MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2013 SPORTS19 Club limbo stunts English players - Hodgson LONDON: England manager Roy European Championship and the Bromwich Albion-and Tom Carroll (Michael) Keane, and with (Tom) chance? Hodgson believes young English play- Under-20 World Cup without winning would have played in probably the Thorpe, Nick Powell,” he said. “They didn’t go rushing out and buy ers are being harmed by Premier a game between them. Hodgson, how- Fulham team and the West Brom team. “These are all players who I think a foreigner every time or a player every League clubs who do not play them ever, feels that the fault lies with “But he doesn’t play for Tottenham. are very, very good, talented, English time, they said: ‘He’s only 19, Scholes, but are fearful of letting them leave. English clubs stockpiling players and Now is that Tottenham’s fault? No, not players who will become very, very but he’s going to be one hell of a play- A study produced by the Guardian does not believe the statistics point to really, because maybe he’s not quite as good players, but they don’t feature in er. Let’s give him a go.’” newspaper last month revealed that a diminishing level of ability in the good as Paulinho or (Mousa) Dembele the 30 percent of English players play- Hodgson warned that a failure to only 33 percent of the players who English game. “The other thing you or Sandro or Scott Parker (now of ing every week. But that doesn’t mean arrest the current trend could have started Premier League games on the should look at is the number of players Fulham). “I’m not criticising the judge- to say we haven’t got good players. serious repercussions for both the opening weekend of the season quali- at the top clubs who the clubs rate ment of the coaches. I’m just saying, “The Premier League, because it’s players themselves and the national fied to play for England. unbelievably highly and who would be these players do exist.” such an important league, the coaches team. “We’ve got to find a way of mak- That represents the worst figure in first-team starters in probably a lot of Hodgson pointed to Manchester are under such enormous pressure ing certain that we don’t dismiss these the post-1992 Premier League era and Premiership clubs were they not play- United as an example of a club who that today, the chances of you as a players, that we don’t lose them, and leaves the English top flight trailing ing for the top four or five clubs, where are no longer prepared to take the Premiership manager giving players a as a nation, I’ve got to hope that not well behind rival championships in their way is blocked by extremely tal- risks with young players that they did chance like Ferguson did all those getting a lot of games isn’t going to Spain, Italy, Germany and France. ented players,” he told journalists dur- in the early years of former manager years ago... destroy their careers,” he said. The apparent shallowness of the ing a briefing at Wembley. Alex Ferguson’s tenure. “What would have become of the “Because it could happen. If you go English talent pool was demonstrated “I’ll give you an example-Tom “In the under-21s, I come into con- Nevilles, the Beckhams, the Scholeses, two years as a player who’s too good on two occasions during the close sea- Carroll, at Tottenham Hotspur. I’ve tact with Jesse Lingard, who I’ve never the Giggs, the Butts had it not been for to let go, but not good enough to play son, when England’s representative worked with Premiership clubs-I’ve heard of, because I don’t watch under- the fact that, at the time they were every week, you might not be a very sides went out of the Under-21 worked at Fulham, I’ve worked at West 21 Manchester United matches, with growing up, managers did take a good player at the end of it.” — AFP Isco helps Real extend dominance of Bilbao Ronaldo opens season’s account with header MADRID: In-form playmaker Isco struck twice and Cristiano Ronaldo netted his first goal of the campaign to give Luka Modric-inspired Real Madrid a 3-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao in La Liga yesterday. The comfortable victory in an unusual midday kickoff at the Bernabeu gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side a joint share of the lead in the standings with a perfect nine points from three games. It also suggested the Real play- ers have not been distracted by the drawn-out saga over the pos- sible arrival of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur. Real have until today to wrap up the purchase of the Wales international, which could set a transfer record of around 