Marcus Stewart, the top goalscorer in the Premiership, has rebuked the managers he believes will make Sven Goran Eriksson's job harder. Ipswich's Marcus Stewart wants managers to look to the Nationwide League (Stuart Franklin/Allsport) Stewart does not expect a call-up from Eriksson for next month's match against Spain, despite the fact that his 14 League goals outshine the efforts of Michael Owen, Emile Heskey and Andy Cole.

But the 28-year-old Ipswich striker warned that the England goal supply lines are in danger of drying up if managers continue to buy from abroad rather than the lower divisions.

'Sadly, a lot of managers seem to be bringing in foreign players instead of going into Division One and taking a risk,' said Stewart, who Eriksson saw score in Sunday's win against Leicester.

'Ipswich bought me from Huddersfield to help get them into the Premiership and we did that. Now I'm doing it there and I don't see why other clubs don't take a chance on First Division players.

'There's some fantastic talent out there. Even if the managers are foreigners, surely they must have scouts who go to games in Division One. As for the claim English players cost too much, I hope the £2.75million I cost isn't looking too expensive now.'

Stewart added:'If these lads got their chance and proved themselves, there would be more strikers to choose from for England.'

Stewart, at Bristol Rovers before Huddersfield, used Sunderland's Kevin Phillips, a relative unknown until he was plucked from Watford, as a source of inspiration.

'A year ago, I didn't think I'd even be playing in the Premiership, let alone be its leading scorer,' said Stewart.

'But Kevin's success story was something I looked at last year while I was playing in Division One. He's proved a huge asset to Sunderland. Robbie Keane was also a huge hit with Coventry after they signed him from Wolves. Then he went to Inter Milan and is now back doing the business with Leeds.'

Stewart finds it puzzling that strikers such as Blackburn's Matt Jansen and West Bromwich's Lee Hughes continue to be marooned in Division One. He said: 'Matt has got fantastic ability, while Lee has always found the net regularly. It just staggers me that managers will not sign these players for the Premiership.'

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Answers

Didn't Jansen play in the Premiership TWICE with teams that he took to Division One. Didn't we also try and sign him TWICE but he said that Blackburn had more ambition than us! He can rot in Division One for all I care.

-- Anonymous, January 15, 2001

Is Stewart going to fork out for the transfer fees being demanded, not to mention the wage demands? Footballer's brains......

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

I think he's got a good point. There are very promising players to be found in the lower divisions and they don't cost much. Wimbledon seem to have made a living for years by just fishing in lower divisions and have discovered quite a few stars. (The Dons achievement in staying in the top division for so long with so few fans is remarkable)

Andy Cole was bought from a 1st or maybe even 2nd division side when we got him. (Cost £1.75m sold for £7m). Huckerby is another example (Cost £0.5m and has since reached a value of £6m(?) at one stage). There must be other advantages to buying such players as opposed to buying the finished article from abroad, such as no language problem for the player, easier to settle into his new environment, but above all, he will be a player who is desparately keen to make it at the top level, whereas there is sometimes a tendency when you buy an established star that he feels he has nothing to prove and then you're in danger of seeing the prima donna syndrome.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

I couldn't agree more although the ideal has to be developing your own players.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001

that's not in doubt but his comment that he's "surprised" and "puzzled". As ciara put it in another thread: Purleeez.

-- Anonymous, January 16, 2001