Five former England managers have "starkly warned that England's chances of winning the World Cup again will be damaged if the national game does not quickly unify" behind FA Chair Greg Dyke's proposed new reforms, according to Jeremy Wilson of the London TELEGRAPH. Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan, Sven‑Goran Eriksson, Graham Taylor and Steve McClaren have signed a joint letter to Dyke in which they "advocate the swift implementation of new proposals that will increase club opportunities for young English players." The managers wrote in the letter, "Failure to do so risks England falling further behind the leading football nations and will only make it harder to end the long wait to win the World Cup." The letter highlights how English players accounted for 32% of playing time in the Premier League last year compared with almost 70% 20 years ago. The managers added, "The trend cannot continue." Dyke has proposed to "tackle this startling decline with a series of key changes." The "most radical -- and contentious -- is that the minimum number of home-grown players in a club's first-team squad of 25 should increase from eight to 12." The managers acknowledged the "complexities behind England's failure" in int'l tournaments but "are convinced that Dyke's proposals would have a tangible benefit." The five managers highlight the "extraordinary pressure" to deliver "instant results in the Premier League" and acknowledge that the temptation "to buy an established player from overseas rather than take a chance on a young home-grown prospect from the academy can be overwhelming" (TELEGRAPH, 4/1). In London, Rory Smith reported Arsenal Manager Arsène Wenger has "cautioned that the proposals put forward" by Dyke to increase the number of home-grown players in Premier League squads "are not a panacea to all of England's ills." Wenger has pointed out that the "absence of foreign stars" between '66 and '96 "did not lead to a golden age for the national team." He added that the performances of England's age-group teams "do not suggest there is a groundswell of talent being held back by imports." Wenger pointed out that history "does not indicate a relationship between the number of home-grown players and international success." He said, "I believe in a top-level competition, you earn your right through the quality of your performance rather than your place of birth" (LONDON TIMES, 4/2).
