Thursday, August 13, 2009

Where the Premier League's players come from

In the past two decades, the composition of England's top-flight teams has changed dramatically.
At the start of the 1989-90 season, leading clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United boasted just one or two regular first-team players who were born outside the United Kingdom.
Now, Premier League teams have, on average, 13 foreign-born stars within their ranks.
'THE GLOBAL GAME'
Watch the BBC News Channel/BBC World on Friday for interviews and analysis on the global growth and appeal of the Premier League, with coverage also on radio and online
Use the interactive world map above to explore the birthplaces of players in all the current Premier League squads, and compare them with the same teams' players from the start of the 1989-90 season - then find out more about each team below.
Twenty years ago, defending champions Arsenal had just two players born outside the UK on their books: Icelandic midfielder Sigurdur Jonsson and Irish forward Niall Quinn.
Jonsson made barely a handful of appearances before leaving Highbury in 1992, while Quinn was soon to sign for Manchester City.
Liverpool, eventual title-winners that season, had an unusually large number of foreign-born players in their 1989-90 squad.

Bruce Grobbelaar - one of few foreign stars in 1989
Kenny Dalglish's side featured five players born outside the UK: John Barnes (Jamaica), Bruce Grobbelaar (South Africa), Glenn Hysen (Sweden), Jan Molby (Denmark) and Steve Staunton (Republic of Ireland).
But they were the exception. Teams were far more likely to boast just one or two players born outside the UK and, in many cases (such as Manchester City's David Oldfield and Chelsea's Tony Dorigo), those players were British nationals who happened to have been born abroad.
Two decades ago, the teams making up this year's Premier League could only boast 12 players born outside the Commonwealth between them.
Twenty years later, more than half of the Premier League's clubs could field an entire starting line-up of foreign-born players.
Liverpool now have just three UK-born first-team stars in Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Glen Johnson, with other British talents like Jay Spearing making only occasional European appearances to date.
Anfield is home to 20 foreign-born players with a strong first-team claim, while Arsenal can boast 23, as opposed to four Brits, all aged under 21.
Teams recently promoted to the top flight have the fewest foreign-born players in their first-team squads - Burnley have seven, Wolves have eight, as do Stoke, who gained promotion a year earlier, while Birmingham have nine.
West Ham are also at the lower end of the spectrum, with nine foreign-born players, but at the time of writing this still comprised almost half of the 21 first-team players at Gianfranco Zola's disposal.
You can find out more about your team below. Remember that the data focuses on place of birth, not nationality.
Read more, comment and download the data on Ollie Williams' blog
Jump to a team
Arsenal : Aston Villa : Birmingham City : Blackburn Rovers : Bolton Wanderers : Burnley : Chelsea : Everton : Fulham : Hull City : Liverpool : Manchester City : Manchester United : Portsmouth : Stoke City : Sunderland : Tottenham Hotspur : West Ham United : Wigan Athletic : Wolverhampton Wanderers

ARSENAL
1989-90: 19 players born in UK, two born abroad2009-10: Four players born in UK, 23 born abroad

Jack Wilshere is one of Arsenal's UK-born youngsters
Jonsson and Quinn, mentioned above, were as exotic as it got for the Gunners 20 years ago.
Arsenal could almost have put out a starting line-up featuring only players born in the London area.
By contrast, in February 2005, manager Arsene Wenger became the first in English football to field a matchday squad lacking any English players.
The current squad's UK-born talents - Theo Walcott, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere - are all under 21 years old.
Points on the map
2009-10: Carlos Vela, who waited more than three years for his first Arsenal goal (and two of those waiting for a work permit), is Mexican. Brazilians Denilson and Eduardo hail from Sao Paulo and Rio respectively.
There are three imports from West Africa - Emmanuel Eboue, Johan Djourou and Alex Song, while Andrey Arshavin was born in St Petersburg, Russia.
In full: Almunia (Spain), Arshavin (Russia), Bendtner (Denmark), Clichy (France), Denilson (Brazil), Diaby (France), Djourou (Ivory Coast), Eboue (Ivory Coast), Eduardo (Brazil), Fabianski (Poland), Fabregas (Spain), Gallas (France), Gibbs (Lambeth, UK), Mannone (Italy), Nasri (France), Ramsey (Caerphilly, UK), Rosicky (Czech Rep), Sagna (France), Senderos (Switzerland), Silvestre (France), Song (Cameroon), Traore (France), Van Persie (Netherlands), Vela (Mexico), Vermaelen (Belgium), Walcott (Stanmore, UK), Wilshere (Stevenage, UK).
1989-90: The only two born outside the UK are Jonsson (Akranes, Iceland) and Quinn (Perrystown, Ireland).
Within the UK the vast majority are concentrated around London, but the trio visible in the North East are Neil Heaney, Brian Marwood and Kevin Richardson.
In full: Adams (Romford, UK), Bould (Stoke, UK), Caesar (Tottenham, UK), Campbell (Lambeth, UK), Cole (Nottingham, UK), Davis (Dulwich, UK), Dixon (Manchester, UK), Groves (Bow, UK), Hayes (Walthamstow, UK), Heaney (Middlesbrough, UK), Jonsson (Iceland), Lukic (Chesterfield, UK), Marwood (Seaham, UK), Merson (Harlesden, UK), O'Leary (Stoke Newington, UK), Quinn (Ireland), Richardson (Newcastle, UK), Rocastle (Lewisham, UK), Smith (Bromsgrove, UK), Thomas (Lambeth, UK), Winterburn (Arley, UK).
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ASTON VILLA
1989-90: 19 players born in UK, three born abroad2009-10: 18 players born in UK, 12 born abroad

Aston Villa's Nigel Callaghan was born in Singapore in 1962
Dwight Yorke made his Villa debut towards the end of the 89/90 season, as one of three foreign-born players in Graham Taylor's side.
Another new arrival, Denmark's Kent Nielsen, and Singapore-born Nigel Callaghan were the other two.
This season, Martin O'Neill has plenty of players with first-team credentials at his disposal, but 18 of the 30 we have listed remain UK-born, including five from the West Midlands.
The 2009-10 Villa squad is unusual in naming three US-born players: goalkeeper Brad Friedel, Friedel's back-up Brad Guzan, and youngster Eric Lichaj.
Points on the map
2009-10: Guzan and Lichaj both hail from the US state of Illinois so show up almost on top of each other on the map, with Friedel, born in Ohio, slightly to the east.
Togolese midfielder Moustapha Salifou and Australian duo Chris Herd and Shane Lowry, both from Perth, are named as first-team squad members on the Villa website, despite only a handful of appearances between them.
In full: Agbonlahor (Birmingham, UK), Albrighton (Tamworth, UK), Baker (Birmingham, UK), Bannan (Airdrie, UK), Beye (France), Bouma (Netherlands), Carew (Norway), Cuellar (Spain), Clark (Harrow, UK), Davies (London, UK), Delfouneso (Birmingham, UK), Delph (Bradford, UK), Downing (Middlesbrough, UK), Friedel (US), Gardner (Solihull, UK), Guzan (US), Harewood (Hampstead, UK), Herd (Australia), Heskey (Leicester, UK), Lichaj (US), Lowry (Australia), Milner (Leeds, UK), O'Halloran (Ireland), Petrov (Bulgaria), Reo-Coker (Southwark, UK), Salifou (Togo), Shorey (Romford, UK), Sidwell (Wandsworth, UK), A Young (Stevenage, UK), L Young (Harlow, UK).
1989-90: Yorke is represented by a point above the town of Canaan in Tobago, just above the South American coast. Nielsen was born in Frederiksberg, Denmark, and Englishman Callaghan's birthplace was Singapore.
Closer to home, Gareth Williams was born in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. The 89/90 squad had fewer West Midlands-born players than the current team.
In full: Birch (West Bromwich, UK), Blake (Nottingham, UK), Butler (Sheffield, UK), Callaghan (Singapore), Comyn (Wakefield, UK), Cowans (West Cornforth, UK), Daley (Birmingham, UK), Gage (Chiswick, UK), Gray (Withernsea, UK), Heath (Stoke, UK), McGrath (Ealing, UK), Mountfield (Liverpool, UK), Nielsen (Denmark), Olney (Luton, UK), Ormondroyd (Bradford, UK), Platt (Chadderton, UK), Price (Hereford, UK), Spink (Chelmsford, UK), Williams (Cowes, UK), Yorke (Trinidad & Tobago).
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BIRMINGHAM CITY
1989-90: 19 players born in UK, none born abroad2009-10: 18 players born in UK, nine born abroad

