ITS ALL FOREIGN TO ME

Browsing through the sports' pages today, the transfer market is in full flow and there is speculation about one or two Englishmen, John Stones, Charlie Austin, playing in the Premier League but most of the names are from further afield and definitely foreign. I haven't counted up the number of foreign names appearing in the various top squads but there is a high proportion. Silly money.

Arsenal was the first club to field an all foreign team in February 2005 when Arsene Wenger's team played Crystal Palace at Highbury. Wenger criticise Manchester United's pursuit of success by buying expensive foreigners, so I suspect the Arsenal manager may have forgotten how he has kept the Gunners firing high since he took over in 1996. To be honest, he has transformed the way that football has been approached in many different ways, but he shouldn't gripe at United, Chelsea and City and the rest who can afford it, who are able to bring in some of the best players in the world.

Chelsea produced the first all foreign squad when they played Southampton on December 26^th 1999. Dr Jozef Venglos (a Doctor of PE and Psychology) was the first foreign manager (a Czech) in the Football League, looking after Aston Villa in 1990 and Bert Trautmann the first foreigner, a German, to win the Footballer of the Year award in 1956 after his heroics in the Manchester City goal during the Cup Final. Following a collision that broke his neck, he played on and made several important saves to help City win 3-1! Having been captured during the War he refused to be repatriated and settled in Lancashire, finally earning a place in City's cup team.

The first professional black player to play in league football was Arthur Wharton in 1886 who was born on the Gold Coast, had a half Granadian/Scottish father and a mother who was also half Scottish but also a descendent of the Fante Ghanaian royal family. Wharton was also a fine sprinter who held the world record for the 100 yards and later died a pauper having been distracted by fame and alcohol.

There were previously black players playing in the leagues, for example Andrew Watson, but they were amateurs.

Max Seeburg was the first European born player to appear in the Football League, a German, he made one appearance for Tottenham in 1908, before moving onto Leyton and various other clubs, including Reading,Grimsby and Burnley.

Hong Ying Frank Soo, born in Buxton, was the first Chinese man to play professionally and he turned out for Stoke City 173 times alongside Stanley Matthews and was capped for England nine times between 1942-45. He later went to Luton.