Almunia for England?

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I don't see why this should be a problem - I don't recall any debate about John Barnes, Terry Butcher, Graeme LeSaux or Matt LeTissier when they played for England, so I don't understand why it should be an issue now.

Barnes came to England as a kid, didn't he? Never knoew that Butcher wasn't English. LeSaux and LeTiss are from the channel islands aren't they? British? British dependencies? English parents? Not really the same as someone with no link other than spending a few years working in England is it?

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

He played okay for Stockport today to be fair.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

He played okay for Stockport today to be fair.

 

[GT49er]

If Almunia, or anyone else, can qualify for England by living here for five years, why the f*ck couldn't we have used Ryan Giggs to solve our Left Midfield problem over most of the last ten years?

 

[Market Porter]

Yeah but the first black didn't arrive here til the late 50's

Not the day for this but your bigotry needs addressing.....

So it all boils down to colour, not nationality with some people. No BLACKS in England you reckon? I remember some black guy with Robin Hood in Kevin Costner's movie and he's white so he's right isn't he? Then there was that other geezer in the Camelot spoof and there was a distinctly black bias in Men in Tights.

Seriously, there were NO black or Asians in the UK until the late 50's? Cloud f***ing cuckoo land is where you're at. Thank god for the Commonwealth troops of both world wars that enabled YOU to declare yourself English, not Northern German.

C'mon the Albion, mid table at last!

 

[Marc]

If Almunia, or anyone else, can qualify for England by living here for five years, why the f*ck couldn't we have used Ryan Giggs to solve our Left Midfield problem over most of the last ten years?

because he has played for Wales

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

Not the day for this but your bigotry needs addressing.....

Errr... it may not be bigotry. Just inaccuracy.

 

[Market Porter]

Word

Alas

True

 

[cunning fergus]

Not the day for this but your bigotry needs addressing.....

So it all boils down to colour, not nationality with some people. No BLACKS in England you reckon? I remember some black guy with Robin Hood in Kevin Costner's movie and he's white so he's right isn't he? Then there was that other geezer in the Camelot spoof and there was a distinctly black bias in Men in Tights.

Seriously, there were NO black or Asians in the UK until the late 50's? Cloud f***ing cuckoo land is where you're at. Thank god for the Commonwealth troops of both world wars that enabled YOU to declare yourself English, not Northern German.

C'mon the Albion, mid table at last!

Mid table is fantastic, and what a day...................here's to promotion next season.

Regarding your other points, I agree its disingenious to suggest that Britian had no black population until the 1950's; there is plenty of evidence is that London Liverpool Cardiff Glasgow Gloucester Bristol and Newcastle (amongst others) all had african/asian populations. Nonetheless its also true that these populations were relatively small in comparison to the overall indigenous population.

Accordingly it would also be true to say that from the 1950s' to date Britain has accepted unprecedented numbers of black/asian/european immigrants. So whilst the point may have been made clumsily, the 1950s' were a watershed as far as this county's demographics are concerned.

I would also agree that this Britain's survival in both world wars was in no small part due to the contribution of countries that now make up the commonwealth. That fact however should not distract from the contribution of the British troops/airmen/merchant seamen/sailors etc. In both wars the commonwealth countries were much more closely aligned to British Govt policies that their support for GB was for all intents unconditional.......not sure what your point here.