Lee Bowyer, part of an influx of British-born Birmingham players
Birmingham's entire squad for the 89/90 season hailed from the UK.
Most were born in the Midlands or the North West. Dougie Bell, who signed from Shrewsbury early in the campaign, was the Birmingham player farthest from his home town, having been born in Paisley.
This season, boss Alex McLeish has strengthened his squad with a number of English signings over the summer, including a permanent deal for Lee Bowyer, Scott Dann from Coventry City, Roger Johnson from Cardiff City, and goalkeeper Joe Hart on loan from Manchester City.
Fellow new boys Giovanny Espinoza, born on the border between Ecuador and Colombia, and Ecuadorian compatriot Christian Benitez are by some distance Birmingham's farthest-flung imports.
Points on the map
2009-10: Espinoza and Benitez were born either side of the equator in South America - the former just above, the latter just below.
Others easy to spot include Sweden's Seb Larsson, Pole Artur Krysiak, Germany-born Maik Taylor and Frenchman Franck Queudrue.
In full: Benitez (Ecuador), Bent (Hammersmith, UK), Bowyer (Canning Town, UK), Carr (Ireland), Carsley (Birmingham, UK), Dann (Liverpool, UK), Doyle (Ireland), Espinoza (Colombia), Fahey (Ireland), Hart (Shrewsbury), Jerome (Huddersfield, UK), D Johnson (Lisburn, UK), R Johnson (Ashford, UK), Krysiak (Poland), Larsson (Sweden), McFadden (Glasgow, UK), McPike (Birmingham, UK), McSheffrey (Coventry, UK), Murphy (Hartlepool, UK), Mutch (Alvaston, UK), O'Connor (Edinburgh, UK), Parnaby (Durham, UK), Phillips (Hitchin, UK), Queudrue (France), Ridgewell (London, UK), Maik Taylor (Germany), Martin Taylor (Ashington, UK).
1989-90: Third Division outfit Birmingham had a healthy crop of locally-born players.
Apart from Paisley's Bell, Welsh goalkeeper Martin Thomas and Durham-born midfielder Nigel Gleghorn, recently signed from top-flight Manchester City, were the players born farthest from St Andrew's.
In full (all UK): Ashley (Birmingham), Atkins (Birmingham), Bailey (Lambeth), Bell (Paisley), Clarkson (Solihull), Deakin (Stocksbridge), Frain (Birmingham), Gleghorn (Seaham), Gordon (Stourbridge), Hopkins (Birmingham), Langley (St Helens), Matthewson (Sheffield), Overson (Kettering), Peer (Stourbridge), Roberts (Manchester), Sproson (Stoke), Tait (Sutton Coldfield), Thomas (Senghenydd), Yates (Birmingham).
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BLACKBURN ROVERS
1989-90: 20 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: Seven players born in UK, 18 born abroad

Frank Stapleton, born in Ireland, played for Blackburn in 1989
At the start of the 89/90 season, Blackburn's lone player born outside the UK was Frank Stapleton.
The Irishman, then 33, had arrived at Blackburn after a short spell at French side Le Havre.
Blackburn crashed out of the Second Division play-offs for the second year in a row at the end of the season.
Twenty years later, Sam Allardyce's Rovers squad spans several continents, with players originating from Canada to Croatia to the Caucasus.
Points on the map
2009-10: Blackburn are the only Premier League outfit with three first-team players from Australasia: Brett Emerton is from Sydney, Vince Grella was born in Melbourne and Ryan Nelsen comes from Christchurch, NZ.
Rovers also have two South Africans with new signing Elrio Van Heerden, from Port Elizabeth, joining Cape Town-born Benni McCarthy, while Franco Di Santo, from Argentina, is on loan from Chelsea.
In full: Andrews (Ireland), Brown (Southwark, UK), Di Santo (Argentina), Diouf (Senegal), Dunn (Blackburn, UK), Emerton (Australia), Gallagher (Glasgow, UK), Givet (France), Grella (Australia), Hoilett (Canada), Jacobsen (Denmark), Kalinic (Croatia), Khizanishvili (Georgia), McCarthy (South Africa), N'Zonzi (France), Nelsen (New Zealand), Olsson (Sweden), Pedersen (Norway), Reid (Kingston, UK), Roberts (Park Royal, UK), Robinson (Beverley, UK), Samba (France), Treacy (Ireland), Van Heerden (South Africa), Warnock (Ormskirk, UK).
1989-90: Stapleton's home town of Dublin appears on the map, with Colin Hendry the northern-most squad member having been born in the small town of Keith, in Scotland.
Rovers had five more Scotland-born players in the first team that season: Ally Dawson, Ronnie Hildersley, Andy Kennedy, Alan Irvine and John Millar.
In full: Atkins (Doncaster, UK), Dawson (Johnstone, UK), Finnigan (Wimbledon, UK), Garner (Boston, UK), Hendry (Keith, UK), Gennoe (Shrewsbury, UK), Gayle (Toxteth, UK), Hildersley (Kirkcaldy, UK), Kennedy (Stirling, UK), Hill (Bolton, UK), Johnrose (Preston, UK), Irvine (Glasgow, UK), May (Oldham, UK), Millar (Bellshill, UK), Oliver (Berwick, UK), Reid (Urmston, UK), Sellars (Sheffield, UK), Skinner (Manchester, UK), Stapleton (Ireland), Sulley (Camberwell, UK), Wilcox (Farnworth, UK).
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BOLTON WANDERERS
1989-90: 19 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: 13 players born in UK, 12 born abroad

