Well, the era of patriotic players may not really be gone. What, IMO has changed is the available time to allow for building, given the fast paced nature of the game today.

Definitely, football some twenty years back cannot be compared to what it is now. Today, players and managers are not given as much time as they used to be given in times past.

Classical examples are Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger (OBE), both spending a combined over four decades at Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. Both were given enough time to build and see what they did.

However, football has grown more to become business and no one is patient to build. Everyone wants quick success.