The curious case of… Ronnie Wallwork
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- Written by David Moftakhar
Many have passed through the youth ranks at Manchester United, but not all have reached the heady heights. For every Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs there are twenty Robbie Savages eeking out a less glamorous career. For the vast majority, the Theater of Dreams remains just that.
Perhaps the finest youth generation in recent memory was the class of 1993. David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, and the Neville brothers, won all major youth honours en route to cementing places in the first team and winning a treble in 1999.
After such a fine crop, the next batch of youngsters had a lot to live up to. The likes of Jonathan Greening, John Curtis and Phil Mulryne had big boots to fill, and with such a weight of expectation none of them ever quite cut the proverbial mustard.
Last weekend the Premiership took the back seat once again as the FA Cup reconvened for what was (for the most part) the quarter-finals. The remaining teams harboured serious thoughts on laying claim to the famous trophy, facing just two matches from a place in the final and a chance to emulate Portsmouth's achievement last year.
Imagine putting a hand in your pocket only to find a dog turd.
Go back 10-15 years and the goal-poacher was an integral part of any team. The likes of Ian Rush, Gary Lineker, Ian Wright and Andy Cole were some of the game’s most sought after commodities. But today the demand for strikers who prod home from short distances is not what it was. 
As the so-called business end of the Portuguese season approaches it’s time to do some number crunching.