A Manchester United fan who has gone viral for his haircut strike stunt was involved in an incident at Old Trafford this weekend after another supporter attacked him.
Known online as ‘The United Strand’, Man United fan Frank Ilett has famously vowed not to cut his hair until his team win five games in a row.
The 29-year-old was in attendance for United’s fiery clash against Chelsea, which not only saw a very unwelcoming reception for Alejandro Garnacho on his first return to the stadium, but also ended in two red cards and plenty of flare-ups on the pitch.
However, scrapping up in the concourse caught plenty of attention, too; Ilett was grabbed by another fan by the hair and yanked around for several seconds. You can see the clip down below:
What a horrible man. United Strand seems like a such a calm guy, shocking. https://t.co/SdG2mXLJAR
As you can see, he remains remarkably calm throughout the entire unprovoked ordeal and looks to have been a very popular figure around the ground up until this moment.
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Countless other Reds were chatting with him and grabbing selfies before the as-yet-unidentified male approached him and began grabbing him by the hair.
Frank initially looks like he thinks it’s nothing more than a jokey tug and bit of teasing, as do many others in the immediate vicinity, before it becomes abundantly clear that the aggressive individual intends to do him harm.
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After being pulled apart, the attacker can be heard shouting, “F*** off, I’ll do what I f*****g want! He’s not a United f*****g fan…”
Luckily, plenty more right-minded supporters close by were on hand to help in the moment and keep him away from Frank; we only hope he was immediately reported to security soon following the altercation.
Now approaching nearly a full year of not cutting his hair until his team, he shared his most recent video update this morning, opting not to go into the ordeal at this time, adding instead: “I’ll talk about it a bit more some other time.”
Unsurprisingly, his attacker has been quickly condemned by the majority of other fans who identified the behaviour as nothing short of unacceptable and nothing short of criminal.
One person commented: “The United Strand lad is such a lovely lad, this guy with the bald head is well out of order, and I suppose he is jealous of him because he is popular! What a f*****g w****r!”
It’s worth noting that Frank Ilett started the self-imposed challenge of refusing to cut his hair not only as just a silly bit of fun but as a unique way of generating funds for The Little Princess Trust, who help raise money and supply real-hair wigs to young people who have lost their hair through cancer.
He also helped raise money for the crucial mental health charity, Mind, and even appeared as a guest on The Last Leg to help raise further awareness.
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Manchester United has yet to issue any kind of statement addressing the situation; in the meantime, we hope Frank isn’t too shaken up by the whole thing, and we’ll simply direct you to his JustGiving page, where you can donate to the charity HERE.
You can see the highlights from Man United’s much-needed win over Chelsea here.
Featured Images — The United Strand/@StokeyyG2 (via X)/Humz (via Instagram)
Sport
Pep Guardiola apologises for ’embarrassing’ camera operator confrontation
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has apologised after confronting a cameraman following the Premier League fixture against Newcastle United this past weekend.
The Blues boss was left visibly frustrated as Man City were beaten 2-1 away at St James’ Park by Eddie Howe’s side following a flurry of three finishes in the space of just six minutes.
However, this wasn’t the only action pitchside during the game, as not only have some supporters argued they should have had a penalty as Phil Foden was brought down in the box, Pep was also seen engaging in a loaded exchange with opposition captain Bruno Guimarães, as well as a camera operator.
Guardiola has since apologised for the incident, confessing he was left “embarrassed” by his own conduct and admitting that even “after 1,000 games, I’m not a perfect person – I make huge mistakes.”
As you can see, the Catalan coach approached the member of the broadcasting team following a fairly widespread spat both during the second Newcastle goal and following the full-time whistle.
Despite journalists recognising a natural amount of frustration and passion amidst the narrow loss and speculation over decisions, he went so far as to say he wasn’t “ashamed” of his actions at the time and doesn’t like or condone this kind of behaviour.
He was also seen smacking his seat in the dugout after conceding as well as after missed chances by his own players.
Pep assured that he apologised to the cameraman within seconds, remarking, “I am who I am” and reminding football fans that he is a human capable of acting on instinct just like anyone else.
He also clarified that the bulk of his issues on the day were to do with the officiating, taking umbrage with the referee’s decision-making in multiple instances.
You can see the clip down below:
"I feel embarrassed and ashamed when I see it"
Pep Guardiola apologises for his behaviour towards a camera operator after the defeat at Newcastle. pic.twitter.com/wVYfJDbnLm
As for his conversation with Guimarães, he wouldn’t disclose any details of their conversation, but did insist to one reporter that they share a good relationship, confessing that he is “an emotional guy” and can often appear particularly animated as he is known for gesticulating.
It seems that the 54-year-old was just annoyed over the potential penalty, but match-winner Harvey Barnes’ brace in particular, too.
Not only were there questions of a foul on new goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma – whose shot-stopping was otherwise excellent for the majority of the match – but Guimarães was supposedly offside in the build-up to the strike.
Regardless, Pep went on to add that the confrontation with the cameraman, Donnarumma’s booking for dissent, and general disappointment have been “immediately forgotten”, and all eyes are now focused on City’s big European meeting with Bayern Leverkusen.
You can see the highlights from Newcastle vs Man City down below.
Scott Carson reveals important behind-the-scenes role at Manchester City
Danny Jones
Recently retired goalkeeper Scott Carson has revealed the unsung but important role he had behind the scenes during his time at Manchester City.
The 40-year-old ex-pro called time on his playing career after more than two decades and six years in sky blue, having made just two appearances for the club during a period in which they won 11 trophies.
Carson officially hung up his gloves on 23 October 2025, following his contract expiration, and since then has found himself carrying out a number of interviews, including one with Fozcast, hosted by another fellow shotstopper who spent time in Manchester, Ben Foster.
While lots of people have joked that he did very little to earn the flurry of medals so late in his career, or at the very least theorised as to what he actually did behind the scenes, he’s now been more open than ever about the largely sidelined spell.
🗣️ "When people had to be serious, they were serious"
Scott Carson reveals what it was like working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/HZGjVkrso0
Sitting down with Sky Sports, the Cumbrian keeper confirmed that initially it was, indeed, just a case of serving as not even as a rotation option but a back-up third choice.
Nevertheless, he’s an experienced veteran with 11 different teams on his CV, including Leeds United, Liverpool and Sheffield Wednesday – though only a handful of games for each – as well as half a century of appearances at Wigan Athletic before his longest stints at the likes of West Brom and Derby County.
While this job usually involves purely training, helping keep other players sharp, he says that after settling into the Etihad Campus a little more, he found himself performing a much more influential, albeit largely unsung, role in the background.
Getting validation from manager Pep Guardiola that the side “needed more of that”, he essentially ended up providing valuable seniority and motivation amongst the group, despite only playing a couple of times.
Bidding farewell to the Whitehaven-born cult hero, the club wrote: “During his time at City, Carson has been praised by goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and peers Ederson and Stefan Ortega Moreno for his work ethic and the effect of his positive attitude amongst the group.”
Speaking about Guardiola specifically, he hailed the Catalan coach for having overhauled modern football in this country, as well as giving him the secondary task of supporting his teammates, be it via boosting morale and ‘picking up’ those left frustrated by matchday selection.
As well as noting his widely publicised detail-oriented nature, he also made a point of recognising that Pep himself was “evolving each season”, whether or not everyone else saw it.
In short, he said he has helped improve the quality of the Premier League and, more specifically, that he helped redefine what a goalkeeper can be in the division.
You can watch the rest of the interview in full down below.
Danny Jones -
22nd September 2025 
