Manure

[Buzzer]

One stat that was quoted after Ferguson's retirement and which was correct was that in every single league match (1500 games) that Ferguson managed Manchester United between 1986 and 2013, at least 1 player that came through Manchester United's youth system started in that game. Given that you have teams like Manchester City who are currently playing entire starting XIs of overseas players, I think that shows that they had more of a commitment to bringing through homegrown players than most and I would anticipate that some of the teams you mention above will not have always had the commitment to youth that they do now. Aston Villa are bringing through homegrown players now because Martin O'Neill chucked Randy Lerner's money away on average players. Even if they have not had any players in the past few years to quite compare with the 'Class of 92' crop (which was something of an anomaly), Manchester United are still bringing players through their system and giving them first team opportunities and the ones who don't make it at Old Trafford end up getting regular football elsewhere, whereas you tend to see promising youngsters at other clubs fall away and they sometimes end up playing in the Conference South or the Ryman League.

I wonder how many of those games where at least one youth player started was exclusively one or more of the '92 side? I think if we remove that anomaly, as you call it, it might just throw up a picture of a team not so committed to bringing through youth team players - especially in the noughties - as this statistic would have us believe.

 

[joeinbrighton]

I wonder how many of those games where at least one youth player started was exclusively one or more of the '92 side? I think if we remove that anomaly, as you call it, it might just throw up a picture of a team not so committed to bringing through youth team players - especially in the noughties - as this statistic would have us believe.

Well it would've been a lot of them because it was EVERY league game that Ferguson managed Manchester United between 1986 and 2013. Ryan Giggs didn't make his league debut until 1991, Nicky Butt made his in 1992, David Beckham and Gary Neville's came in the 93/94 season (obviously Beckham played at the Goldstone before that, but that wasn't a league game) and Paul Scholes and Phil Neville didn't get their chance until the following season.

Before Giggs got his chance, the homegrown players would have been Clayton Blackmore and Mark Hughes (both Welsh, but products of United's youth system). United also still had Arthur Albiston and Mike Duxbury in Ferguson's early days at United who both came through United's ranks. Then there were the 'Fergie Fledglings' players in the late 80s who largely fell away after a promising start, but did include Mark Robins who scored the goal that reputedly saved Fergie's job and Lee Martin who scored the winning goal against Palace in the 1990 FA Cup final.

Since the Class of 92 players, Wes Brown and John O'Shea came through United's ranks and both played over 300 matches for United. Darren Fletcher would also have somewhere in the region of 250 appearances for United and came through United's system. In recent years, there's been Tom Cleverley, Jonny Evans and Danny Welbeck who have been homegrown and been regular starters for them. What you would be right in saying is that there have not been many players that have made it at United since the 1992 crop who are local lads in the truest sense, Brown and Welbeck are the main exceptions, although I dare say had Ravel Morrison kept his nose clean he would have joined them.