Glenn Hoddle, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Graham Taylor, Steve McClaren and Kevin Keegan have all signed a letter to Dyke in a show of solidarity with English football’s governing body.
Kevin Keegan led the Three Lions between 1999 and 2000
You can read the letter in full below.
Dear Greg,
We wanted to place on record our support for the reforms you outlined last week on home-grown players.
Each of us has had the privilege of managing the England national team and it remains one of the most prestigious and sought-after roles in world football. There are many reasons why England has failed to win any major honours since 1966 and each of us bears a portion of that responsibility.
However, as the England Commission’s evidence has demonstrated the pool of English talent playing at the very top level is shrinking and it’s an undeniable fact that this is a clear disadvantage for any England manager assembling a squad to compete with the top football nations.
Hoddle has added his support to Dyke's proposals
Last season English players accounted for 32% of playing time in the Premier League, compared with almost 70% 20 years ago. This trend cannot continue.
This is not down to a lack of ability. This country has a long history of producing world-class talent from Finney and Matthews, to Lineker and Shearer, through to the likes of Gerrard and Rooney. With promising players such as Barkley, Sterling and Kane starting to break through, it is clear we can still produce top young talent.
The FA and the Premier League are already doing a lot of good work to improve the standards of facilities and coaching at all levels of the game. St George's Park is a truly world-class coaching centre and club academies are among the most advanced and well-funded in football, offering young players unparalleled support and coaching.
The one thing they are not being offered is the most important of all: opportunity.
Graham Taylor and Sven Goran Eriksson have also added their support
We have all managed in the Premier League and appreciate the extraordinary pressure that managers are under to deliver instant results. In this environment, the temptation to buy an established player from overseas rather than take a chance on a young home-grown prospect from the academy can be overwhelming.
This is why it is the responsibility of The FA to look at the bigger picture and take action to correct this problem. For too long it has failed to do so.
We believe these reforms, along with the progress being made on coaching and facilities, will have a concrete impact on the opportunities available to young talent in England and we urge everyone in the English game to get behind them as quickly as possible.
Failure to do so risks England falling further behind the leading football nations and will only make it harder to end the long wait to win the World Cup.
McClaren coaches the squad during his spell in charge of England
If we can do anything else to support you in this, please do not hesitate to ask.
Yours sincerely,
Graham Taylor (1990-93)
Glenn Hoddle (1996-1999)
Kevin Keegan (1999-2000)
Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001-2006)
Steve McClaren (2006-2007)
