Man City vs Arsenal round one might have just dished up an early contender for game of the season and although the game itself was thrilling, it was the argument between Erling Haaland, Gabriel Jesus and Mikel Arteta that the cameras caught after the full-time whistle that fans are lapping up.
Following the frustration felt on both sides after an extremely tense 2-2 draw in the first real face-off for this year’s Premier League title, there were some heated words exchanged between Erling Haaland, ex-Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus and their former coach Mikel Arteta.
Picked up by the Sky Sports cameras, a little jab from the big Norwegian resulted not only in a quick death stare by Arteta but also some rapid intervention from Jesus before the whole thing boiled over and they had to be separated.
Maybe it’s still too early to tell but this doesn’t look like just any old bit of beefing between two title contenders you’d get in any other season – it could be the start of a proper era of City vs Arsenal rivalry.
"Stay humble eh" 🔥
Listen to Erling Haaland's comments to Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta at full-time following the 2-2 draw 🚨 pic.twitter.com/sXVYrK7hw9
As you can see, Haaland – who made it 100 goals for City in 105 games (matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-to-a-century record for one club – turned a quick handshake with Pep Guardiola’s former right-hand man into a dig, patting him on the back and quipping, “Stay humble, eh?”
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While the Arsenal manager does turn to react, we’ll never know what he was about to say, if anything, as the club’s previous number-nine comes to his defence, asking why he feels the need to add such comments, at which point Haaland proceeds say “get the f*** away from you f***ing clown.”
The trio are eventually separated by Jack Grealish and other members of the technical staff but Arteta ultimately turns to calm down Jesus as the coverage cuts out.
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Nevertheless, the very widely broadcasted spat felt very vintage Barclays, with supporters of both teams and neutrals alike enjoying the feistiness of the exchange. Safe to say Haaland won’t be exchanging Christmas cards with Arteta or Jesus.
Reacting online, one person captioned the clip, “Elite level sports – you eat or get eaten! I love this”; another added, “Jheeez Haaland’s ego is maddd”, while a third simply wrote: “For what a season this is gonna be”. Meanwhile, match-hero John Stones had some choice words of his own after saving a point.
"CITY ARE OUT OF JAIL!" 🤯
John Stones gets Manchester City's equaliser with mere seconds left to play! 💥 pic.twitter.com/owIr7jjkJn
Clearly feeling somewhat defiant and more lofted after scoring the equalising goal right at the death to keep the Blues’ unbeaten streak alive – 28 games unbeaten in the league and a whopping 47 games unbeaten at home – Stones had a pop of his own at Arsenal’s tactics.
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Speaking after the game, the 30-year-old said of their opponents ‘dark arts’ approach to the game: “I don’t know if they have mastered it, they’ve done it for a few years, and we know to expect that. You can call it clever, or dirty, whichever way you want to put it.
“They break up the game, and it upsets the rhythm for everyone. I thought we dealt with it really well. It’s not easy when those things are happening”, he continued, with teammate Bernardo Silva going on to argue: “There was only one team that came to play football. The other came to play to the limits of what was possible to do and allowed by the referee.”
To put it in the words of popular online commentator and podcaster HLTCO, a.k.a. Dan Cook, “Aggro is back at the top of our game” and regardless of whether you’re sad to see love lost between the likes of Arteta, Jesus and their former employers, the vast majority seemed to have very much enjoyed it.
BREAKING: Manchester City and Arsenal will face NO retrospective punishment after Sunday's fiery clash ❌
Erling Haaland threw the ball at the back of Gabriel's head after City's injury time equaliser, but the FA cannot get involved as the incident was reviewed at the time by… pic.twitter.com/dli2KCztJe
Manchester United to debut first ‘tifo’ banner before Lyon game
Danny Jones
Manchester United is set to debut its first-ever ‘tifo’ banner ahead of their big game against Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday night.
The Red Devils are staring down their biggest moment of the season – arguably one of their biggest in some time – as they must beat Lyon in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final to advance in the competition, which is their only chance of silverware this year.
It’s been a tough start for new manager Ruben Amorim since he arrived at Old Trafford, with Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS ownership group having been amidst turbulent times pretty much ever since they took up a minority stake in the club.
All that being said, and with Man United’s financial obstacles now well-publicised by the co-owner himself, winning the tournament and therefore securing a shot at Champions League football next season is crucial to how their ambitious rebuild and, notably, stadium redevelopment plans pan out.
A pleasure to have worked with @ManUtd on this. The whole display should be fantastic. Let's ensure all fans are in the stadium early to create an atmosphere.https://t.co/yBzo3kXWrx
With that in mind, the club are looking to be bolder than ever when it comes to creating an atmosphere for the crucial knockout fixture, announcing that a tifo banner will be unveiled inside the stadium for the first time in the club’s history.
