Most black players?

[Risso]

I'll start this off by saying that I don't care what colour a player's skin is but given Brum's justified and enviable reputation as a vibrant, multicultural city, it would make me very proud if we field a team where every single outfield player was black, and it's distinctly possible:

Bacuna Richards Okore Amavi
Traore Sanchez Gueye
Gabby Ayew
Gestede

and we'd still have Sinclair, N'Zogbia and Richardson as subs.

Has any English club ever fielded a team wholly comprised of black players before, and after we were the last club to have an entirely English team back in the 90s, do you agree it would be a positive thing for the club if we were the first team to have all black outfield players?

If for nothing else, imagine John Terry's face.

[Chico Hamilton III]

We did set the record for playing the most black players in a game 20 years ago or so. It was at Everton, of all places. How many did we play? 7?

[Clark W Griswold]

We did set the record for playing the most black players in a game 20 years ago or so. It was at Everton, of all places. How many did we play? 7?

Yorke, Atkinson, Regis, McGrath, Daley, Small and possibly Paul Mortimer...?

[The Laughing Policeman]

One thing that puzzles me is the severe lack of British born Asians playing at a professional level. Surely there must be some out there that could make the step up from amateur/semi pro to full time professional football.

[Toronto Villa]

This thread takes me back a bit. To when Big Ron took us to Goodison.

[RussellC]

We did set the record for playing the most black players in a game 20 years ago or so. It was at Everton, of all places. How many did we play? 7?

Yorke, Atkinson, Regis, McGrath, Daley, Small and possibly Paul Mortimer...?

Earl Barrett?

[Exeter 77]

Barrett hadn't joined us at that point.

According to this http://www.11v11.com/matches/everton-v-aston-villa-19-october-1991-90249/  the players were McGrath, Small, Blake, Yorke, Atkinson, Regis and Daley

[Clark W Griswold]

We did set the record for playing the most black players in a game 20 years ago or so. It was at Everton, of all places. How many did we play? 7?

Yorke, Atkinson, Regis, McGrath, Daley, Small and possibly Paul Mortimer...?

Earl Barrett?

No, Barrett signed later in the season.

I've since looked it up and I was right on all except Mortimer, wonder if anyone can get the seventh without looking up? I was there that day, but in actual fact hadn't remembered the score.

[Havencheese]

Outfield players is a curiosity in the OP.

I was always curious about Shaka Hislop and David James too. They weren't the first of course but in terms of the English game, previous to them I'd never really noticed any Goalies of African ancestry. There have been a few but not so many relatively speaking compared to other positions.

[oldhill_avfc]

I'll start this off by saying that I don't care what colour a player's skin is but given Brum's justified and enviable reputation as a vibrant, multicultural city, it would make me very proud if we field a team where every single outfield player was black, and it's distinctly possible:

Bacuna Richards Okore Amavi
Traore Sanchez Gueye
Gabby Ayew
Gestede

and we'd still have Sinclair, N'Zogbia and Richardson as subs.

Has any English club ever fielded a team wholly comprised of black players before, and after we were the last club to have an entirely English team back in the 90s, do you agree it would be a positive thing for the club if we were the first team to have all black outfield players?
If for nothing else, imagine John Terry's face.

I don't think it should be a positive, merely an insignificance as you allude to in your opening sentence.

Though I do believe you touch upon an important point in relating it to Birmingham though, in the sense that the team should represent and be both knowledgable and aligned to the values of the community it represents.  By community I mean the club, it's supporters and the wider population. 

Without this the players are no more than economic migrants and the club becomes an EPL franchise with all the negatives that it entails.

[Smirker]

One thing that puzzles me is the severe lack of British born Asians playing at a professional level. Surely there must be some out there that could make the step up from amateur/semi pro to full time professional football.

Easah Suliman in our academy is one. There have been a few like Michael Chopra, Harpal Singh etc but no real big stars. There was one at Fulham too with a Z in his name but I've forgot him.

It is odd as there are plenty of British Asian cricketers so it can't be because of cultural issues/family pressure, which is what I often hear people say.

[maidstonevillain]

One thing that puzzles me is the severe lack of British born Asians playing at a professional level. Surely there must be some out there that could make the step up from amateur/semi pro to full time professional football.

Easah Suliman in our academy is one. There have been a few like Michael Chopra, Harpal Singh etc but no real big stars. There was one at Fulham too with a Z in his name but I've forgot him.

It is odd as there are plenty of British Asian cricketers so it can't be because of cultural issues/family pressure, which is what I often hear people say.

At the risk of opening up the veritable can of worms, it is probably more a matter of physique.  Probably for a similar reason you do not get many Asian sprinters.

[Percy McCarthy]

One thing that puzzles me is the severe lack of British born Asians playing at a professional level. Surely there must be some out there that could make the step up from amateur/semi pro to full time professional football.

Easah Suliman in our academy is one. There have been a few like Michael Chopra, Harpal Singh etc but no real big stars. There was one at Fulham too with a Z in his name but I've forgot him.

It is odd as there are plenty of British Asian cricketers so it can't be because of cultural issues/family pressure, which is what I often hear people say.

I think there might have been two at Fulham, one a Villa fan. Zac Rehman or summat.

[Ron Manager]

Outfield players is a curiosity in the OP.

I was always curious about Shaka Hislop and David James too. They weren't the first of course but in terms of the English game, previous to them I'd never really noticed any Goalies of African ancestry. There have been a few but not so many relatively speaking compared to other positions.

Alex Williams at Man City in the seventies. Kevin Keelan who was born in India played for us in 1961 and forever for Norwich.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Outfield players is a curiosity in the OP.

I was always curious about Shaka Hislop and David James too. They weren't the first of course but in terms of the English game, previous to them I'd never really noticed any Goalies of African ancestry. There have been a few but not so many relatively speaking compared to other positions.

we're all of African ancestry :-)