Lord Mawhinney’s call for more home grown players

Mawhinney hopes Football League clubs produce more home grown players like English international Theo Walcott (image courtesy of PL Hee)

The Times has announced today that the Football League chairman, Lord Mawhinney plans to introduce the “Home Grown Players” rule in a bid to groom more England players.

The rule would mean that clubs have to have at least four members of their match-day squads who qualify as domestic players.

To qualify as a domestic player, the player has to have been registered in England for three seasons before their 21st birthday.

Genuine need for an English quota

The fact that there is a genuine need for an English quota to be introduced into the football leagues – the Championship, League One and League Two – illustrates how widespread the issue of foreign player recruitment has become.

The clubs in the three lower leagues do spend £30 million a year, however, on developing home grown talent.

And to great effect. As Mawhinney points out:

"Fourteen of the 23-man England squad that beat Germany in Berlin last week were
developed by youth development programmes at Football League clubs".

And with this extra impetus, we should see more special players like Ashley Young (from Watford), Theo Walcott (Swindon Town and Southampton) and Micah Richards (Oldham Athletic) coming through the ranks and breaking into the England senior side.

Aston Villa need greater steel to secure fourth place

Aston Villa First 11 (Courtesy of Guðmundur Lúðvíksson)

Two successive defeats in a week for Aston Villa, see them miss out on the chance to go fourth in the table and overtake current premier league holders, Manchester United.

With all their youthful, promising attacking talent in Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Steve Sidwell and James Milner, Villa need to eliminate defensive slip-ups in order to progress and build on their top six finish last season.

A mark of a top club is often their ability to ground out results - to be resilient, even when they are not playing their best football.

Villa manager, Martin O’Neill, referred to this sentiment in his post-match interview with Sky Sports: "We didn't play well but we shouldn't have got beat. That really is the disappointment”.

This has frequently been the criticism levied at Arsenal – for example, in their away defeat to Stoke this season – and what both teams lack, are assured defences.

Good offensive play

In Villa’s away game at St James’ Park a week ago, they were unfortunate not to open the scoring on numerous occasions.

Laursen headed Gareth Barry’s 11th-minute corner against the post, ten minutes later Agbonlahor miscued his shot from close range and Newcastle keeper Shay Given expertly saved Ashley Young’s powerful attempt minutes before the break.

The away team needed to be patient, to keep their shape and continue to create chances.

Defensive inadequacies

Newcastle were re-invigorated, however, at the start of the second half, when Laursen all too easily allowed Obafemi Martins to cut inside twice, and score two well-taken goals.

Defensive midfielder, Nigel Reo-Coker, was also culpable for the second goal in failing to challenge the goal assister - Newcastle’s Argentinean winger, Gutierrez - in the centre of midfield.

Even more blinding defensive inadequacies were to blame for Middlesborough’s goals on Sunday.

Villa left-back Nicky Shorey misjudged Stewart Downing’s cross and Turkey striker Tuncay Sanli eagerly pounced.

Making his premier league home debut for Villa, midfielder Steve Sidwell equalised minutes later and then two minutes from time, made a wayward pass which was seized by Tuncay to score his second.

The premiership’s “top four” all have exciting offensive players to put their teams ahead, but equally important to their success are their gritty, powerful defenders, who fight to intercept that cross and make that last-ditch challenge that keeps their team in the game.

As illustrated in Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic's double tackle below:






Aston Villa’s defence needs to produce that form consistently if they are to viably compete for a Champions League place.