Sport

Five things we noticed at Manchester United vs Celtic Legends game at Old Trafford

Less match report, more recognition of a wonderful day for the greater good.

Harry Quick Harry Quick - 9th September 2024

Over 33,000 fans welcomed a star-studded lineup of legends to the Theatre of Dreams with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes all back donning United red in aid of the Manchester United Foundation.

United’s squad were to entertain a Celtic XI featuring Stylian Petrov and former Manchester City man Georgios Samaras. The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes before the visitors prevailed in a 5-4 win on penalties.

The United legends were on top for large portions of the game, but if ever the men in green and white stripes were up against it, they certainly had a 12th man to boost their motivation.

Here’s what we took away from the wholesome day of charity football.

Five things we learned from the Man United vs Celtic Legends game

Celtic fans travel in force for the United Legends game

The Glaswegian side has followers around the world and the ‘Green Wall’ were in good voice in the away corner of Old Trafford. It was difficult to avoid the shamrock of the hoops on the ride up to the ground, which seemed to be an almost 50/50 colour split on the walk up along Sir Matt Busby Way.

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The reason could lie in Manchester’s large Irish community showing support for their second favourite club, behind the Reds, of course.

They were a constant presence until the final whistle, receiving the result they deserved as Darren O’Dea slotted the winning penalty in the shootout – with a compulsory belly slide celebration to boot.

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Carrick and Fletcher have still got it

Amidst Man United’s current midfield woes, the match on Saturday confirmed that the partnership of Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher still works in 2024. The midfield pairing dictated proceedings with their usual calm and control which never left the duo despite being on the wrong side of 40 years old.

As the match went on and the pace of the game gradually diminished, I couldn’t help but wonder whether my Sunday side could give these old boys a game.

A sequence of one-touch passes and neat flicks around the corner between the pair followed by a meandering run into the box by Carrick quickly put all my questions to bed. They are five-time Premier League winners for crying out loud, we’ll just stick to the local park.

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No such thing as a friendly

Even for a charity match, there is no love lost between ex-professionals. Their bodies might be ageing but the passion for a meaty tackle evidently never goes away.

For the Reds, Phil Bardsley and Fletcher couldn’t help but get stuck in whilst Celtic’s Joe Ledley and Charlie Mulgrew were the main culprits to never shirk a 50/50.

The Celtic boys were flying in around the box, which helped give us the moment of the game – a Wayne Rooney free-kick into the top corner from 25 yards. Textbook.

Rooney never lets you down

If it was ever in doubt, Wazza’s class is permanent. He may be a far cry from the 18-year-old who would go on to score over 250 goals for the Red Devils but he rolled back the years with a pearler of a strike.

After a previous attempt from a dead ball which struck the wall, the former England man obliged with his next attempt. He was hardly going to let the Old Trafford faithful leave without another iconic finish.

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The goal just before the halftime break drew the entire stadium to its feet, including a rightful applause from the travelling support. The second biggest roar came during his departing substitution for Paul Scholes – a fitting tribute to mark the return of arguably United’s best ever.

More than just a game

With the first team action on hold due to the international break, this was the perfect replacement of footballing action for an unbelievable cause.

The match against Celtic generated almost £1 million in revenue, which will help to support the Manchester United Foundation’s work with young people in Greater Manchester and other outreach areas in the UK.

United Foundation Chief Executive John Shiels said: “We’d like to thank our fantastic team of legends for playing so brilliantly in the name of charity.”

“We are incredibly thankful to Manchester United fans for supporting our work all year round, but especially so today, when the price of their ticket goes back into our work supporting young people.”

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man united legends games
man united legends lineup v celtic
The United vs Celtic Legends produced a wonderful atmosphere (Credit: The Manc Group/MUFC via supplied)

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The United vs Celtic Legends game was just the latest in the club’s regular programme of exhibition matches for a good cause among a variety of other annual fundraising activities.

