This obsession with "Englishness" in the EPL...
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This obsession with "Englishness" in the EPL...
...is really getting rather sickening now 
. I think you have probably heard and read many comments on talkshows and message boards, where fans say stuff like "we should buy this player, he is a great defender, good in the air and...he is English"! Frankly I find that all to be some carefully disguised Ron-Atkinsonism 
Below is an article which takes that Englishness obsession to new levels (note highlited parts). I find it even more scary that it comes from a very respected broadsheet.
Source: Daily Telegraph
Parker gets to the heart of the matter
By Henry Winter (Filed: 27/04/2004)
Every team needs a heart, a group of players to build around, to give strength in troubled times. Arsenal march to the French rhythm of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires.
Vintage skills: Scott Parker is PFA Young Player of the Year
Manchester United were blessed with the of that marvellous 92 Youth Cup-winning generation of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, the Nevilles and company, who gave Old Trafford a special feel for a decade. In forming their own DNA, Chelsea try to construct something lasting from young English oak.
A snap-shot of the respective powers of the English game was developed in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday night. The buzz and the flashbulbs glowed all around Arsenal's table at the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award won, inevitably, by Henry.
United's presence at the players' Oscars was minimal, signalling the waning of influence of the class of 92. Sitting around the Chelsea table were Frank Lampard, John Terry, Glen Johnson and Scott Parker, all hungry contenders for awards, confirming the club's ambition and the emergence of local heroes.
At a time when United are unsure of themselves, when Arsenal have become a great advertisement for the Premiership, Chelsea extol the native virtues of English football. Parker, well-schooled at Charlton Athletic and now graduating at Chelsea, collected the Young Player of the Year award (ahead of Terry and Johnson). Lampard, magnificent all season, was disappointed when Henry strode up for the senior trophy but knows his time will come.
Throw in Wayne Bridge and Joe Cole and the revolution at Chelsea is more Home Counties than Russian, more Blighty than blini. This DNA debate is not about nationality; it is about a team being forged from one powerful ingredient, whether French or English. These are not cliques but catalysts.
Arsenal achieved formidable unity through those who whistle La Marseillaise while they work. Arsene Wenger has mixed in other nationalities, including English defenders in Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, but Arsenal's DNA is unmistakeably French.
Chelsea's is English. That is why Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon must move carefully in the transfer market. If they dilute the team's English essence, the club's leaders risk ruining what has made Chelsea good this season.
It is their English players, particularly Terry and Lampard, increasingly Parker and often Bridge, who have driven Chelsea to second in the Premiership and within a managerial aberration of the Champions League final.
Lampard contributed more in that famous European victory at Highbury than Juan Sebastian Veron has managed all season. Veron is a sublime passer but remains unsuited to the mental and physical rigours of English football. Abramovich and Kenyon may be besotted with Veron's aura but they must realise the lesson in his brittleness and Lampard's brio.
As the season dawned, Lampard and Terry voiced their hopes that Chelsea's powerbrokers would ensure the team had an English soul. Such sentiments were echoed by Parker on Sunday. "We are building an English heart," said Parker, having adjourned to a private room after collecting his award.
"You look at Chelsea a few years ago and they were the first club to play without an Englishman and now suddenly there's quite a few of them. That is all credit to Mr Ranieri and his belief in English players. Most of the English lads bar John Terry he's brought through or bought.
"As a new player like me, to go into a club and see faces you are familiar with and can have some banter with is good. But the foreign players have brought so much to the game. Look at Thierry Henry and what he brings." At that moment, Henry glided past and Parker broke off to salute him warmly.
Those who define a team's image, like Henry and Vieira at Arsenal, rush to take responsibility. Terry, Lampard and Parker are invariably to the fore at Chelsea.
Parker has even sacrificed his personal preference for central midfield (and probably his chances of reaching Euro 2004) by helping out "willingly" on the right.
With Claude Makelele having upset certain influential individuals within Stamford Bridge, Parker may find himself alongside Lampard in the middle next season, putting the English heart into Chelsea.
. I think you have probably heard and read many comments on talkshows and message boards, where fans say stuff like "we should buy this player, he is a great defender, good in the air and...he is English"! Frankly I find that all to be some carefully disguised Ron-Atkinsonism Below is an article which takes that Englishness obsession to new levels (note highlited parts). I find it even more scary that it comes from a very respected broadsheet.
Source: Daily Telegraph
Parker gets to the heart of the matter
By Henry Winter (Filed: 27/04/2004)
Every team needs a heart, a group of players to build around, to give strength in troubled times. Arsenal march to the French rhythm of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires.
