Ultra Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Marcos Senna is a Brazilian - still plays (quite successfully) for Spain though.... If Almunia is eligible then he should be considered. We need to give ourselves the best chance of winning the World Cup, and that means not excluding anyone just because he has a foreign name.
Ultra Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 If we allow Almunia to play for England and start neutralizing players we are opening the floodgates for a lot of other players. You mean naturalising. Neutralising might actually put a few players off..
Koke Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Almunia is 31 years old and has been in this country for 5 years. How can he possibly represent our country? It's nothing to do with his name. He's just not English. He's a Spaniard. Senna playing for Spain is also wrong. You mean naturalising.Neutralising might actually put a few players off.. My bad.
Miquel The Work Geordie Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 What are your thoughts on Owen Hargreaves, Kareem?
Koke Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 What are your thoughts on Owen Hargreaves, Kareem? Hargreaves's parents are English. He just happened to be born in Canada. It's like Beckham's kids one day playing for England, even though they were born in Madrid. It's perfectly fine, nothing wrong with Hargreaves playing for England. Simone Perrotta was born in Greater Manchester but he's still an Italian to the core and is representing Italy. And rightly so.
davieG Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Would you deny an asylum seeker who's been here 5 years and is a naturalised Englishman? The truth is international boundaries are being eroded, some would argue this is a good thing and categorising people will become harder and harder. People from the Commonwealth can claim British rights in many fields of expertise, certainly international cricket. 'Foreigners' playing for England's (MCC) Cricket Team South Africans Tony Greig Allan Lamb Ian Greig Chris Smith Robin Smith Kevin Pietersen Andrew Strauss West Indians Roland Butcher Monte Lynch Gladstone Small "Daffy" DeFreitas Norman Cowans Wilfred Slack Devon Malcolm Neil Williams Chris Lewis Joey Benjamin Australia Jason Gallian Ben Holioake Adam Holioake Tim Ambrose Zimbabwe Paul Parker Graeme Hick Phil Edmonds New Zealanders Andy Caddick India Bob Woolmer Robin Jackman Vikram Solanki Minal Patel Nasser Hussain Pakistan Usman Afzaal Owais Shah Wales Tony Lewis Pat Pocock Greg Thomas Steve Watkin Hugh Morris Robert Croft Simon Jones Ireland Ed Joyce Northern Ireland Martin McCague Scotland Mike Denness (You had a Scotsman captain your team. You English must be embarassed about that). Gavin Hamilton Peter Such Dougie Brown Hong Kong Dermot Reeve Germany Paul Terry Kenya Derek Pringle Jamie Dalrymple Zambia Neal Radford Papua New Guinea Geraint Jones 'Foreigners' who've played for England at various levels - from Wiki Australia Tony Dorigo Belgium William Bryant - born 1899 Canada Owen Hargreaves Edward Hagarty Parry Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) Fabrice Muamba (U21) French Guiana Cyrille Regis Guernsey Matthew Le Tissier India Claude Ashton Alfred Goodwyn Elphinstone Jackson William Kenyon-Slaney William Lindsay James F. M. Prinsep Alf Quantrill Jamaica John Barnes Luther Blissett Jersey Graeme Le Saux Mauritius Herbert Rawson Nigeria John Salako Scotland Thomas Burn (UK team at 1912 Olympics) South Africa Gordon Hodgson Craig Johnston (U21, called up but never played for senior team) - Australian national born in Johannesburg Frank Osborne Reg Osborne Bill Perry William Rawson Brian Stein Colin Viljoen Singapore Terry Butcher Wales Rob Jones You might argue that some are because their parents were in that country at the time but it shows how blurred at the edges definitions of Nationals is becoming more complex and is not actually a new problem
Anish Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 He's a Spaniard. The only reason he wants to play for England is because Reina and Casillias are massively superior to him. If we allow Almunia to play for England and start naturalizing players we are opening the floodgates for a lot of other players. As I said, I would not even want Gigi Buffon to play for England if he was eligible (like Almunia). It's just wrong and makes a mockery of International football. I'd rather have Calamity James in goal than to neutralize Almunia. Agreed. Just because other nations want to go down the route of diluting their nationality by picking players born elsewhere, (and otherwise having very little, or no, link to their nation), it doesn't mean we should. International football is becoming a joke with these stupid citizenship rules. It should simply be a case of being able to play for your country of birth or your parents' country(ies) of birth, and nothing else.
