Foreign Players

[portugull]

Having lived in Portugal and watched Portuguese Premier League Football for 5 seasons there are a huge number of very talented, fit, strong technically gifted players, many from Africa and South America playing for peanuts in the Leagues just below the Premier League.

I suggest Mr. Hedges is sent on a mission to Lisbon to unearth some talent. He will be surprised. Marco Silva now Managing Watford and previously at Hull City was managing Estoril 4 years ago and playing in front of 400 fans had his team in the top half of the Premier League. Benfica, Sporting Lisbon,Porto and Braga are just 4 teams to mention who play in front of big crowds often 40,000 at Benfica.

The point about Estoril is that Silva was able to recruit good players because there are so many of them.Football is the only hope for many young men from Africa but competition is fierce.

This is a serious suggestion.

[merse btpir]

Serious indeed; but Portugal has a much more ambivalent attitude towards EU and non EU employees than this country....Portugal is not lumbered with UKIP style ideology, a death wish like the BREXIT movement and their domestic football is (as you say) full of Africans and South Americans.

You can't even make signings in the Greg Goodridge/Rodney Jack manner from the (British) Caribbean any more can you.

[Jeff]

There are all sorts of problems with work permit acquisition (players from nations playing below a certain level in the FIFA rankings need to play in something like 70% of their countries games to be allowed to get one) that would prevent African and South American players from coming to us.

However those with an EU passport is a different story. I think Vincent Dorel - and Olivier Gueguen a couple of years ago - show that the French lower leagues has players who can "do a job" at this level. Just how to you get the to uproot and commit to such a cause!

[Yorkieandy]

Jeff makes a great point about how can these players be persuaded to uproot and give it a go with Torquay? Maybe as a top end league 2 team paying reasonably decent wages could tempt a few but as it stands and the situation the club finds itself in these players aren't a viable option.

[wivelgull]

Although not 'foreign' (as such) TUFC could do a lot worse than taking a look at Dale Hopson (currently with Blyth Spartans).

[portugull]

I take your point Jeff but quite a few players do have a Portuguese Passport because of the link to Colonial times when Portugal colonised certain African countries and of course Brazil. In Africa, Angola,Mozambique Guinea-Bissau,Cape Verde and in South America Brazil.Hard to believe a little country like Portugal colonised Brazil.