Has Pardew Become A Clone Of Wenger?

Last updated : 17 April 2013 By Footy Mad - Editor

d

Can I remind you of this ...

In March 2006, Pardew had a dispute with Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger, after he criticised Arsenal for failing to field an English player in their UEFA Champions League win against Real Madrid.

Wenger suggested that Pardew was being xenophobic, a claim Pardew denied, citing his marriage to a Swedish wife.

But Pardew said at the time: "He didn't play one single English player ... how good is that for the future of the English game?"

Talking of which ...

d

England manager Roy Hodgson believes he is at a disadvantage due to the number of foreign players in the Premier League. 
 
The lack of homegrown talent has long been a concern for the Three Lions boss and is especially worrying amid a tense conclusion to the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign.

With Premier League clubs continuing to use a low proportion of English players, Hodgson maintains it restricts his options at international level.

"Quite a few of the games I go to do not have any English players," he told Sky Sports at a League Managers' Association event.

"So, one has to be very careful these days when talking about the Premier League and talking about the Englishness of it, because more than two thirds of the players in the league are not English.

"We have one of the lowest number of homegrown players to choose from in all the leagues, which, if you are national team manager, is not a great advantage, to be frank."