For first time in 119 years, Arsenal has no British players

[Computron]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... 0214204001

Isn't that a bit...er unsettling?

That's like having the Chicago Cubs changing their stadium and moving to New York.

[Guest]

The... Albuquerque Isotopes?[/Homer]

[Impactor returns 2.0]

erm, sol cambell? ashley cole etc... 1st team players

- oh just read it. i see they didnt field an english player tonight.

[Aaron Hong]

Nothing new if you live in Singapore. It's even more predominant here because of the mindset that Singapore footy players aren't up to the mark internationally, so now we got players from Africa and countries in Europe with names you couldn't spell, heck we even had a Korean skipper this one time. Or maybe he was a sweeper, I dunno.

[Denyer]

Isn't that a bit...er unsettling?

Why?

That's like having the Chicago Cubs changing their stadium and moving to New York.

I think the team and fans are most interested in the sport... funny idea, I know...

[Computron]

Isn't that a bit...er unsettling?

Why?

It can be argued that sports is an extension of tribalism. It's your team vs. the other guy's team in a test to see who's side can claim bragging rights; the best example being the Olympics or World Cup where national teams fight over the gold.

But if sports can be compared to tribalism, then ideally one would probably prefer that your team represents your "tribe". (Of course one can root for anyone they like, but people usually support a team because it is theirs.)

Therefore if your team is full of people who don't necessarily hail from your area/tribe, the team or sport may lose some of it's draw to that particular person.

Possibly.

[Denyer]

I think the thing about the UK is that if you're fighting under a particular banner, you tend to be considered a member of that group and consider yourself one too.

This has its downsides too... people will cheer for, say, a black player on their side whilst simultaneously shouting racist abuse at black players fielded by another side. But as far as their own team is concerned, there are no divisions.

[Best First]

Isn't that a bit...er unsettling?

Why?

It can be argued that sports is an extension of tribalism.

true - but with footie footie football (as the classic song goes) the nature of the tribes has shifted.

The game has such a high profile and players have moved around for so long that , as Denyer implies, it all now operates at a pretty basic level which is no longer really tied to loaction for a lot of people...

...hence all the glory supporting Man U scroats in Surrey.

That said i have no time for people who can't give a vaguely decent reason why they support a team based 200 miles away.

[Brendocon]

...hence all the glory supporting Man U scroats in Surrey.

And Dorset...

[Impactor returns 2.0]

personally I think u can support who you like.
its fans who change sides when there own side is doing badly sucks.
thats the sign of a true fan, with your team, through good times and bad times. never give up the dream...

[Best First]

personally I think u can support who you like.
its fans who change sides when there own side is doing badly sucks.
thats the sign of a true fan, with your team, through good times and bad times. never give up the dream...

I'm looking forward to your reactin when Galzer turns Old Trafford into a Walmart..

[Impactor returns 2.0]

to true - that really does suck. for once in my life I support terroism.

[Jetfire]

Isn't that a bit...er unsettling?

Why?

It can be argued that sports is an extension of tribalism. It's your team vs. the other guy's team in a test to see who's side can claim bragging rights; the best example being the Olympics or World Cup where national teams fight over the gold.

SO?

I should point out that althlets from the same country also fight it out against each other.

But we have national teams. We also 99% of sports althlets running/jumping/playing

All those players are Arsenal players. heck last season Edu could have played for England. It's not like we fielded 11 Spurs players. They are Arsenal. the only issue if you were against players from other nations playing in another countries league.

But if sports can be compared to tribalism, then ideally one would probably prefer that your team represents your "tribe". (Of course one can root for anyone they like, but people usually support a team because it is theirs.)

Therefore if your team is full of people who don't necessarily hail from your area/tribe, the team or sport may lose some of it's draw to that particular person.

Possibly.

So Arsenal, Southamption, Portsmouth, Spurs, Chelsea, Fulham and many other southern teams are nearer France than half the other preimership teams.

Is it alright for them to take French or Belgium players rather than Welsh or scottish. Should they buy players from Newscastle?

