The Class of '92

as a Liverpool fan I still struggle to re-live that FA cup defeat, back in '99. But this is an amazing story of sport. Very well told, filmed and directed. 6 kids with whom 'you cannot win anything' ended up winning, yes, everything.

Funny, moving, entertaining. You get to know a lot about the character of the players portrayed (especially the ones who kept a lower profile than others.

And a very good insight on Fergie's United. You may love or hate him, but when it came to managing a football club you'll struggle to find many more on the same level as the Scot.

One point deducted, so 9 instead of 10 for the bits with Tony Blair. But that's me, not being able to listen to the sound of his voice.

Perfect otherwise

Even if you know virtually nothing about the sport of soccer on Manchester United either, this is a really well done film that explores the dynamic of a group of young men coming of age together. You really appreciate having so many people who are actually from Manchester; it's got a coming of age quality to it. Also has nice overtures to the cultural moment of the 1990s. Nice soundtrack of songs from that time as well.

It was trenchant Scottish football analyst Alan Hansen who famously said "You'll never win anything with kids" after Manchester United heavily lost their first Premier League game of the 1999 season, when manager Alex Ferguson replaced almost half his team with young players in their early 20's who'd come through the clubs own youth academy seven years before (apart from Gary Neville, who was actually Class of '93). However with Ferguson's tough-love style of management and chaperoned by United greats like Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Peter Schmeichel, talented youngsters like David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs all came of age as the side famously picked itself up and completed a celebrated treble of the championship, FA Cup and in particular the European Champions League, the last after a gap in the club's history of 31 years, when they scored twice in the last five minutes to steal victory from the jaws of defeat against a superior Bayern Munich team on the night.

This documentary offers individual profiles of the players, mostly, as you'd expect, involving lots of mutual admiration, with reminiscences of their early days at the club and focusing in particular on the matches that proved crucial at the season's climax as they chased their three trophies.

The three other players of the six featured, the defensive Neville brothers and midfielder Nicky Butt, for me weren't anywhere near the same class as the other three, but to be fair they all became international players too and certainly fitted well into the club set-up. They all, too, seem like decent blokes, genuinely friendly amongst each other, even latter-day multi-media superstar Beckham and there are some fascinating clips of them all getting their start in the youth team. Nice too, to see the youth team coach getting his due here.

The story of the team's fantastic season and the part this group of young talent played in it is pretty well-known and apart from one or two shaggy-dog stories about initiation ceremonies and avoiding strict boss Ferguson's attempts at imposing a curfew, little new was revealed of what went on behind the scenes, I felt. What happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room I guess. I'm not sure either the attempts to align the club's rise in fortunes with the emergence of "Madchester" music of the time with Oasis, Stone Roses and even the Blair government of the day were convincingly made, leading to some odd interviews with the Roses bassist Mani and ex-P.M. Blair himself, "getting down with the yoof" as they say. The Gallagher brothers were mad Man City fans anyway.

I actually felt there was a better story in the background, if they'd made a film about the boys from 1992 who didn't make it, here regathered with the super six for a just-for-the-cameras reunion kick-about. The absence of key figures as interviewees of the likes of Ferguson and Keane was noticeable plus I've no idea what Zinedine Zidane was doing in the mix either.

Nevertheless I enjoyed this red-tinged wallow in nostalgia as it was unquestionably a great team and I got to see again some great football moments like Beckham's famous half-way line goal against Wimbledon or even more so, Giggs' amazing solo effort against Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final. I might have preferred a little more of that over some of the mutual backslapping waffle which over-proliferated things elsewhere, but this was almost as entertaining a ninety minutes as the team itself used to serve up back in the day.

This is a remarkable film. It is a revealing insight into a time which is embedded into the cultural psyche of any football fan or indeed, any sports fan. Of course, if one is a Man Utd fan (like myself) it is an absolute treat!

I defy any Utd fan not to get a lump in their throat as they relive Beckham's wonder goal from the halfway line against Wimbledon, or Giggs' gravity-defying dribble and match-winner against Arsenal in the the semi-final replay of '99, or Ole Gunnar Solskjær's toe-poked winner against Bayern Munich in the epic Champions League final of '99.

It's not just a catalogue of footballing highlights however. It gives a real insight into the mindset and environment these working-class, soon-to-be superstars were nurtured in.

I know all film-making is manipulation, clever editing and good story-telling, but it is difficult to believe that the relaxed, raw and even hilarious anecdotal banter between the now legendary players, is anything other than genuine, transparent, respect and admiration for each other.

The blend of talent, ability, dedication, character, camaraderie and ultimate history-making achievement between these young footballers is like a far-fetched story from a kids' football magazine. Yet it is all true.

I firmly believe that the current infrastructure of football doesn't permit this kind of situation from ever occurring again. We live in a different world now.

As a side-note, the current under-performing Man Utd team (and manager) should watch this together to remember the amazing legacy they are trying to preserve.

The Class of 92 takes us through the story which has been told time and again but the sheer beauty of how its done bringing the whole culture, the wave of change around Manchester at the time and of course the brilliance of Manchester United and especially 6 home grown talents who grew from being boyhood fans to becoming Legends and history makers for their beloved Manchester United, is a joy to watch. For United fans of this generation, you would already be in love with the protagonists here and its a chance of going and falling in love with your heroes all over again.

Its a truly remarkable motion picture. Anybody associated with football or not must watch this, for its a tale of male friendship, togetherness, discipline, hard work, sacrifice and much much more.