Are the class of 92 overrated?

TrueRed79

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The OP's username and thread title can only mean one thing. Lay off the acid, bro.
 

Uniqueusername52119

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Giggs, Scholes and G Neville were, at one point or another, the best players in their respective positions the world over. To even question their ability is insane.
And as much as I dislike the whole 'celebrity culture' of the World in general, David Beckham earned his place in numerous teams on merit. I think he definitely qualifies as a quality player.
 

The holy trinity 68

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Hmmm, when I put together my "Fergie's best XI" team, only two of them make it - Scholes and Beckham. Obviously Giggs and Neville unlucky to miss out.
Just out of interest who was your 11?

Irwin was not really a right back but yeah you could put him there and Evra at left back.
Ronaldo never really played on the left so him on the left and Beckham on the right isn't right really. The team would be better with Ronaldo on the right and prime Giggs on the left. He was a better player for United than Beckham especially if you include longevity.
 

2cents

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Just out of interest who was your 11?

Irwin was not really a right back but yeah you could put him there and Evra at left back.
Ronaldo never really played on the left so him on the left and Beckham on the right isn't right really. The team would be better with Ronaldo on the right and prime Giggs on the left. He was a better player for United than Beckham especially if you include longevity.
I have it as you described. I think Beckham was slightly better than Giggs during his time at United, but we're talking very small margins, it's more a personal preference and I wouldn't bother arguing it any more than that.

Regarding Neville, I just have Evra and Irwin as a level above him. I appreciated Neville a lot but he kind of infuriated me on more than one big occasion over the years. Again we're talking small margins though a bit bigger than Beckham/Giggs.

The rest of the team would be Schmeichel, Rio, Stam, Keane, Scholes, Rooney and Ruud (although on another day I might have Vidic and Cantona in place of Stam and Rooney - I don't think there'd be much of any drop in quality).
 

FujiVice

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Loved that picture of them all from 1995 with Terry Cooke on the end, just so they could crop him out of if he turned out to be shit.
 

PeteManic

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Overrated no. But they did underachieve.

Should have won more Champions Leagues (2000 or 2002 in particular)
Beckham's career wasn't what it could have been.
Scholes' reticence meant he didn't have the impact on England that he could have.
Giggs' legacy is his longevity but his appearances mask the fact injuries impacted upon his initial potential.
 
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SteveW

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No idea how anybody could even ask this. At least 3 of them were genuinely world class, they won everything and 3 of them played their entire career at the club. One of those that didn't played for Real Madrid and was still playing for the likes of Milan and PSG in his mid 30s. It'd fecking insane that someone could ask this. I can only assume the OP is too young to have seen them from the start.
 

Reiver

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No, if anything, I think that as more time passes and there are less people that saw them play, they have become slightly underrated.
 

reelworld

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A
And as much as I dislike the whole 'celebrity culture' of the World in general, David Beckham earned his place in numerous teams on merit. I think he definitely qualifies as a quality player.
Agree. If anything Beckham has become slightly underrated in recent years. Most people seems only to remember brand Beckham in MLS. But he's a phenomenal footballer in his prime.
 

POF

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I would have said "no" but then read this.

They won us a treble, what more can you ask for?
That is where the "overrated" thing will come from. In the treble winning season, only Beckham was a really key player in the team's success. Keane, Schmeichel, Stam, Yorke and Cole were far more influential in that team.
 

Mr.Ridiculous__

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David Beckham at his very peak was better than Giggs or Scholes.
As for the class of 92 being overrated, I want what the OP is smoking.
 

prateik

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3 of those (giggs, Beckham, Scholes) would get into any side at that time.
The others were really fecking good too.


When does a youth team produce a batch of players like that? It was a one-off.. And it was special. And it was ours.
Everything about it was glorious.
 

The holy trinity 68

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I would have said "no" but then read this.



That is where the "overrated" thing will come from. In the treble winning season, only Beckham was a really key player in the team's success. Keane, Schmeichel, Stam, Yorke and Cole were far more influential in that team.
Don’t forget Giggs scoring the greatest goal in FA Cup history. Wouldn’t have won the treble if it wasn’t for that goal.
 

Random Task

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And as much as I dislike the whole 'celebrity culture' of the World in general, David Beckham earned his place in numerous teams on merit. I think he definitely qualifies as a quality player.
Shocking oversight on my part to ignore Beckham. He was indeed a great player in his own right, top passer of the ball and possibly the greatest crosser we have ever had at the club. Butt was no mug either, his only problem being that he had to win a spot in a 2-man midfield consisting of Scholes and Keane - yeah good luck with that!

