LOU Macari believes Manchester United's FA Cup embarrassment stems from the demise of the school of hard knocks.

Former United star Macari pinpoints the absence of senior pros from reserve team football as the origin of humiliations like the one United's young XI suffered against Exeter.

Old Trafford future hopes like Kieran Richardson, Chris Eagles, Gerard Pique and Jonathan Spector appeared shellshocked against the Devon outfit. Only midfielder David Jones' reputation as a promising up-and-coming talent remained intact.

And former Scotland and United striker Macari reckons the lack of a tough soccer environment in the modern second-string game is a major source of the problem.

"The step up from reserve team football to the first team is bigger now than it has ever been," Macari said.

"The step from youth football to the reserves used to be like stepping into a completely different type of football. You genuinely moved into a league where the standard of player was that of the seniors. It was an ideal learning stage in preparation for the next move up to the seniors

"You had old heads coming towards the end of their careers in the second team, you had first-teamers coming back from injuries and those who'd been put in there from the senior side to find their form again.

"I remember when I was a manager going to a Chelsea reserve match on the lookout for players and in their second team you had the likes of Mickey Droy, who was six foot plus and about 15 stone and experienced pros and internationals like Robert Fleck, Billy Dodds and Nigel Spackman.

'Massive step'

"They had been Chelsea regulars who for one reason or another were then spending a spell in the reserves. Watch a player against them and if they handled it you knew they had a chance to make the step up because the step up from that kind of opponent to what you'd face in a league game was virtually the same. Nowadays it is a massive step. Any kid playing against that calibre of senior was getting a great soccer education because apart from the odd youngster, it was men versus men.

"Now all you see is a bunch of kids against kids. I watch the team bus arriving at Altrincham's Moss Lane for some of United's reserve matches and it is like a school outing getting off.

"With cutbacks in the modern game the majority of clubs aren't employing huge squads and are filling the reserves with teenagers. Even in those clubs with big squads you don't see the fringe players playing that often in the reserves for some reason.

"So kids now are just playing lads of their own age. Most reserve sides now are mostly made up of youngsters.

"Then you get the situation where you put them in against a non-League side like Exeter and their two front players Steve Flack and Sean Devine have spent years in the league. They are experienced players and the youngsters haven't got the background knowledge to face players like that. That's happening all over the place, not just at United.

Fringe

"Kids may think when they get to the reserve level these days that they are on the fringe of the seniors but in truth they are still a million miles away.

"Without a doubt an 18-year-old reserve player now is not as mature a player as an 18-year-old reserve player 10, 15 or 20 years ago.

"It even goes further than the reserve side because the Academy sides play against lads of their own age whereas years ago you could even get seniors playing in the A and B side in the Lancashire League!

"If you were on your way back from injury or were being punished you could find yourself up against the likes of Marine. Other teams did exactly the same. "

Macari uses the example of a certain Mark Hughes to illustrate his point.

"Young players now don't really experience playing against the kind of opponent they'll meet week in, week out in the seniors," he added.

"I remember playing in United's reserves in the last year of my Old Trafford career and I was playing up front with Sparky.

"Mark was about 17 or 18 and at the time there was a lot of talk going around that it was touch and go whether United would keep him on at the club. Presumably he was then put in the reserves to see how he'd fare and whether he had want it takes. It was a great indicator. The manager could judge a kid properly.

"He got into that reserve team environment and proved against some hard-bitten professionals that he could handle himself. That experience made him stronger and quicker.

"It made Mark the great player he became. His education in the reserves made him a superstar.

"I look around the country now and think that the young players aren't getting the same education at all. I feel sorry for them."

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