Searching for local talent

Comments (5)

All this 'ground move' crap that's been boring me for weeks and months and what feels like years now has got me thinking about people's perceptions of Liverpool boundaries and, subsequently who is from Liverpool.

What is clearly evident is that if Knowsley, Huyton and Sefton are 'woolyback' territory, there's a real dearth of talent coming from our great, cultured city. Starting with the mighty blues, we don't have a single scouser in the first team... or even the squad. Stubbs and Baines (Kirkby), Hibbo and Osman (Huyton) Big Vic (Crosby, Sefton via Lagos). So what of Liverpool with Steven Gerrard and Carragher of Huyton. And what of other famous scousers plying their trade in the top flight of English football, not Barton, Nugent or even Trundle of the Championship (Huyton), not Owen (Deeside). Of course there is one, he's from Croxteth (about 2 miles from Evertons proposed ground and about a mile or less from the city boundary). But he's an honorary Manc anyway.

This seems a real shame. I have always been hugely proud that so many scousers were playing for England (even if they were from the shite) but it now turns out that NONE do. What's more I loved the fact that Everton, unlike so many of our premiership rivals, relied so much on local lads, lads from Liverpool playing for their local team. Again, NONE!

I suppose the one good thing to come out of this is that if (when) we become the Kings of Kirkby, the Knowsley Kights or the Tesco Blue and White Stripes we will have an unbelievable pool of talent on our doorstep.

Hopefully reading this you'll be aware that I'm being sarcastic. Of course stubbsey is a Scouser; of course Gerrard, Hibbo, Carragher, Barton, Nugent and Bainesey are all Scousers.

As for the rest of the crap that's flying around, of course people will still grow up as blues. Half the fans are from Chester and North Wales ? do you think an extra 3½/4 miles is going to bother them? NO! Especially not if they're coming over the Runcorn Bridge they can just jump on the 'Everton FC Exressway' and carry along the M57.

And what for the thousands and thousands and thousands of children growing up in Knowsley? We keep forgetting about these children. Do they not support football? They're bloody good at it, considering see my post above. As far as I'm concerned, the more Gerrards, Stubbseys, Baines, Carraghers, Hibbos etc that grow up blue the better.

Vote No? In the words of Ricky Tomlinson (not a scouser) ... My Arse!
Mark Stone, Aigburth     Posted 15/08/2007 at 15:17:31

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