The whole idea of this thread is just bizarre and it is, quite frankly, a sign of the times.
 

Bobski

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Beckham is an interesting case. Giggs, Scholes and Beckham are the 3 main talents of that group, for me Giggs and Scholes are clearly more naturally talented than Beckham. However Beckham executed the key parts of his more limited game to an exceptionally high level, crossing and penetrative long passing.

I think his England career is massively overrated though, and I would make an argument for his celebrity affecting his performances and being a poor influence on the team. As Scholes's England career was winding down one of abiding memories is watching him chase after yet another Beckham glory pass. England had one of the finest playmakers in Europe available and sidelined him while allowing Beckham to blast 60 yard long balls every time he was in possession. He was praised for that as well, infecting the likes of Gerrard and Lampard with his obsession with the long ball. Scholes ends up wasted on the left wing watching this unfold because the managers were not strong enough to control the big name. One of the most talented generations that England will ever produce and they underachieved to a laughable level.
 

AkaAkuma

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Beckham would be the ideal player for our current right winger. De Bruyne aside I can't think of any modern day players with his skill set.
 

JMack1234

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No.

Well I think some of them like Butt and Phil Neville have had their talents exaggerated by association with the other members but Giggs, Scholes and Beckham were all world-class players in their prime and the fact they all came through the academy at the same time is something that we should celebrate and appreciate them.

Of course like many footballers their post-retirement career can rub some up the wrong way. Like many ex-players they sit very pretty in warm studios giving their opinion on all and sundry but when it comes to actually taking the plunge into management themselves they don't fancy it as we saw with Scholes or they can't get a job like Giggs and Phil Neville.
 

2cents

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Beckham was a class below Scholes, not even close.
Not while they were both at United. From the time they broke through until the season before Beckham left, Beckham was generally better and more influential.
 

Devil81

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I'd say a few of them were underrated, Beckham, Neville and Butt most certainly.

Giggs and Scholes steal all the plaudits but the truth be told there was far more to Beckham than his hair and lifestyle. You'd pay 200 million any day of the week for his crossing and free kick ability.
 

FattyFooty

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No.

Some of them are underated to be honest.

Ever heard "all Beckham could do was cross and freekicks"?
 

Ramshock

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Reading Roy Keanes old comments on the class of 92 being more a brand than anything else got me thinking.

Yes Scholes is a true legend and great player the others wonderful servants but were they really better than others in their positions ?

More importantly how important were they to our success ? By that I mean take the likes of Keane,Cantona,Schmeichel and later on Ronaldo and Rooney would we have been as successful had we just the class of 92 to rely on?

I get the feeling had they not come through the ranks Fergie could have pulled other players in for their positions and we would have won the same.

Without Keane,Eric etc then I doubt the same can be said .
Sigh...see this is why democracy and free speech dont work
 

Bwuk

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Scholes, Giggs and Becks were world class.

Gary Neville was a very good player but a level below them.

Phil & Butt were a level below Gary.

To be honest, all 6 of them would walk into our current side.
 

ghagua

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They were a great group of players and not over rated at all. They came along at the right time with the right manager to manage them.
 

edgar allan

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Not while they were both at United. From the time they broke through until the season before Beckham left, Beckham was generally better and more influential.
Beckham was a class act for sure but we will have to agree to disagree on the better player.
 

2cents

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Beckham was a class act for sure but we will have to agree to disagree on the better player.
I'd agree Scholes was, overall, the better player. I'm just talking about the period roughly 95/96-02. For some of that period Scholes wasn't guaranteed his place in the first XI. And he didn't have a season as influential as Beckham's 98/99 until 02/03.
 

edgar allan

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I'd agree Scholes was, overall, the better player. I'm just talking about the period roughly 95/96-02. For some of that period Scholes wasn't guaranteed his place in the first XI. And he didn't have a season as influential as Beckham's 98/99 until 02/03.
I get your point, Beckham definitely was the first of the two to really show his quality but for me he never really became the top world class player that he looked like he could have been.
 

2cents

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I get your point, Beckham definitely was the first of the two to really show his quality but for me he never really became the top world class player that he looked like he could have been.
Of three three great talents of the Co92, Giggs is the slightly disappointing one for me, given what he looked like he might become when he first shot out of the blocks. Seems strange to say that given his amazing career, but his best season was probably 93/94, I don't think he ever quite hit those heights again, and he had some pretty long spells of inconsistency.