And so to some due diligence prompted by the best writers on this page, you ‘orrible lot.
You can tell this blog has an intellectual readership, not just the high end manner in which we debase each other, but by the effortless way the community (as those dreadful American marketeers would dub it) can become a superb resource when exploring non football stuff.
To Brexit or not to Brexit, that is the question.
When working out where I stand, I become mindful of the Marillion lyric, ‘It’s too late, I found, it’s too far, I’m in two minds. Both of them are out of it at the bar.’
Just as I think I’ve made my mind up I realise I am in fact at that point of mild confusion a drunk feels when he puts his hand into the pocket he normally keeps his cash in, to feel nothing but pocket lining.
Quitting or remaining in the European Union is probably bigger than football, but we can start there.
“Leaving the EU will have a much bigger effect on football than people think,” said football agent Rachel Anderson.
“We’re talking about half of the Premier League needing work permits.
“The short-term impact would be huge but you could argue it will help in the long term as it could force clubs to concentrate on home-grown talent.”
The BBC provide a decent summary…
Players with an EU passport are currently free to play in the UK.
Those without must meet Home Office criteria, the most important being that they are established internationals for leading nations.
- A player from a top-10 nation only has to have played in 30% of their games in the two years prior to the date of application to be granted a work permit.
- A player from a nation ranked 11-20 must have played in 45% of international games.
- That percentage rises to 60% for the next 10 countries, then 75% for nations ranked 31-50.
- A vote to leave the EU would mean that players from the 27 countries still in the union would need to meet these criteria.
As everything connected with football governance, the complexity is withering.
However, these are CURRENT rules set out by the Football Association. If they were to act less like 1970’s trade unionists and draft up something in plain English to facilitate sanity, that would be a helpful start.
Clearly, the aim at the moment is to weight matters to theoretically benefit home grown talent.
The obvious flaw here, is that you cannot make a club buy anyone.
One obvious negative is that clubs would be discouraged from giving inexperienced foreign players a go.
Presumably this void left by “non-elite” EU players could be filled by Brits, or they could be filled or by other, more elite international players.
In a nutshell, unfettered access to the British leagues would be a thing of the past.
In essence ‘foreign’ footballers would have to ply their trade, earn their corn and pay their dues in their own countries.
Possible consequences?
The Guardian identified the impact, them by team.
Curiously or coincidentally, my assertion that Crystal Palace is bonafide example of well run club is proved again.
Newcastle United’s starting XI would be reduced to a starting III.
Our lads in potential peril would be Vorm, Mousa and Wimmer.
The issue is of course far bigger than football.
Please feel free to cut and paste any comments made on the last blog over to this one.
Now, what pocket did I put that money back into?
