THE Man found it a little ironic that Steve Mugclaren was forced to call up David Nugent during the week. It was an admittance that for all the money swilling about in the Premiership, it is teams outside that league that will increasingly be relied upon to produce England players of the future.

THE Man found it a little ironic that Steve Mugclaren was forced to call up David Nugent during the week.

It was an admittance that for all the money swilling about in the Premiership, it is teams outside that league that will increasingly be relied upon to produce England players of the future.

It is ironic because these teams' academies are being run on money which clubs such as ourselves simply haven't got.

We do it because we think maybe we'll produce players to staff our first team, and the odd one will emerge that we can eventually flog. But there is no help for this.

We are told by the authorities that we can only have players from an hour and a half's travelling distance - then we just have to get on with it.

As far as The Man is concerned, the Premiership should now be subsidising academies for teams outside the top flight. Think about it.

If all the academies outside of the Premiership decided to close down where would the future England players be coming from?

Such is the pressure in the top flight that young English boys very rarely get a look-in now, aside from Gerrard I can't really think of a player that's risen through the ranks to represent his club's first team.

Hence we are now in a situation where Mugclaren has to call up a guy from Preston to make up the numbers. Okay, Preston bought Nugent from Bury - he was not an academy product - but the point still remains.

Such is the pressure and cash in the Premiership that teams are less-and-less likely to give young inexperienced English kids a game.

Why risk it when you can spend £5 million on a guy from Portugal?

So, it will be teams like Norwich who will increasingly be looked to, to be the first arm of the supply chain for the England team.

And for that The Man believes we should get some monetary help - because if we don't do it nobody else will.

t MARTIN WON'T LET US DOWN

RUMOURS persist that negotiations to sign up Chris Martin might not be as cordial as imagined.

The Man has heard more than one whisper that the striker's representatives are asking for a rather healthy wage for such an inexperienced youngster.

It is of course, just whispers, but the longer a new long-term deal for Martin isn't announced the louder they will grow.

I for one have faith the boy will sign up, it will be a crying shame if the one decent player we have produced in recent years slips through the net.

But it is a ruthless world in which we support, and CM's winner for England during the week won't have gone unnoticed. OTBC.

t GRANT HAS FEELERS OUT UP NORTH

REGULAR readers will be aware The Man now trawls Scotland's Daily Record for stories - given we are now Sweaty Land's third team.

This week's top Norwich story was that Peter the Pointer (PTP) just missed out on the signature of bustling defender Lee Wilkie.

Many have suggested a new centre half should be high on PTP's wish list this summer, so perhaps it's not surprising to see this news.

But sadly big Wilkie has decided to snub Norwich and stay with Dundee United, with the Record asserting 'he wants to repay the club he supported as a kid for standing by him.'

Not to worry - no doubt there are other tartan irons in the fire…

t TAXI PLEASE FOR BARTON

WHAT is it about footballers and taxis? It seems cabs are players' equivalent of kryptonite.

Earlier this month it was revealed that soccer bad boy Joey Barton faced a police probe after a bust-up with a taxi driver.

While this week it emerged that John Hartson had a wrangle with a cabbie which ended up with the Welshman allegedly lowering his trousers and asking the driver if he thought he had a cute bum.

Norwich has a fine heritage on this score of course, with the long-haired Andy Johnson a renowned taxi-pest.

t SHREEVES HAIRDRYER

FERGIE was in fine form this week - lambasting Sky's Jeff Shreeves for daring to ask Ronaldo whether he was a cheat.

Shreeves got hold of the Portuguese flyer after Man U beat Middlesbrough.

Sir Alex was fuming when he saw the interview, and promptly went on MU TV to voice his anger.

He said: "I thought he (Shreeves) was out of order, he was just trying to see if the lad would trip himself up." Quite…

t HUX LEGEND

THE debate has raged this week as to whether Hux is our greatest player ever.

It is a difficult one.

Disco Dale, Gunny, Martin Peters, Bowen, Townsend - we can put out one hell of an all time XI…

But The Man has to say, I think DH is pushing himself to the head of the queue. Legend.

t It wasn't all smiles at the exiled supporters' group get together last weekend.

According to a source close to The Man, things got decidedly tasty at Colney last Sunday as the various teams went head-to-head.

Apparently, a certain member of the otherwise excellently staffed West Norfolk Canaries (not quite sure how they count as an exiled group) took his role a touch too seriously. He was seen to be strolling about in a Germany shirt between games, while also sporting a pair of Stevie G boots. The Man has learned it is very unlikely this character was a Norwich fan, a theory compounded by the fact he hacked down the best player on the Norwich Bouys' (dreadful name) side, leaving the boy in question with ligament damage.

The Man has said it before - and he'll say it again - these kids shouldn't play so rough.