The Fortunes of Teams
The oligopoly of rich teams being able to afford all the best players may not have necessarily developed. While richer teams would inevitably have better resources to fund moves for the top stars, there would be less need to ‘bully’ other clubs out of the picture. For example, relating back to Robin van Persie: once it was clear he was not going to sign a new contract at the Emirates, it was a certainty that he would end up in Manchester (red or blue).
While silverware was obviously a factor, they too would be able to provide the best financial package – and it is a wise business move to take a star when the opportunity arises that they may be cheap. Yet if there was not the possibility of RVP leaving for such a low amount, the Manchester clubs may never have enquired about his availability. That means that ‘lesser’ clubs, if they believed could offer an enticing deal, would stand a chance of bringing a player of his calibre to their club if it was suitable for all parties. Does that make sense?
It must be emphasised however, that the rich clubs are now the only ones able to afford such inflated prices; another hurdle for smaller clubs. This also means that billionaire foreign investors have a certain amount of confidence that their money will aid them in bringing in top talent, which will reap rewards. Had the Bosman ruling not passed, we may never have seen the developments at the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG, Anzhi and Malaga.
On the flipside, it would also appear to be a rarity to see teams failing. Teams tend to take big gambles in trying to improve the fortunes of their clubs; be it avoiding relegation or challenging for a title. And in order to do this, they offer bumper contracts to stars that are possibly undeserving. Now this may still have developed nonetheless if the Bosman ruling hadn’t been passed, but with fiercer competition amongst clubs battling to sign players, there has been far greater inflation (as already mentioned). This has led to too many failed signings; underperforming and overpaid. Would we really have seen the collapses of the likes of Leeds and Portsmouth had there not been this rise in money spent?
The fear that players may leave a struggling club has also seen large and lengthy contracts dished out, which has resulted in a burden for the clubs if there has been failure. A relegated club stranded with massive contracts that they cannot afford is another reason that we see clubs entering administration regularly these days.
The Fortunes of England – Clubs
Before Bosman, many countries had a quota that limited the amount of foreigners allowed to play for any one team in European competition. This was the case in England, but unfortunately players from Scotland, Ireland and Wales were noted as ‘foreigners’ – meaning that it was a rarity to see any players from abroad due to British players fulfilling the quota. This meant that teams in Europe were at a disadvantage, as they were potentially missing some of their stars due to them being classed as foreign – hindering Britain’s chances in Europe.
As we’ve seen now, English clubs are performing far better in Europe across the last decade, and it is no small thanks that we are allowed to use more foreign talent when we want. Of course, the extent to which you want to believe this is debateable; it’s not like British clubs have had a poor record in the past. And this change in quote is applicable across Europe, and so every country will have equally benefitted surely?
The Fortunes of England – National Team
As Newton’s laws of motion state, ‘for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’. For while English clubs were now performing better in European competitions, there was a major downside; the English national team began to decline. For a major influx of cheaper, foreign stars began to fill clubs across the country, making far more difficult for young English talent to progress to the first team. English players now had to truly excel, or else their positions would be taken by foreign stars who could be signed for far cheaper transfers or wages.
Particularly today this is an increasing struggle, and the more it happens, the worse it gets. As it is rare to see a truly outstanding young English talent emerge, with many struggling to make an impact due to limited chances, any that does suddenly sees their stock rise unbelievably – with an English nationality ‘tax’ seemingly occurring. While there is no denying the ability of some youngsters, you can guarantee that Wilfried Zaha will cost far more than a foreign youngster of equal talent.
So instead of trying to get English talent, teams regularly search abroad for cheaper, foreign stars. This has seen an incredible rise in the amount of foreigners in the Premier League compared to yesteryear, but it is the fact that they are taking the places of future England internationals. And if they’re not playing, they won’t progress as quickly and fail to reach their potential – making it harder for the national team. We couldn’t win a major tournament with our ‘golden generation’ – what hope do we have now? It’s a bleak future.
So there we have the brief story of how one Belgian changed world football. How touching. But what do you all think? I have chopped and changed this article around so much (I started it in November!) that I just hope it makes some sense! Please don’t take it all seriously – I am incredibly generalising with a lot of what I say (some of it you may outright disagree with) but even if you feel I’ve got it wrong, it cannot be denied how much actually was affected by the Bosman ruling.
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