Sport

GB News’ ‘Alternative Match of the Day’ was so bad we’re convinced it was a parody

It didn't show any of the actual football, there were technical issue and since they couldn't actually analyse anything, the presenters just kept calling people 'woke'.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 13th March 2023

In a bit of guerilla broadcasting that absolutely nobody asked for, GB News decided to run their own ‘Alternative Match of the Day‘ programme on Saturday, just without showing any of the football…

That’s right, after the fallout from the BBC asking Gary Lineker to ‘step away’ from his duties on the football analysis show and UK TV institution, with his fellow pundits and presenters all standing in solidarity and boycotting the latest episodes, alternative media outlet GB News decided to step in.

However, since it is mainly BBC, Sky and BT that have the rights to the weekend’s action, their coverage could only go so far as showing a few still images of the games and a big graphic which read the title of the show while they listed the various scores.

Unbelievably, that wasn’t even the worst bit. Since they had no footage to watch back or actual sporting people to break down and analyse the matches with any real insight, they just resorted to repeating buzzwords from the ‘anti-woke’ thesaurus. Brace for cringe.

Right, seriously, what is actually happening?

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While we won’t purport to have sat through this tripe, it seems as though the majority of the broadcast went on and on like this without anyone asking the question, “shall we talk about the football now?”, “whose idea was this again?” or “can you make it stop?”.

As one person remarked on Twitter, it was “kind of GB News to remind everyone how brilliant MOTD usually is”, but there was also some seriously problematic stuff on show too, with LGBTQ+ newsletter Out and Out Football noting that “while it’s fun to mock the fragile masculinity on show, the comment about Brighton being ‘full of rainbow flags’ is pure homophobia.”

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Fortunately, as this brave soldier wrote in his caption, he “watched this sh*t so you wouldn’t have to”.

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It’s no wonder GB News reported losses of more than £31 million after just a year on air.

We don’t mind putting impartiality to the side on the odd occasion and sharing our unadulterated opinion on this one: we sincerely hope this is the last time GB News ever feels like they need to provide the UK’s footy fans and TV viewership an alternative Match of the Day. We assure you, we can do without it.

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That being said, the latest development in the BBC boycott situation is that Gary Lineker is expected to return to presenting sport sometime soon with an apology from the corporation also being rumoured.

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

Featured Image — GB News (via Twitter)

Sport

Soccer Aid is back for 2025 and returning to Old Trafford

Danny Jones Danny Jones soccer aid manchester old trafford tickets 2025

One of the biggest, best and most wholesome charity events on the UK TV and sporting calendar is coming around once again for 2025 and we can’t wait to have it back home: that’s right, Soccer Aid is back at Old Trafford.

The annual charity match on behalf of UNICEF first kicked off at the Theatre of Dreams almost two full decades ago, with the inaugural fixture set up by Robbie Williams back in 2006.

Fast forward to 19 years later and the fantastic fundraising game has grown massively, attracting huge attendances and practically sold-out crowds whenever it comes to Old Trafford, where this whole wonderful thing first started.

Sharing the first trailer for the game this week, the Soccer Aid 2025 is shaping up to include some serious big personalities from football, sport, entertainment and beyond.

As you can see, not only will the next instalment of Soccer Aid feature familiar faces but there are some new kids on the block ready to mix things up.

First off, not only will Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney be serving as player/manager for the first time – carrying on the baton from the days Robbie running on and off the pitch – but he will also be joined by none other than Tyson Fury in looking after the Three Lions.

This a first for the event so we hope there are no fisticuffs between the gaffer and his assistant. After all, they both have priors when it comes to getting out the boxing gloves.

As for the World XI’s technical area, actor Vicky McClure (This Is England, Line of Duty) will also be on the touchline alongside English footballing veteran Harry Redknapp. Meanwhile, ex-national team and Man City goalie, David James, will be serving as the keeper coach.

