Sport

Classic Football Shirts’ World Cup room is a thing of absolute beauty

This year's England kits might be 50/50 but virtually every shirt in this gaff is a work of art.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 19th November 2022

The 2022 World Cup is just around the corner and we couldn’t help but get ourselves wrapped up in the history of tournaments gone by, so we decided to wander over to Classic Football Shirts.

Having transformed what use to be their dedicated room for Man United and City kits into a celebration of the greatest shirts throughout the last few decades of international football, we were swimming in nostalgia and, to quote Jose Mourinho, “football ‘eritage”.

Opening up in Manchester back in 2006, Classic Football Shirts (CFS) has gone from strength to strength, expanding from their original HQ on Edwin Road near the Etihad to stores along Deansgate and in London, as well as purchasing a massive warehouse space in Hyde just a couple of years ago.

Now, ahead of the admittedly controversial Qatar World Cup, these lot have instead decided to focus on only the very best memories from previous tournaments — Euros included, of course — and nothing evokes the memory of those special summers more than the kits that went with them.

Credit: The Manc Group

They have obviously set a good chunk of space aside for vintage shirts from the UK as well, celebrating years of both English and Welsh footy history as the only two British teams to have qualified for this year’s World Cup.

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This year’s England kits may have divided opinions — especially when it comes to the price — but as with most of the shirts in this place, we’d seriously consider taking out a loan to buy out the whole shop.

From spotlighting match-worn shirts by the likes of Beckham and Bale, to showing off some of the most legendary jerseys throughout the years, this room is a real blast from the past.

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Credit: The Manc Group

Another aspect we loved was CFS’ custom-made bomber jackets inspired by some of the most iconic footballing nations from around the world.

Each design features bespoke artwork and lettering embossed on the back, all made with high-quality materials and available in a variety of colours. You know it’s a good bit of fashion when you can feel the weight of it.

You’ll probably see the staff wearing them around the place. Lucky sods.

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Credit: The Manc Group

CFS is practically an institution at this point and has not only provided a home to more than 500,000 retro football shirts but has also helped rejuvenate the world of football fashion.

While sports fashion is still as commonplace as ever, the popularity of vintage shirts like the ones on show in CFS’ Manchester store has seen a real resurgence in the past few years.

Whether it’s popping up in the National Football Museum or teaming up with BT Sport for their ‘What I Wore‘ series, the company has rendered looking through old footy kits virtually the same as admiring a piece of art.

They even recently popped up in the brand new fan park at the Love Factory near Manchester Victoria and will be showcasing their World Cup exhibition throughout the tournament.

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lf you’re looking to get yourself in the mood for this particularly unique winter tournament, we’d highly recommend heading on over for a look.

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Moreover, if you’re still trying to figure out where to watch the World Cup in Manchester this year, we’ve put together a list detailing some of the best venues screening the games in town.

You’re welcome.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — The Manc Group/Classic Football Shirts

Sport

Paul Scholes shares touching message over response to quitting punditry to look after his son

Danny Jones Danny Jones Paul Scholes is stepping away from punditry to look after his autistic son Aiden

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes recently announced that he has stepped away from football punditry and other media duties to look after his son, Aiden, and he has clearly been touched by the response to his deeply honest interview.

The former United star and England international has three children with his wife, Claire Frogratt, recently revealing that the two have sadly separated.

While his only daughter, Alicia – a thriving young netball player with London Pulse – and eldest son Arron (who runs the family’s self-titled Scholes Gym in Oldham) are both fully grown and in good health, Paul recently opened up about the challenges of looking after his youngest child, who has autism.

Aiden Scholes was diagnosed as autistic when he was just two and is largely non-verbal, meaning there are added difficulties not just when it comes to communicating but overall welfare. Opening in a fairly rare instance on a recent episode of The Overlap, the ex-midfielder is now putting all his focus on care.

Speaking with his old Man United teammates, including host Gary Neville and Roy Keane, as well as the rest of the panel, the 50-year-old retired pro and one-time manager turned pundit says that he recently made the conscious decision to put virtually everything else aside to put all of his efforts towards Aiden.

Put simply, he said, “I just decided everything I’m going to do is around Aiden.”

Of course, he went on to explain some of the important “routines” and obstacles in more detail during the sit-down, but even from the brief clip that went viral online, he’s been met with an incredible reaction on social media.

Sharing an update on his Instagram story, he went on to add: “Would just like to thank everyone for all your kind messages since The Overlap interview regarding Aiden – there’s been loads and tried to read as many as possible”, he said.

“The response from families (especially Dads) shows how much speaking about it helps so many… There was one quote from a parent in a similar position that’s just got me…”

The anonymous line he shared read: “My job is to stay alive one day longer than my son/daughter”. Truly tearjerking stuff.

Now 20, the Scholes family are a couple of decades into learning how best to meet Aiden’s additional needs, but Paul has admitted in the past that the climate was different back in the day.

