Stormzy has been grabbing headlines after taking on the role of football pundit following Manchester United‘s win over Liverpool yesterday.
The trailblazing London-born rapper – who is just one of Manchester United’s famous fans – has being going viral on social media after he jubilantly gatecrashed a live TV interview on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (MNF) programme and shared his views about the Red Devils’ 2-1 impressive victory over Liverpool last night.
While the usual MNF cast of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, and Roy Keane stood in front of an empty Old Trafford in the classic Manchester rain to give their post-match verdict of United’s first Premier League win of the 2022/23 season over fierce North West rivals, the 29-year-old chart-topping grime MC was spotted at the side of the pitch off camera.
He was then ushered in by Neville, and greeted the three former footballers and host with a hand shake.
Dressed in a Manchester United top with his hood up, and stood alongside his young nephews who also appeared on camera, Stormzy waved at some fans who recognised him from the stands and then admitted that he was “a bit flustered right now”.
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“I’ve never met these guys before. We were just walking past and we were starstruck and someone gave me a mic and I’m up here like ‘Mum, I made it’,” he added with a smile
“This is sick though. Man’s on telly with the boys.”
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After getting over initially being starstruck and settling into the role of would-be football pundit, the MNF team wanted to make the most of having the former Glastonbury headliner with them, and continued to ask him a couple of questions.
When asked to offer his opinion of Manchester United’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo – who was actually dropped from the starting lineup by new manager Erik ten Hag for the Liverpool clash, Stormzy continued: “You know what it is with Ronaldo, when he’s that great, you can’t speak on him man.
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“You’ve just got to let the man be great, do you know what I mean? There’s been a bit of a fuss but that’s a GOAT.
“You just have to let the GOATs be the GOATs.”
For fans of the Vossi Bop singer, his presence at Old Trafford might not come as much of a shock, but not everyone understood what was happening, with United’s former captain Roy Keane appearing quite shocked, adding: “I thought this was a football show, what’s happening?”
After the interview aired live on Sky Sports, clips have been circulating on social media and racking up tens of thousands of views and interactions from football fans – with many commenting how funny it was to see a famous person still able to be starstruck.
“Stormzy headlined Glastonbury at 25 but is flustered by being interviewed on MNF – what a man,” one person said on Twitter.
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Another said: “Stormzy’s MNF cameo was surreal.”
“I love that Stormzy is always a natural fan and ain’t too proud to express it,” a third added.
Stormzy’s appearance on Monday Night Football was fresh off the back of him getting up on stage with Coldplay as the band finished up their finished their sell-out six-night residency at Wembley Stadium on Sunday night.
He performed his 2018 hit ‘Blinded by Your Grace Pt. 1’ alongside the band
Formula 1 fans will also know this isn’t the only time Stormzy has given an unsuspecting sporting TV interview in recent weeks either, as he also went viral after being interviewed during Martin Brundle’s grid walk at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last month too.
Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into foul-mouthed chaos
Danny Jones
The first press conference ahead of Tommy Fury vs Darren Till was held on Tuesday evening and it didn’t take long for the whole thing to descend into absolute bedlam.
Having only been confirmed on Sunday, Fury vs Till will be a homecoming bout for the Wythenshawe-born fighter who is set to headline the first-ever boxing match at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena.
With the date set for 18 January, the pre-fight build-up and media frenzy are growing fast and things have already come to ahead in just the first meeting between the two fighters in London this week.
Clearly sharing plenty of bad blood already, while Tommy and Till were engaging in the usual fighting talk, the family patriarch, John Fury, decided to interject and it was at this point that things boiled over.
‼️ Tommy Fury vs Darren Till press conference descends into chaos as Till tells John Fury: "Shut up, you haven't been seen since Oleksandr Usyk battered Tyson."
As you can see, amidst the various insults being thrown around regarding intelligence, boxing ability, Tommy’s older brother Tyson being “battered by [Oleksandr] Usyk”, ‘Big John’ then launches a bottle of water across the table at Till, sparking a hot-tempered on-stage skirmish.
The lengthy exchange features as many expletives as you could imagine, with 31-year-old Darren Till also threatening that he will “bladder” both Tommy and his more established heavyweight sibling Tyson, labelling the entire Fury family “shithouses” as they walk out of the London press conference.
A mixed martial artist by trade who has competed at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC, Till assured that even if the boxing match isn’t going his way on the night, he will kick [him] square in [the] face”, adding that he’s a “proper fighter” and that Tommy, on the other hand, has no power.
YouTube turned musician and occasional boxer, KSI – the founder of the Misfits promotion who is putting on the event and who Fury beat back in October last year – can also be heard whooping from centre stage and shouting, “Get your tickets!”
Even after the mini-brawl is separated, the foul-mouthed back and forth continues for some time. You can see another angle here:
Press conference aftermath 🤯@darrentill2 was going IN on the Fury’s 😳
This isn’t the first time things have boiled over at a Fury press conference; in fact, it’s not even the first time John Fury, 59, has found himself in the very eye of the storm.
Meanwhile, the youngest Fury son is preparing first his first fight in over a year, having nearly joined this year’s I’m a Celeb lineup instead.
Tickets for the now highly-anticipated boxing match at Co-op Live, just the second combat sports event to have been held at the arena, are on sale now – you can grab yours HERE. It’s going to be a feisty one.
Festive Grinch-themed cafes to pop up inside Greater Manchester Primark stores
Emily Sergeant
Festive Grinch-themed cafes are popping up inside two of Primark’s biggest Greater Manchester stores in the run-up to Christmas.
As the temperatures turn colder by the day, the nights draw in, and the most wonderful time of the year nears closer and closer, it won’t be long before it’s time to snuggle up in our comfies and pop on the first Christmas film of the year – and for some of us, there’s a good chance that first film of choice will be The Grinch.
Whether you prefer the 2000 fantasy comedy starring Jim Carey, or the 2018 animated reboot with Benedict Cumberbatch, it’s undoubtedly a real family favourite.
To celebrate everyone’s favourite grumpy green grouch, Primark has teamed up with Dr. Seuss once again on a Grinch-tastic collaboration.
Shoppers can now head to their nearest Primark store to find the largest-ever Grinch collection, with something for the whole family, as well as great gifting options said to be “ideal for getting into the anti-Christmas spirit”.
There’s Grinch pyjamas and slippers for both adults and kids, a Grinch ‘Onesie’ that’s sure to make people green with envy, Grinch drinks cups and mugs, a selection of loungewear and Christmas jumpers for festive dressing, and so much more, as well as whole host of Grinch-inspired outfits and toys for your four-legged friends too.
As part of Primark’s aim to offer affordable choices for everyone, prices for the Grinch collection start at just £1 for accessories, and go up to £24 for adult clothing.
If the return of the Grinch collection wasn’t exciting enough as it is, the all-new Grinch cafes – which are popping up in Primark on Market Street in Manchester city centre, as well as Primark in Trafford Palazzo – are bound to be hit with fans of the furry character.
There’s everything from green waffles and themed milkshakes, to festive toasties, hot drinks, and more on the menu.
With Greater Manchester Grinch cafes set to be open until the end of December, Sarah Jackson – who is the Director of Licensing at Primark, said: “We’re so excited to roll out our amazing cafe experience across a number of our UK locations, bringing a sprinkle of mischief to our customers this festive season.
“Whether you’re stopping in for a sweet treat or stocking up on pyjamas and gifts for the whole family, we have everything you need to make it a truly unforgettable Grinch-mas.”