Bloody Foreigners

This may be an inconceived post. It's a bit of a gut reaction and I've not thought it through. But what the hell ...

I was reading this comment: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12478668&postID=114709600056300218 on the Never Trust a Hippy site. And it got me thinking about Forest in the Premiership.

You see, people despise Chelsea because of some Russian's millions (I don't - I think Mourinho's the key behind their success, although the money obviously helps). There was a point during the Arsenal game, when Clive "the ball's as slippery as a wet baby" Tydelsley made some fatuous comment about English teams having to go behind in a Champions League final, when I found myself thinking that "Arsenal aren't an English team". Even Bolton, under Sam "get stuck in" Allerdyce are full of aliens (remember when Bolton scored 100 goals getting promotion from the first division? They are a long way from that side, which is probably a mixed blessing for Trotters fans).

I love the fact that Forest currently have a number of local lads in the side (despite my reservations about how much work they do for their fat pay packets). Even the likes of Daws, Prutts, Marlon and Bopp, obviously not Nottingham boys, feel to me like they belong to us, as they grew up here (disclaimer: I moved to Nottingham when I was seven).

So when our Martin ... OK, our Nigel ... OK, Big Phil ... OK, David "the sight is in end" Pleat takes us back up, how many of those local, or psuedo-local, lads will still be in the team? Will we have to buy in a load of cut-price mercenaries or Italian has-beens (not again please) in order to stay up?

Watch Gerrard during the FA Cup Final (or last year's Champions League). And then watch Gilberto in this year's Champions League. Listen to Jose Mourinho talking about the "English Attitude" (something that he obviously loves and hates at the same time).

Of course, it's all moot. When Forest finish third in the Premiership (again) it will be with a team of five Nottingham lads, two other Englishmen, a Scot, an Irishman, a Yank and a Ghanian. And at least three of them will be a bit too partial to the old Kate and Sidney.