With derby day approaching, Manchester United and City fans are making their arrangements big fixture and while local Mancunians should be fine, people travelling from elsewhere look to be in a bit of bother.
More specifically, United and City fans living in London (yes, we know the joke) will have some trouble making their way up for the game if they’re travelling by public transport due to the ongoing rail strikes.
Sports writer Barney Ronay shared an exasperated tweet explaining how there are seemingly “no trains to Manchester from London for City v United this Sunday”, arguing that the overall “fan experience is so terrible now some are having to give up”.
Being in the stadium, the most valuable part of football has already been seriously degraded by prices, VAR, stupid scheduling for TV. Dealing with rail franchises (Avanti: a wretched example) pushes this over into a kind of masochism
He goes on to identify this as symptomatic of the “horrendous state of infrastructure killing away days” and even went so far as to diagnose the modern matchday as almost “masochistic”.
Plenty of fans who travel to see their respective clubs echoed his thoughts, commenting that the regular drama of “changed dates/hotels not refunding etc it is becoming too expensive for many” and that even outside of reasonable strike action, matchday services are difficult to plan around.
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It is severely affecting away days. Supporting Altrincham in the National League, 14 clubs in the South. No trains due to industrial action is fair enough but outside of that its still really hard work to sort out & not financially viable for many to buy walk up off peak tickets.
Many of those commenting on the thread also clarified that despite tickets being displayed as ‘sold out’ or ‘unavailable’ online, this often isn’t true and it’s more a case of there being no seats left to reserve.
However, just as many were quick to respond that this offers little help to those who need to have a reliable plan for commuting back and forth, even more so when it comes to midweek games or those scheduled on a Sunday like this week’s Manchester derby.
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Hard to do that if you have to plan a way back from Manchester late on a Sunday night, work next morning, and you see this for the whole way there and back pic.twitter.com/kzP1xTJtpK
Moreover, others rightly noted that very few people are in a financial position where they are able to buy an expensive face-value ticket on the day on the half-chance they might be able to squeeze onto a packed train and stand for more than two hours.
As was to be expected, plenty of people also took to ridiculing the tweet and the two clubs, advising to simply “support your local team” and so on. It was also pointed out that a United fan travelling to the match from London, for instance, isn’t exactly what most fans would dub an ‘away day’.
Not just premier league. All clubs everywhere. The trains are shit whoever you support
Nevertheless, even those travelling on ‘proper’ away days couldn’t help but agree with the overarching point, with many citing that they regularly spend upwards of £100-150 just getting to their destination.
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Any travelling football fan will know – especially those coming to and from London – it’s an expensive habit this football lark and even after you make it to wherever the game is that day, you’re still forking out more for food, drink and perhaps even additional transport to the ground.
Beyond those strictly hoping to catch the Manchester derby, most seem to agree with the strikes and suggested that more needs to be done to combat “the government’s assault on living standards, terms and conditions, pensions” which are subsequently impacting matchday travel year-round.
As for those still looking to try and make the journey into Manchester for derby day, the likes of Avanti West Coast are releasing their train schedule later today (Thursday).
Former Manchester City player Joey Barton found guilty of assaulting his wife
Danny Jones
Ex-footballer Joey Barton has officially been found guilty of assaulting his wife following his two-day trial in the capital this week.
Barton, who played for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and a number of other clubs, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 25 March, following an incident back in June 2021.
The former midfielder left his wife, 37-year-old Georgia Barton (McNeil), with a bleeding nose and a bruise on her forehead following a drunken row at their home in London.
Barton is said to have grabbed and pushed her to the floor before kicking her in the head. Married in 2019, the two have four children and are thought to still be together.
The 42-year-old was still employed in professional football as the manager of Bristol Rovers at the time, but he was ultimately sacked in October 2023.
His wife called 999 at the time, telling police that he had hit her, but later retracted her statement.
Born in Huyton, Merseyside, the chief magistrate Paul Goldspring recognised that the one-time England has a history of violence.
He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, meaning he won’t serve time unless he commits another offence and has been ordered to pay £2,138.
Since dropping out of mainstream football, in particular, Barton has come under heavy criticism for allegations of racism, sexism and controversial right-wing politics; he even started an ‘anti-woke’ podcast called Common Sense with Joey Barton.
Back in June of last year, he was ordered to pay £35,000 in damages to settle a libel claim with presenter Jeremy Vine after a series of inflammatory comments made online.
The Radio 2 presenter sued Mr Barton earlier this year, after the former footballer wrote a series of posts suggesting Mr Vine had a sexual interest in children.
He also accused of threatening fellow former pro, Eni Aluko, after a torrent of abuse regarding her punditry online – the ex-England international even went so far as to say she no longer felt safe staying in the country.
The Hundred is calling for up-and-coming presenters to co-host this year’s tournament
Danny Jones
The Hundred 2025 is fast approaching and cricket’s fastest-growing tournament is once again asking for aspiring presenters to join their roster of co-hosts and help cover the action.
The fast-paced 100-ball format is entering its fifth year and next to T20, you find a more accessible and thrilling form of cricket, so it’s no wonder the competition is gaining a greater audience each year.
With that in mind, the need for a top-notch broadcast team is more crucial than ever but just like those who backed The Hundred in its infancy, they’re looking to invest in future creatives and on-screen talent.
Are you someone looking to get into presenting or know someone who is? Keep reading.
For the fifth year in a row, we want you to be part of #TheHundredRising! 🎤
So how does it work? Well, it’s pretty straightforward: The Hundred is looking for eight up-and-coming presenters to join their team of main venue hosts up and down the country.
Tasked with guiding and talking fans through an action-packed five weeks across all host cities, successful applicants will be responsible for building excitement and atmosphere inside the seven cricket grounds on each match day.
From player and pundit interviews to crowd engagement and interactive other activations with partnered brands, not to mention members of this year’s live music lineup, you’ll be a key part of putting out the top-quality sports and entertainment product they promise every year.
The best part of all is that no prior hosting experience is necessary – this is all about platforming you and The Hundred as a whole.
Successful applicants will be mentored by the main hosts at their respective venues and will attend a two-day workshop with special guests to get them ready to hit the stage this summer.
The ‘Rising Hosts’ scheme has been set up in tandem with their dedicated event production agency, Progress Productions, which will be in charge throughout the application and selection process.
Shortlisted applicants will then have their details shared with the ECB (English Cricket Board) who will be involved when it comes to making their final decisions.
It goes without saying that even if you just love sports or just want to find a way into the industry, this is an opportunity that is not to be missed.
Danny Jones -
29th September 2022 
