Young at Heart

The press has been implying this morning that Luke Young, in all likelihood, will take the No.2 shirt against Wales. I must admit I would prefer to wait for confirmation tomorrow, but predictably some so-called 'pundits' are calling it a 'risk.'

I've attached this photo to show what real 'risk' is - playing Phil Neville for the 53rd time (frightening but true....the uglier Neville brother has 52 caps).

It's fair to say most fans weren't convinced by Young initially, partly as a result of the price tag which occurred at the height of football mania. Nonetheless, over time he has quietly gone about his business and confirmation that he had won around the fans came last season when he was deservedly voted Player of the Year. His defending and effort levels are excellent, and whilst this will always be the foundation of his game, his attacking play has improved also. He was also nominated capitain in the absence of Matt Holland which must say something about his leadership qualities.

It is not entirely clear why playing the regular right-back from a Premier League team which has spent more time in the top half than the bottom in recent years, is seen as a risk. It's a sign of the usual flawed thinking that permeates through the game. It is to be expected of course that the best players in the country will tend, all other things being equal, to play for the most successful clubs but with the unbelievable influx of non-English players, there could well be international class players all over the Premier League. The reason is simply that the Premier League is perhaps the most popular League to play in (for foreigners) but this doesn't in any way reflect the underlying quality of the players that were born in that country. It's a function of the passion of the League, the revenues it generates and the global reputation, much of which actually derives from prior decades.

Take the big 3 clubs for example - how many of their first choice eleven are actually English? Less than ten out of 33 players I would say, maybe even fewer. Moreover, those English players that do make it into the first team of the big 3 may find their qualities are exagerrated by the world class players plying their trade around them. One glaring example springs to mind....Frank Lampard is probably the most over-rated player in the country yet looks a star because he has the world's best defensive midfielder alongside him. His move from West Ham a couple of seasons before the Abramovich era was an act of impeccable timing. Just ask West Ham fans what they think of Lampard, or indeed ask Chelsea fans what he was like before the roubles started flowing in.

Let's face it, we only have a handful of genuinely world class English players ie. those that would get walk into any club side in the world. Rooney and Gerrard for sure, maybe Ferdinand but certainly not Beckham or Owen. Hence these few world-class players aside, it would in many ways be surprising if the bulk of the England squad (we need 22 players after all) did not come from some of the lesser clubs like Charlton. The idea that Phil Neville should get 52 caps because he plays for Manchester United (yet in truth was only a squad member, regularly rotated) is (was) a nonsense. He was regularly dropped in favour of the likes of Keane, Silvestre, Giggs, Heinze, and O'Shea (none of them English of course). Had he instead played 38 games a season every season for a lesser club, cynical fans like me might have had a chance to conclude he wasn't that bad after all. But nonetheless, Sven still picks him.

So there we have it - I will await confirmation that Sven might see some sense, and I have no doubt that Luke will do more than 'not let anyone down', but might actually wake up some people to the English talent life outside the big 3.