Harry Redknapp on the Class of 92

[charlenefan]

"People always talk about Manchester United producing the 'Class of 92' but they weren't any better than the six boys we produced at West Ham," he told The Athletic .

"If you put those two groups of six against each other, there would be nothing in it.

"Ferdinand went on to win championships, Frank Lampard won everything, Cole won everything and Michael Carrick won everything.

"Then you have Glen Johnson who won Premier League titles and Jermain Defoe who had a terrific career.

"If the kids had stayed at West Ham what a team that would've been. That would've been six England internationals in one team.

"That was the difference. Manchester United kept their youngsters and that's what enabled them to become a great team.

"If I kept those six players together I'm certain I would've won the Premier League."

Thoughts?

 

[Grinner]

He's talking bollocks as usual. Did they ever all play together for West Ham?

If he hadn't got himself sacked then he might have done better.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Thoughts are that as per usual he's full shit and giving excuses while bigging himself up. The Class of 92 had more than a few great youngsters going for it, it had a team with Keane, Irwin, Schmeichel, Cantona and the greatest manager of all time. West Ham's kids had Julian Dicks and that Romanian lad who went shopping and didn't like the golf. While being managed by an absolute conman of a manager who'd throw them under the bus to save himself at a moments notice. Even if they had been approaching success he'd have jumped ship as soon as a bigger club flashed their eyes at him.

 

[2 man midfield]

I mean, there are some great players there. Better than Giggs, Scholes, Beckham? No. Better than Butt and the Neville brothers? I’d say so.

Rio, Carrick and Lampard would’ve made West Ham into a top 4 side. But they’d still have to overcome Fergie in his prime, so I doubt they’d have won that much.

 

[Nico87]

Weren’t they from different youth teams though?

Lampard and Rio were world class, Carrick very good but a little below them and Cole was also very good but below Carrick due to being inconsistent. Defoe and Johnson were good players but never elite.

Beckham, Giggs and Scholes were legitimately world class for a prolonged period, G.Nevilie is probably the best right back in premier league history while Johnson isn’t even in the discussion and Butt is not far behind Carrick in terms of talent and contribution ( which is in no way derogatory) but because Butt was behind 2 of the greats and the latter half of his career was never as good as the same gets underrated. P.Nevilie was a sold option in 3 postions.

West Ham had a great academy but it’s a level below and never achieved anything together so therefore generates no nostalgia.

 

[TMDaines]

The oldest of the Class of '92 is now 45, the youngest 44. There's a like a year or two between them.

Meanwhile Lampard is 41 and Glen Johnson is 34. Even Defoe is 36.

 

[shamans]

First of all, I don't think there was one class like 92 in West Ham.

Second, I disagree that they were as good and most people would but I get what Harry is saying. They were a very promising group of players and could have achieved a lot together. He managed these players so he is obviously going to exaggerate a bit about it but yeah they were good players

 

[Vault Dweller]

Laughable.

 

[RobinLFC]

Weren’t they from different youth teams though?

Lampard and Rio were world class, Carrick very good but a little below them and Cole was also very good but below Carrick due to being inconsistent. Defoe and Johnson were good players but never elite.

Ashley Cole was world class for a large period and arguably the greatest ever LB in the Premier League.

 

[SirAF]

Ashley Cole was world class for a large period and arguably the greatest ever LB in the Premier League.

Joe Cole!

 

[charlenefan]

Ashley Cole was world class for a large period and arguably the greatest ever LB in the Premier League.

Joe Cole

 

[lsd]

Ashley Cole was world class for a large period and arguably the greatest ever LB in the Premier League.

Hes talking about Joe Cole though

 

[Nico87]

Ashley Cole was world class for a large period and arguably the greatest ever LB in the Premier League.

Joe Cole, we’re talking about the West Ham academy graduates.

 

[Chipper]

To be certain that he would have won the league with that lot at West Ham is a very bold shout.

If those players were all part the same squad at another club with different teammates then they could. Might need a different manager too.

 

[RobinLFC]

Joe Cole!

Joe Cole

Hes talking about Joe Cole though

Yeah obviously

FFS

 

[romufc]

Everything makes sense in hindsight. Winning a premier league with players coming through the youth takes experienced players too.

We see loads of players coming through the youth system, but how many of them made the names at West Ham? Rio was bought off Leeds.

 

[King7Eric]

Glen Johnson won league titles? Pretty sure he only won one and even then he was a back up and barely racked up enough appearances to qualify for a medal. The way Redknapp is talking you'd think Johnson was a key player in that Chelsea team.

 

[Pagh Wraith]

Jermain Defoe? T'rific.

 

[Bwuk]

If they'd kept them them all, and made a few signings whilst they were in their prime I don't think it's laughable to think they'd challenge.

Ferdinand, Lampard, Carrick and Cole were all starters in some of the best sides the league has seen. Defoe scored goals, and Johnson was a good premier league right back.

 

[SER19]

The oldest of the Class of '92 is now 45, the youngest 44. There's a like a year or two between them.

Meanwhile Lampard is 41 and Glen Johnson is 34. Even Defoe is 36.

Close thread.

