Premier League Player Restrictions

We are all excited once again as the football season has started, but should we? The league appears again only to be driven by money and the even if we don't have it we are going to spend it type of attitude. This year sees the promotion of AFC Bournemouth to the top league for the first time in their long history. As the junior members and having just a few years ago nearly succumbed to financial ruin, they fielded highest numbers of players on the first day that could qualify for the national team with eight of the starting eleven. You might think that's good, but three teams only started one home player. Look at the detail below.

Only a third of those started were home players, no wonder we are useless when it comes to international matches and tournaments like the World Cup and Euros, if we actually qualify. It is two full years since I first suggested the idea of restricting the number of imports playing on match day, no limits on squad or spend. If you limited it to five players then only four of the twenty teams qualified. It all goes to show there is not a snowballs chance in hell that a home nation is going to win anything if home players are not developed and populate the Premier League in substantially increased numbers.