IT'S SAFE to say that Ireland's footballing success during the early 90's was a time every Irish football fan will remember for the rest of their lives.
To this day people still talk about Italia ‘90 and USA ‘94 as one of the greatest moments of their lives and you'd find it hard to disagree with that view.
The highlights of those events are still broadcast and spoken about to this day, some 32 and 36-years-later, with high regard.
As tournaments, they are a throwback to a time when the people who lived in Ireland's biggest concern wasn't the lack of housing or the cost of living, it was merely where could you watch the Romania or England game, a simpler time to say the least.
One man who got to experience both tournaments as a kid was Kevin Grogan, the former Manchester United player.
Grogan, like Irish kids around that era, watched the likes of Ray Houghton and Paul Mcgrath define a generation of Irish football.
They inspired him to set out to emulate his Irish counterparts by embarking on a successful football career of his own.
"It was great for us as kids at home playing football all day, then watching our heroes on TV. That really created a buzz around football and that gave me the motivation and inspiration to take it seriously," said the Baldoyle native.
Grogan grew up in Dublin and started his career at Seagrange United, a local club in Baldoyle.
He would then join Belvedere F.C. later that year in 1993.
The Clontarf club are well known for producing Irish internationals, such as Wes Hoolhan, Stephen Elliot, and Darragh Lenihan, and had Grogan on their books for five years until 1998.
Kevin Grogan on winning the 1998 UEFA European Under-16 Championship with Ireland
Kevin Grogan was part of an Irish squad that was gunning for the 1998 UEFA European Under-16 Championship with Ireland that year.
The squad, led by eventful Ireland senior manager Brian Kerr, had the likes of John O' Shea of Manchester United, Jim Goodwin, the Aberdeen manager, and Celtic and Manchester United's late midfielder Liam Miller as part of the team.
Ireland went through the tournament undefeated and beat Italy 2-1 in the final thanks to goals from Keith Foy and David McMahon.
Grogan, 40, speaking to the Irish post, reflected on those days with the squad.
"The 16's with the players you mentioned and the 18's won it the same year and that was all down to the likes of Brian Kerr and Noel O' Reilly, who has sadly passed away,” he said.
“There were a lot of good players in that team like Liam, John, and Andy. I was just so happy to be part of it and it's a piece of Irish history."
Kerr and Ireland would come out on top again in the 18's category of the competition in Cyprus with the likes of Richard Dunne and Robbie Keane as part of the squad.
It was clear to see that Ireland was going through a golden period with underage football and well respected people in the game knew this.
Grogan on life at Manchester United and friendship with John O' Shea
Because he was so young Grogan used to go over to Manchester United on work experience from the ages of between 11 and 15 and train with the club as part of his summer work.
This wasn't work, but merely a chance to see some of the best professionals in the world in action, like Roy Keane, David Beckham, and Paul Scholes.
Legendary Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson in 1998 signed the Irish teenager to the club before the European Championship's began.
Grogan would have his life changed forever by the Scot's admiration for his footballing ability.
When Grogan was part of Ireland's camp, he would get calls from the club asking about his teammate John O' Shea, who had not signed for the club at the time.
"By the time the Euro Championships came I had been there a year full time.
“John wasn't attached to a club so it was actually at that tournament that Manchester United made a decision on John,” he explains.
“They actually rang me during the tournament and said they were very keen on him as a player and asked me my opinion as a person, ‘sure John is a great guy’, I said, I couldn't have talked more highly of him.
‘I hung out with John when he came. It was fantastic to have people like him around, we stuck together, we went on a couple of holidays together, there were plenty of Irish there.”
Kevin Grogan and John O Shea on hoilday (kevin Grogan)Getting on with Roy Keane
One Irishman, who became a legend at the club, was former Ireland captain Roy Keane.
Keane, has often been seen through the eyes of the media as a man who could be hard to get along with, but according to Grogan, the Corkman was nothing but friendly towards him and helped him settle at the club.
Once Keane gave the young Dubliner a lift from the airport.
