Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has called Newcastle United a disgrace for the lack of English players that the Magpies are fielding in their starting eleven this season.
In our three Premier League games this season, Newcastle have fielded one Englishman in each of their fixtures, with defender Steven Taylor starting away at Manchester City, while striker Shola Ameobi started in the home matches at St James’ Park against West Ham and Fulham.
It was the match at the Etihad Stadium that Ferdinand was particularly referring to, as he spoke to the Mail on Sunday about the issue of foreigners in the Premier League.
Ferdinand said: “Having so few English players in the Premier League diminishes the English team, of course it does. Look at the Manchester City game recently against Newcastle. There was barely an English player on the pitch, three out of 22 starters. That is a disgrace.”
Rio continued: “If you look at it and ask whether there should be a stipulation that you have a minimum number of players who are English, even just in your squad, I think that should happen. If you look at a lot of teams, there are England players who aren’t playing for their clubs — yet we’re hoping to go to a World Cup and do well!”.
The 34-year-old makes a valid point about having a minimum number of Englishmen in the squad, as that’s already a rule that is place! Clubs can have no more than 17 players who are not deemed to be ‘home grown’ in their 25-man squad.
With Newcastle’s recruitment of players from France, Englishmen are being pushed out, but when young, English talent is so expensive, you can hardly blame clubs for looking elsewhere on the continent.
However, should there be a stipulation of having a minimum number of English players in your starting line-up?
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Err. No didn’t. He said the lack of English players was a disgrace. So either you can’t read, you don’t understand the words that he spoke or you deliberately misinterpreted his words to provoke attention to this page. Oh. I get it now. Well done.
He branded the situation a disgrace – not Newcastle United.
And he’s right IMO.
‘Home grown’ does not equal English. Do some research before spouting drivel on the Internet.
This is a convicted drug cheat with zero credibility. If a gentleman like Chris Hughton speaks I will listen.
Bitter Manchester United Fans as always. But Rio is absoultley right. We can’t expect to go to the World Cup if we don’t field any Englishmen.
It’s not good for the World Cup, and Defo not good for English Football. Oops did I just say English Football ! !.
Well said Rio it’s getting to be joke now and something should be done about equal opps for each English premier league team.
A man with zero credibility seems to have more voice than you and since you cant recognise valied points, its hard to know who’s on drugs, Rio or you?
Is coaching of kids in this country not good enough? Do kids just not want to be footballers any more,ergo a smaller pool to pick from? Forcing choices on clubs beyond the 5 per squad or w/e it is,is wrong.If they aren’t good enough they shouldn’t be able to find such well paying careers,simple as. We,imo, are just not good enough at football in general.Time to change the way we think about and teach the game.Just because we invented the game doesn’t mean we know best.
Sensationalism at its best, there was a valid story here about the state of English football but you decided to focus on a NUFC non-story. Utter rubbish!
Tom a tip for you.
If you want a site with many hits from the majority of NUFC supporters , avoid
mention of JFK MA and AP and what evil people they are.Try to concentrate on the
players and the football , and avoid negativity about the club you purport to love.
There are a plethora of sites banging on about the evil triumverate , ad nauseum ,
and to be frank none of them have said anything new or original for about 5 years.
We have so much talented players but never given the chance nick Powell is one player I think should have been given his chance this season yet we bring in a foreign player from Everton would love to see more English players in united first team time we went back to do what we do best bring in the youth
So 7 English players in the U9td line-up is not enough (Jones, Rio, Carrick, Tom, Young, Danny, Rooney)
Your talkin s***. Did you do any research before you wrote this? Misquotes and lack of knowledge doesn’t make a good starting block for writing an article. I’m not sure what your trying to even say when your talking about the home grown rule????
A subject that needs to be addressed but very badly writtemn and researched – Ferdinand referred to both teams not just Newcastle and teh “Home grown” rule doesn’t mean English – at Newcastle Tim Krul is classed as Home Grown because of the length of time he has been with a club affilitaed with the FA
Don’t always agree with Ferdinand and his clash with the FA over missed drugs test drops his level of credibility when taking a moral or ethical stance over anything is diminished drastically by that BUT on this point he is 100% correct if you want England to win a World Cup
As i don’t give a toss aboout that I am quite happy for Newcastle to sign good players from anywhere to help make my Club successful – I don’t see Rio complaining when Man Utd sign foreigners to help his team win the League – De Gea, Vidic, Evra, Rafael, Anderson, Valencia, van Persie, Hernandez, Giggs, Nani, Fabio, etc – their main signing during the summer was Fellaini and they signed a youngster called Janko
This sounds like a dig at Man Utd (more a pop at Ferdinand for being hypocritical really) but every Premier club is guilty to an extent for two reasons – one they all sign foreign players and two because they massively over-price their English players which contributes to Clubs signing foreign players
Badly written and researched comment, how does missing a drug test affects one’s ethical or moral stand? By d way, U9td also sign English players (Jones, Rio, Carrick, Chris, Tom, Powell, Zaha, Young, Welbeck, Rooney, Amos and the countless others from the academy).
We have talent here time we used it
If English players would have more quality then they get a game! Also get ur salary expectations in line! Silly and pafetic statement to start with Mr. Bad back Ferdinand
May 2009 man utd vs man city NO English players. Shut up thicko!
Rc u need to check ur facts scholes and Rooney both played some part in that in may 2009
typical Manc !!!!!!!!!!!!
wonder if you lot turned up in your thousands if you’d won nowt for years .
erm don’t think so …… get lost you bore the pants off me you lot ,
Says the man who “Forgot” to turn up for his drug test and subsequently banned for 8 months. Mr Arrogance is a disgrace
Well said the man who refused to play for England…now thats disgraceful!!
If there were more English players in the Premier League, Ferdinand wouldn’t have got near the National team
there aren’t any English players to be had.
that’s the answer it was man u that started buying all the foreign players that pushed the English players out.
anyway Rio time you retired to let a decent centre half take your place.
You are too slow now.
So man itd are able to field gice or take a few £ m ferdinand 30 rooney 23 carrick 18 jones 18 young 20 . So 5 english players at a combined cost of around 109m. Does he really think apart from himself newcastle wouldnt likento be able to spend that kind of money on home grown talent if they had unlimited spendimg power. Then again 20m milner 20 m henderson 35m carroll 20m downing. Or ben arfa 5m cabaye 5m sissoko 3m. And you wonder why teams on limited budgets are forced to shop abroad .ots teams like man utd man city chelsea etc thst buy players for ridiculous amounts then stick tjem on reserves mever to be seen again just to stop others from getting them which creates a talent drain.
Dear mr Ferdinand how pathetic your statement reads firstly Newcastle are not in debt not owned by foreigners why we can’t field Englishman .
1. Newcastle as a club have always tried to field young English talent over the yrs unfortunatley because of such clubs like man utd Chelsea etc the prices hv been rocketing over the yrs
We Newcastle do not pay av players like yourself 150’000. Per week
We hv a budget that’s why we are not in debt if we could hv English players that we could pay reasonable wages to then believe me we would so what can we do but buy players abroad who we pay less for salary is less and sell them on for a profit so stop preaching on how you think Newcastle are disgraceful by not fielding English players mr reliable ferdinand.