England: Trophy winning nation?

With England being the creators of the beautiful game, it’s questionable whether they will ever win one of those prestigious trophies. The Football Association (F.A) are now more then ever investing more money and time in developing the game from Grass Roots upwards.

I for one have scrutinized the F.A when it comes to their motives of developing the game in England. Some say it’s all money based, others have said its what England need. I’m on the fence. Yes, the F.A are looking to improve facilities at all levels but what are their intentions behind it? Building the multi-million pound St Georges Park complex (below) in my opinion hasn’t helped at all. Only adding to the uncertainty around the on-field problems.

Youth Development. Touchy subject. Everyone has got their own view on how the youth should be taught football. I remember reading a statistic showing Spain have twice as many qualified UEFA A/B licences. They are obviously doing something different because they are showing they can win trophies at all levels. Greg Dykes’ iconic conference where he stated and I quote “England are going to win the World Cup in 2022” idea of improving football in England is flawed. I understand where he’s coming from but the idea of having a certain number of ‘English’ players in each squad can only hamper the football being played. If English players aren’t good enough, why will people pay so much money to watch them? On the other hand, if the idea was put in place, it still doesn’t guarantee success. I’m not old enough to remember but i’m sure in the 70s and 80s there were 70 odd percent of English born players playing yet they did not win a trophy. What’s the difference now?

With writing about football, how can I not recognise the two power houses, Spain and Germany. Both nations have a strong hold on their youth and how they are nurtured into technically brilliant footballers. You only have to look at the likes of Xavi and Lahm. They both can keep the ball in their sleep. Composed and always in full control of the game. Ok, as you can tell I am biased towards Spain and Germany but lets not forget the talent already on show; Gerrard, Rooney, Lampard to name a few aren’t average players. Lampard even being named 2nd best player in Europe and the world (2005). So why can’t they gel together and show their talent as a unit when it comes to competing for those trophies? Your guess is as good as mine….