Vintage skills: Scott Parker is PFA Young Player of the Year
Manchester United were blessed with the of that marvellous 92 Youth Cup-winning generation of Paul Scholes, David Beckham, the Nevilles and company, who gave Old Trafford a special feel for a decade. In forming their own DNA, Chelsea try to construct something lasting from young English oak.
A snap-shot of the respective powers of the English game was developed in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House Hotel on Sunday night. The buzz and the flashbulbs glowed all around Arsenal's table at the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award won, inevitably, by Henry.
United's presence at the players' Oscars was minimal, signalling the waning of influence of the class of 92. Sitting around the Chelsea table were Frank Lampard, John Terry, Glen Johnson and Scott Parker, all hungry contenders for awards, confirming the club's ambition and the emergence of local heroes.
At a time when United are unsure of themselves, when Arsenal have become a great advertisement for the Premiership, Chelsea extol the native virtues of English football. Parker, well-schooled at Charlton Athletic and now graduating at Chelsea, collected the Young Player of the Year award (ahead of Terry and Johnson). Lampard, magnificent all season, was disappointed when Henry strode up for the senior trophy but knows his time will come.
Throw in Wayne Bridge and Joe Cole and the revolution at Chelsea is more Home Counties than Russian, more Blighty than blini. This DNA debate is not about nationality; it is about a team being forged from one powerful ingredient, whether French or English. These are not cliques but catalysts.
Arsenal achieved formidable unity through those who whistle La Marseillaise while they work. Arsene Wenger has mixed in other nationalities, including English defenders in Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, but Arsenal's DNA is unmistakeably French.
Chelsea's is English. That is why Roman Abramovich and Peter Kenyon must move carefully in the transfer market. If they dilute the team's English essence, the club's leaders risk ruining what has made Chelsea good this season.
It is their English players, particularly Terry and Lampard, increasingly Parker and often Bridge, who have driven Chelsea to second in the Premiership and within a managerial aberration of the Champions League final.
Lampard contributed more in that famous European victory at Highbury than Juan Sebastian Veron has managed all season. Veron is a sublime passer but remains unsuited to the mental and physical rigours of English football. Abramovich and Kenyon may be besotted with Veron's aura but they must realise the lesson in his brittleness and Lampard's brio.
As the season dawned, Lampard and Terry voiced their hopes that Chelsea's powerbrokers would ensure the team had an English soul. Such sentiments were echoed by Parker on Sunday. "We are building an English heart," said Parker, having adjourned to a private room after collecting his award.
"You look at Chelsea a few years ago and they were the first club to play without an Englishman and now suddenly there's quite a few of them. That is all credit to Mr Ranieri and his belief in English players. Most of the English lads bar John Terry he's brought through or bought.
"As a new player like me, to go into a club and see faces you are familiar with and can have some banter with is good. But the foreign players have brought so much to the game. Look at Thierry Henry and what he brings." At that moment, Henry glided past and Parker broke off to salute him warmly.
Those who define a team's image, like Henry and Vieira at Arsenal, rush to take responsibility. Terry, Lampard and Parker are invariably to the fore at Chelsea.
Parker has even sacrificed his personal preference for central midfield (and probably his chances of reaching Euro 2004) by helping out "willingly" on the right.
With Claude Makelele having upset certain influential individuals within Stamford Bridge, Parker may find himself alongside Lampard in the middle next season, putting the English heart into Chelsea.
If the English players were that good, how come they’ve won squat since 1966?
When they came for the communists, I was silent, because I was not a communist;
When they came for the socialists, I was silent, because I was not a socialist;
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not protest, because I was not a trade unionist;
When they came for the Jews, I did not protest, because I was not a Jew;
When they came for me, there was no one left to protest on my behalf."
Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)
When they came for the socialists, I was silent, because I was not a socialist;
When they came for the trade unionists, I did not protest, because I was not a trade unionist;
When they came for the Jews, I did not protest, because I was not a Jew;
When they came for me, there was no one left to protest on my behalf."
Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)
na dem get kountry joo!!!!! the big problem that they have is that while the team is formidable in the press and the mindseye of the people, they aint up to much when it really counts........... on the football field. parker lampard and beckham are very good players but nothing special. gazza was the last sublime talent this england produced
my times are in HIS hands
-
khalela
and what if they do dat! it's their country and their football..... go to the laliga, seria A, french championnat etc, dont they do likewise... or r u trying to say u wont/dont emphasize a nigerian player every opportunity u get...... abeg live them o jare
God is good to me and all who love and follow him.. Amazingly, he's also loving to all those who dont know him. What a mighty God he is!
