Looking at the players who featured on Saturday, it must rank as the most cosmopolitan side ever put out by the club, featuring players from no less than xx countries:
Schmeichel, Onuoha (Sun 62), Dunne, Richards, Garrido, Elano (Geovanni 46), Johnson (Hamann 73), Fernandes (Corradi 73), Petrov, Ireland, Bianchi.
By my reckoning, we had the following representation from the following countries - Denmark, China, England (x3), Ireland (x2), Spain, Brazil (x2), Germany, Switzerland, Italy (x2) and Bulgaria.
Not included in the line-up were players from Sweden, France, Belgium and Croatia.
Not everyone is best pleased though with the diverse touch that has been brought to the club:
Now I stopped giving this consideration as soon as I realised it had come from the mouth of John Barnes - a supremely talented footballer, but as a pundit (not to mention manager) is severely lacking.
Yes, Eriksson did work with some talented players whilst England manager but didn't these predominantly come from those clubs who have occupied the top five positions in the Premiership - and not one to put us down, are unlikely to make a move to ourselves (at this time anyway).
Other young English talent transferred this summer that we could have acquired? The likes of Kieron Richardson, David Nugent and (soon to move) Leighton Baines - all average Premiership players who are commanding fees of £6 million plus. We have also been linked with Scott Carson (I would personally go for Marco Amelia) for a similar fee today - are these players really worth signing for that money over the players that Eriksson has brought in?
Schmeichel, Onuoha (Sun 62), Dunne, Richards, Garrido, Elano (Geovanni 46), Johnson (Hamann 73), Fernandes (Corradi 73), Petrov, Ireland, Bianchi.
By my reckoning, we had the following representation from the following countries - Denmark, China, England (x3), Ireland (x2), Spain, Brazil (x2), Germany, Switzerland, Italy (x2) and Bulgaria.
Not included in the line-up were players from Sweden, France, Belgium and Croatia.
Not everyone is best pleased though with the diverse touch that has been brought to the club:
"Sven has had an opportunity to look at plenty of
English players during his time with the national side.
"He said we could
win the World Cup and that we had great players coming through from the
Under-21s - yet none of the players he has signed is English.
"He must have
worked with around 50 England players. Perhaps that shows what he thinks of
English football."
Now I stopped giving this consideration as soon as I realised it had come from the mouth of John Barnes - a supremely talented footballer, but as a pundit (not to mention manager) is severely lacking.
Yes, Eriksson did work with some talented players whilst England manager but didn't these predominantly come from those clubs who have occupied the top five positions in the Premiership - and not one to put us down, are unlikely to make a move to ourselves (at this time anyway).
Other young English talent transferred this summer that we could have acquired? The likes of Kieron Richardson, David Nugent and (soon to move) Leighton Baines - all average Premiership players who are commanding fees of £6 million plus. We have also been linked with Scott Carson (I would personally go for Marco Amelia) for a similar fee today - are these players really worth signing for that money over the players that Eriksson has brought in?