Local lads could make IDEAL squad players with their passion for the club and it saves money buying shit squad players like Veronin.

Benitez, like Houllier before him, has been given too much power at Liverpool. He shouldn't be allowed to bring in so many foreigners to the youths. A few excepional young players is fine, but too many takes away the confidence of the local lads that they can make it into the 1st team. Which Scouser will take over from Gerrard and Carra?

Do you think any foreign manager going to Real Madrid or AC Milan gets to dictate to those clubs their youth policies? No chance because those clubs know what they want long term after that manager is long gone so he gets to work with the 1st team and the rest is the club's concern. The club might have to sack the manager at any time if results are bad so how can you let him dictate long term youth strategy?!

Roy Evans or someone else who has Liverpool FC in the blood should be head of youth development. How can some foreign coach instil Liverpool traditions and pride in young players? Half of the coaches and people now working for Liverpool didn't even support the club 10 years ago! That's the complete opposite of the bootroom tradition Shankly wanted. The club should represent Merseyside and its people first and foremost and after that its fans around the world. A Liverpool team without a Scouser will be a reality in 4-5 years.

Arsenal are a club with a lot of mercenary players waiting for the big transfer to Spain or Italy while Wenger dumped off many local lads like Bentley, Upson, Pennant etc.. Yes, they aren't world beaters but if Arsenal had those local lads in the dressing room the team would have shown more bottle like they did with Tony Adams instead of losing the nerve because of Gallas and co..

The greatest problem in English football is the coaching. You see Ferguson and O'Neill and Moyes keep a strong base of domestic players. But because there is such a lack of quality local managers foreign coaches come in and don't respect the local traditions so they do it their own way.

But that doesn't mean it's the right way - as we seen with Houllier's bunch of young French flops. And if Benitez gets the sack you'll see most of his youth players diappear too so the club has wasted time and money on foreigners it didn't need. Instead of concentrating first and foremost on coaching and improving local players who grow up dreaming of playing for the club.