A Berkshire 'national' team

[Clyde1998]

With what's being discussed on the Greenland thread with autonomous areas and Spanish regions having their own teams, it gave me the idea to think what a Berkshire side would look like. Certainly an interesting thought experiment.

Using the Football Manager 2024 database and looking at those born within Berkshire (discounting those who've since retired), it seems the strongest squad when keeping to rigid positions would be:

1. GK (3): Murphy Mahoney (Stevenage, on loan from QPR); Myles Roberts (Watford); Luke Campbell (Hendon)
2. RB (2): Jayden Bogle (Leeds); Jack Stacey (Norwich)
3. LB (2): Lewis Hall (Newcastle); Ethan Bristow (Minnesota)
4. CB (4): Gabriel Osho (Auxerre); Rob Dickie (Bristol City); Jake Cooper (Millwall); Bashir Humphreys (Burnley, on loan from Chelsea)
5. CM (4): Shandon Baptise (Luton); Matt Butcher (Wycombe); Harry Pitchard (Barnet); Ben Gladwin (Crawley)
6. WM (4): Jed Wallace (West Brom); Harry Anderson (Colchester); Tudor Mendel-Idowu (Ipswich); James Henry (Aldershot)
7. FW (4): Dominic Solanke (Tottenham); Armando Broja (Everton, on loan from Chelsea); Danny Loader (Porto); Sam Surridge (Nashville)

The squad is very strong up front, a good standard in defence, fairly weak in midfield and out wide and awful in goal. Depth drops off quite quickly too.

Being a bit more flexible, or having players in their secondary positions, would allow Jordi Osei-Tutu (RB; Bolton); Tom McIntyre (CB; Portsmouth); Sam Hutchinson (CM; Wimbledon) and Steve Seddon (LB; Motherwell) to enter the list. Likely Osei-Tutu would come in and allow Jack Stacey to be shifted to a RM option with how weak this squad would be out wide. Similarly, Lewis Hall would likely play central midfield allowing Tom McIntyre or Steve Seddon to be the replacement.

It's worth saying the database is about a year out of date, so some of these players will have declined (especially older players) and improved (especially younger players). Also, a lot of younger players won't have a place of birth listed, so some of our academy players may not be included for that reason.

I have no considered any player who would've been able to 'naturalise' in Berkshire - so players who've played continuously for five years after they've turned eighteen. Players like Garath McCleary; John Swift and Jordan Obita would become eligible in that context.

Completely random ramble for the day!

[Sutekh]

Not going to improve the overall strength, but Jayden Wareham and CBC were both born in Berkshire too.

[Clyde1998]

Not going to improve the overall strength, but Jayden Wareham and CBC were both born in Berkshire too.

Wareham was on my list of players. CBC must’ve not had a place of birth listed on that database; he’d be ahead of Luke Campbell in this squad.

[Brogue]

Solanke born in basingstoke, is basingstoke in berkshire?

[Sutekh]

Solanke born in basingstoke, is basingstoke in berkshire?

Hampshire.

Theo Walcott was born in the Newbury area somewhere and he’s only just retired.

[The Cube]

Solanke's birthplace appears to be in dispute. Some places say Reading, some say Basingstoke. He definitely went to secondary school in Basingstoke, but I think Reading is more likely to be the correct place of birth.

However, the cheating Berkshire selectors can't have Bashir Humphreys because he was born in Devon.

[Clyde1998]

However, the cheating Berkshire selectors can't have Bashir Humphreys because he was born in Devon.

I'll remove him; he's in the Football Manager database as being born in Reading!

[bakerlou]

Solanke born in basingstoke, is basingstoke in berkshire?

Hampshire.

Theo Walcott was born in the Newbury area somewhere and he’s only just retired.

Walcott was born in London. He went to school in Compton though, which certainly counts as Berkshire.

[Carnabyswhiskers]

I would invite suggestions from others, but historically there have been a few players who have come out of Reading park football and into the professional team. I am thinking of the likes of Smallbone (70s), the Alleynes. Are there enough across the decades to make up a Parks XI?

[Winston Biscuit]

You've missed probably the best player Berkshire could have

Jamie Gittens of Caversham, currently tearing it up at Borussia Dortmund