Nicky Hunt, from Westhoughton, is Bolton's local link
Bolton's first-team squad for the coming season is split almost 50/50 between UK-born and foreign players.
But long-serving defender Nicky Hunt is the club's only real local boy, having been born in nearby Westhoughton.
Ten of the 89/90 squad hailed from the North West, rising to 11 with the inclusion of Ian Stevens.
Though Stevens was born in Malta, he grew up in Lancashire and was on Preston's books as a youngster.
Points on the map
2009-10: Ricardo Gardner and Jlloyd Samuel come from the West Indies (Gardner, from Jamaica, is shown to the left of Samuel, from Trinidad), while Nigeria and Ghana supply Dan Shittu and Mustapha Riga respectively. Fabrice Muamba, shown slightly farther south of those two, is Congolese.
Bolton's Ali Al Habsi, born in Oman on the Arabian Peninsula, is one of fewer than 25 top-flight players who are their country's sole representative in the Premier League.
In full: Al Habsi (Oman), Basham (Hebburn, UK), Cahill (Sheffield, UK), Cohen (Israel), K Davies (Sheffield, UK), M Davies (Wolverhampton, UK), Davis (Clapham, UK), Elmander (Sweden), Gardner (Jamaica), Hunt (Westhoughton, UK), Jaaskelainen (Finland), Knight (Solihull, UK), McCann (Blackpool, UK), Muamba (DR Congo), A O'Brien (Harrogate, UK), J O'Brien (Ireland), Obadeyi (Birmingham, UK), Ricketts (Aylesbury, UK), Riga (Ghana), Robinson (Watford, UK), Samuel (Trinidad & Tobago), Shittu (Nigeria), Steinsson (Iceland), Taylor (Oxford, UK), Vaz Te (Portugal).
1989-90: The most obvious point is Stevens, born in the Maltese capital - Valletta - before moving to the UK.
Within the UK, Mark Came hailed from Exeter in the South West, David Felgate was born in the Welsh town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, and current Hull manager Phil Brown was one of two players, alongside Tony Philliskirk, to come from the North East.
In full: Brookman (Manchester, UK), Brown (South Shields, UK), Comstive (Southport, UK), Came (Exeter, UK), Chandler (Hammersmith, UK), Cowdrill (Birmingham, UK), Crombie (Lincoln, UK), Darby (Farnworth, UK), Felgate (Blaenau Ffestiniog, UK), Fisher (St Helens, UK), Hughes (Denton, UK), Jeffrey (Liverpool, UK), Philliskirk (Sunderland, UK), Reeves (Birkenhead, UK), Rose (Evesham, UK), Savage (Liverpool, UK), Stevens (Malta), Storer (Rugby, UK), Thompson (Oldham, UK).
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BURNLEY
1989-90: 20 players born in UK, none born abroad2009-10: 16 players born in UK, seven born abroad

Kosovo-born Besart Berisha represents Albania at international level
Premier League new boys Burnley retain a largely British-born squad following their promotion from the Championship.
But the Turf Moor club boast a small Scandinavian contingent and Peruvian Diego Penny, plus new Ecuadorian signing Fernando Guerrero.
Two decades ago, Burnley were languishing in the Fourth Division with a team drawn almost entirely from England.
Only Burnley stalwart Joe Jakub, born in Falkirk, and Welsh goalkeeper Chris Pearce came from elsewhere.
Points on the map
2009-10: Goalkeeper Penny, born in Lima, is Burnley's farthest-flung first-team player, although he has been unable to dislodge another foreigner - Copenhagen-born Dane Brian Jensen - from the number one spot.
David Edgar, who joined from Newcastle United in July, was born in the Canadian city of Kitchener, while new boy Guerrero comes from Ecuador's capital, Quito.
In full: Alexander (Coventry, UK), Blake (Middlesbrough, UK), Caldwell (Stirling, UK), Carlisle (Preston, UK), Duff (Belfast, UK), Eagles (Hemel Hempstead, UK), Easton (Glasgow, UK), Eckersley (Salford, UK), Edgar (Canada), Elliott (Southampton, UK), Fletcher (Shrewsbury, UK), Gudjonsson (Iceland), Guerrero (Ecuador), Jensen (Denmark), Jordan (Warrington, UK), Kalvenes (Norway), McCann (Ireland), McDonald (Carnoustie, UK), Mears (Stockport, UK), Paterson (Tunstall, UK), Penny (Peru), Rodriguez (Burnley, UK), Thompson (Paisley, UK).
1989-90: Jakub and Pearce aside, the majority of Burnley's players 20 years ago came from the North West.
Five of the squad were born in the Midlands, with just two - Andy Farrell (Colchester) and Brendan O'Connell (London) - coming from the South.
In full (all UK): Atkinson (Otley), Davis (Birmingham), Deakin (Liverpool), Deary (Ormskirk), Eli (Bradford), Farrell (Colchester), Futcher (Chester), Gardner (Middlesbrough), Grewcock (Leicester), Hardy (Manchester), Jakub (Falkirk), McGrory (Coventry), McKay (Banbury), Measham (Barnsley), Monington (Bilsthorpe), O'Connell (Lambeth), Pearce (Newport), Smith (Leeds), White (Leicester), Williams (Liverpool).
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CHELSEA
1989-90: 19 players born in UK, four born abroad2009-10: Six players born in UK, 17 born abroad

Norwegian Erland Johnsen spent much of his career with Chelsea
The poster boys of football's financial revolution prior to the advent of oil-rich Manchester City, Chelsea have rarely been short of foreign talent.
Twenty years ago that talent largely took the form of Norwegian defender Erland Johnsen, who joined during the 89/90 season, and Dutchman Ken Monkou, born in Suriname.
Today, new manager Carlo Ancelotti - himself a world away from 1989 boss Bobby Campbell - has stars from South America and the west coast of Africa at his disposal.
In the absence of Argentine striker Franco Di Santo (on loan at Blackburn), Juliano Belletti, born in the western Brazilian city of Cascavel, has the birthplace farthest from Stamford Bridge.
Points on the map
2009-10: Belletti is shown just to the left of Deco and Alex in Brazil, while Florent Malouda, born in French Guiana, is above them on the coast - not so far from Ken Monkou's birthplace in Suriname.
The five dots in West Africa represent Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou (both Ivory Coast), Jose Bosingwa (DR Congo), Mikel (Nigeria) and Michael Essien (Ghana). New boy Yuri Zhirkov comes from the Russian city of Tambov.
In full: Alex (Brazil), Anelka (France), Ballack (Germany), Belletti (Brazil), Bosingwa (DR Congo), Carvalho (Portugal), Cech (Czech Rep), A Cole (Stepney, UK), J Cole (Islington, UK), Deco (Brazil), Drogba (Ivory Coast), Essien (Ghana), Ferreira (Portugal), Hilario (Portugal), Ivanovic (Serbia), Kalou (Ivory Coast), Lampard (Romford, UK), Malouda (French Guiana), Mancienne (Isleworth, UK), Mikel (Nigeria), Sturridge (Birmingham, UK), Terry (London, UK), Zhirkov (Russia).
1989-90: Monkou and Johnsen are easily spotted in Suriname and Norway respectively, but the mystery Australian-born star is Tony Dorigo, who was born in Melbourne.
A young defender set to make his debut later in the season, by the name of Graeme Le Saux, came from the British Crown dependency of Jersey - not part of the UK.
In full: Beasant (Willesden, UK), Bumstead (Rotherhithe, UK), Burley (Ayr, UK), Clarke (Saltcoats, UK), Dixon (Luton, UK), Dickens (Plaistow, UK), Dorigo (Australia), Durie (Paisley, UK), Freestone (Caerleon, UK), Hall (Croydon, UK), Hazard (Sunderland, UK), Hitchcock (Canning Town, UK), Le Saux (Jersey), Johnsen (Norway), Lee (Bristol, UK), McAllister (Falkirk, UK), Mitchell (Glasgow, UK), Monkou (Suriname), Nicholas (Newport, UK), Spackman (Romsey, UK), Stuart (Tooting, UK), C Wilson (Manchester, UK), K Wilson (Banbury, UK).
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EVERTON
1989-90: 17 players born in UK, three born abroad2009-10: 12 players born in UK, 10 born abroad