You can see the full Soccer Aid 2025 player lineup down below:

  • Steven Bartlett
  • Leonardo Bonucci
  • Alex Brooker
  • Jermain Defoe
  • Diamond
  • Toni Duggan
  • Mo Farah
  • Angryginge
  • Tom Grennan
  • Joe Hart
  • Steph Houghton
  • Kaylyn Kyle
  • Paddy McGuinness
  • Gary Neville
  • Nadia Nadim
  • Lee Mack
  • Wayne Rooney
  • Paul Scholes
  • Jill Scott
  • Sam Thompson
  • Louis Tomlinson
  • Sam Quek

Better yet, the exhibition’s beloved halftime show also returns this year and while the full list of the performers is yet to be confirmed, we have our money on a few names in particular.

Who knows, maybe we’ll be ‘loving angles instead’?…

Soccer Aid for UNICEF 2025 gets underway this summer on Sunday, 15 June and besides being for a deeply important cause, one of the best parts about it is that the tickets are always affordable.

With general admission already live, tickets start from £20 for adults and just £10 for kids – plus there are plenty of premium packages and accessible options too.

Grab yours 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 — Press Images (supplied)/The Manc Group

Sport

The female-only five mile trail race that’s been running through Salford for over three decades

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The running boom in Greater Manchester is getting bigger every year but for lots of locals, it’s been a regular pastime for much longer and some events like this women’s trail race in Salford have been going for more than thirty years.

Jogging and road racing are one thing but trail running is a discipline all of its own and with such wonderful landscapes to traverse all over the North West let alone just the 10 boroughs, thousands get stuck into it every year.

With that in mind, 2025 marks the 33rd edition of the annual Ladies Trail Race hosted by Swinton Running Club, which sees hordes of female runners turn up to take part and, most importantly, have fun every single year.

Taking place this spring, the latest event makes use of Salford’s largest conservation area and is expecting yet another solid turnout.

Credit: Swinton Running Club (supplied)

Aiming to provide a welcoming space for all women, regardless of background or experience, the Ladies Trail Race gives Mancs a chance to run through some of the most stunning parts of Salford.

The race is a single-lap course spanning five miles that passes the lake at Old Warke Dam and includes sections of Greater Manchester’s famous Bridgewater Canal as well as the beauty of Worsley Woods.

Alternating between trails, woodland terrain and sections of tarmac path, the ease of traversal does fluctuate but is still considered a very accessible level of difficulty, meaning no one should be put off.

Having run through this particular area of Salford ourselves separate from the event itself, we can confirm it’s a wonderful route and a brilliant way to immerse yourself in nearby nature too.

Better yet, it’s a fantastic female-focused event in a space that can often feel intimidating for some.

As Swinton Runners put it, “It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in races and we want to bring women together to push their boundaries and gain a sense of achievement.”

Credit: SRC

For context, when running-based campaign group SheRaces took a poll of 400 female runners to see if they’d be interested in a women-only race, the response was conclusive: 87% said they would – sadly the figures in

Speaking to The Manc, one of the event’s founding members, Margaret McClelland, told us: “I was there back in 1991 when we started the run.

“It was the brainchild of one of our members, Marie Henderson who found when she joined that the club, which even at the time had a high percentage of women runners compared to most clubs, that she enjoyed the camaraderie, the joy of running together with a supportive ‘family’.

“The club had hosted the ‘Women’s Own 10km’ run for a number of years […] Marie thought that we should get our own race back up again and whilst the men were very much involved it was a race for women, organised by women.

“The aim was to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for women to run, whatever their ability or goals. The first, last and everyone in between is as important as each other and for them to keep going, showing what running can do in terms of feel good, with the bonus of it not costing very much to do.”

It’s events like this and the strong base of female runners here in Greater Manchester that have helped pave the way for contemporaries like the upcoming Women’s Run Series by RunThrough to come to Heaton Park.

You can watch the 25th-anniversary video made for the City of Salford Women’s Run down below, and if you’re interested in taking part in the 2025 Ladies Trail Race, it takes place on Sunday, 4 May with a bright and early 9am start time.

You can sign up HERE – best of luck, runners!

There’s passion, heritage and female empowerment behind this much-loved and long-standing running event.

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

Featured Images — Swinton Running Club (supplied)

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