The Premier League is the most widely supported football league around the globe, with matches being shown in 212 countries and 185,000 hours of television coverage worldwide in 2011/12.  However, although the Premier League itself is widely successful the English national team is less so, often producing lacklustre performances and failing to win any significant silverware since the World Cup in 1966.  The Premier League is boosting its success by spending what is often ludicrous amounts of money on foreign stars instead of investing in young English talent that will bolster our national side. Startlingly only approximately 30% of players in the Premier League are eligible to wear an England Home Shirt. Recent research has shown that last season only 2.28% of total Premier League minutes were played by England Under 21s, and several teams including Chelsea, Stoke City and Wigan Athletic did not field an English Under 21 during the entire season.  These figures all fall short of European rivals France, Spain and Germany whose national sides have outplayed ours in recent years.

The Under 21 England team has been taking part in the Under 21 European Championship in Israel over the last week, on Wednesday the side lost to Italy, and yesterday were defeated 3-1 by Norway meaning the team cannot progress to the next stage of the competition.  Yesterday's game was disappointing; the players performed half-heartedly and failed to create chances.  Some observers have noted that there is a lack of consistency in the Under 21 side with many of the players not reappearing frequently, there appears to be a lack of motivation to perform for the national side, it is feared that the high wages and lucrative nature of club football is superseding national pride.  Stuart Pearce the teams coach has admitted the performance was poor and they could have performed much better. The defeat in Israel has raised the question of whether Pearce will continue to manage the squad, he has expressed a desire to continue, and some critics have supported Pearce by saying, he put out the best available line up and has done his best in poor circumstances.  What we need to remember is that today's Under 21s will be wearing tomorrows England Home Shirt and current performances do not raise hopes of World Cup or European Championship success in the coming years.

The FA has acknowledged the need to increase the flow of homegrown players into the top flights of English football, while the sports minister has cited good coaching and youth development as vital for increasing the impact of English players in football.  The Elite Player Performance Plan has recently been introduced to allow easier movement between football academies, and increase the time spent coaching young players.The FA have partnered with supermarket giants Tesco to provide 3 million free football coaching places for children. Ultimately though it will be up to the top clubs to give young homegrown talent a chance instead of relying on proven foreign purchases, if we are to see success for the England football team in future competitions.

What do you think of the England under 21's performance in Israel?

Do you think the success of the Premier League is damaging the national game?

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