Stefan Rehn represented Sweden and Everton
Both of the foreign-born players in Everton's 89/90 squad have since made their names as managers back home.
Raymond Atteveld, born in Amsterdam, is now manager of Dutch side Den Haag, and Stockholm-born Stefan Rehn co-manages IFK Gothenburg, but neither player achieved great success at Goodison Park.
David Moyes retains a good-sized helping of locally-born players among his 2009/10 charges, but five continents are represented in the rest of the squad.
Tim Howard is from the US, on-loan striker Jo grew up in Brazil, a number of players are of African origin and Tim Cahill was born in Sydney, Australia.
Points on the map
2009-10: Carlo Nash, Tony Hibbert, Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Phil Neville, Leon Osman, Jack Rodwell and James Wallace were all born in the North West.
Aside from the far-flung foreign legion named above, the African stars in question are Joseph Yobo, Yakubu and Victor Anichebe (all Nigerian), and Steven Pienaar (South Africa).
In full: Anichebe (Nigeria), Arteta (Spain), Baines (Kirkby, UK), Baxter (Bootle, UK), Cahill (Australia), Fellaini (Belgium), Gosling (Plymouth, UK), Hibbert (Liverpool, UK), Howard (US), Jagielka (Manchester, UK), Jo (Brazil), Lescott (Birmingham, UK), Nash (Bolton, UK), Neville (Bury, UK), Osman (Billinge), Pienaar (South Africa), Rodwell (Southport, UK), Saha (France), Vaughan (Birmingham, UK), Wallace (Liverpool, UK), Yakubu (Nigeria), Yobo (Nigeria).
1989-90: Atteveld's Dutch birthplace can be seen in the corner of the UK inset map, with Rehn up in Stockholm.
Everton's players were fairly evenly-spread throughout the UK, with Norman Whiteside hailing from Belfast, Neville Southall, Kevin Sheedy and Kevin Ratcliffe from Wales, and Graeme Sharp and Pat Nevin from Scotland.
In full: Atteveld (Netherlands), Cottee (West Ham, UK), Ebbrell (Bromborough, UK), Kearton (Ipswich, UK), Keown (Oxford, UK), McCall (Leeds, UK), McDonald (Wallsend, UK), Nevin (Glasgow, UK), Newell (Liverpool, UK), Pointon (Warsop, UK), Ratcliffe (Deeside, UK), Rehn (Sweden), Sharp (Glasgow, UK), Sheedy (Builth Wells, UK), Snodin (Rotherham, UK), Southall (Llandudno, UK), Stowell (Portsmouth, UK), Watson (Liverpool, UK), Whiteside (Belfast, UK), Youds (Liverpool, UK).
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FULHAM
1989-90: 21 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: Eight players born in UK, 16 born abroad

Gavin Nebbeling joined Fulham from Crystal Palace
Fulham's one foreign star as a Third Division outfit in 1989 was Gavin Nebbeling.
The South African, born in Johannesburg, joined from Crystal Palace that summer and scored twice in some 80 appearances for the club before leaving for Preston in 1993.
The Fulham first-team squad now includes an Iranian (Andranik), a South Korean (Seol Ki-Hyeon) and a Hungarian (Zoltan Gera), among many other foreign-born players.
However, Fulham retain three London-born players in their senior squad: Paul Konchesky, Bobby Zamora and Chris Smalling.
Points on the map
2009-10: Fulham have two players from the US state of Texas. Defender Brede Hangeland was born in Houston, although he has earned 50 caps for the Norwegian national side, and Clint Dempsey was born in the small town of Nacogdoches.
The dot in Australia is goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who was born in Sydney, and the African members of the squad are Dickson Etuhu (Nigeria) and John Pantsil (Ghana).
In full: Andranik (Iran), Baird (Ballymena, UK), Bouazza (France), Davies (Haverfordwest, UK), Dempsey (US), Etuhu (Nigeria), Gera (Hungary), Hangeland (US), Hughes (Magherafelt, UK), Johnson (Bedford, UK), Kallio (Finland), Kamara (France), Kelly (Ireland), Konchesky (Barking, UK), Murphy (Chester, UK), Nevland (Norway), Pantsil (Ghana), Riise (Norway), Schwarzer (Australia), Seol (South Korea), Smalling (Greenwich, UK), Stoor (Sweden), Zamora (London, UK), Zuberbuhler (Switzerland).
1989-90: Nebbeling is the only Fulham player from 89/90 born outside the UK.
Des Bremner was born in Aberchirder, in the north of Scotland, and Gordon Davies was born in Merthyr Tydfil, but the majority of the team 20 years ago came from the London area.
In full: Barnett (Stratford, UK), Batty (Westminster, UK), Cole (Hillingdon, UK), Bremner (Aberchirder, UK), Davies (Merthyr Tydfil, UK), Donnellan (Willesden, UK), Eckhardt (Sheffield, UK), Elkins (Wallingford, UK), Langley (Lambeth, UK), Lewington (Lambeth, UK), Marshall (Balham, UK), Mauge (Islington, UK), Milton (Fulham, UK), Peters (Carshalton, UK), Nebbeling (South Africa), Sayer (Brent, UK), Scott (Notting Hill, UK), Skinner (Hounslow, UK), Stannard (Harold Hill, UK), Thomas (Hackney, UK), Walker (Oxford, UK), Watson (Edinburgh, UK).
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HULL CITY
1989-90: 20 players born in UK, three born abroad2009-10: 14 players born in UK, 11 born abroad

