The legendary Red Devils coach: The road to success

Chapter 215 England FA Youth Cup Champion

"The Red Devils won the FA Youth Cup this season. This year's Red Devils youth team was brilliant. Their youthful energy and fighting passion swept across England like a storm. They were so dazzling and so passionate that all the media were reminded of the young Red Devils of the Busby era."

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The Red Devils actually gained more than just two cup titles this season, their youth team also won the FA Youth Cup. A wave of super shining new stars made all the English media feel bright.

Ferguson has always attached great importance to youth training. Manchester and the whole of Britain have spread the legend of his crazy search for young talents. He signed a large number of children regardless of conditions, and this recruitment method has also caused a lot of discussion. Some people think that he can't quench the thirst of the near with distant water, and some people think that his purchase of Lee Sharpe and the recruitment of street football player Maiorana are all random investments, and he has no money to buy big names and buy lottery tickets. Maiorana soon faded, but newcomers such as Lee Martin and Robins began to shine. By this season, Ferguson's youth training plan, which has lasted for more than 5 years, has begun to pay off.

In the 1991-92 season, the Red Devils youth team made their debut in the England FA Youth Cup and began to show their superb strength, creating a red whirlwind in England.

The FA Youth Cup is not a formal adult team competition, but it has always been highly valued by English teams. This competition was first launched by the English Football Association in the 1952-1953 season. It was originally called the Youth FA Challenge Cup and later renamed the Youth FA Cup. This competition allows young teams from professional or amateur clubs registered with the English Football Association to participate. The age limit for players is between 15 and 18 years old, and the rules of the cup competition are adopted. To this day, there are still more than 400 teams participating in each session in England, which is an important opportunity for English professional teams to test and discover talents.

The Red Devils are very good in this competition. Their youth teams have won the FA Youth Cup 10 times, the most for any club in England.

This achievement also proves the importance that the Red Devils attach to youth training and the continuous emergence of youth training talents. The Red Devils established a nationwide scout network during the Busby era, and signed a large number of young people around 1950, including Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton, McGuinness, etc. From the 1952-1953 season, the Red Devils won the FA Youth Cup for five consecutive years, and their reputation shocked the British Isles. These youth training gems later became the main force of the Red Devils, helping the team win two consecutive titles in the English League One, with an average age of only in their early 20s. The Munich air crash in 1958 hit the Red Devils hard, but Busby's efforts to rebuild the team were not in vain. In 1964, the Red Devils won the FA Youth Cup again. At this time, the main players in the team were the 18-year-old genius George Best and the 18-year-old Kidd. These two also became the main force of the Red Devils and helped the team win the Champions League.

After Busby retired, the Red Devils missed the FA Youth Cup for a long time. When Ferguson took over as coach in the 1990s, he was determined to make the Red Devils' youth team dominate again and become the protagonists on the stage again.

Under the careful cultivation of Ferguson, Kidd and Harrison, the young generation of the Red Devils debuted collectively, and many dazzling new stars emerged. The British media initially called them the "new star wave" - ​​not just Giggs, but also Beckham, Gary Neville, Butt, Scholes, Savage, Davis, Cook, and even Phil Neville... Almost every one of these young players has his own unique skills, each of them is eye-catching, and each of them is a shining star in this position.

Giggs and Lee Sharpe made their debuts early in the league and became the main players one after another. They are very outstanding and are the two flying attackers of the Red Devils. Gary Neville, Scholes, Butt, Simon Davis, Beckham, Colin McGee, Robbie Savage, Ben Thornley and other players also began to gradually get the opportunity to play in the first team and became the rising stars of England. These young people are not only talented, but also used to high-intensity confrontations and ultra-long-distance running in daily training. They are even more adapted to the noisy atmosphere of the stadium, and their technical characteristics are even better. The Red Devils youth team has grown up through hard training and long-term cooperation. They have a very good tacit understanding, smooth cooperation, and a vigorous and sharp attack.

In the 1991-92 season, the core lineup of the Red Devils youth team participating in the FA Youth Cup was as follows: goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington, defenders Gary Neville, John O'Kane, Chris Casper, George Switzer, midfielders Beckham, Nicky Butt, Gillespie, Colin McGee, Scholes, Robbie Savage and Cook, forwards Giggs, Simon Davis and Ben Thornley. In addition to the above players, there are also Mark Gordon, Raphael Booker, Andy Noone, Richard Irvine, Jovan Korowski and others.

The head coach of the Red Devils youth team at that time was Harrison, who had always devoted himself to training the young players of the Red Devils and cared for them very much. Harrison instilled in these children a spirit of never giving up and resolutely striving for the final victory. In the training and training of center forwards, Harrison always adhered to high standards and continued high-intensity training to allow the children to grow rapidly.

Ferguson also cares about these young players very much. He often takes time to watch the games at the youth team training ground. Sometimes he will directly guide the players on the spot and teach them how to do the technical moves. One of Ferguson's excellence is to break the training method of the British team that treated the adult team and the youth team differently. He directly mixed the youth team and the adult team to train together, play warm-up games and training games together. This arrangement is extremely valuable for the growth of young people. They learn from the stars and make rapid progress. Moreover, they don't have to wait until they become adults to have the opportunity to get into the intensity and have the opportunity to try the formal competition environment. They started high-level training very early, and their skills and physical fitness have improved by leaps and bounds.