 

[izec]

Add to them Kranjcar and Assou Ekotto and the treble would be secure

They arent the same class, he is talking about players coming through at different periods. They would have been in different stages of their careers in the first team

 

[pascell]

The oldest of the Class of '92 is now 45, the youngest 44. There's a like a year or two between them.

Meanwhile Lampard is 41 and Glen Johnson is 34. Even Defoe is 36.

Perfect summary, nothing else needs to be said.

 

[Buchan]

The oldest of the Class of '92 is now 45, the youngest 44. There's a like a year or two between them.

Meanwhile Lampard is 41 and Glen Johnson is 34. Even Defoe is 36.

‘The Class of ‘96, ‘97, ‘98, ‘99, ‘00, ‘01 and ‘02’ doesn’t have the same ring to it, ‘Arry.

What a clown.

 

[Zlatattack]

Harry's having a laugh. If they'd have kept them all West Ham would have had a team that could have played in the CL, maybe won a cup or two. He did have Di Canio, Kanoute, Pearce who were decent players, but there was no comparison to be made.

Mind you a lot of clubs could say the same. I remember O'Neill having a decent Villa side. He kept having to sell and replace. At one point he could have had Barry, Milner, Young, Downing, Delph, Dunne, Agbonlahor, Carew, Friedel. They'd have broken into CL spots, it was easier back in the day and he did get more out of his team than the sum of it's parts.

Class of 92 did something none of them can match. They won everything consistently for years and years.

 

[acnumber9]

Two of them had to join United to actually start winning anything so his point falls down just a little there.

 

[Inter Yer Nan]

One is a class in one year, the other is over about 5-6 years. No comparison.

 

[André Dominguez]

The oldest of the Class of '92 is now 45, the youngest 44. There's a like a year or two between them.

Meanwhile Lampard is 41 and Glen Johnson is 34. Even Defoe is 36.

So... Lampard did the nigerian trick of faking his age to standout in youth competitions?

 

[djembatheking]

Harry should stick to eating bollocks instead of talking bollocks .

 

[Solius]

"Harry Redknapp on..." is enough to stop.

Don't know how the man made it as a football manager when his knowledge of the game is akin to the average bloke down the pub.

 

[.Phil1968]

Not with him in charge they wouldn't. I think the guy had too much sun in Australia how he and his idiot son made a living out of football baffles me.

 

[Stobzilla]

I mean, he is obviously talking pish in as much as the timelines of those players breaking through, but his overall point stands that if he had managed to have a team based around:

David James

Glen Johnson
Rio Ferdinand
???
???

Carrick
Lampard
Cole

Di Canio

Defoe
Kanoute

Then that could have definitely made some noise, Di Canio probably would have aged out too quickly to be really effective but they would have been around that last Champions League spot with pre-season aspirations of mounting a challenge.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

I mean they don't even belong to one class. And Defoe and Glen Johnson lower quality significantly. Even Carrick was nowhere near as good as Giggs, Scholes and Beckham.

 

[Grinner]

"Harry Redknapp on..." is enough to stop.

Don't know how the man made it as a football manager when his knowledge of the game is akin to the average bloke down the pub.

He's a joke of late but you can't denigrate his career like that.

 

[Foxbatt]

Harry has a point. If he had those players all together and with Di Canio and Defoe and Kanoute, he has a knack of pulling players out of no where and they seem to love to play for him. He may not have won the PL but sure would be challenging United and Arsenal too. That midfield could give any club in the PL a good run for their money.

 

[Sir Scott McToMinay]

 

[Solius]

He's a joke of late but you can't denigrate his career like that.

I just did.

 

[Grinner]

I just did.

Yes, you sound silly.

 

[Casanova85]

Lampard and Ferdinand playing together at WH for most of the '00s would have turned that club into a temporary Top5 beast, that's for sure.

But as always, Harry talks in hyperbolic half-truths: pretending that WH could have kept their stars in the '00s is like sayin that Sporting could have won a UCL with CR as their main star till 2009.

 

[Hansa]

Harry has a point. If he had those players all together and with Di Canio and Defoe and Kanoute, he has a knack of pulling players out of no where and they seem to love to play for him. He may not have won the PL but sure would be challenging United and Arsenal too. That midfield could give any club in the PL a good run for their money.

Not under Harry, but West Ham had a team of Johnson, Defoe, Carrick, Cole, Di Canio, Kanoute in 2002/03.

Relegated.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002–03_West_Ham_United_F.C._season

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

Harry's having a laugh. If they'd have kept them all West Ham would have had a team that could have played in the CL, maybe won a cup or two. He did have Di Canio, Kanoute, Pearce who were decent players, but there was no comparison to be made.

Mind you a lot of clubs could say the same. I remember O'Neill having a decent Villa side. He kept having to sell and replace. At one point he could have had Barry, Milner, Young, Downing, Delph, Dunne, Agbonlahor, Carew, Friedel. They'd have broken into CL spots, it was easier back in the day and he did get more out of his team than the sum of it's parts.

Class of 92 did something none of them can match. They won everything consistently for years and years.

no it was harder then, O’Neills Villa were competing with four of the top five or six teams in Europe who were regularly getting to the CL latter stages