Could the prospect of a major tournament without England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales or Norn Iron be the first major sign that the influx of overseas players in our leagues is in fact detrimental? I'm wondering if this could be the first piece of evidence to back up the theories. Lack of talent coming through the international youth sides would be an off-shoot of players not making it at their club sides. Or players not being match-sharp as they don't have a regular place in their team. The argument was made that overseas players could only benefit the youngsters and established internationals by playing and training alongside them but is that really the case overall? it would be interesting to see the stats on each home nation squad and find out how many have a regular starting place for their club side, how many are in the Premiership and how many overseas team-mates they play with. Your views?
While I have no doubt that the influx of foreign players into the Premier League has had some effect, I don't think its that big. Its almost 14 years now since Ireland were the only nation to qualify for a finals tournament. If all the home nations fail to qualify this time around I don't really see it as setting a precedent for the future to be honest.