Harry Ngata was still playing, in Australia, in 2004
Hull's summer signings have increased the team's foreign contingent, with Nigerian Seyi Olofinjana, American Jozy Altidore and young French defender Steven Mouyokolo joining the club.
Phil Brown's squad includes a number of other West African stars, plus players from South America and Australia.
However, the Hull squad of 20 years ago can boast a player based farther afield - Harry Ngata.
Ngata, born on New Zealand's North Island, started his career at Hull and is believed to have been the English league's first Maori player.
Points on the map
2009-10: Four of the current squad were born in Africa - Olofinjana is from Nigerian capital Lagos, Daniel Cousin is from Gabon slightly to the south, George Boateng is from Ghana and Kamil Zayatte is from Guinea.
Winger Richard Garcia was born in Perth, Australia, while Geovanni comes from the Brazilian city of Acaiaca.
In full: Altidore (US), Ashbee (Birmingham, UK), Barmby (Hull, UK), Boateng (Ghana), Bullard (Newham, UK), Cousin (Gabon), Dawson (Northallerton, UK), Doyle (Derby, UK), Duke (Sheffield, UK), Fagan (Birmingham, UK), Folan (Leeds, UK), Garcia (Australia), Gardner (Stafford, UK), Geovanni (Brazil), Halmosi (Hungary), Hughes (Liverpool, UK), Kilbane (Preston, UK), Marney (Barking, UK), Mendy (France), Mouyokolo (France), Myhill (US), Olofinjana (Nigeria), Turner (Lewisham, UK), Warner (Liverpool, UK), Zayatte (Guinea).
1989-90: Ngata, born in Wanganui, was not the only foreign-born player in Hull's 89/90 squad, as they started their Second Division season under Colin Appleton before Stan Ternent took over.
Goalkeeper Iain Hesford, who left Hull in 1991 and went on to play professionally in Hong Kong, was born in Zambia.
In full: Askew (Great Lumley, UK), Brown (Hull, UK), Buckley (Hull, UK), Calvert (Consett, UK), De Mange (Ireland), Edwards (Middlesbrough, UK), Doyle (Neath, UK), Hesford (Zambia), Jacobs (Sheffield, UK), Jenkinson (Thorne, UK), Jobson (Cottingham, UK), Kelly (Beverley, UK), McParland (Edinburgh, UK), Murray (Buckie, UK), Payton (Whalley, UK), Roberts (Hull, UK), Ngata (New Zealand), Smith (Hull, UK), Swan (Leeds, UK), Terry (Clapton, UK), Thompson (Cleethorpes, UK), Warren (Manchester, UK), Whitehurst (Thurnscoe, UK).
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LIVERPOOL
1989-90: 18 players born in UK, five born abroad2009-10: Four players born in UK, 20 born abroad

Jan Molby, from Kolding in Denmark, in his Liverpool days
Liverpool had more foreign-born first-team players in 1989 than they do UK-born regulars heading into the new season.
Household names like Bruce Grobbelaar, John Barnes and Jan Molby were the foreign-born stars at Anfield 20 years ago.
This season, as mentioned above, the likes of Gerrard and Carragher find themselves in squad dominated by foreign stars.
Rafael Benitez presides over a squad which includes three Brazilians and two Argentines.
Points on the map
2009-10: Diego Cavalieri, born in Sao Paulo, Fabio Aurelio, born in Sao Carlos, and Lucas Leiva from Dourados are the three Brazilians in the squad. Emiliano Insua (Buenos Aires) and Javier Mascherano (San Lorenzo) are from Argentina.
Alberto Aquilani, brought in just after Liverpool had let Xabi Alonso go to Real Madrid, is the second Italian in the squad, joining Andrea Dossena.
In full: Agger (Denmark), Aquilani (Italy), Aurelio (Brazil), Babel (Netherlands), Benayoun (Israel), Carragher (Bootle, UK), Cavalieri (Brazil), Degen (Switzerland), Dossena (Italy), El Zhar (France), Gerrard (Whiston, UK), Insua (Argentina), Johnson (London, UK), Kuyt (Netherlands), Leiva (Brazil), Mascherano (Argentina), Ngog (France), Plessis (France), Reina (Spain), Riera (Spain), Skrtel (Slovakia), Spearing (Wirral, UK), Torres (Spain), Voronin (Ukraine).
1989-90: Grobbelaar was born in Durban, South Africa, whereas Barnes is represented by a dot above Kingston, where he was born, despite his later England appearances.
Jan Molby hails from Kolding, in Denmark, and was joined in the 89/90 squad by fellow Scandinavian Glenn Hysen, from Gothenburg, in Sweden. Steve Staunton is Liverpool's fifth foreign-born player, from Drogheda, in Ireland.
In full: Ablett (Liverpool, UK), Aldridge (Liverpool, UK), Barnes (Jamaica), Beardsley (Newcastle, UK), Burrows (Dudley, UK), Dalglish (Dalmarnock, UK), Gillespie (Bonnybridge, UK), Grobbelaar (South Africa), Hansen (Alloa, UK), Hooper (Bristol, UK), Houghton (Glasgow, UK), Hysen (Sweden), Jones (Prescot, UK), Magilton (Belfast, UK), Marsh (Liverpool, UK), McMahon (Liverpool, UK), Molby (Denmark), Nicol (Irvine, UK), Rush (St Asaph, UK), Staunton (Ireland), Venison (Consett, UK), Tanner (Kingswood, UK), Watson (Liverpool, UK).
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MANCHESTER CITY
1989-90: 20 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: Seven players born in UK, 16 born abroad

Carlos Tevez, part of Mark Hughes' Manchester City revolution
Manchester City's academy has built a fine reputation over recent seasons, but home-grown youngsters could struggle to make an impact because of the massive spending power the club now possesses.
That said, Mark Hughes has invested in UK-born talent this summer in the shape of Gareth Barry and Stuart Taylor, though other signings include Kolo Toure (Ivory Coast), Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay), Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) and Carlos Tevez (Argentina).
Two decades earlier, the academy was already going strong, with the likes of Steve Redmond, David White and Paul Lake all having graduated from an all-conquering youth team.
The one player whose birthplace lay outside the UK was David Oldfield, born in Perth, Australia.
Points on the map
2009-10: Mark Hughes' new-look City squad relies heavily, like other Premier League sides with big ambitions, on West Africa and South America.
Aside from the new signings named above, Robinho (Brazil) and Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina) make up the South American contingent, while Nedum Onuoha (born in Nigeria) and Benjani (Zimbabwe) are African-born.
In full: Adebayor (Togo), Barry (Hastings, UK), Bellamy (Cardiff, UK), Ben-Haim (Israel), Benjani (Zimbabwe), Bridge (Southampton, UK), De Jong (Netherlands), Dunne (Ireland), Garrido (Spain), Given (Ireland), Ireland (Ireland), Johnson (Manchester, UK), Kompany (Belgium), Onuoha (Nigeria), Petrov (Bulgaria), Richards (Birmingham, UK), Robinho (Brazil), Santa Cruz (Paraguay), Taylor (Romford, UK), Tevez (Argentina), Toure (Ivory Coast), Wright-Phillips (London, UK), Zabaleta (Argentina).
1989-90: Oldfield is the only non-UK-born member of the squad, while six others were born in Greater Manchester itself - Jason Beckford, Andy Hinchcliffe, Lake, Gary Megson, Ashley Ward and White.
The 89/90 squad also included four players born in Northern Ireland: Gary Fleming, Michael Hughes, Neil Lennon and Gerry Taggart.
In full: Allen (Stepney, UK), Beckford (Manchester, UK), Bishop (Liverpool, UK), Brightwell (Lutterworth, UK), Cooper (Brierley Hill, UK), Dibble (Cwmbran, UK), Fleming (Londonderry, UK), Gayle (Kingston, UK), Hinchcliffe (Manchester, UK), Hughes (Larne, UK), Lake (Denton, UK), Lennon (Lurgan, UK), McNab (Greenock, UK), Megson (Manchester, UK), Morley (Nottingham, UK), Oldfield (Australia), Redmond (Liverpool, UK), Seagraves (Bootle, UK), Taggart (Belfast, UK), Ward (Manchester, UK), White (Manchester, UK).
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MANCHESTER UNITED
1989-90: 20 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: 11 players born in UK, 17 born abroad

