The instant England departed these shores for South Africa a couple of weeks ago, there was much hope that finally, England could bring the trophy home. Yet, that dream was destroyed in no uncertain terms by the old enemy Germany in Bloemfontein as England crashed out of the finals losing 4-1. How might possibly such an experienced team who qualified so easily fail to perform? Not surprisingly, the English media has come up with no shortage of scape goats and causes for what was England’s heaviest defeat at a World Cup. There has been lots of talk about the Italian manager, formations and more but the troubles are much more serious.
Since its formation in 1992, the EPL has achieved fantastic success as an international brand. The price of this success has been felt by English football. Increased TV revenue has forced wages to rise. Consequently this has meant there has been a developing gulf between club and country. Clubs pay their footballers lots of money and are increasingly unwilling to let their players play for their countries.
In return, footballers get greatly rewarded by EPL clubs to the extent that success is categorized by getting rewarding contracts ınstead of anything they accomplish on the field. Typical players who rarely turn out for their teams are still millionaires and the moment these players put money ahead of playing games at club level, there is actually little doubt they don’t have the mental strength or hunger to play international football.
Traditionally, there was always a regional reserve league which ensured young footballers from smaller teams could possibly be guaranteed to play against decent reserve teams from more established teams like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United. Of course, in recent years, the EPL has changed consequently they will only play against other Premiership reserve clubs. This means that Championship reserve teams no longer get to play versus Premier League sides. For teams like Ipswich Town, it means their reserve team now plays versus Stevenage as opposed to Tottenham and this drop in standard in opposition definitely has a negative effect on the learning curve of young players.
With so much wealth on the line, things are targeted at EPL survival. Teams spend large amounts of money securing supposedly superior foreign managers and players in a bid to hold on to their EPL status. The ambition of promoted clubs to the Premier League extends no further than finished 4th bottom. The Premiership cash bonanza means that Premier League clubs can offer £1-2m for young players at lower division teams. The players are eager to move and secure their financial futures but it could also signal the stop of their careers. The young Crystal Palace star signed for Tottenham but barely made an appearance and was last heard of on loan at Brentford, a division lower than when he was at Crystal Palace. From a football viewpoint, Bostock would have been best served staying at Palace and learning his trade. How many more young footballers careers are cut down like this chasing after the money rather than playing the game? It’s difficult to blame the young players for taking the money.
Addititionally there is the common accusation that clubs play too many games in England and increasingly more managers want a winter break. Bear in mind, footballers don’t look to be tired once asked to fly off to the United States or Far East on pre-season tours. Or how about England’s friendly match next June away in Thailand?
There are way too numerous ready made excuses for failure that players are ready to accept. They live a life well away from real life with their mansions, luxury cars and trophy wives. Quite simply, there is not enough hunger or desire.
The game in Thailand also highlights another issue. Along with the Premier League being an international brand, so are the England team. Folks want to view the big Premier League stars play for England and in friendly matches like this, those stars will be expected, if not contracted, to turn out. Having said that, it is not the case that the recommended 11 footballers make the very best team. Too quite a few footballers are in the team based on reputable name rather than performances. Young players should be promoted into the senior squad sooner.
For the impending Euro 2012 campaign, England should dispense with the services of all footballers aged 30 or over. None of them have played to their ability in South Africa therefore why should England persist with them. It would be more practical to promote younger footballers who may still be hungry for success. All the same, while the worshiping of the Premiership remains, things are probably not going to get better anytime very quickly.
Tags: euro 2012, euro 2012 poland, uefa euro 2012, Ukraine euro 2012