed a complete lack of knowing how to tackle with good technique.

I certainly think that is also the case with Ryan Shawcross's tackle on Aaron Ramsey. The reason being it isn't even a tackle. It was just a terrible piece of foolish defending, rushing out in midfield chasing a loose ball, being too slow to get there first and attempting, seemingly, to smash the ball back down the other end of the pitch for no apparent reason. He accidentally smashed Ramsey's leg instead. But who the fuck is teaching a young, talented, English centre half to do such a thing?Who is encouraging Shawcross, psychologically preparing him, to chase loose balls, like a Neanderthal after a wart hog, and to try and smash the ball as hard as he could into the oppositions half. No skill, no technique and dangerous if timed badly.

Add Eduardo's injury troubles to the outrageous treatment he received after diving against Celtic and he probably walked to sign a contract abroad. The cunt media. You would've thought Eduardo invented fucking diving the way he was treated. Every fucker had to have their say. Sickening. And then he has to sit back and watch those same fuckers who abused him for something almost every pro player does defend poor, ickle Ryan Shawcross after seeing one of his mates go through exactly what he went through. No wonder he wanted to leave this country. He's pretty much had it shit since he moved here even though he showed great potential.

Moving on to FIFA's decision regarding technology/officiating from the party in Cardiff yesterday. So it will be two extra officials behind the goal to help out with goal line decisions, tight corner kick rulings and penalties I imagine. It is a move in the right direction and it should lead to more accurate decisions - although it is my understanding that the ref's decisions are final so they could end up being ignored by refs who don't think they need the help.

It still isn't technology - which is what I think the goal line needs. For more on that scroll down to yesterdays post.

A small round-up of some other interesting stories and rumours. Martin Jol has now officially turned down Fulham. Sad, he would've been excellent for them. Petr Cech is going to miss the first few games of the seaon, but I don't expect that to be a problem - they play West Brom, Wigan and Stoke. Hilario could probably bring his i.pad for those ones. Harry Redknapp continues to run his mouth every single day. He thinks Spurs can challenge for the league. Maybe, but will be very hard with the added challenge of a Champions League campaign. He also claims that Joe Cole wanted to sign for his team, not Liverpool (Joe gives his reasons for joining the reds - with some journalistic creativity - here).

That's all. Leave comments. More tomorrow.