From my own point of view the progression of home grown players to the City first team has always been an additional point of satisfaction in supporting my favourite team,and this goes back way before the class of 92 scenario you mention-it has nothing to do with that.
I should also say that it isnt really criticism of the manager..how could you criticise a man who has given us so much? Its an instinctive opinion ,and everybody is entitled to one,without being at risk of being labelled as not being a true City fan.
I can still remember the excitement of an 18 yr old Nicky Reid being picked to face Borrusia Munchengladbach in the Uefa cup ..a young home grown player against a decent european team,what a way to make your debut! I was 14 yrs old when 16 yr old defender Tommy Caton walked out for his debut against C rystal Palace ,and helped keep a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw.(saw highlights on MOTD)..as a young lad ,even as a non-mancunian,i felt the excitement of a player ,not much older than me ,making his first team debut...for after all,any Football daft kid supporting City...as i was,wanted to play for the club..it just made the dream a touch more realistic..thats all...theres nothing wrong with that,its just instinctive .When i watched City in my first ever match,at Forest,as stupid as it sounds now, i fhought Wow!! as Tommy Caton walked out..along with Big Joe Corrigan,Paul Power,Willie Donachie etc...its a memory which stays with me until this day.
When later i began watching City home and away,sneaking into Chelsea in 1988,despite the away fans ban, i saw Paul Moulden turn and curl a brilliant left footed shot ,from 20 yards,into the top corner in front of a sparsely populated shed end,it was another Wow ! moment..Moulden had finally arrived! Of course,all the examples ive listed never really met their true potential....a crushing dose of reality...
Under Mel Machin of course,there was a real buzz on the Kippax watching Lake,White ,Redmond and Brightwell ,all homegrown and youth cup winners attempt to carve out careers with City..Lake in particular looked absolute class..i just didnt want to miss a single game in those days,didnt want to miss out
On any of Lakes extraordinary range of exciting skills.....Swindon away ,under Machin,Lake defending a Swindon corner,ball drops to him in the pen area..big Dave Bamber immediately closes him down..Lake instinctively nutmegs Bamber,runs around him,and sets off on a glorious 70 yard run down the right wing,squares to White who blazed over....a blistering counter attacking move engineered and ..wasted by two young home-grown players ....of course when Howard Kendall came in ,and dismantled the talented kids,bringing in trusted,hardened professionals a few years later,another dose of reality set in...
Many folk on this site have commented about the dearth of younger fans taking an interest in actually attending City games.This is a real worry,and may be due to a number of factors(cost,the obsession with social media) but one of them may also be the lack of young home grown figure heads to truly capture their imagination.
The current City side is playing the best Football ive ever seen at club level,but for me,it does not detract from the excitement of seeing past homegrown players make their way into our first team,...and never will.
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