Source: Team_Talk
Bates fires broadside at Blues
eeds chairman Ken Bates has launched an attack on his old club Chelsea for failing to bring through English players.[LNB] Bates said new rules by the Football League and Premier League to encourage 'homegrown' players were vital.[LNB]Top-flight clubs will be obliged to have at least eight players trained in England and Wales in their 25-man squads from next season and Football League clubs a minimum of 10.[LNB]Bates said: "I read somewhere that the Premier League have sent 172 players of different nationalities to the World Cup and that is obviously stifling the growth of homegrown kids.[LNB]"It is significant that since 2003 Chelsea have not brought one single English player into their first-team squad and similar situations apply to other clubs.[LNB]"This is going to put a limit on the unlimited imports of foreign players.[LNB]"This is an idea both the Premier League and the Football League are trying to implement to encourage the growth of youngsters and give them a better chance."[LNB]Bates added that every Football League clubs was now trying to cut their wage bill.[LNB]He told Yorkshire Radio: "A little bit of sanity is starting to come back to the wages market.[LNB]"Every club is seeking to reduce their wages bill drastically and reduce the proportion of wages to turnover."
