PL Squad Cap Causes No Concern For MON

Martin O'Neill has admitted that news of the new Premier League squad cap will barely enter his thoughts, unless he's asked questions about it.

Speaking on the official site days after Richard Scudamore finally got his way on 'home grown' players and squad caps and other such pointless politically correct regulations, hardly anyone at Villa has batted an eyelid...including the fans.

From the beginning of next season as we know, each club will have to have at least 8 players who qualify as home grown in a maximum squad of 25.

Youth players and U21's are exempt from this 'cap' so to be honest it's business as normal at B6. Although according to the official site, the small prints states that clubs can supplement the 25 with unlimited additional players under the age of 21 from the opening of the January transfer window. Now my reading of that means you have a 'certain number' of additions from our youth/reserves team prior to January.

The qualification of 'home grown' is easy, a players needs to be registered and trained at either an English or Welsh club for 3 years prior to turning 21. I still await the appeal by a Scottish player, or somebody from Northern Ireland.

As said it's business as usual because we are already in a position of being able to pick 25 home grown players for a start.

'We should be fine. I haven't checked it thoroughly through but that's my understanding.

'I feel the Premier League are pre-empting UEFA and FIFA legislation. The idea is obviously for more homegrown players to come in. You can have a lot of arguments and debates about it but if that's what's been accepted, I feel Villa are well covered.'

Looking at our current squad sheet, only Friedel, Bouma, Carew, Salifou, Petrov, Guzan, Beye, and Cuellar wouldn't qualify as home grown. That's 8 players out of a squad list of 36 and 13 of those are Academy players like Clark, Delfouneso, Albrighton etc.

This may have an effect on some clubs, but I can understand why Monny hasn't bothered checking thoroughly (although I bet he did really).

It isn't going to make the slightest bit of difference to us in any way, shape or form.

Not bad eh!

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