The Foundation delivers community outreach and educational programmes to encourage young people to make more positive life choices across the 10 boroughs all year round.

What better way to connect to our community than through the beautiful game?

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

Featured Images — Manchester United (supplied)

Sport

10 ‘high-risk’ Manchester football fans arrested following recent violent disorder

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Several arrests have been made this week following an incident of violent disorder linked to a football match a few months back.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Specialist Operations branch were joined by colleagues from across the force – including those in Challenger teams – as they conducted several arrests around Greater Manchester this past Wednesday (13 December) in relation to violent disorder that recently took place.

The violent disorder in question occurred the day before Manchester United and faced FC Twente in the Champions League back in September.

Prior to the match, police say it is believed that a targeted and organised large-scale fight took place in the Lower Broughton area of Salford, all before the group of supporters then headed towards Manchester city centre.

As a result, 10 supporters – who are men aged between 20 and 64, and police say are suspected to be “high-risk” – are now in custody for questioning as investigations continue.

On top of this, when officers entered two properties on their search mission, two separate cannabis farms were found, and this meant that a 36-year-old woman was also subsequently arrested on suspicion of cultivation.

With the Manchester Derby now only days away, GMP says these arrests are a reminder that violence of any sort, whether it’s linked to football or not, “will not be tolerated” in our region.

Speaking ahead of the massive Premier League clash this weekend, Chief Superintendent Colette Rose, from GMP’s Specialist Operations division, commented: “With another big fixture coming this weekend, we want to send a strong message and reassurance that our specialised officers will be deployed to ensure you remain safe and peace is maintained, so you can enjoy the game.

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“On occasions when enforcement is needed, those who are intent on causing harm will have to answer for their actions.”

Featured Image – GMP

Sport

Pep Guardiola says he won’t manage another club after Manchester City

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Pep Guardiola has claimed he won’t manage another team after his tenure at Manchester City is up, so enjoy the ride whilst you can, Blues.

One of the most successful managers in history, Pep Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers to have ever lived but it looks like the 53-year-old is now starting to think about life after football – or at least after Man City.

The Catalan coach was recently speaking on Spanish chef Dani García’s Desmontadito podcast discussing his career and life beyond the beautiful game.

Guardiola recently extended his stay at the Eithad with a new two-year contract but it did look like he was ramping up to leave until the 11th hour and it now seems as though his time at City will be his last in the world of club football.

When asked about his future by his fellow compatriot, Pep said: “I’m going to stop. I am not going to join another team, I’m not going to leave to go to another country. I won’t have the energy. For now, I’m still here but to think about starting again, the whole process of training – no, no.”

Energy has been a defining factor for so many managers of late, with long-time rival Jürgen Klopp having departed Liverpool FC as a result of the fatigue caused by the job.

With countless cups, six Premier League titles and a trio of Champions League trophies to his name, Pep has pretty much won everything there is to win, which will no doubt factor into his eventual decision.

Plus, we’ve already seen the mental toll of competing at the top level can take following some concerning scenes involving the man himself last month.

That being said, Pep did go on to suggest that however long he stays in the sport after his time in Manchester is all said and done, his next role would likely be in international football as leading a country to major silverware is the one thing he hasn’t achieved just yet.

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City have managed to get points back on the board in their last two games, notching a much-needed 3-0 against Nottingham Forest before only managing to scrape a draw against Crystal Palace this past weekend, but with a derby approaching this Sunday, all eyes are on Manchester.

With the title race already looking like a nigh on an insurmountable task given the points they’ve already drooped (even with Liverpool’s recent slip-up), Pep’s stress and energy are already pushed to their limits as it is.

You might only get a couple more years with the tactical genius, City fans, so make the most of it.

You can watch Pep Guardiola’s full interview with Dani García down below – though it is in Spanish so you will need subtitles on:

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

Featured Images — football.ua (via Wikimedia Commons)

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