In an amusing bit of PR, Stockport County and Runaway Brewery have collaborated to come up with a brand-new beer to sell at Edgeley Park ahead of the new season.
Teaming up with the local Stopfordian brewing company based just down the road from County‘s home ground, the club have created a tasty new pale ale inspired by their promotion-winning manager, Dave Challinor, and his now-famous post-match catchphrase.
Challinor, 47, is known not only for his honest and very matter-of-fact approach to post-match press conferences but also for ending virtually every single interview by saying, “Cheers, thank you”.
Having become a bit of a running joke amongst the staff, the players and the fan base, the club decided to lean into the gag and as they were looking for a name to give their beer, it turned out the answer was staring them in them right in the face. Introducing the ‘Cheers, Thank You’ pale ale:
🍻 We've teamed up with @RunawayBrewery this season, to bring you a brand new pale ale!
'Cheers, Thank You' will be available exclusively from the County Courtyard on a matchday, starting this Saturday ahead of our game against Gillingham!#StockportCounty
The Stockport County manager might have been hoping to have his name next to a trophy this season, but we’d hazard a guess he wasn’t expecting to have inspired a beer.
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It’s not the first time they’ve had some fun with this particular pun, either: the club previously sold a limited edition run of Dave Challinor-inspired ‘Cheers, Thank You’ mugs not long ago too.
Now, though, the Chester-born coach’s signature sign-off phrase has given its name to the new 4% pale which is said to offer “citrus notes with a clean and refreshing bitterness, delivering a modern, hoppy beer, perfect for a Saturday afternoon.” Can’t lie, sounds glorious.
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Being sold exclusively at the stadium on matchdays and joining the likes of Great North Pie Co. at the not long opened County Courtyard, the ‘Cheers, Thank You’ pale ale with be available all season long starting from the Hatter’s opening League Two game against Gillingham this Saturday 5 August.
Speaking on the collaboration, Mark Welsby, Head Brewer at Runaway, said: “The club sits at the heart of the town in every sense, so we jumped at the chance to collaborate on this speciality beer.
“County fans create an amazing atmosphere out of the Cheadle End, which we can often hear down at the brewery. We’re both proud and excited to know our beer ‘Cheers, thank you’ will be a part of the fans’ match day experience”.
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As for the club’s chief exec Jonny Vaughan, he said that “partnering with Runaway further enhances our commitment to supporting local businesses and we are excited for fans to try the beer in our first match of the season against Gillingham.”
But it isn’t just beer and pies they’ll be serving along Hardcastle Road, the County Courtyard is promising a rotating menu of the very best street food in the world. We’re still thinking about that PCD (portable Christmas dinner — obviously)…
We Are Football Festival – Europe’s biggest World Cup fan park is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The largest World Cup fan park in all of Europe is set to open in Manchester this summer, in an ambitious project from 4TheFans, in partnership with Freight Island and Broadwick.
The We Are Football Festival will bring together 15,000 football fans in front of the biggest screens in the UK to cheer on England as they race for World Cup glory.
The enormous fan park will open in June at Depot Mayfield, transforming the space into an unrivalled celebration of football.
Fans will be immersed in all the action thanks to a massive sound system, pyrotechnics, CO2 cannons, DJs, and entertainment around the games themselves, providing the closest thing you can get to a big game atmosphere.
The venue will be open for all late kick-offs and every moment of the World Cup too, with the potential for some games to run well into the early hours.
Fans can head to the rooftop or garden at Depot Mayfield for a 5pm kick-off in the sunshine, or enjoy late-night games in the warehouse.
We Are Football Festival by 4TheFansThe fan park will open at Depot MayfieldIt’s set to be Europe’s biggest World Cup fan zone
There’ll also be a dedicated Footy Fun Village, which will feature sponsor activations, games zones, and family-friendly areas, creating a safe space for fans of all ages to enjoy the tournament.
And 4TheFans and Freight Island will deliver hand-picked and exclusive bar and food traders from around the world.
We Are Football Festival will welcome a special 4TheFans host plus Sky Sports presenters, and will even have genuine England football legends for quality match analysis at each screening.
Since launching, 4TheFans has welcomed hundreds of thousands of fans, and camera crews from BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky News, Sky Sports, England TV, and Match of the Day, to fan parks across the UK.
It’s now chosen Depot Mayfield for its World Cup fan park, where they can fill the huge space at Freight Island first before scaling into the rest of the Depot as the fan community grows and the Three Lions march on.
4TheFans is the UK’s original and biggest fan park brand, and it’s working with Freight Island and Broadwick to deliver this game-changing We Are Football Festival – the biggest and best fan park in Europe.
5,000 early bird tickets are available from just £4.50 per person and are on sale HERE.
4TheFans presents We Are Football Festival will run at Depot Mayfield from 11 June until 19 July 2026.
General admission tickets include
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Football legend in attendance
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
VIP table tickets include
VIP table section with the best view of the giant screens and the event
Meet and greet with a football legend
4TheFans interactive show with on-stage banter from a Sky Sports presenter
Guaranteed entry to the event
The most enormous anti-glare screens in the UK and a monster sound system
Special effects, lighting, DJ sets and music from doors till close
Access to Footy Fun Village with games, activations and family areas
Food from around the world and an exclusive bar traders
Manchester United set to join Premier League transfer battle for Morgan Rogers
Danny Jones
Manchester United and several other Premier League teams are expected to join in a multi-club race for the signature of Morgan Rogers in the upcoming transfer window.
Over the last year or two, Morgan Rogers has become not just one of the Three Lions’ brightest prospects but arguably one of the best young players in Europe.
Now reportedly set to, at the very least, consider leaving Aston Villa – regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League or not – a fair few clubs are set to pursue the fast-rising England international this summer.
As per Times Sport writers Gary Jacob and Paul Hirst, Rogers is now on the radar of Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal – and that’s just in the domestic top flight…
Clubs renew interest in Morgan Rogers as Villa face bidding war this summer
England midfielder is wanted by Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, with Villa’s valuation likely exceeding £80million
With an estimated minimum valuation of £80 million being slapped on the 23-year-old, it’ll take quite a sizeable package for Villa to let the West Brom academy product go.
The West Midlands-born midfielder was signed following an impressive bunch of performances at Middlesbrough, where he already trained under a then-fledgling new manager, Michael Carrick, who he joined following a number of loan spells at the likes of Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool.
His previous employers prior to the Birmingham side were actually Manchester City, who signed Rogers as a youth back in 2019, but never gave him a full run-out in the senior squad.
Now a fully graduated first-team star, a regularly decisive player/match-winner and clearly in Thomas Tuchel’s national team plans for the World Cup, Man City are not currently thought to be interested in re-signing him as they did with the likes of James Trafford, for example.
Then again, he isn’t necessarily a position they’re looking to strengthen with so many attack-minded options in advanced areas, whereas it’s claimed United are hoping to solve a number of issues all over the pitch this summer.
It’s worth noting he scored two incredible finishes against the Red Devils earlier this season.
Both certified worldies.
Of course, there is always the possibility of City and other big sides coming in for him, not only because of his undeniable talent but in an effort to stop rivals acquiring his services.
In the case of Manchester United, how much budget the INEOS board will afford Carrick and co regarding recruitment remains to be seen, though there is the belief that Rogers more than fits the attributes and age profile of those that sporting director Jason Wilcox will be targeting.
One bit of defensive business MUFC have already managed to complete is sorting a fresh new deal for centre-back Harry Maguire, who recently signed a key contract extension.
Danny Jones -
4th August 2023 