EPL stands for English Premier League
"I hear Glenn Hoddle has found God. That must have been one hell of a pass." Jasper Carrott
"Mind you, football is not really about winning, or goals, or saves or supporters. It's about glory. It's about doing things in style, doing them with a flourish. It's
about going out to beat the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."
Danny Blanchflower
"Mind you, football is not really about winning, or goals, or saves or supporters. It's about glory. It's about doing things in style, doing them with a flourish. It's
about going out to beat the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."
Danny Blanchflower
-
cic old boy
- Flying Eagle
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- Joined: Mon Dec 22, 2003 7:59 pm
The best answer to all this parochial English nonsense came from Kevin Keegan. He was accused of not signing many English players at Newcastle and he said that when he came to Newcastle they had a squad of only English players and they were heading fast towards Div 2 in the Nationwide.
http://www.naijiant.com/
yettycom said
or r u trying to say u wont/dont emphasize a nigerian player every opportunity u get...... abeg live them o jare
being my compatriot is not a test of ability, so no i would not hype something just because its from my country or my brothers toy. thats how mediocrity flourishes and incompetents hold power. jj is a real star a world class player, who i will go anywhere and say so, this was even so in the mid nineties when many in this country did not know him and many in our own country did not appreciate. when i see talent anywhere its right to respect it, that way when hype masquerades as ability u will see thru it.
or r u trying to say u wont/dont emphasize a nigerian player every opportunity u get...... abeg live them o jare
being my compatriot is not a test of ability, so no i would not hype something just because its from my country or my brothers toy. thats how mediocrity flourishes and incompetents hold power. jj is a real star a world class player, who i will go anywhere and say so, this was even so in the mid nineties when many in this country did not know him and many in our own country did not appreciate. when i see talent anywhere its right to respect it, that way when hype masquerades as ability u will see thru it.
my times are in HIS hands
What's wrong with them bigging up their country? Don't we big up ours. It's only natural.
People are always quick to knock all these people sometimes but I do remember when Leventis were kicking butt in Nigeria...loads of people were a bit lukewarm towards them because they had a few Ghanaians in their line up.
Q
People are always quick to knock all these people sometimes but I do remember when Leventis were kicking butt in Nigeria...loads of people were a bit lukewarm towards them because they had a few Ghanaians in their line up.
Q
When the Ivorians emphasize their Ivorian-ness we call it ethnocentrism detrimental to first and second generation Ivorians who came from countries like Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Conakry etc.
When the English do it, no biggie.
When the English do it, no biggie.
Ghana's First President Kwame Nkrumah said: "We face neither East nor West; we face Forward"
There is nothing in this article that would be out of place on this site if you remove English and replace it with Nigerian!
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing - Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797)
Among a people generally corrupt liberty cannot long exist - Edmund Burke (1729 – 1797)
I agree that naturally there should higher level of interest in English players among the locals.27 wrote:Diabo, would you not be particulatly interested to see how the Nigerians players are doing if we had international players in the Nigerian league?
However, we have to understand that the context in which Englishness is always mentioned in the article above or in football talk shows etc definitely has some negative connotations. It just tries to justify the argument that English players have the right temperant (mind you, this school of thought goes beyond football), ready to die for the team blah blah blah. English Managers then use that argument to drop capable foreign players (Okworonkwo, Olembe, Sakho, Silas etc) in favour of mediocre English players, because they mistakenly think the locals will play with more fire in their bellies. Well we now know were Leeds and Wolves are heading....
Wenger has so far being proving them wrong and Im sure it annoys quite a large number of locals outside Highbury....just imagine if Chelsea with its "English backbone" had managed to snatch the championship from Arsenal this season. The papers and boards would have been filled with crap about Arsenal lacking that English frame of mind necessary for a championship or relegation dogfight. But good ol Wenger, takes a "soft" Brazilian like Edu and turns him into a midfielder with crunching tackles, takes a "naive" African (Toure) and throws him in the middle of the defence and so forth....that is what club football is all about in this globalized world. Save the virtues of Englishness for national team!
Ol boy, you see why some countries dey restrain immigration. Most people here na US or UK them dey live, but na so so bad mouth them go dey give those places...........Look at this situation, why wouldnt the Brits look after their own in their own league....Abeg, see me, see trouble ohhhhh.....Doesnt every country do the same? Why you go dey hail and spend money to develop players for other countries to the detriment of your own
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.....
"“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
MLK.
"“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”
MLK.