A colourful Mark Bosnich in action for Australia
Like near rivals City, Manchester United had just one foreign-born player at the start of the season 20 years ago.
That was Mark Bosnich, born in New South Wales, who made his debut for United at the end of the season at the age of 18.
This season, Sir Alex Ferguson's highest-profile signing has been an Englishman in striker Michael Owen.
However, the club have also added the signatures of Ecuadorian Antonio Valencia and Frenchman Gabriel Obertan.
Points on the map
2009-10: The Red Devils have players spread across five continents, with Park Ji-Sung representing Asia (born in Seoul, South Korea) and Owen Hargreaves representing North America (born in Calgary, Canada).
United's squad includes a group of Eastern European players: Dimitar Berbatov (Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria), Nemanja Vidic and Zoran Tosic (Serbia), and Tomasz Kuszczak (Krosno Odrzanskie, Poland).
In full: Anderson (Brazil), Berbatov (Bulgaria), Brown (Manchester, UK), Carrick (Wallsend, UK), F Da Silva (Brazil), R Da Silva (Brazil), Evans (Belfast, UK), Evra (Senegal), Ferdinand (Peckham, UK), Fletcher (Edinburgh, UK), Foster (Leamington Spa, UK), Gibson (Londonderry, UK), Giggs (Cardiff, UK), Hargreaves (Canada), Kuszczak (Poland), Macheda (Italy), Nani (Portugal), Neville (Bury, UK), O'Shea (Ireland), Obertan (France), Owen (Chester, UK), Park (South Korea), Rooney (Liverpool, UK), Scholes (Salford, UK), Tosic (Serbia), Valencia (Ecuador), Van Der Sar (Netherlands), Vidic (Serbia).
1989-90: Bosnich, who signed from Sydney United (then Sydney Croatia), was born in the Sydney suburb of Fairfield.
United's 89/90 squad included Scots Jim Leighton and Brian McClair, Welshman Mark Hughes and Belfast-born Mal Donaghy, alongside six first-team players born in the North West (this season, United have five).
In full: Anderson (Nottingham, UK), Beardsmore (Wigan, UK), Blackmore (Neath, UK), Bosnich (Australia), Bruce (Corbridge, UK), Donaghy (Belfast, UK), Duxbury (Blackburn, UK), Gibson (Bridport, UK), Hughes (Wrexham, UK), Leighton (Johnstone, UK), Maiorana (Cambridge, UK), Martin (Hyde, UK), McClair (Airdrie, UK), Pallister (Ramsgate, UK), Phelan (Nelson, UK), Robins (Ashton-under-Lyne, UK), Robson (Witton Gilbert, UK), Sharpe (Halesowen, UK), Wallace (Greenwich, UK), Walsh (Wigan, UK), Webb (Reading, UK).
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PORTSMOUTH
1989-90: 21 players born in UK, none born abroad2009-10: Nine players born in UK, 15 born abroad

Frederic Piquionne, the Premier League's lone New Caledonian
Portsmouth have spent an uncertain summer selling players to raise funds and relying on free transfers for new blood.
Finnish veteran Antti Niemi is one such recruit, as are Steve Finnan (born in Limerick, Ireland), Aaron Mokoena (Johannesburg, South Africa) and Frederic Piquionne (from New Caledonia, a France-governed island chain in the Pacific near Australia).
English stars Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson and Sean Davis have departed, but nine UK-born first-team players remain.
Twenty years ago, Portsmouth boss John Gregory's entire first-team squad had been born in the UK, with just two players hailing from outside England.
Points on the map
2009-10: Piquionne is unusual in coming from the islands of New Caledonia, to the north-east of Australia, while fellow new boy Mokoena is represented by a dot in South Africa.
Portsmouth are the only team in the Premier League with no players from either North or South America.
In full: Ashdown (Reading, UK), Basinas (Greece), Begovic (Bosnia), Bouba Diop (Senegal), Campbell (Plaistow, UK), Cranie (Yeovil, UK), Distin (France), Finnan (Ireland), Hreidarsson (Iceland), Hughes (Glasgow, UK), James (Welwyn, UK), Kaboul (France), Kanu (Nigeria), Kranjcar (Croatia), Mokoena (South Africa), Mullins (Reading, UK), Mvuemba (France), Niemi (Finland), Nugent (Liverpool, UK), Piquionne (New Caledonia), Primus (Forest Gate, UK), Utaka (Nigeria), Wilson (Belfast, UK).
1989-90: The only two 89/90 players born outside England were both Scottish: Kenny Black from Glasgow, and Graeme Hogg from Aberdeen.
Pompey had a number of players who hailed from the corridor between London and the coast, particularly the unlikely sporting hub of Basingstoke, home to Mark Kelly, Lee Sandford and Kit Symons.
In full (all UK): Aspinall (Wigan), Awford (Worcester), Ball (Hastings), Black (Glasgow), Chamberlain (Stoke), Connor (Leeds), Fillery (Mitcham), Gosney (Southampton), Hogg (Aberdeen), Kelly (Basingstoke), Knight (Balham), Kuhl (Frimley), Maguire (Hammersmith), Murray (Newcastle), Neill (Acton), Powell (Lambeth), Ross (Southampton), Sandford (Basingstoke), Symons (Basingstoke), Whittingham (Evesham), Wigley (Ashton-under-Lyne).
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STOKE CITY
1989-90: 21 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: 16 players born in UK, eight born abroad

Stoke new boy and Abingdon-born Dean Whitehead
Stoke, who had just one foreign-born player 20 years ago in the unlikely form of George Berry, have maintained a largely UK-born squad for the new season.
The vast majority of this season's foreign-born talent is concentrated in West Africa, with no fewer than four players hailing from Senegal.
Back in 1989 the lone "foreigner" was Berry, a Stoke stalwart in his final season at the club.
But while Berry may have been born near Rostrup, in Germany, he was a Welshman whose career began at Wolves before joining Stoke in 1982.
Points on the map
2009-10: Dean Whitehead is Tony Pulis' big summer signing, an Englishman born in Abingdon, although Stoke also possess the rare beast that is a Cornish-born Premier League player in Matthew Etherington, who was born in Truro.
Stoke's four Senegalese stars are Ibrahima Sonko (born in Bignona), Abdoulaye Faye (Dakar), Amdy Faye (also Dakar) and Salif Diao (Kedougou). Mamady Sidibe is from Mali and Ricardo Fuller is from Jamaica.
In full: Beattie (Lancaster, UK), Cort (Southwark, UK), Cresswell (Bridlington, UK), Delap (Sutton Coldfield, UK), Diao (Senegal), Etherington (Truro, UK), Abdoulaye Faye (Senegal), Amdy Faye (Senegal), Fuller (Jamaica), Griffin (Wigan, UK), Higginbotham (Manchester, UK), Kitson (Hitchin, UK), Lawrence (Retford, UK), Pugh (Manchester, UK), Shawcross (Chester, UK), Sidibe (Mali), Simonsen (South Shields, UK), Soares (Reading, UK), Sonko (Senegal), Sorensen (Denmark), Tonge (Manchester, UK), Whelan (Ireland), Whitehead (Abingdon, UK), Wilkinson (Stone, UK).
1989-90: A large number of Stoke's 89/90 squad came from within a 50-mile radius of the Potteries.
Cliff Carr and Nicky Morgan had probably travelled farthest as the only two Londoners, from Hackney and East Ham respectively.
In full: Bamber (Prescot, UK), Barrett (Ilkeston, UK), Beagrie (Middlesbrough, UK), Beeston (Stoke, UK), Berry (Germany), Biggins (Sheffield, UK), Butler (Liverpool, UK), Carr (Hackney, UK), Cranson (Easington, UK), Fowler (Eastwood, UK), Fox (Scunthorpe, UK), Hackett (Stourbridge, UK), Henry (Houghton-le-Spring, UK), Higgins (Buxton, UK), Holmes (Stoke, UK), Kamara (Middlesbrough, UK), Morgan (East Ham, UK), Noble (Hull, UK), Palin (Worcester, UK), Scott (Radcliffe, UK), Statham (Wolverhampton, UK), Ware (Congleton, UK).
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SUNDERLAND
1989-90: 21 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: 14 players born in UK, 12 born abroad

