Len Ashurst fears England will never repeat 1966 triumph
Mar 27 2009 The Journal
THIRTY years of hurt has given way to 43 years of failure for the men with three lions on their shirts, and Sunderland legend Len Ashurst fears it will be an eternity of emptiness for England.
Ashurst believes the lack of homegrown talent in the Premier League means England will never repeat their glorious 1966 World Cup triumph.
And he lays the blame fairly and squarely at the door of the FA, who he accuses of having failed the grassroots game for too long.
In the passionate and heartfelt final chapter of his new autobiography, Left Back in Time, Ashurst – who made 458 appearances for Sunderland between 1958 and 1970, a record for an outfield player, and went on to manage the club in the 1980s – criticises the lack of investment in youth football.
And he hits out at the influx of cheap imports in the Premiership, who hinder the development of English youngsters.
“They say you should ‘never say never’, but I will – England will never win the World Cup again,” says Ashurst.
“The British Empire crumbled a while ago. You are now witnessing the erosion and disintegration of English football and in particular the almost certain demise of the national team.
“Ready-made foreign players, many of them poor to average in ability, but long on cheapness and instant gratification, are blocking the path of young English and British players into the Premier League.
“Fast forward five years from now and I will guarantee that there will be a steady flow of young talented footballers, mainly African, making life even more difficult for our homegrown players.
“The FA have been failing our game for far too long, but they should now flex their muscles with the Premier League and insist on the involvement of more of our homegrown youngsters in Premier League football.
“The blame lies at the door of the Premier League and the Football Association – they are the guardians of the game. We have got a problem and I’m hoping that this sends a message to the powers that be that something has to be done about it.”
For years, former professionals and media pundits have voiced similar fears but Ashurst – who still works with the FA and the Premier League as a match delegate – hopes that his public criticism of his bosses will sting the authorities into action.
Also in the firing line is the FA’s director of football development Trevor Brooking, who Ashurst feels has not done enough to promote the cause of homegrown, ahead of imported, talent.
“Someone has to break down the barriers of red tape,” he said. “We thought this would be tackled after Trevor Brooking’s appointment as director of football development, but in my opinion he has turned out to be a great ambassador and a fine figurehead, but not a dynamic operator, afraid to ruffle the FA’s feathers.
“I have waited for some time now for Trevor to truly assert himself, but to no avail. In the summer of 2004 I wrote to Trevor offering my experience of 50 years in the game, with six of those having been dealing directly with youngsters at the Premier League Academies. I am still awaiting a response.”
The Academy system was originally designed in 1997 by another former Sunderland boss, Howard Wilkinson, with his Charter for Quality – dubbed the “blueprint for football” – and Ashurst worked with him to implement the plan in the Premier League.
But Ashurst believes investment is needed from the ground up and he points out that there is no financial incentive for junior clubs in England to develop players who go on to make a career in football – in stark contrast to the situation in the other home countries and on the Continent.
He said: “Elsewhere, any young player who goes on to sign a professional contract somewhere will trigger an immediate and substantial payment for training and development for the time they have spent coaching that boy.
“But the anomaly is that it doesn’t happen in England, and that’s incredible.
“The FA have been asked time and again to do something about it but they sit on their hands. They are doing nothing and should be ashamed of themselves.”
Ashurst’s book has been backed by Sunderland businessman Russell Foster, who has been a huge benefactor to the grassroots game for more than 30 years as sponsor of the Russell Foster Youth Leagues, which currently have around 15,000 youngsters between the ages of eight and 18 registered.
Players such as Paul Gascoigne, Michael Gray, Lee Clark, Stewart Downing and Grant Leadbitter all played in the Russell Foster Leagues at various times before going on to turn pro with Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
And Ashurst says it is time the professional game gave something back to junior clubs from all over the country who unearth future stars.
He said: “If Russell Foster and his league had been operating anywhere else other than in England, his annual running costs would be covered by training and development fees.
“It is a ridiculous anomaly and it must be changed.
“The revenue of the Premier League is set to exceed £1.75bn this season.
“Will a substantial slice of that vast sum be directed where it is truly needed, to the grassroots?
“I’m not holding my breath.”
Left Back In Time is published by Know The Score Books (ISBN: 978-1-84818-512-8) priced £17.99 (hardback) and is available at all leading stockists, or online at either: www.knowthescorebooks.com or www.lenashurst.com