The first match of the FA Youth Cup this season was an away game against Sunderland. The Red Devils' youth team attacked the opponent like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Midfielder McGee scored two goals in a row, Gillespie and Savage each scored a goal, helping the team to win 4-2 and advance. In the next knockout round, Butt and Thornley each scored a goal, and the Red Devils eliminated Walsall 2-1. In the round of 16, the Red Devils played an extremely sharp attack routine against Manchester City, suppressing the opponent without any resistance. In the end, Thornley scored two goals and O'Kane also contributed a goal. The Red Devils defeated their city rivals 3-1.

In these games, the Red Devils youth team played very well, but what is more noteworthy is that their captain Giggs hardly played. The Red Devils youth team was also jokingly called "giving the opponent a king", and thus swept across England.

In the quarter-finals, the Red Devils played against Tranmere. This time, Giggs finally made his debut and easily scored two goals. He also showed off many wonderful performances in the frontcourt, and finally helped the Red Devils beat their opponents 2-0. The BBC said after the game: "Giggs's level is completely that of a main player in an adult team. He seemed to be instructing the opponent on how to play the game and instructing his teammates on how to attack and break through. The Red Devils spent almost no energy, and Giggs took care of the opponent's defense alone."

In the first match of the semi-finals, the Red Devils faced Tottenham at home. The media was very much looking forward to Giggs' continued performance, and Ferguson did not disappoint him by sending him to start. Giggs's level was far beyond his peers. He was like a monkey in the forward position, moving in and out as if he was in an empty space, and no one could stop him. Giggs finally scored two goals easily, and Jordan of Tottenham scored an own goal. The Red Devils finally won 3-0. In the second game, the Red Devils did not relax and won the opponent 2-1. Butt and Thornley each scored a goal to help the team advance to the final.

In this way, the Red Devils Youth Team won six consecutive games in six games and entered the finals with great dominance!

The Red Devils' opponent in the final was Crystal Palace. This game was an away game for the Red Devils, and Ferguson rarely put Beckham in the starting lineup. This was an extremely precious opportunity for Beckham, because he was only Savage's substitute in the youth team that year, and it was very rare for him to start in this game.

The game went on without any suspense. The Crystal Palace youth team relied on their physical strength, were tall and strong, had simple tactics, and played long and short passes with great pleasure, but the Red Devils showed a completely different level of level, and their strength was far ahead of Crystal Palace. The Red Devils' exquisite ball control, rapid advancement, sharp breakthroughs, accurate passes, and tacit running positions, can be said to be the little Red Devils playing smoothly, extremely smooth, and also extremely sharp. At the beginning of the game, the Red Devils' group cooperation and fast passing amazed the audience, and the subsequent off-ball cuts and tacit support made the visiting fans cheer continuously. The Red Devils completely controlled the game with technology and rhythm. Butt proved his ability to control the midfield and back-up. He scored two points in the whole game and was the biggest contributor to the victory; while Beckham was extremely active and showed his long-range shooting ability. He volleyed with his left foot at the edge of the penalty area. This rare scene surprised Harrison on the sidelines. Beckham, who is right-footed, actually used his left foot to kick a gorgeous volley and scored, winning the cheers of the fans in the audience. The Red Devils eventually defeated their opponents with a score of 3-1.

The final of the FA Youth Cup is played in two games. The Red Devils Youth Team returned to their home ground for the second game and was welcomed by many Red Devils fans. The Red Devils fans who packed the Theatre of Dreams cheered for the youth team as if they were waiting for the stars of the first team. The players played more openly and actively in this game. Davis, McGee and Thornley each scored a goal, and the Red Devils Youth Team won the opponent again at home 3-2.

After winning two finals, the Red Devils youth team won the championship. Amid the cheers of the fans, Giggs led his teammates to lift the FA Youth Cup championship trophy!

The BBC commented: "The Red Devils youth team is a pleasant surprise. They are flexible and sharp, fast and tacit, enthusiastic and fearless, strong and optimistic. Their football is full of artistic imagination, gorgeous individual skills, sophisticated teamwork, and a positive and enterprising attitude, which are cleverly integrated together." Yes, the Red Devils youth team's football is full of passion and confidence in showing their abilities. In the face of different types of opponents, they can always use their advantages to destroy the opponent's defense and easily win.

The Red Devils youth team has created a red youth whirlwind in British football. Legends such as Charlton and Best have made joyful predictions, "The moment that the Red Devils are looking forward to is not this season, but the next ten years!"

Gary Neville is still very excited when recalling the journey of that year. He said: "No one doubts how important that moment was. We, a group of 16 or 17-year-olds, played to our heart's content and tasted the taste of success. I will always remember that when we were playing on the court, the boss (Ferguson) was watching on the sidelines, cheering us up from time to time. We could all feel the heaviness in his eyes, which made me tremble and excited."

Butt later said: "We actually played very easily, but we didn't slack off at all. Winning the championship is our biggest wish, and only God knows how much we like this feeling. After winning so many league titles, this Youth FA Cup is still my most profound memory. This is one of the proudest achievements in my career, not only because we won and won the championship smoothly, or even because it gave us great confidence, but because we are a united team. We have real unity and cohesion. Everyone supports each other, encourages each other, and we are good brothers to each other."

Seeing these young guys full of youthful energy holding up the trophy and cheering in celebration, Ferguson was also very excited. "This is the hope for the Red Devils' future and will also be our strongest force!"