Calls for ‘Marc Skinner out’ are beginning to grow amongst some Manchester United supporters following another loss for the women’s team, this time in the shape of a derby defeat against Man City in the cup.
Skinner’s recent results have seen protests from a section of Man United Women‘s fans, with the disappointment against City in the FA Women’s Continental League Cup just days after their Women’s Super League defeat to Chelsea making it three losses in the last five games.
The women’s coach insisted “he will get it right” and is “absolutely secure” in his job after the result last Sunday, but given this latest loss to their local rivals and title challengers once again this season, it seems the patience of some supporters is starting to slip.
Replying to United Women’s post on X, fans had plenty to say: “Skinner out. This is disgraceful”, “Uslelss clown”; plenty also called for the return of previous head coach Casey Stoney.
Nevertheless, speaking after the game last night, the 40-year-old said every player and member of staff was “excellent” and that they simply need to be more clinical when it comes to taking their chances. Whether the majority of fans agree remains to be seen.
Commenting underneath The Manc‘s own full-time post on Wednesday night, fans doubled down in the criticism by suggesting that despite what they perceived as a “shocking” performance from the refer, a 2-1 scoreline ultimately “flattered” United.
The former Birmingham City and Orlando pride manager was appointed as the United Women’s boss in 2021 and led them to the FA Cup final last season, ultimately finishing as runners-up, and only just missed out on a first WSL title as they fell two points short of 22/23 winners Chelsea’s tally.
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Sports writer Kathryn Batte says that the “loud calls for Marc Skinner’s head at Manchester United are like nothing we’ve heard before in the women’s game”.
The chanting and signs witnessed in the way end from last week alone certainly seem to suggest so.
Despite the man himself defending their right to be frustrated of late, many of the fans have grown even more staunch in their opposition after they were reportedly told to stop chanting ‘Skinner Out’ at a recent league game.
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As per The Athletic, a group of supporters who travelled to Malta to see United play in a friendly against PSV say they were told by club security to refrain from the chants at half-time and went on to issue an official complaint via the Manchester United Women Supporters group via email.
There are still plenty of games left to play and the team’s performance in the group stages of the cup was enough to see them qualify but the sentiment amongst the stands seems to be shifting.
Perhaps it’s because these are the kind of scenes we more readily associate with men’s football but the atmosphere around Leigh Sports Village is far from ideal at the moment.
Featured Image — BBC Sport (screenshot)/Man United Women (via X)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
25th January 2024 