Sunderland's Finnish star Teemu Tainio
Sunderland have invested in a mix of UK-born and foreign talent over the summer.
New signing Lorik Cana is one of two players with Kosovan connections to grace the Premier League.
The late 1980s were an eventful time to be a Sunderland fan, as the team bounced up from the third to the first tier of English football.
Their only foreign-born player at the start of the 89/90 season was Germany's Thomas Hauser, a centre forward not remembered with any great fondness at the Stadium of Light.
Points on the map
2009-10: Finland's Teemu Tainio is the dot in the far north, with Cana and Hungarian goalkeeper Marton Fulop in Eastern Europe.
Carlos Edwards and Kenwyne Jones both hail from Trinidad, while Sunderland have three players from the North East: Michael Kay, Grant Leadbitter and Martyn Waghorn.
In full: Bardsley (Salford, UK), Bent (Cambridge, UK), Campbell (Huddersfield, UK), Cana (Kosovo), Cattermole (Stockton-on-Tees, UK), Collins (Chester, UK), Da Silva (Paraguay), Edwards (Trinidad & Tobago), Ferdinand (Peckham, UK), Fulop (Hungary), Gordon (Edinburgh, UK), Healy (Downpatrick, UK), Jones (Trinidad & Tobago), Kay (Shotley Bridge, UK), Leadbitter (Chester-le-Street, UK), Malbranque (Belgium), McCartney (Belfast, UK), McShane (Ireland), Murphy (Ireland), Mvoto (France), Nosworthy (Brixton, UK), Reid (Ireland), Richardson (Greenwich, UK), Stokes (Ireland), Tainio (Finland), Waghorn (South Shields, UK).
1989-90: About half the Sunderland squad 20 years ago had been born in the North East.
Two - Kieron Brady and John MacPhail - were from Scotland, while Colin Pascoe was born in Bridgend, Wales. Hauser was born in Berlin.
In full: Agboola (Camden, UK), Armstrong (Newcastle, UK), Atkinson (Darlington, UK), Bennett (Manchester, UK), Bracewell (Heswall, UK), Brady (Glasgow, UK), Carter (Bristol, UK), Cornforth (Whitley Bay, UK), Cullen (Gateshead, UK), Gabbiadini (Nottingham, UK), Gates (Ferryhill, UK), Hardyman (Portsmouth, UK), Hauser (Germany), Hawke (Durham, UK), Heathcote (Durham, UK), Kay (Great Lumley, UK), MacPhail (Dundee, UK), Norman (Deeside, UK), Ord (Murton, UK), Owers (Newcastle, UK), Pascoe (Bridgend, UK), Williams (Liverpool, UK).
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TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
1989-90: 22 players born in UK, four born abroad2009-10: 13 players born in UK, 12 born abroad

Ceuta-born Nayim, who spent five years at Tottenham
Tottenham's modern-day squad includes its fair share of foreign-born stars, but maintains a strong UK-born presence, including three Londoners.
Frenchman Sebastien Bassong was manager Harry Redknapp's first foreign capture of the summer, having signed Englishmen Peter Crouch, Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker (the latter since loaned back to Sheffield United).
Twenty years earlier, Nayim, born in Ceuta, a Spanish settlement on the North African coast, was probably one of the best-known foreigners in the top flight.
Spurs also had two Nordic players and a Belgian in their squad at the start of the 89/90 season, but most players came from the London area.
Points on the map
2009-10: Four of Spurs' current squad come from Central and South America: Heurelho Gomes (Brazil), Pascal Chimbonda (Guadeloupe), Wilson Palacios (Honduras) and Giovani dos Santos (Mexico).
There are two Croatians in the Spurs first-team squad: Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka.
In full: Assou-Ekotto (France), Bale (Cardiff, UK), Bassong (France), Bentley (Peterborough, UK), Boateng (Germany), Chimbonda (Guadeloupe), Corluka (Croatia), Crouch (Macclesfield, UK), Cudicini (Italy), Dawson (Northallerton, UK), Defoe (Beckton, UK), Dos Santos (Mexico), Gomes (Brazil), Huddlestone (Nottingham, UK), Hutton (Glasgow, UK), Jenas (Nottingham, UK), Keane (Ireland), King (London, UK), Lennon (Leeds, UK), Modric (Croatia), Naughton (Sheffield, UK), O'Hara (Dartford, UK), Palacios (Honduras), Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Woodgate (Middlesbrough, UK).
1989-90: Norwegian goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt was born in Stavanger, while Gudni Bergsson was born in the Icelandic capital, Reykjavik.
Defender Pat Van Den Hauwe, who had just joined Spurs from Everton in time for the start of the 89/90 season, came from Belgium.
In full: Allen (Aveley, UK), Bergsson (Iceland), Butters (Hillingdon, UK), Dearden (Luton, UK), Fenwick (Seaham, UK), Gascoigne (Gateshead, UK), Gray (Belfast, UK), Howells (Guildford, UK), Hughton (Stratford, UK), Lineker (Leicester, UK), Mabbutt (Bristol, UK), Mimms (York, UK), Moncur (Stepney, UK), Moran (Enfield, UK), Nayim (Spain), A Polston (Walthamstow, UK), J Polston (Walthamstow, UK), Robson (Newham, UK), Samways (Bethnal Green, UK), Sedgley (Enfield, UK), Stevens (Hillingdon, UK), Stewart (Manchester, UK), Thomas (Luton, UK), Thorstvedt (Norway), Van Den Hauwe (Belgium), Walsh (Plumstead, UK).
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WEST HAM UNITED
1989-90: 21 players born in UK, one born abroad2009-10: 12 players born in UK, nine born abroad

