[Archived] Is Jack Wilshire right?

[dave birch]

Should only English born people play for England?

I'm not sure, but he has a point.

[T4E]

He said that only English born people should play for England. Then he said we should bring young players through. Then he used Germany as an example to follow.

In short, he's a @#/? idiot.

[FGS5635]

He is deffo right. There are special cases where you may make an exception, but picking players that clearly aint english is wrong imo

The only reasonable excuse anyone can make for it is 'Every other country does it' Which is feable really

[Plastics]

He is deffo right. There are special cases where you may make an exception, but picking players that clearly aint english is wrong imo

The only reasonable excuse anyone can make for it is 'Every other country does it' Which is feable really

Go on...

[Rover_Shaun]

It shows how utterly dire our nation is a football when the nations football autorities cream their pant because someone scores two friggin goals

[FGS5635]

Go on...

lol...there are always special cases.

I dont know really...what if both parents are english and serving in the armed forces and have a child whilst stationed abroad. They eventually return home. Is that kid english or afghan for example if born in afghanistan say

That was the best I could do at sbhort notice

Point being there are always grey areas where you take each case on its own merits, but in general if you aint born here then you aint english

[Blue n White Rover]

An interview that would rival the EDL. I want England to be English. As T4E said, complete idiot.

Great player, mind.

[Silas]

Whether he is right or wrong isn't the issue for me, the fact that he feels he is in a position to comment on it is the problem..

I am getting pretty sick of these jumped up little kids thinking they run the show. And that's what he is, a 21 year old "kid". No amount of millions in the bank or promise as a potential future star can change that.

He has only just reached double figures for caps FFS!! What gives him the right to start dictating how he thinks the international set-up should be run.

Now if Gerard, Lampard, Rio, Terry etc wanted to voice an opinion then fair play, they have earned that right. Jack Wilshere, not so much IMO.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was asked the other month about how he saw his career panning out, and one of the first things out of his mouth was something along the lines of "Well, it would be nice if I end up with 100 caps, that's a good benchmark." Jesus Christ, another one with barely double figures and still a relatively new/fringe player in the international set up. Yet he thinks it's all there just waiting for him.

Maybe they are the next best thing, maybe one of them will one day captain England. But the flip side is, maybe their careers will nosedive and things will go to crap and they will slip down to lower league football. It's happened many a time before and will happen again, particulalry some-one like Wilshere that is so injury prone.

Think a lot of these youngsters need to wind their necks in and concentrate on taking things one step at a time, and building their careers that way. Not start thinking they have made it at such a young age.

IMO, no player under the age of 25 should be talking to the press, particlarly for the national team. It should be an apprenticeship, a right of passage if you like. The older more experienced heads should be doing all the talking, for obvious reasons.

The youngsters should keep their traps shut and concentrate on learning, building their careers, and waiting until the day comes when they are slightly older and wiser, have 40/50 caps under their belt, and then they can start dictating to people what's what.

Ridiculous tbh. The multi-million pound asset that a massive business (i.e. Arsenal) has decided to invest huge resources into, at massive risk to their own finances, and then decides to go out smoking one day, possibly the worst thing that can be done for the health of said asset, and a few days later he wants to tell people how is it. Laughable.

[McClarky]

What an absolute moron. Sounds like he is EDL but I suspect he just doesn't have the brains to think about what he's saying or how to articulate his arguement properly. There are criteria to determine who someone can play for and we have those for a reason. This is a very mobile world we live in nowadays and people define their nationality by many different means. Even if you use his Germany as an example, look at Germany's team, it is full of people who 20 years ago would not have been regarded as being Germans.

[Rover_Shaun]

It's not a racist issue it's an issue of principles. By the time you are 21 you consider yourself to be 'a citizen of one country'

You have to ask yourself about a players attitude if he's willing to don the colours of another country just to kick a pigs bladder around.

I was born in Blackburn and have lived all my life in the north west but I have Irish ancestory, and say I was a footballer and someone offered me a chance to play for Ireland, because I wasn't good enough for England, I would have turned it down because I am English. Simples.

I'd assume such players, if they were normal football fans, would don the colours of whatever team was top of the Prem that given week

[Plastics]

This thread will get interesting when certain people enter.

[McClarky]

It's not a racist issue it's an issue of principles. By the time you are 21 you consider yourself to be 'a citizen of one country'

You have to ask yourself about a players attitude if he's willing to don the colours of another country just to kick a pigs bladder around.