Hullfox Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 As long as he gives 100% for his adopted nation (which is a lot more than a lot of the present England squad do), then I'm all for it. Name names. I go to most England games home and away and I don't get that impression. Some players don't play to the best of their ability every game but that does not mean that they are not giving 100% I think they are just easy targets in that respect.
Bert Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Hargreaves's parents are English. He just happened to be born in Canada. It's like Beckham's kids one day playing for England, even though they were born in Madrid. It's perfectly fine, nothing wrong with Hargreaves playing for England. Simone Perrotta was born in Greater Manchester but he's still an Italian to the core and is representing Italy. And rightly so. This is all true. Although I'm sure Hargreaves could've played for Wales and Germany too? Almunia is Spanish - born there and has no English family. = Not English.
Uncle Albert Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Almunia is Spanish - born there and has no English family. = Not English. Exactly Robert. If Almunia cannot get into a Spain squad then I dont see how he can be classed good enough for the England squad. What's that saying about our National Team if we have to go to a player who has no family connections to play for England. Maybe if one of his Parents had been born here then why not. Why people are bringing a different sport in Cricket into the matter I will never know.
diggler Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 To try and understand why I wouldn't want Almunia playing for England, I reversed the question - under what circumstances do I think Almunia could have played for England? - Born in England to Spanish parents? - Born in Spain to English parents? - Moved to England (from Spain, with Spanish parents) BEFORE his footballing career started?
Joinesy77 Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 No way should Almunia play for England. One, he's not good enough and two, and most importantly, he's not English and there is no way a person who is not English in any way should play for England.
Cat Burger Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 I'd have him in, and Arteta too although he will get a Spain cap sooner or later. They'd both really strengthen the team, and if every pretty much every other nation is using this rule, then it's only our pride which will prevent us from excelling in major tournaments.
Anish Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 I'd have him in, and Arteta too although he will get a Spain cap sooner or later. They'd both really strengthen the team, and if every pretty much every other nation is using this rule, then it's only our pride which will prevent us from excelling in major tournaments. To be honest I don't think Almunia is the difference between England getting knocked out in a quarter final and England getting to the final. Almunia isn't English, that in itself cannot be questioned. Just because there's a ludicrous rule out there that allows him to 'naturalise', it doesn't mean we should use it. I don't care how good or bad Almunia is, he's not English and his family aren't English, so he shouldn't be allowed to play for England.
Cat Burger Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 To be honest I don't think Almunia is the difference between England getting knocked out in a quarter final and England getting to the final. Almunia isn't English, that in itself cannot be questioned. Just because there's a ludicrous rule out there that allows him to 'naturalise', it doesn't mean we should use it. I don't care how good or bad Almunia is, he's not English and his family aren't English, so he shouldn't be allowed to play for England. It's a fair enough argument, and nigh on impossible to find a correct and ethical answer. I happen to think he'd be the best English keeper if he naturalised. Therefore from my point of view, we shouldn't be martyr's by saying 'it's wrong that other nations do it', and then go on to lose to these teams. Instead we should try to get the advantage any way we can, I for one would like the experience of England winning a major tournament during my lifetime and I don't care how we do it.
Blue Bob Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 It's a fair enough argument, and nigh on impossible to find a correct and ethical answer.I happen to think he'd be the best English keeper if he naturalised. Therefore from my point of view, we shouldn't be martyr's by saying 'it's wrong that other nations do it', and then go on to lose to these teams. Instead we should try to get the advantage any way we can, I for one would like the experience of England winning a major tournament during my lifetime and I don't care how we do it. Personally I think it is completely daft he is Spanish end of!! Whatever next will they say - A German could be queen? Madness!!
Lord Nibblington Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Whilst I personally don't particularly want him playing for England on the basis I don't think he's that good, I would say that I assume the morally indignant He shalt never play for England, it is an evil idea brigade are also equally outraged that the manager of our national side is an Italian. As is most of the backroom staff these days.
Fosse Boy Posted 2 May 2009 Posted 2 May 2009 Why people are bringing a different sport in Cricket into the matter I will never know. Because the question of nationality a debate which rages throughout sport, not just football (or cricket for that matter)?
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