Chilean Luis Jimenez, one of Gianfranco Zola's summer buys
English youngsters form a key part of the West Ham team boss Gianfranco Zola has put together.
However, that hasn't stopped the former Chelsea ace strengthening with foreign imports this summer, including Chilean Luis Jimenez and Swiss defender Fabio Daprela.
Liam Brady was the only Hammer to hail from beyond UK shores in 1989, having been born in Dublin.
Most of the squad of 20 years ago had been born within 30 miles of London, with several Scottish imports.
Points on the map
2009-10: On the left of the map, Jonathan Spector (born in the US) appears to the north, while Jimenez is shown on the Chilean coast.
West Ham's Africans are Herita Ilunga (born in Kinshasa, DR Congo) and Savio Nsereko (born in Kampala, Uganda). Valon Behrami comes from what is now Kosovo.
In full: Ashton (Swindon, UK), Behrami (Serbia), Boa Morte (Portugal), Cole (Croydon, UK), Collins (Newport, UK), Collison (Watford, UK), Daprela (Switzerland), Dyer (Ipswich, UK), Faubert (France), Gabbidon (Cwmbran, UK), Green (Chertsey, UK), Ilunga (DR Congo), Jimenez (Chile), Noble (West Ham, UK), Nsereko (Uganda), Parker (Lambeth, UK), Spector (US), Stanislas (Kidbrooke, UK), Stech (Czech Rep), Tomkins (Basildon, UK), Upson (Hartismere, UK).
1989-90: Frank McAvennie (Glasgow), Tommy McQueen (Bellshill) and Ray Stewart (Stanley) formed the Hammers' Scottish contingent.
After that trio and Irishman Brady, Merseyside pair Alvin Martin and Mark Ward were farthest from the Boleyn Ground.
In full: Allen (Reading, UK), Brady (Ireland), Devonshire (Park Royal, UK), Dicks (Bristol, UK), Dolan (Dagenham, UK), Foster (Chislehurst, UK), Gale (Westminster, UK), Ince (Ilford, UK), Keen (Amersham, UK), Kelly (Birmingham, UK), Martin (Bootle, UK), McAveniie (Glasgow, UK), McQueen (Bellshill, UK), Parkes (Sedgley, UK), Parris (Barking, UK), Potts (Hartford, UK), Robson (Billericay, UK), Rosenior (Clapton, UK), Slater (Sudbury, UK), Stewart (Stanley, UK), Strodder (Cleckheaton, UK), Ward (Huyton, UK).
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WIGAN ATHLETIC
1989-90: 19 players born in UK, none born abroad2009-10: Nine players born in UK, 14 born abroad

Spaniard Jordi Gomez, recruited from Espanyol this summer
Heading into his top-flight debut as Wigan boss, Roberto Martinez has brought in a mixture of UK-born and foreign talent ahead of the new season.
Jordi Gomez, signed from Espanyol, was born in Barcelona, while Hendry Thomas was born in Honduras and the inaccurately-named Jason Scotland comes from Trinidad.
James McCarthy and Scott Sinclair are the UK-born additions to the squad, which, 20 years ago, featured no player born outside the UK.
Wigan, in the third tier of English football at the time, drew the vast majority of their players from the North West of England.
Points on the map
2009-10: Farthest-flung is South Korean international Cho Won-Hee, who made his debut towards the end of last season.
Olivier Kapo and Richard Kingson come from the neighbouring African countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana respectively. Thomas is joined in Honduras by Maynor Figueroa.
In full: Boyce (Aylesbury, UK), Bramble (Ipswich, UK), Brown (Hartlepool, UK), Cho (South Korea), Cywka (Poland), De Ridder (Netherlands), Edman (Sweden), Figueroa (Honduras), Gomez (Spain), Kapo (Ivory Coast), Kingson (Ghana), Kirkland (Leicester, UK), Koumas (Wrexham, UK), McCarthy (Glasgow, UK), Melchiot (Netherlands), N'Zogbia (France), Pollitt (Farnworth, UK), Rodallega (Colombia), Scharner (Austria), Scotland (Trinidad & Tobago), Sinclair (Bath, UK), Thomas (Honduras), Watson (London, UK).
1989-90: Just three of the Wigan first-team squad ahead of the 89/90 season hailed from outside the local area.
Phil Hughes and Darren Patterson were born in Belfast, while Allen Tankard came from Fleet, in Hampshire.
In full (all UK): Adkins (Birkenhead), Atherton (Orrell), Beesley (Liverpool), Crompton (Orrell), Fallon (Widnes), Griffiths (St Helens), Hilditch (Royton), Hughes (Belfast), Johnson (Wigan), Page (Manchester), Parkinson (Eccles), Patterson (Belfast), Rimmer (Liverpool), Senior (Sheffield), Tankard (Fleet), Thompson (Manchester), Ward (Warrington), Whitworth (Wigan), Woods (Birkenhead).
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WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
1989-90: 18 players born in UK, two born abroad2009-10: 20 players born in UK, eight born abroad

Steve Bull - Wolves legend born in nearby Tipton
Wolves return to the top flight with a squad comprised mainly of UK-born players.
That said, Mick McCarthy has strengthened his foreign legion with the purchases of American goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, Serbian Nenad Milijas and Guadeloupe-born Ronald Zubar.
Twenty years ago, Wolves had just been promoted back to the Second Division as champions, following one of the worst periods in the team's history.
Two of that side were foreign-born - South African striker and new signing John Paskin, and Floyd Streete, born in Jamaica.
Points on the map
2009-10: Hahnemann was born in Seattle in the US. The point above South America is Les Abymes, Guadeloupe, birthplace of Zubar.
Andrew Surman is from South Africa, while George Elokobi was born in Mogadishu, Somalia.
In full: Berra (Edinburgh, UK), Collins (Troon, UK), Craddock (Redditch, UK), Doyle (Ireland), Ebanks-Blake (Cambridge, UK), Edwards (Shrewsbury, UK), Elokobi (Somalia), Foley (Luton, UK), Friend (Barnstaple, UK), Hahnemann (US), Halford (Chelmsford, UK), Hemmings (Wolverhampton, UK), Hennessey (Bangor, UK), Henry (Wolverhampton, UK), Hill (Bristol, UK), Ikeme (Sutton Coldfield, UK), Iwelumo (Coatbridge, UK), Jarvis (Middlesbrough, UK), Jones (Southport, UK), Keogh (Ireland), Kightly (Basildon, UK), Milijas (Serbia), Shackell (Stevenage, UK), Stearman (Wolverhampton, UK), Surman (South Africa), Vokes (Lymington, UK), Ward (Ireland), Zubar (Guadeloupe).
1989-90: Paskin was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and Streete was born in the Jamaican capital, Kingston.
The Wolves squad also included two Scots, Tom Bennett and Ally Robertson, as well as Welshmen Mark Kendall and Nigel Vaughan.
In full: Bellamy (Worksop, UK), Bennett (Falkirk, UK), Bull (Tipton, UK), Chard (Corby, UK), Clarke (Walsall, UK), Dennison (Banbridge, UK), Downing (Oldbury, UK), Gooding (Newcastle, UK), Kendall (Blackwood, UK), Lange (West Ham, UK), McLoughlin (UK), Mutch (Liverpool), Paskin (South Africa), Robertson (Linlithgow, UK), Steele (Coventry, UK), Streete (Jamaica), Thompson (Cannock, UK), Vaughan (Caerleon, UK), Venus (Hartlepool, UK), Westley, (Canterbury, UK).

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