Following another Premier League title for Manchester City and another major trophy for Pep Guardiola, Jamie Redknapp has dubbed the Spaniard “the greatest manager ever”.
Speaking on Sky Sports‘ punditry panel after Man City lifted the title in their final home game against Chelsea, the former player waxed lyrical about the Catalan coach and his incredible managerial record, with this latest Premier League trophy making it five English league titles alone.
Redknapp then went on to state, “I think he is the greatest ever”, not only for what he’s done for football in this country but across Europe over the course of his career thus far.
Big words, and while many may debate over who that ‘all-time’ title goes to, it’s hard to argue against him being the best coach on the planet right now.
🗣️ "I think he is the greatest ever!"
Jamie Redknapp believes Pep Guardiola is the greatest football manager of all time pic.twitter.com/wBMBICbnxW
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 21, 2023
As the 49-year-old former Liverpool and Spurs player went on to add, he said he believes Pep Guardiola “has changed football.”
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“There’s been some great managers; if you go through history – Arrigo Sacchi, what he did at AC Milan… Johan Cruyff, what he did in terms of playing out from the back”, said Redknapp, “but if you go back to grassroots football, whatever, everyone plays the Pep way: out from the back.
“We thought this was impossible but it’s because of the way he has changed everyone’s perception of the game, the way everyone is so comfortable [on the ball], midfielders coming into different areas, splitting defences.
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“I think he is, for me, he is the greatest ever. He’s won 11 domestic titles in the 14 years that he’s been a manager, 48 major trophies [including as a player]. You can talk about Sir Alex Ferguson as well, Bill Shankly — but, for me, he has changed football forever.” As for Guardiola himself, he insists he knows what he and his team need to do for them to go down as one of the best of all time.
"We have to win the Champions League to be considered one of the best teams!"
Redknapp obviously isn’t the first to call Pep Guardiola the greatest manager ever — even Noel Gallagher made similar comments about his revolutionary impact on football — but City fans will be pleased to hear that his sights are now well and truly focused on the two remaining games.
Guardiola might still be behind Fergie on major honours, with Pep now boasting 33 to the legendary Manchester United manager’s 49, but he is winning trophies at an alarmingly quick rate (33 in 14 years) and will inevitably win many more.
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With an all-Manchester FA Cup final on 3 June and then another Champions League final just seven days later, they are on the brink of greatness in the form of the coveted treble. The only question is, are they going to pull it off?
You can watch their final home game of the 2022/23 season HERE and see them lift the Premier League trophy down below:
Featured Image — Sky Sports (via Twitter)/Optus Sport (via YouTube)
Sport
Manchester Storm’s ‘own and loan’ scheme returns for 2026/27
Danny Jones
Manchester Storm have relaunched their much-loved ‘own and loan’ programme once again ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Having gone from a cult favourite option for die-hards to an increasingly popular choice among their growing number of supporters, it’s a great way for fans to get their hands on what could go on to be priceless collectables.
Set up over a decade and a half ago, the initiative has gone on to be replicated by multiple clubs in the Elite Ice Hockey League, across the country, and indeed beyond.
For anyone unclear on what exactly this scheme means for them, here’s all you need to know.
The own and loan sponsorship is essentially an opportunity not only to support the club and your favourite player, but to essentially reserve a valuable piece of match-worn memorabilia.
Put simply, fans can buy a squad member’s jersey and then loan it back to them for the season.
The shirt – be it home, away, created for cup tournaments or a special limited-edition sweater (of which MCR Storm have designed many over the years) – will then be worn throughout the course of the campaign before being given back to the owner, i.e. you.
Not just simply buying the shirt, but helping back the team’s talent, it’s one of the most direct ways people can contribute to the club.
The Greater Manchester side pioneered the push for this initiative here in the UK in the early 2010s, and with the local side now set to return to the AO Arena, where their journey began way back in 1995, you can expect plenty to mark the comeback with a special sponsored jersey.
Anyone who purchases an away strip will have their name featured throughout home games for the duration of the season – not a bad gift or way to secure a potential future collectors’ item.
You can see every player available to sponsor and find out all the information you need right HERE.
For regular matchgoers at the ‘Storm Shelter’, we’re sure it’ll be bittersweet to say goodbye to Planet Ice Altrincham, but just how excited are you about heading home to the AO Arena later this year?
Featured Images — Manchester Storm (publicity picture)/The Manc Group
Sport
League One set for an all-Greater Manchester playoff final as Bolton book trip to Wembley
Danny Jones
It’s official: we’re all set for a fully Greater Manchester League One playoff final as Bolton Wanderers are the latest to secure a return to Wembley against Stockport County.
The resurgent old Lancashire club clinched their spot in the knockout conclusion of the third division with a single strike in the second leg of the semis, and it wasn’t a bad finish, either.
Beating Bradford City 2-0 on aggregate, Bolton will now play familiar regional rivals Stockport, with Wanderers set to clash with County in a decisive derby once again.
Bolton‘s instinctive volley from Chelsea youth product and former Hull City man, Xavier Simons, resulted in some very satisfying limbs at Valley Parade.
The home fans did have plenty to cheer on the night, with efforts from Metcalfe, Power and Wright all either hitting the woodwork or being deflected just past it.
They thought they were level in the tie at one point after Kayden Jackson put the ball in the back of the net, but it was ultimately ruled out.
Agonising stuff for the Bradford supporters to burst into bedlam before the flag was raised for offside.
Many supporters will argue that the key moment came somewhat against the run of play, but The Trotters won’t care one bit as they book another trip down to the capital.
You can watch the rest of the highlights, including those scenes in the away end, down below.
Speaking even before the game, head coach Steven Schumacher told Sky Sports: “It’s a club we believe is bigger than this division, but this division is not easy to get out of.
“The expectation and the demand to get to the Championship is there, and once you’re in the building and you feel the mood when you win games, when you lose games, you can sense that this is a club that is desperate to get out and get to the next level.
“When you look at the size of both Bolton and Bradford and how well they are supported, both clubs are probably too big to be in League One. But that’s where both clubs find themselves, and one of us has got to find our way out of it if we can.”
You’d dare say he can practically smell promotion via the playoffs now; the local side has come quite a way since the lows of administration in 2019 and the bottom tier of the EFL – not without some heartbreaks in previous playoff finals – but could he be the one to get them back where they belong?
In case you missed the action from the other game, you can see more HERE, and to hear Schumacher’s thoughts after the decisive result, look no further…
Danny Jones -
22nd May 2023 
