New FA Chair Greg Dyke said that "a successful England team and more home-grown youngsters playing for senior club sides are the two immediate targets," according to Mike Collett of REUTERS.
The 66-year-old, who succeeded David Bernstein this week, "was speaking at a council meeting at the national centre of coaching at St. George's Park, Burton in his first official function as chairman." Dyke, refering to the run to the World Cup semifinals 23 years ago, said,
"The one thing we all want is a successful England team and we haven't had any outstanding successes since 1990 so how do we get a successful team?" He added, "Some clubs will tell you English kids just don't have the same technique (as overseas players) -- lots of people tell me that's not true. The question is, why aren't they playing?" Dyke, the former director general of the BBC and more recently chairman of League One side Brentford, said that "there were issues that needed to be addressed." He said, "I spent the last three years being a club chairman and when you are winning you are very popular and when you are losing you're not. It's as simple as that" (REUTERS, 7/13).