By your reasoning it would be more acceptable to play french players (Which we do) than northern or scottish players but your claiming you would not make an issue if we fielded 11 scottish players on the basis they are broadly "British" (And many scots hate and refuse to acknowledge that they are british)

Yeah Sport is tribal, but it's not a case of your tribe being in the same village it's that you are fighting under the smae banner.

But it's it's really so tribal why is someone some 3000 miles away concerned by a trib that their own local tribe will never encounter?

[Jetfire]

personally I think u can support who you like.
...

Indeed. It doesn't mean you get respect for it. Today it would be easy to pick a top 3 side and stick by them. In fact it's the easy thing to do. It doesn't mean that those fans who support have to respect you. Loyality for a local team or family team regardless of the choice you could have made naturally requires more courage in the first place.

[Brendocon]

Hell, as far as the EU's concerned, there's absolutely no distinction between English, French or Spanish. There's just European. Just like English/Scottish/Welsh is all British. Just like California, Florida and New York are all part of the USA.

EU Labour Laws. Working to create a more inclusive continental society. Or something.

[Impactor returns 2.0]

by the time I was supporting United I didnt even know Bournemouth had a team!

[Best First]

JOHNNY FOREIGNER

Short of England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson sending a squad comprised entirely of pre-op transsexuals from Sweden to the 2006 World Cup (and given some of his more eccentric fetishes who can confidently rule it out?), it's difficult to imagine anything causing more of a palaver in English press circles than the decision by Arsene Wenger from France to name a squad consisting entirely of - the horror! - Arsenal players to represent Arsenal Football Club in their match against Crystal Palace on Monday.

Of course it was the fact that Wenger's 16-man squad of Johnny Foreigners was the first of its kind in Premiership history that had the in-no-way notoriously xenophobic English hacks foaming at the
mouth: "What did this mean for the English team?" they demanded to know, seemingly oblivious to the fact that injuries to automatic Arsenal selections England's Sol Campbell and England's Ashley Cole had forced Wenger's hand on Monday.

"We have a club based on values of quality and attitude. We do not look at where our players come from. I did not notice when I played the game that we had no English players in the squad," explained the beaky one, doing little to dispel rumours that his already chronic myopia has got even worse. "English players have never been valued as highly as they are now. Is there a real concern? I do not accept it.
We go down our route, we have our own philosophy and we do not discriminate. We have Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole and Justin Hoyte.
We have plenty of English players.

And as a forlorn looking Stuart Taylor managed the impressive feat of wiping a tear from his eye while wearing goalkeeping gloves and standing with his nose pressed up against the glass of the press-room window, Wenger revealed his squad to face Sheffield United in the FA Cup tomorrow afternoon: Al Murray the Pub Landlord, a red pillar-box, Alf Garnett, a Beefeater, a London bus, a BNP councillor, a British bulldog, a friendly local Bobby, that big fat Newcastle fan with the NUFC tattoo on his gut, a red telephone box, a portion of fish and chips, a sullen youth wearing a Burberry baseball hat and a goldie lookin' chain, a black cab and the Lake District.

The Lake District has a mean right foot...

[Impactor returns 2.0]

Chelsea fielded a team of foreighners in 1999, the only difference is they had an English man on the subs bench.

[Best First]

i just thought the last para was well funny tbh...

[Impactor returns 2.0]

that big fat Newcastle fan with the NUFC tattoo on his gut

Ahaha! - that guys classic!

[Manchester Devil]

Guardian article.

Nice one.

[Best First]

everyone who likes football should subscribe to the Guardian's daily footie email The Fiver - its bleedin hilarious....

[Impactor returns 2.0]

DO they rip it out of Man United everyday?

[Brendocon]

Chelsea fielded a team of foreighners in 1999, the only difference is they had an English man on the subs bench.

Aaah. Y'see, that's what I was missing. When this whole thing kicked off, my initial reaction was "uhm... didn't Chelsea already do that?" Didn't take note of the first 11 / squad distinction.

[Jetfire]

HA ha.

Mourihno is a dick.

He boast how he would never let Chelski field a all non-English side yet after 92 million spent has never actually brought an english player.

[snarl]

Bitter.

BTW, loved how you were suggesting Arsenal are poor before.

Total bollocks of course, they have the 6th highest turnover in football.