SAINTS have rightly received praise from many people for their academy exploits in the last 18 months.

And it's a source of real pride at St Mary's that the Under-18s have won all 16 league matches this season - an amazing run which follows on from last season's Under-19 national championship win.

But few people are in a better position to judge just how good Saints' youngsters are than new boss Harry Redknapp.

And when he says he's excited about the kids at St Mary's, we'd better sit up and take note.

Mention Redknapp's name to football fans and some will no doubt say he has made his name buying experience - Neil Ruddock and Ian Wright at West Ham, Paul Merson and Teddy Sheringham at Pompey.

Either that or they will link his name with a string of foreigners who never really made a great impression at West Ham - Marco Boogers, Florin Raducioiu, Dani, Hugo Porfirio, Marc Keller.

But Redknapp also oversaw the progression of some of the finest players in England during his seven years in charge at Upton Park.

The Hammers, including Frank Lampard, reached the FA Youth Cup final in 1996, losing to a Liverpool side containing Michael Owen.

But a side including Joe Cole and Michael Carrick lifted the Youth Cup three years later after hammering Coventry 9-0 on aggregate in a two-legged final.

That same 1998/99 season West Ham's Under-19s won the Academy League - a feat they repeated the following season.

But a quick look at West Ham's class of 1999 shows just how few youngsters ever progresss to the top. Of the 16-man squad that West Ham fielded in an Under-19 league match against Arsenal in March 1999, Cole and Carrick's names stand out.

Yet they are two of just four players from the 16 who went on to make a first team start for the Hammers - the others being keeper Stephen Bywater and striker Richard Garcia, who played for Colchester at St Mary's in the Carling Cup in October.

Of the other 16, Shaun Byrne and Adam Newton made just two sub appearances each for the first team before drifting off to play in the Coca Cola League.

Terrell Forbes, Ezomo Iriekpen, Stevland Angus; Michael Ferrante, Berti Brayley - who scored three goals in the final against Coventry over the two legs - Steven Omonua, Lee Richards, Anwar Uddin, Steve Clarke and Sam Taylor never played for the Hammers first team at all.

Dito the Hammers' 1996 Youth Cup final team.

No-one other than Lampard and Rio Ferdinand has been able to carve out a decent career in the Premiership.

Of the others, the most notable ones are Chris Coyne at Luton, Lee Hodges at Bristol Rovers, Joe Keith at Colchester and Lee Boylan at Canvey Island.