"During that period I went back for a couple of weeks and just happened that Roy Keane was on the plane and he made a beeline for me, he heard I was doing well at UCD, waited for me at the other end of the airport, and gave me a lift and I trained with the first team that week and he was looking out for me, little things like that you never forget.
"People think he was some of lunatic, but on any given day around the training ground, he was someone who was laughing and joking, one of the guys, but in training he had a level of intensity that was incredible.”
Alex Ferguson' hairdryer
One Irishman, who became a legend at the club, was former Ireland captain Roy Keane.
Keane, has often been seen through the eyes of the media as a man who could be hard to get along with, but according to Grogan, the Corkman was nothing but friendly towards him and helped him settle at the club.
Once Keane gave the young Dubliner a lift from the airport.
"During that period I went back for a couple of weeks and just happened that Roy Keane was on the plane and he made a beeline for me, he heard I was doing well at UCD, waited for me at the other end of the airport, and gave me a lift and I trained with the first team that week and he was looking out for me, little things like that you never forget.
"People think he was some of lunatic, but on any given day around the training ground, he was someone who was laughing and joking, one of the guys, but in training he had a level of intensity that was incredible.”
Under Alex Ferguson, Manchester United went through a golden period in its history.
The legendary Scotsman won 13 league titles, two Champions Leagues and countless other pots during his 26-year reign.
Fergie's hairdryer is a well-known term for Ferguson losing his cool at players for not following instructions.
Grogan recalled the first time he saw Ferguson's temper in action as a young boy.
‘I’ll never forget the first day I went in full-time, my first day training at the Cliff (United's old training ground) and I remember him storming down the stairs f’ing and blinding at someone I had never seen anything like it, I was only 15 and was quite innocent,” Grogan recalls.
Despite the temper, there was also a sweeter side to the Scots management.
"You always knew if you have a problem and he'd say it all the time, if you have any problems knock on my door," he adds.
One of Ferguson's key staff members was the legendary Eric Harrison, who has since passed away.
Harrison was well known for his work with the famed 'Class of 92' cohort of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, who went on to bring so much success to the club.
United nowadays have struggled to match that era since the departure of Alex Ferguson and Harrison and have often over complicated things.
Grogan recalled the advice that Eric Harrison would give to the younger players when playing for the club.
“I had him for the first year until he retired,” he says.
“It was so simple. His team talks were like ‘you're putting on the red shirt, the minimum requirement is that you work harder than the team you're playing’, is what he said.” playing, he said"
Source: Kevin GroganLife after Manchester United and New York adventure
Grogan suffered from an ongoing injury to his pelvis during his career, and would go eventually back to University College Dublin (UCD) to play and study a diploma course in Sports Management after leaving United.
In 2002, he joined Millwall, owned by Theo Paphitis, the Dragon's Den judge, and was given a chance of a reduced contract at the club.
However, on November 15 of that year, he was told by the Millwall doctors his body could no longer take the pressure of playing football after a series of operations and injections.
He had spells at Bray Wanderers, St Patrick's Athletic, and Glenthoran before retiring from football for good.
He spent time as a scout in America for Louis van Gaal, when he was manager and recommended players to the club.
When he later decided to move to New York to start a new adventure, struggled to get a visa.
Luckily Alex Ferguson his old boss was able to help him out.
"I was lucky that Alex Ferguson wrote a reference for me to the Embassy," he admits.
Now Grogan is the Technical Director of Clarkstown Soccer Club, along with being the Head Coach/Manager of the Women's and Men's adult teams in the National A League.
He is also owner and President of Kevin Grogan Soccer which is a private coaching company based in the US.
He also had a hand in Rezzil, a cognitive development and analysis company, that boasts Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Gary Neville as part owners.
Clubs like Manchester United and Paris Saint Germain are all using the technology to evaluate games and sessions.
It's fair to say the former Ireland international, who watched his Irish sporting heroes on the TV at Italia ‘90 and USA ‘94 has already had a career that many would dream of - and he's just getting started.