For any of those still unclear on what a tifo is, they are large, colourful, choreographed displays typically organised by the supporters themselves, which spotlight things like club badges, legendary players, insignias, messages and more.
Popular in various other parts of the continent and beyond, especially in the likes of Italy (where the trend first started) and Germany, as well as southern and eastern Europe, this particular part of global football fan culture hasn’t really made it over to the Premier League just yet.
Not too far away from the kinds of big banners that are commonplace throughout most football, only even more massive and usually much intricate in shape, design and detail, the club has confirmed their inaugural attempt at a United tifo will be shown in front of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.
As for what it’s going to look like, the specifics are being kept under wraps for now, but the club are said to have worked with fan representatives closely on the project before being shared with captain Bruno Fernandes to get his seal of approval.
The flag shown during this year’s Munich Disaster memorial observation. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For now, the only details revealed are that “the ‘tifo’ will be raised from the ground to the roof, in front of the halfway line, creating a spectacular moment ahead of kick-off in M16.”
There have been plenty of big banner moments – both in protest and to mark important memorials – already this season, but this promises to be a whole different kettle of fish for the club.
During their most recent Europa League fixture, those up in the stands even got to witness Old Trafford putting on pyrotechnics for the first time, though it’s safe to say they didn’t quite nail the concept.
In fact, it looks like the club itself would be the first to admit it, as they also confirmed that the pre-match pageantry will include “red-and-white pyrotechnics will also appear adjacent to the banner, in a larger display than the one seen before the win over Real Sociedad in the previous round.”
Tifos are all well and good, but they need backing up with results, and it goes without saying that this match could define not just Man United‘s season but work wonders for Amorim’s future moving forward. This is the sort of standard they’re up against…
Ultras do not mess about when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Bury FC legend Nicky Adams confirms retirement after more than two decades
Danny Jones
Bury FC is saying goodbye to a veteran of Greater Manchester football as local legend Nicky Adams has announced he will be retiring at the end of the season.
The Bolton-born midfielder has enjoyed a 22-year career, playing for 10 different clubs in that time, most notably Bury, where he began as an academy product and earned his first senior minutes back in 2005.
Having been with the club across four different stints and by far the largest chunk of his playing days, making more than 200 appearances for the North West Counties side, he’s practically part of the furniture at this point.
But the time has finally come, as Adams revealed he will be retiring from professional football at the age of 38 – his longevity being an incredible achievement in itself.
⚪🔵 Nicky Adams has announced his retirement from football.
Adams has had a 22-year football career and will hang up his boots at the end of the season to take up a full-time coaching role.
Confirmed via a club statement on Tuesday, 15 April, the Shakers informed fans that Adams, who returned to his home club back in December, will be able to toast hanging up his boots with a promotion party if they avoid defeat against Burscough.
Adams has represented several other Greater Manchester teams in the past too, playing 85 games for Rochdale and 59 for Oldham Athletic, as well as 88 for Radcliffe FC.
Having scored 14 goals during his time with Bury, as well as serving as club captain, he told the club: “I think it’s perfect timing for me, I’m learning the coaching side of it. I’ve been doing that for the last few years, and I’ve got a big opportunity to go and do that full-time now.
“I came here at 16 years old; I’ve come back a few times now, I’ve played over 200 games for the football club, I don’t need to tell anyone what it means to me.
“I’ve had some unbelievable times here, and I’ll be forever grateful to this football club, which gave me the opportunity to go and be a professional footballer and go on the journey that I’ve been on. I’m forever grateful for that.”
Speaking on his return late last year, it’s plain to see how big an impression Gigg Lane has left on him.
He may be calling time on his playing days, but he’s not going anywhere.
Manager Dave McNabb went on to say: “I’m not really sure how to put into words the impact that Nicky has had on me and this group since he walked back through the door in December.
“His legendary status at this football club is well-known and documented. I had heard a lot of good things about his character and his personality through mutual friends and people within the game, so I knew he was going to be a good lad and have a positive impact in the dressing room.
Even with this knowledge, never did I expect to meet such an honest and caring man with enormous levels of integrity and with such high standards and principles. He’s a leader amongst men. When he talks, people listen. He gets the best out of others.
He is trusted and respected by everyone. He drives positive relationships within the group. He is the glue that holds things together. I’m proud to have brought him back to HIS football club, I’m proud to have played a very small part in his illustrious career but most of all, I’m proud to be able to call him a friend.
Signing off with a sentiment, McNabb added: “Good luck Nicky, you’re a legend.”
Danny Jones -
23rd September 2024 
