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| They knew what they were talking about! |
I watched the F.A.Community Shield with my wife Linda at the weekend. It is, if you're unfamiliar with the game, the traditional curtain raiser to the English season. It is competed for by the winner's of last season F.A.Premier League (in this case my beloved Manchester United) and the winner's of last season's F.A.Cup (for the first time since 1969 the noisy neighbours from across town Manchester City).
I'm not going to give you a match report (suffice to say United came back in grand style after being 2-0 down to win by 3-2). What motivates me to write is the fact that for the first time in what seems like ages the youthfulness of Manchester United was evident for all to see.
The team put out by manager Sir Alex Ferguson had an average age of 22. It showed. The players on display, in particular Danny Welbeck, Tom Cleverley, Rafael Da Silva, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling (I could have listed the vast percentage of the team) showed an immense desire to chase after the ball, to put in strong challenges. The desire to win was there. Yes Manchester United have won trophy after trophy, but not everyone has the medal haul of Ryan Giggs!
Mentioning Ryan Giggs leads me nicely onto the last time there seemed to be an influx of talented young players permeating their way into the team. I refer tot he now famous "Class of '92".
Ryan is the last man standing still at Old Trafford of that famous group of players. I remember vividly going to Old Trafford on a Friday night in May of 1992 to see United play Crystal Palace in the 2nd leg of the F.A..Youth Cup Final. It was a lovely sunny evening as I remember, and it was fun and interesting to watch the group of players win the trophy. United won the F.A.Youth Cup with players who later on would become household names, players such as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and David Beckham.
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| Here's the "Class of "92" with another trophy! |
Manchester United had always put a lot of emphasis on the development of youth. This first started under the guidance of Sir Matt Busby in the 1950's. United had no money after the 2nd World War. The ground was in ruins after being bombed by the Germans.
In keeping with the times, the club decided to develop their own players. Sir Matt (who I once had the pleasure of meeting 25 years ago) knew that the vitality of youth, as long as it was good enough, would shine through. Over the coming years players would be found who would be legends. Their names are still legendary now to any United fan worth his salt. Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne, David Pegg, Bobby Charlton . . . just a few of the names who were like a breath of fresh air, bringing excitement to football fans all over England with their exhilarating play, much needed in those austere times.
Yet sadly for some their careers were to be painfully short. The plane crash at Munich Airport on Thursday 6th February 1958 cut short the lives of eight players. The oldest - the captain Roger Byrne - a few months shy of his 30th birthday. So tragic.
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| The Busby Babes pictured together on the 5th February 1958 - the last time they played together |
Yet Sir Matt, himself badly injured, remained convinced that youth was the key to success. The 1960's wouldn't see the degree of success for the youth policy as had been previously witnessed, as the club needed time to regroup and had to buy players to augment the staff cruelly decimated. There was one bright light for the youth policy at Old Trafford. One very bright light. His name - George Best.
The club's Irish scout, a man by the name of Bob Bishop, sent Sir Matt a telegram saying "I think I've found you a genius." This was May 1961. Little did they know that for the next 13 years Old Trafford would be witnessing its own rock and roll years. There were other people who broke through the ranks, like Brian Kidd and Johnny Aston, but "Bestie" was the shining light above shining lights. The youth policy would stagnate during the 1970's and early 1980's. It wasn't until the arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson in November 1986 did youth get to shine again.
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| Bestie celebrating his goal in the 1968 European Cup Final |
The story more or less has come full circle. The success of the famous "Class of "92" has been well documented. Now only Ryan Giggs and David Beckham are the only two left who are playing. Gary Neville and Paul Scholes retired at the end of last season.
So, to see good energetic young players playing with so much conviction for "the shirt" did this Manchester United fan proud. Yes times have changed and now it's not uncommon to have Brazilians "coming through the ranks" but providing they're good enough and have the right habits and have the desire to learn, it doesn't matter too much where they're from. Having said all that, seeing Mancunian Danny Welbeck performing so well on the highest domestic stage leaves me thinking let's play the younger players. Let's test them in Europe against the rest of the best. Tom Cleverley has shown immense promise. He looks like he's another Paul Scholes in the making. The defeat to Barcelona in last season's Champions League Final, which saw a wonderful Barcelona give United a footballing lesson, was a good reminder of how the right training and a good youth policy can reap dividends.
It would be great to have Wesley Snejider on the payroll, but as long as there are players coming through from the Youth team, you can guarantee fans will be happy. What most fans won't tolerate is a bunch of mercenaries playing for the team. The player who just joins for the money and the prestige of playing in the Premier League. I can guarantee no glory hunting prima donnas will last long in a team. It is a team game after all.
So, if you're good enough, you're old enough!
Enjoy your football,
Ed
