Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has issued a travel warning ahead of Tuesday night ahead of a huge night of sport and music over at the Etihad Campus.
As well as tomorrow night’s football action, with Manchester City‘s next Champions League match kicking off at 8pm, a big gig is taking place at Co-op Live just next door.
While Man City are taking on Dutch side Feyenoord in what is now an even more important fixture following Pep Guardiola having now lost five in a row for the first time in his career, over the road one of the hottest bands in the rock world right now.
Set to headline Manchester’s state-of-the-art music venue for the first time, alternative metal group Sleep Token‘s landmark Northern show will be going on simultaneously, with doors to the venue due to open from 7pm. With that in mind, TfGM has urged those attending both to plan ahead.
Taking the tram to @TheCoopLive tomorrow to watch Sleep Token?
– You can catch a tram every 6 mins from the city centre. – Hop off at Etihad Campus for the venue. – Get there early, as the area will be very busy for Man City-Feyenoord.
With both events overlapping and fans of both the band and the Blues descending upon the Etihad Stadium and the arena, respectively, the local transport authority has shared details of how to best plan journeys, be they on the tram, by car or otherwise, as well as how to avoid the crowds before and after.
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It’s estimated that around 2,000 Feyenoord fans will do the usual walk up to the Etihad from Shambles Square, which will obviously cause significant disruption in the city centre, not to mention congestion when it comes to roads, buses and the Metrolink.
As per an official update from TfGM, they stated: “Those making their way home or elsewhere should re-route their journeys away from the area, consider leaving earlier to avoid the traffic or work from home on the day if it is an option for them.
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“The transport network will be busiest between 4pm and 5:30pm on Saturday and between 5:30pm and 8pm on Tuesday. Tram travel will be the best option for most City fans and concertgoers”
Double the amount of services are set to run throughout the day along the Eccles and Ashton-under-Lyne lines and the Altrincham and Piccadilly routes will also be extended operations to serve the added footfall heading towards the Etihad Campus.
You can expect a tram approximately every six minutes from the city centre but they will obviously be very busy, so they have also suggested people consider the recently redeveloped walking route to the Etihad Campus, which is well-lit, stewarded and takes around 25 minutes from Piccadilly.
– With delays on roads in and around the city from 4pm, avoid driving. – Use our Park & Ride locations & go by tram. – Alternatively, take the well-lit, signposted walking route from Piccadilly.
Manchester City matchday bus service will also be operating as usual, with 15 different routes operating across Greater Manchester and beyond, covering a total of 64 stops, not to mention other bus companies and the wider Bee Network.
Driving is being warned against due to the increased traffic flow but for those who must, park and ride is recommended, though Ashton Moss and Ashton West Park and Ride are expected to be the busiest, so gig-goers may want to try Hollinwood, Radcliffe or Whitefield.
So, whether you’re heading to the concert or the game and however you choose to get there, be safe, look after each other and, most of all, have a great time.
You can read the full update for more details HERE.
Featured Images — G-13114 (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group
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First vendors confirmed Glossop Market Hall, including two indie Manc traders
Danny Jones
The first vendors for the upcoming Glossop Market Hall have been announced, and the lineup includes two beloved Greater Manchester independent businesses.
Better still, the third is another noteworthy name from the North West.
Glossop Market Hall is scheduled to launch later this year, setting up shop in the historic town hall complex, where the High Peak Borough Council, a retail shopping arcade and various other municipal buildings have stood in various different iterations for nearly well over a century.
With the Derbyshire town set to celebrate the opening of the newly revamped market hall, those behind the new Glossop attraction have now revealed the first three names set to take up residence there.
As you can see, the biggest names already signed on to cook from one of the six kitchens is a Manchester favourite food hall in its own right: Hello Oriental.
The Pan-Asian paradise not only has a subterranean space below Circle Square, but also at The Trafford Centre, as well as a dessert spin-off in Freight Island.
Indie trader number two comes in the form of B&V Trading, who are based at Stanley Square in Sale and specialise in eco-friendly, UK-made treats, toys and essentials for four-legged friends.
After proving a hit with the locals, their small stall at nearby Altrincham Market has grown to see them open up not just a second site in the leafy Cheshire suburbs of Knutsford back in 2022, but now boast a third location in neighbouring Macclesfield.
Speaking of Macc, local gin and whisky makers, Forest Distillery – based up at the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn pub towards the Peaks – they round out the first wave of regional businesses set to pop up in Glossop Market Hall (GMH) when it finally arrives this winter.
And once again, as the update on social media reads: “This is just the beginning”.
Natives, day-trippers and tourists from all over are bound to visit this place when it opens sometime in November (exact date still TBC), and with space not only for a dedicated bar, dining space and a coffee shop, but a total of 17 retail spaces, we can’t wait to see what comes next.
GMH becomes just the latest among a growing trend of food and drink halls popping up all over our part of the country, with virtually every Greater Manchester borough now boasting at least one of their own – or, in the city centre’s case, what feels like a dozen now.
Exhibit number… not sure, we’ve lost track at this point.
Ruben Amorim insists he ‘cannot’ quit as Manchester United manager
Danny Jones
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has reiterated that he won’t quit his job at the club and that his departure will only come through being sacked.
The struggling head coach has notched the lowest tally of any permanent manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, and despite a much-needed win against Sunderland this past weekend – not to mention a much more positive performance overall – there are still growing calls of ‘Amorim Out’.
Amorim has registered just 34 points from the 33 Premier League games he’s been in charge of so far,
Nevertheless, as per quotes from The Guardian over the weekend, the Portuguese head coach assured that he will not be stepping away from the role and would have to be sacked for him to leave Man United.
Speaking to the outlet after the 2-0 home win this past Saturday, Amorim said: “No, that is a decision of the board – I cannot do that. Sometimes I have that feeling, and losing is hard, not to create the momentum.
“It’s so frustrating when you create the momentum, go to the next game, [and] something happens. That feeling sometimes hurts me a lot. Also, the players and especially the staff here. But that is not my decision, and I think it would be really hard to leave if I don’t do everything to follow my career here.”
The 40-year-old still has the support of many supporters, but it’s fair to say that many neutrals and even die-hards who would like to believe they have put their faith in this rebuild and the INEOS project up to now are growingly increasingly impatient and doubtful, with plenty of vocal detractors already.
Amorim continued, “It’s a dream to be here and I want to continue here, and I want to fight for this; but the problem is now what makes me suffer is to lose games, not to lose my job.”
He also added the caveat that, unlike those who were unfortunately laid off during the two rounds of redundancies over the past 12 months alone, “you fear [losing] your job when you have to pay the bills, and I don’t have that feeling.”
It’s also worth noting that this is by no means the first time he’s fielded questions of the matter of resignation, having previously worried fans with divisive comments about sometimes ‘hating’ his players and flitting between wanting to either quit or echo Fergie and stay at Old Trafford for decades.
"Sometimes I want to quit, sometimes I want to be here for 20 years."
Rúben Amorim defended his emotional response after Manchester United’s defeat to Grimsby Town but admitted he wants to improve how he reacts 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/nXuN0Ztoee
Despite the United administration assuring that he has their backing, every game feels like it could be make or break for Amorim at the moment.
Although he does have the respite of the October international break coming up, the first game back is against the reigning champions Liverpool away at Anfield – a team he is yet to beat.
In fact, you could also argue that this may only serve as disruption to any kind of momentum they may have generated with the victory over the Black Cats; only time will tell.
You can see his most recent post-match press conference in full down below.
Ok, Man United fans: Amorim won’t quit, but do you think he should be sacked, or does he deserve more time?
Danny Jones -
25th November 2024 