I was born in Blackburn and have lived all my life in the north west but I have Irish ancestory, and say I was a footballer and someone offered me a chance to play for Ireland, because I wasn't good enough for England, I would have turned it down because I am English. Simples.

I'd assume such players, if they were normal football fans, would don the colours of whatever team was top of the Prem that given week

If my daughter was good at a sport I would want her to play for England although she has never lived in England and has only 1 English parent. Nationality goes way beyond citizenship and it is fat more complicated than you make out.

if she's pants she could still play for Scotland by the way.

[DE.]

He said that only English born people should play for England. Then he said we should bring young players through. Then he used Germany as an example to follow.

In short, he's a keaning idiot.

This.

His quotes are like an audition to join the Daily Mail as a columnist.

[K-Hod]

He's wrong for me. It's feasible that someone that plays for England could be born elsewhere, but be essentially English.

The five year residency thing should definitely change though IMO.

[FGS5635]

In all honesty the thing that has sparked this is talk of Adnan Januzaj playing for england. In no way is he english, have english parents/grandparents. Doesnt even have a great great uncle @#/? who lived here in the 16th century.

He just isnt english and therefore no matter what the rules say he shouldnt play for england imo

[DE.]

To be honest I find the idea of a completely foreign manager being in charge of England far more objectionable than the likes of Januzaj being called up. We have Woy now but what justification for Sven or Capello? I can certainly understand smaller countries needing help from foreign coaches, but it's embarrassing for the likes of England to have to shell millions of pounds out to a foreign manager because none of our own are good enough.

[Blue n White Rover]

England cricket team would be screwed.

[FGS5635]

To be honest I find the idea of a completely foreign manager being in charge of England far more objectionable than the likes of Januzaj being called up. We have Woy now but what justification for Sven or Capello? I can certainly understand smaller countries needing help from foreign coaches, but it's embarrassing for the likes of England to have to shell millions of pounds out to a foreign manager because none of our own are good enough.

Cant argue with that...so very true

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

He's wrong for me. It's feasible that someone that plays for England could be born elsewhere, but be essentially English.

The five year residency thing should definitely change though IMO.

I think this is the big problem - the residency rule. The problem is where do you draw the line - can't wait for transfers between nations - lol

[K-Hod]

England cricket team would be screwed.

Just can't help yourself can you?- think a bridge somewhere is missing it's troll!!

[Plastics]

"We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat.

"We have great characters. You think of Spain and you think technical but you think of England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard. We have to remember that."

He seems like the usual uber patriotic sort who feels that everything would be fine if we only had the pure English lot and there wasn't all this outside influence ruining our league and leading to the demise of the national team. It would be a utopia if we had it our way. Blah blah blah.

I certainly don't think of what he does when I think of the English national football team.

[K-Hod]

I think this is the big problem - the residency rule. The problem is where do you draw the line - can't wait for transfers between nations - lol

Deco for Portugal ended up captain, despite being Brazilian- I remember Figo was not happy about that, same with Pepe playing for them over Brazil. As well as Eduardo (ex Arsenal) for Croatia and countless others.

It should be a case of (IMO anyway), of growing up in a country at least, (birth aside).

It Should really be a case of growing up in a country, to qualify people, otherwise you end up with ridiculous situations like Deco and Pepe for Portugal, Eduardo for Croatia, anyone who's ever sunk a pint of Guinness playing for the ROI

Speaking of the ROI, someone brought up a good point the other day on the radio about the ROI poaching Catholic players from NI, after young lads had played for NI at all junior levels- James McClean and Darron Gibson are two such examples. Though granted, I'm not after opening up a can of worms where Ireland is concerned.....

[FGS5635]

The ireland issue is down to residency of grandparents. As there was no divide back then it opens up a grey area/can of worms

[Paul]

Should only English born people play for England?

I'm not sure, but he has a point.

Define "English born" though Dave? I've smiled at plenty on here criticise sportsmen they don't like for not being "English" while ignoring those they do like qualify as "English" under the same criteria. Personally I don't really care but if "English born" means born in England it could be a touch difficult:

Foreign "English" sportspeople off the top of my head:

Bradley Wiggins

Chris Froome

Zola Budd

Kevin Pietersen

Adedayo Adebayo

John Barnes

Philip DeFreitas

Mo Farah

Basil D'Oliveira

Andrew Strauss

Andy Caddick

Nasser Hussein

Each of my kids could qualify for England, Scotland, Ukraine and Italy under current rules. Daft!!

Jack Wilshire probably thought it up while he was having a crafty fag round the back of the Arsenal bike shed

[Mike E]

Ignore