I was just watching some footage of Socrates...

(The f**kin amazing Brazilian footballer not the Greek philosopher) and I was wondering - without wanting to stray into politics in any way - to what extent our government's points based immigration system will impact on scouting and recruitment.

Say there is a 18 year old Brazilian kid who is a serious prospect for the future but has no full/U21 Brazil caps. Under our current immigration system we can't get a work permit because of the lack of caps? Under the proposed points based system the job offer (20 points) at an appropriate skill level (20 points) at a salary over £25600 (20 points) plus English (10 points) is enough. No caps needed.

Would it be strategic to shift focus to players who are not able to be signed by EU teams but could be signed by UK teams under the points based system?

Posted By: Timmy_Goat, Sep 11, 19:16:31