World systems theory and neoMarxist dependency models are being used by academics to explain the late flowering of Irish soccer. In this case deflowering might be a more apt description, because English clubs are switching from buying mature FAI or IFA professionals from their clubs to recruiting apprentices from schoolboy leagues.
Since 1945 more than 560 Irish players have appeared in English leagues. At the start of that period just five were recruited as trainees by the top 10 English clubs, compared with 68 bought from Irish clubs. In the last 10 years the top 10 English clubs recruited 25 apprentices and only bought 15 players. The villain of the piece, according to a study entitled The Irish Brawn Drain: English League Clubs and Irish Footballers 1946- 1995, by an LSE sociologist, Mr Patrick McGovern, is cultural imperialism.
The study, published by the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business at UCD, is full of information on Irish football. Raids by English clubs on Irish players have been going on since the 1880s. However, the first transfer did not occur until 1893, when John Peden, a Linfield player, went to Newton Heath, now better known as Manchester United.
Mr McGovern says that in recent years the larger English clubs, particularly Manchester United and Arsenal, have switched their emphasis sharply from buying players to expanding their youth recruitment networks to Ireland.
He argues that this shift "from a market-based solution to the problem of finding skilled labour towards one based on internal hierarchical arrangements" is similar to that in large hi-tech companies such as Intel.
"The principal advantage to this approach is that it enables employers to procure skills in an industry that is characterised by skill shortages, while simultaneously providing a much greater degree of control over the quality of the labour supply than is possible under the transfer system."
Arsenal has developed the system to a higher degree than any other club. One of the first initiatives former Irish international Liam Brady took on becoming director of youth development at Arsenal was to establish links with the Dublin and District Schoolboys' League. Brady was a former Arsenal apprentice and Mr McGovern says the Irish connection has been important to the success of clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United.
The big disadvantage for Irish clubs is that they lose talented younger players before they enter the English leagues, not to mention the transfer fees. The average age of Irish players signing on with English clubs had fallen from 22.3 years in 1946-55 to 19 years in 1986-95.
However, it is not a "zero sum", according to Mr McGovern.