I can certainly follow the argument that international outfield players should ideally be playing in the top division. But is that the same for goalkeepers? A shot into the corner in League Two is a shot into the corner in the Premiership, surely? I also think that- aside from the very top keepers- there's probably much less of a difference in quality between top flight keepers and those a few leagues down.

I guess you're not going to get so many viciously swirling/dipping shots in the lower leagues where technique's not so good, and the 'pressure' of the Premiership is perhaps higher but I still don't think it matters what level a goalie's playing at so much.

"Bristol City get a goalkeeper who is still regarded as the best in England."

No, they don't. They get a goalkeeper who is rated as the best Englishman. James has never been rated above Cech, van der Sar, Reina or Given.

'We can't be far away from a time when England managers will have to consider candidates for their squad from below the top level.'

This argument does not stand up to close scrutiny. The England team itself might have a tendency to disappoint but that is due to a lack of coherence rather than quality.

There wasn't a noticeably higher concentration of top quality English players in the days when there were only a handful of foreigners plying their trade here. The only difference is that whereas before mediocre English players were making up the numbers in the top division they are now languishing lower down in the leagues.

Meanwhile the elite English players are benefiting from playing alongside, and against, the best in the world week in, week out.

It is highly unlikely that Championship players are ever going to feature regularly in the England squad. There will always be room in the Premiership for the very best English players.

James, maybe not at goalkeeper, though. Who is there to chose from?

Paul Robinson at Blackburn, who has been tried and discarded but might be tried again
Steve Harper at Newcastle, which wouldn't be a bad shout if he wasn't already 35...
Rob Green at West Ham, similar tried and failed problems to Paul Robinson
Chris Kirkland at Wigan, but he appears to be made of glass
Matt Gilks or Paul Rachubka at Blackpool, whichever of these two gets the gig is unlikely to have much chance of making a case

There is also a couple of players who would probably consider themselves first choices but might be soon getting a nasty shock;

Ben Foster at Birmingham, newly signed, he has to prove himself to McLeish
Scott Carson at West Brom, who it is entirely conceivably could find Boaz Myhill picked ahead of him

Then there is Joe Hart at Man City, but he isn't going to displace Given and Ross Turnbull at Chelsea who is talented but has no chance of a regular game.


In fact it seems a really bad time for Joe Hart to not be playing regular football. Given James' age now and especially by the time of the next Euros (let alone the next World Cup), and his move outside the Premier League, you would think the job is vacant. Hart would be the obvious person to claim it, if he was playing weekly.

"Meanwhile the elite English players are benefiting from playing alongside, and against, the best in the world week in, week out." You and your facts James. When things go wrong blame foreigners. When things really go wrong, blame immigrants.
On the 'keeper issue you have mentioned some very good ones and seems to me the future is in safe hands

I think the decision is questionable for Bristol City. They already have a good keeper in Dean Gerken. James may be down to earth but will command big wages. At Ipswich we signed during last season, unusually for Keane a player on a free, from Ireland a keeper called Brian Murphy. Looks fine for the Championship I would say. However Keano is off to the other place he signs players from, Sunderland, to sign Martin Fulop. While Keane's management seems hard to figure out at the best of times, his plan here, presumably to play two keepers, is weird even for him.

Janik,
Im pretty sure Paul Rachubka is American,so that rules him out,unless we are going to have an Almunia type of debate going on.

And JG brings up the old chestnut about the top English players "benefiting" from playing alongside and against foreigners........
Well, when Gareth Barry for instance,gets displaced from the Man City team by Yaya Toure,how does this "benefit" England?
We have just been unceremoniously dumped out of a World cup less than a month ago,arguably in part due to the preponderance of foreign players in the English Game.
Havent we learnt any lessons from that?