Q&A with United Youth Historian Tony Parks

On the day that our record of featuring a homegrown player in every first-team squad extends to 80 years, United historian Tony Park explains how he unearthed the incredible statistic...

How did you discover this record?
I realised there was very little known about the United youth team, even though we had a great pedigree. I collect a lot of memorabilia and had programmes going back to the 40s and 50s, so I looked into all the programmes and created spreadsheets containing all the games. I went into the local libraries and filled in any gaps. I noticed all these kids coming through into the first team and just connected the dots, really. I thought: ‘Hang on, there’s something going on here – I wonder how many kids have come through?’

I was curious, so I did a number-crunching exercise and noticed that it was a run of about two or three thousand games. Then I thought: ‘How far back does it go?’ I worked out that it was 1937, and ever since that game against Fulham in 1937, there’s been a youth player in the squad. I posted it on Twitter, it got a bit of traction and a few people started reporting it. I just kept it going from there.

What was the initial reaction?
At the beginning it was 50-50. Either ‘wow’ or disbelief and skepticism. It’s a huge number of games and no other club in the world has done it. Real Madrid and Barcelona go back to the 1960s. Everyone mentions Ajax, but they’ve only done it since the '90s.

When and why did the club first develop the youth system?
Former owner James Gibson took over United in 1932 and, as a proud Mancunian, he wanted to have a local youth set-up. But because the first team was struggling during the 30s, there wasn’t a lot of attention given to it. Walter Crickmer took over the club in 1937 and he, with Louis Rocca, the chief scout, took over and got it going. In 1938, Crickmer and Rocca put the first real youth team together. Charlie Mitten, Johnny Morris and Stan Pearson and all these kids came through the system in 1936-38.

When Busby came in 1945/46, half his team was from the youth system. So, although he was very youth orientated, he inherited the first real youth team. If you look at the 1948 FA Cup final, the only players that had been bought were Jimmy Delaney and Jack Rowley. Even though Busby was credited with creating the youth system, it was there all through the war and that was down to Walter Crickmer. It then exploded in the late 40s 'and early '50s, when Busby and Jimmy Murphy decided to have a network that was nationwide. The ethos was there – he just had to expand it and make it part of the culture of the club. He institutionalised it. They won five Youth Cups and, all of a sudden, it becomes the norm.

What was Sir Alex Ferguson's influence?
Ferguson reinforced it and further embedded it. But even though he doesn’t get the recognition, Dave Sexton was responsible for the kids in the '80s – Whiteside, Hughes – even though he was no longer there when they came through. He did a lot behind the scenes to get the youth policy back up and running. Ferguson came in and took it to the next level. He did bring youth through to some degree at Aberdeen, but when he came down here and got a lot of backing, and it worked, he just kept going.

Does the Class of ‘92's success make people overlook our previous generations of players?
That set of players was exceptional but not uniquely exceptional. If you go back to the 1940s, most of that group of youth players went on to represent their countries. Then you had the Busby Babes, which was an exceptionally talented group of players. Then in the '60s, we’re winning the European Cup with eight youth players in the side. Fifteen years later you have Whiteside, Hughes, Duxbury, Blackmore. Are they as good as Scholes and Giggs? Maybe not, but many of them had great careers and player for years.

People say the Class of ’92 was a one-off but, historically, the facts would suggest that was the fifth or sixth group of ‘exceptions’. When that keeps happening, the ‘exception’ becomes the norm. We’ve been doing it for decades and we’ve been successful while doing it for 80 years.

Do you have a favourite success story?
The ones that I enjoy the most are the ones who come through the system and epitomise everything about United. I think about Gary Neville, Darren Fletcher, Mike Duxbury, and Arthur Albiston. We’ve got these huge names like Best and Ronaldo – some come through the system, some have been bought – but the thing that really binds us together is the player that comes through the system that doesn’t have hero status, but ends up playing 500 games under the radar. Darren Fletcher is exceptional – he’s the one that stands out, with Gary Neville. The epitome of youth at our place.

Who was the greatest player you’ve seen who did not make it at United?
Ravel Morrison was one of the most outstanding youth products I’ve ever seen anywhere in my whole life. He was a different class. But one of the things you learn is not to be too presumptuous or too excited. You get a handful that you know are going to make it, like Whiteside and Giggs. But more often, players surprise you by making it. United have made very few errors in letting people go. David Platt might be one, but he had Whiteside and Hughes ahead of him at the time he left.

How long can the record continue?
It’s an incredible statistic that makes you proud if you’re interested in United’s youth. No other club is near us. But if it fails, that’s still okay – it doesn’t mean we don’t invest in youth. It’s a meritocracy and a player shouldn’t be given a place just for the sake of history. If they’re good enough, they’ll get a chance in the first team. As long as that happens, there’s no reason why the run cannot continue.

You can read more in Tony's book, 'Sons of United', which is still available now.

Credit: Manutd.com