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Does Keeping A Scouse-Core Matter To Fans?

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YOU could count on one hand how many Liverpool-born players have represented Liverpool Football Club with notable success in the past few decades. For every Steve McManaman there has been a Richie Partridge and for every Steven Gerrard you get a Jay Spearing. Liverpool FC prides itself on its support; the Reds’ fans are renowned worldwide for one of the best set of supporters you could come across but just how important is local talent to the fans of Liverpool FC?

Despite the alarming lack of local talent in recent times at Liverpool, there has consistently been at least one Scouser to idolise in the first-team. For the past ten years Liverpool fans have had the pleasure of watching Steven Gerrard, born in the Huyton area of Liverpool, grace the field(s) of Anfield Road with his breath-taking talent and immeasurable leadership while, at the same time, Bootle-born Jamie Carragher has etched his name into Liverpool folklore with his inspiring passion and invaluable defensive work. Before Gerrard and Carra shot to prominence, Reds fans were able to enjoy Toxteth-born Robbie Fowler and his natural goalscoring ability at a similar time to Steve McManaman, born in Kirkdale, the long-haired silky winger who gave Liverpool fans more than a few memories over the years.

For me, local talent is encouraging and exciting but not imperative. There is no doubt that the majority of fans that sit in Anfield week in week out would rather see a 17 year old play for Liverpool that hails from Bootle rather than Barcelona but if a young foreigner comes along and tears apart the Premier League you would not hear one Scouser complain.

With the likes of Martin Kelly, Conor Coady and Adam Morgan currently on the books of Liverpool there is potential for Liverpool-born players to continue to leave their mark on Liverpool’s team and with Liverpool being a city packed with talented youngsters in all walks of life, why shouldn’t Liverpool have a Scouse core for years to come?

Liverpool fans want success and will be looking to new manager Brendan Rodgers to provide this, long term, for the club. Rodgers won’t prioritise youngsters based on where they are from but will do well to recognise talent that comes from within the city as well as from abroad or further afield in the UK.

Do you think local talent is essential? Or would you be happy to see youngsters from abroad who are perhaps better footballers get more of a chance over born and bred Scousers? Give us your thoughts.

Follow me on Twitter @ElliottTunstall
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16 comments

  • Chris says:

    I don’t think Jay spearing is good enough. Very average

  • haych says:

    no it doesn’t and the only way we can do that is to successfully produce players through the academy to the first team.

  • Greg says:

    The bottom line is that British players are mediocre crap compared to their foreign counterparts. That was just on display for the whole world to see. If we want to with without paying idiotic sums for players that are average garbage, it will be with talent that is not Brit garbage…

  • The fact that of too many football club in Epl the Academy can’t create enough players also of Local Talented players that’s the cause of bringing foreign players for the Epl team and not so sufficient for England International Football Team we must take an example from Spain they also can’t create enough players but have created sufficient well talented players tn play for the Spain International Fooball Team and they will recreate and recreate

  • sleeps with angels says:

    Elliott please get your facts right,a few decades is more than two ok? so that being said i will list a few local high quality players from the 1970s onwards that were important to our club winning honours,
    Terry Mcdermott,Tommy smith,Ian callagan,Phil thompson,David fairclough,Jimmy case,David johnson,Gary ablett,steve mcmahon,Steve macmanaman,Robbie fowler,Steve gerrard and Jamie carrager..sorry if i forgot anyone,and yes it is very important to have local players who have a love of or pride in wearing the liverbird on their
    chest and are willing to give their all and would die for the cause,if you take the locals out of the team who in this day and age of greedy bastard
    mercenaries would have that all important bond between players and fans?ynwa

    • Elliott says:

      30 years ago was the 1980’s and since then there has not been a tonne of successful Scouse Liverpool players. Before the 1980’s and the influx of foreign players the majority of Liverpool players were British if not local. Thanks for the comments regardless but maybe you should brush up on a bit of Maths before you start dishing out criticism.

  • david kennedy says:

    It would be great to field 11 scousers but it didn’t bother us in 1986 when the double side didn’t field an Englishman. The team of Macs early last century, all the great sides have bought in talent no matter what country the team is in.

  • ShardeYNWALFC4EVER says:

    Talent & success for LFC , nothing else matters
    YNWA

  • Steven says:

    The fact that the works has changes so much that in every country around the world there is mix nationalities living in different cities! Now football has adopted this culture and to be honest, I think we are better for it!
    As a football club, I see benefits to bring up your own home grown talent, but as seen with Kenny, bringing in British at the highest cost doesn’t work! Now the owners of the club look scared to spend money after a dismal return for their money!
    We could have spent the same money on foreign players and I am sure with 110 m spent, we would not face been struggling to stay in the top 10!

  • Kev Conway says:

    The first line of is total s*ite. There is so much talent in the city of Liverpool it’s unreal clubs like Liverpool and everton need to look no further than there door steps for talent. But unfortunately there youth scouting policy and development is a joke.

  • Carl says:

    People like Greg should watch the spanish or other leagues if he doesn’t want to watch british players, (sounds like racism to me)
    I would like to think there is a liverpool lad who comes through the ranks every few years that is good enough to be given a chance, There is a lot of talent in liverpool and the surrounding area that needs to be nurtured and helped by liverpool and Everton and the area leagues and Schools.

    There should be a balance of British and foreign players, the spanish training ground that Benitez had Liverpool turned into was a little too much.

  • Pete Jones says:

    Personally, I firmly believe it is vital to have a scouse ‘core’. And you can’t say they’d be worse footballers. The best players we’ve had are often scouse!

  • Kev Conway says:

    Well said carl lad! Think the club should invest in the talented youth of the city nurture and make stars. Liverpool fc has always made Players great. Rush barns Owen. The list goes on.

  • Chan says:

    It’s good to have a Liverpool born but not at the expense of talent that can really help the club. Given a choice would you prefer a Spearing or an Alonso?

    Past greats such as Toshack, Rush, Keegan, they are not Liverpool born.

  • sleeps with angels says:

    Chan that was the point i was trying to make in my
    previous post,i think that being a great player who plays with a big heart is all that matters,but
    i do believe having local players and by that i include also the british isles not just liverpool.This is important as liverpools fanbase is scattered around these green isles of ours and these future football players yet to come through
    will be born liverpool fans because of their dads
    and granddads,you only have to look at our new manager Brendan rodgers his family in ireland have
    supported liverpool fc down through generations.
    I do believe we could do more through a real good
    scouting system that covers britain better and liverpool the city itself because iam 100% sure
    that we can find the new carra,s gerrards fowlers
    etc.

  • Shaun says:

    We’ve got young scouser Jack Dunn in the waiting!

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