100 mil- WEST BROMWICH: Swansea City’s Spanish midfielder Pablo Hernandez (C) con- lion euros ($132 million), accord- trols the ball during the English Premier League football match between West ing to media reports in Britain Bromwich Albion and Swansea City at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich, central and Spain. MADRID: Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (2L) scores a goal during the Spanish England, yesterday. Swansea won the game 2-0. — AFP After a subdued start at the league football match Real Madrid vs Athletic Club at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid yes- giant, sun-drenched arena, Karim terday. — AP Benzema dinked a pass through sublime 72nd-minute strike. the competitions we are taking Villarreal, who also have nine Davies, Hernandez keep to Isco in the 26th minute and the Ibai Gomez made the scoreline part in.” Croatian Modric, who points from three matches after Spain playmaker, who joined slightly more respectable for the started alongside Germany’s their 3-0 success at Osasuna on West Brom winless from Malaga in the close season, visitors, who have now conceded Sami Khedira in central midfield, Saturday. drilled a shot past Bilbao goal- 22 goals in their last five league had an excellent game and the Barcelona coach Gerardo with record-signing Wilfried Bony mak- keeper Iago Herrerin. visits to the Bernabeu, when he crowd chanted his name midway Martino has rested Xavi and ing his first league start in place of Ronaldo powered home a clipped the ball past Diego Lopez through the second half when he Alexis Sanchez for the Spanish Bromwich 0 Jonathan de Guzman. header moments before halftime in the 79th minute after neat snuffed out a Bilbao attack. champions’ game at Valencia lat- Swansea made the early running, for his 202nd goal in 202 official work on the right from fellow Modric has not always con- er on Sunday (1900 GMT) but Jonjo Shelvey and Michu going close games for Real and his 11th substitute Oscar de Marcos. vinced the Real faithful since join- Lionel Messi is back in the squad from distance before Wayne Routledge against Bilbao, putting him on a “Things are going well for me,” ing from Spurs but former Real after missing last weekend’s 1-0 Swansea 2 saw a shot comfortably saved by West par with the club’s former strikers Isco said in an interview with forward Emilio Butragueno, now win at Malaga with a bruised Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, who Raul and Hugo Sanchez. Spanish television broadcaster a club director, said he had thigh. replaced the injured Ben Foster. West Bilbao threatened a comeback Canal Plus. turned in a “very complete per- Atletico Madrid visit fellow Brom should have taken the lead in the on a couple of occasions before “We have only just started the formance in every sense”. Champions League participants WEST BROMWICH: Swansea City won 2- 20th minute when the unmarked James Isco picked up another assist season and three wins in three is “He is an intelligent player Real Sociedad at San Sebastian 0 at West Bromwich Albion yesterday to Morrison miscued his header from a from Benzema, again whistled by the right path to follow to make it capable of adapting to different (1700). Barca, Atletico, Bilbao and record their first win of the Premier the home crowd after fluffing a a good year for us,” he added. positions and functions,” Real were the only other teams League season and leave the home side Sinclair free-kick and two minutes later, number of chances, and the 21- “We want to keep improving Butragueno told Canal Plus. apart from Villarreal to win their in the bottom three. Ben Davies made Swansea made a stylish breakthrough. year-old found the net with a little by little and aspire to win all Real are level at the top with opening two games. — Reuters the breakthrough with a brilliantly taken Hernandez hooked the ball into the 22nd-minute volley and after Swansea box from close to the byline on the right- resisted West Brom’s efforts to get back hand side and Davies steamed in from into the game, Pablo Hernandez sealed left-back to steer an emphatic side-foot victory seven minutes from time. volley into the net. Henrikh Mkhitaryan fires Michael Laudrup’s side showed no ill Anelka looked menacing for West effects from their trip to Romania to play Brom and he came close to equalising Petrolul Ploiesti in the Europa League on 10 minutes later after sprinting clear Dortmund top of Bundesliga Thursday, but Steve Clarke’s West Brom and dragging a shot fractionally wide of are still seeking a first win, and first goal, the far post.