talkingOfArsenal.com

The question regarding Wenger's attitude to English players has been asked many-a-time, and the general notion of Arsenal non-believers is that he does not like English players. Although I don't know the man personally, it is said that actions speak louder than words, and his actions are not those of a man who dislikes the English.

So, why do so few English players end up playing in Arsenal's first team? The best way I could think of to explain this is this to imagine a funnel, with talented youngsters going in at the top, and well established players with first XI and national team credentials coming out at the bottom.

Starting at the top of the funnel, there is the 90-minute rule, which limits clubs to signing youngsters that are within 90 minutes travel time of the clubs training ground. If you consider that London is one of the worlds most cosmopolitan cities so there are fewer English-based people to go round much less talented footballers, and then add the fact that between League One, the Championship and the Premiership there are about 11 clubs all vying for youngsters in the same catchment area, you begin to appreciate the scale of the problem.

Continuing down the funnel, assuming Arsenal find a promising youngster, what are the chances that they have the right combination of attributes to ensure that they fit in Wengers system? There are many good players who are better suited to other clubs, simply for the fact that they don't have the right combination of attributes that Wenger is looking for in a player. Those youngsters who are not the right 'fit' for Arsenal will be moved on. This is not a problem that is unique to Arsenal, it applies elsewhere.

Carrying on down the funnel we move onto player patience, better described as how long a player is willing to wait before moving on.

Unfortunately in this day and age, it saddens me to say that most people automatically assume that once they get to be good at something, they sometimes feel that they are better than everyone else. I am not one for taking us back to the old days when everyone knew of and stuck to their station in life - I passionately believe in meritocracy, however when everyone thinks they're above their station, that in and of itself is equally damaging to society.

Many English youngsters, including David Bentley have come up through Arsenal's academy, and then citing lack of first team experience, have moved on to other clubs. Matt Connolly leaving to go to QPR, and blaming his move on a lack of chances at Arsenal, is the most recent example of this. Like Arsene said recently, getting noticed enough to warrant a first team place is part of every players job.

Patience is a virtue - how many English youngsters would have had the patience that Almunia had, to bide his time and wait for his moment? And yet the soon-to-be-British, and possibly England goalkeeper did get his chance, which he has expertly grasped with both hands (groan!).

Still moving on down the funnel, we get close to the end, and start to consider established players who have the experience, the understanding of the way football systems work, and find themselves spending less time learning the trade, and more time enjoying themselves.

This is the stage where typically, money starts to become an issue. By this time, the players are beginning to enjoy to the maximum the super-star lifestyle, with the associated ills of booze, babes and drugs. Demands for more money to essentially fund carryings-on which in effect make the player less effective on the pitch are, unfortunately, not uncommon.

It is reported that Arsene Wenger sold Jermaine Pennant on after numerous offences culminating in him writing off Ashley Cole's Mercedes sports car. Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, the dribbler, remember him? He was sold on after he allegedly got himself in a fight after a music awards show. Over the years, Wenger has learned his lesson regarding unruly players and the price you pay for keeping them on. Misbehaving players at best will not perform to the best of their ability the day after a drunken party, and at worst may not be available to play, depending on the circumstances. When last time you heard of or saw an Arsenal player in the tabloids behaving in a drunk and disorderly fashion, as these lads were recently reported to have done?

And right at the very bottom of the funnel, we get the finished English player, the complete player, proudly playing for us, and proudly playing for our beloved country. Or so we thought. Who would have ever thought that Ashley Cole would leave his 'so-called' beloved Arsenal, the team he supported as a kid, the team who gave him the best career opportunity he could have ever dreamt of, for the pauperly sum of an extra £5000 per week? Who would've thought he'd end up donning a blue jersey, coming back to Arsenal's home ground as an opposition player, and giving Arsenal fans a small reminder (pictured) of how much he loves us?

The truth is, few employers outside of football, would tolerate the behaviour of the vast majority of footballers, especially considering the wages they get paid - why should Wenger treat them any differently?

And if you find yourself disagreeing with any of the above, consider this - as a season ticket holder of Arsenal, I pay a lot of dosh each year to watch my favourite team entertain me.

There is no way I would want any part of my hard earned salary, however small, to be spent on the colossal weekly take home of an idiot, who, instead of making himself available on the training ground working hard in preparation to entertain us the fans at the weekend, ends up languishing in a police cell on an allegation of assault.

We are the fans, we all contribute to their wages, and we should count.

If anyone can locate 11 English players, who live in Arsenal's catchment area, who are extremely talented as all Arsenal's players are, who take alcohol in moderation and do not seek the limelight, who will patiently bide their time until a place in the first team becomes available, and who, after eventually becoming established in the squad do not then go on to make silly demands for money, believe you me, they would be playing first team football for Arsene, and for Arsenal.

If you understand the process it takes for a player to become an established Arsenal first teamer, you will understand why there are few English players in the Arsenal first team today. Still, there is hope.

So whilst other football fans busy themselves complaining about Arsenal not having English players in our first team, I go to bed every night a contented man, happy to shelve out a chunk of my hard-earned cash annually on a season ticket, knowing full well that none of it will be end up spent on thousands of pounds-worth of Cristal champagne being poured down a gutter, or heaven forbid, a £150,000 sports car birthday present for a dumb WAG whose combined family's IQ is likely to be less than that of my toddler daughter.

Here's to supporting Arsene and his strict training regime, and the hope that a few more English players find the strength, patience and the discipline to make it through to Arsenal's first team.