The two have briefly discussed the subject in a past interview, but this is by far the most openly he’s discussed it publicly.

Neville himself said that his long-time friend, teammate, and fellow Class of ’92 graduate has always been a private person and didn’t talk to anyone about anything.

He signed off by urging people to enjoy the little things, like the weekend and having a few drinks – as well as wishing the best of luck to his beloved Salford City FC – but it can’t be overestimated how much his candid words have resonated with people all over the country.

You can see Paul Scholes’ most recent appearance on The Overlap in full down below.

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Featured Images — The Overlap (screenshots via YouTube)

Sport

Salford Red Devils supporters meet winding-up adjournment with a petition of their own

Danny Jones Danny Jones Salford Red Devils fans start petition to get rid of owners

Large numbers of Salford Red Devils supporters are currently rallying behind the push to remove their current ownership group, meeting yet another delay to the winding-up petition with a petition of their own: one that would see the owners kicked out of the club, full stop.

Shared online yesterday, the ‘Salford Red Devils Fans Against Jacobsen Venture Group’ (JVG) petition has amassed more than 1,000 signatures and is rapidly gaining traction.

This latest protest comes after a third adjournment of their wind-up process, giving the local rugby league side a little more time to find the funds they owe in unpaid debts and taxes – money that JVG have claimed is set to arrive imminently as of an update earlier this week.

But these supposed assurances all sound far too familiar and are clearly no longer enough for most fans. They no longer care about future investment from those currently behind the scenes: they just want them gone for good.

For context, in addition to more than £700,000 in outstanding fees owed to HMRC, the 152-year-old sporting organisation is also estimated to owe in excess of £5m to various other creditors.

While the consortium led by Swiss businessman Dario Berta (who technically ‘completed’ a takeover of the already financially struggling club back in February) insisted that the bulk of that amount was already hanging over the club before they took control, they have yet to inject long-promised funds.

As a result, after a third stay of execution earlier this week – but one that has done little more than prolong this long-drawn-out uncertainty – most fans have simply had enough.

Following up with a lengthy open letter on Wednesday evening, 29 October, the increasingly militant fan group known as The 1873 said of the potential new funding, “Let us be absolutely clear, we have heard all of this before.”

Even poking holes in the board’s own statement, noting that it suggests that “funding has been formally secured” before noting that it has not yet officially arrived.

“This kind of vague language”, they say, “is exactly what supporters have been subjected to for months: a cycle of empty promises and missed deadlines.

Helping spearhead the ‘JVG Out’ petition, leading member Nick Holt went on to tell BBC Sport Manchester that the patience and blind faith have simply run out.

The 1873 went on to write: “Back in September, the same individuals told the courts that funding would arrive ‘within 10 days’. It never did. In August, at the meeting with The 1873, they claimed money would be in place by the end of that month. It wasn’t.

“Every single time, the same promise and every single time, the same failure to deliver. False hope and no real investment. It is vital [that] supporters understand what is actually being proposed. The owners are not clearing the club’s debts, including the millions they have personally run up.

“Instead, they intend to roll all debts into one high-interest loan, a move that only deepens the long-term financial hole. How do they plan to service such a loan? Next season, the club’s central distribution is set to drop from around £1.3 million to less than £100,000.”

Noting that the recent IMG grading drop and subsequent relegation from the Betfred Super League will mean a significant drop in revenues across the board, they have quite rightly asked where the higher-ups expect to find the funds to make their already heavily overdue repayments.

“Season ticket sales are expected to collapse under the current ownership”, they continue, “and major commercial sponsors will not associate with this regime.

“To claim that this ‘funding’ secures the future of a 152-year-old club is not just misleading, it is an insult to every supporter who has kept this club alive through generations.”

Salford Red Devils have been dropped from the Super League
A petition like this and further demonstrations were guaranteed from the moment Salford Red Devils were relegated.

The impassioned response from the group signs off by adding: “The ownership’s reference to a so-called ‘strategic plan’ for a return to Super League in 2027 is beyond belief. Where is this plan? Why has it not been shared with supporters?

“At this moment, there is no head coach for 2026, no contracted players, and no football department infrastructure. To talk about a Super League return within two years is pure fantasy […] The reality is simple: This ownership group has repeatedly failed to deliver on its promises.

“It has mismanaged and misled, time and again. Every new statement only confirms how detached they are from the damage they continue to cause.”

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Most drastically, they insist that supporters will no longer “be fooled” nor continue to recognise the current ‘stewards’ failing to live up to that title by giving their own time and money to the regime, urging fellow fans to refrain from renewing season tickets, purchasing any merchandise, or attending games.

It’s a bold stance, to be sure, but it’s clear that those most fiercely loyal of supporters are looking to wrestle back control however they can; if you’re one of them, you can sign the petition HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The 1873 Group (supplied)

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