Manchester United have reportedly cancelled their usual end-of-season awards dinner as focus shifts to a crucial FA Cup final against Man City which could prove to be make or break for Erik ten Hag after a difficult season.
With the club on course for what could end up being their worst statistical season ever, having already made their worst start to a season in terms of losses since the 1930s, there’s hardly been much for Man United fans to celebrate over the past year or so.
Capable of fast, fluid attacking play in one moment and then stagnant sideways passing combined with a leaky defence in the next, the Red Devils have put their supporters through the full gamut in ten Hag‘s second season.
As a result, according to The Athletic, the club has decided to scrap their usual awards ceremony which was originally scheduled for next Monday and turn all eyes to the cup final on Saturday, 25 May.
NEW @TheAthleticFC : Manchester United cancel club’s end-of-season awards dinner, scheduled for May 20. Club say it is because they don’t want distractions before men’s FA Cup final, but comes amid dreadful form & pressure mounting on Erik Ten Hag. https://t.co/kpqBsNzVAI
While the Man United Women’s team managed to round off a similarly challenging campaign with an all-important piece of silverware – the first FA Cup in their history and one which could also keep their head coach Marc Skinner in a job – the men still have a huge mountain to climb on their end.
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As the outlet goes on to reveal, the decision has been made as the administration feels that the players “should not have any distractions in the week of the game”, especially one which could prove to be the only saving grace during this campaign. There is no indication as to who had the final say on the matter.
Having crashed out of the Champions League, broken all manner of unwanted records, and now desperately hoping to at least qualify for the Europa or Conference League (a small consolation that many fans don’t even really want), it’s largely been a season most Reds will want to forget.
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Awards voted for by peers, coaches and fans will still be handed out but the awards dinner itself, which also celebrates those emerging from United’s legendary youth academy, has been binned in a move that probably better suits the current tone around the club.
It isn’t the first time the decision has been made either, as former interim United manager Ralf Rangnick also called off the awards dinner when he came in as Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s replacement towards the end of the 2021/22 season.
It’s likely that many of the players also aren’t exactly in high enough spirits to justify an end-of-season awards ceremony either, with the literal flooding inside Old Trafford this weekend only exacerbating how the condition of the stadium as a metaphor for the club at this moment in time.
It’s now less than a fortnight until United take on the historic rivals in the second consecutive Manchester derby FA Cup final, one which weighs heavily in the favour of those in blue. Can they possibly make it past the high-flying treble-winners?
A release date for the Freddie Flintoff documentary has been confirmed
Danny Jones
The release date for the upcoming Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff documentary has been revealed, and it’s coming a lot sooner than many expected.
Simply entitled Flintoff, the documentary has been highly anticipated among UK audiences, especially given events in recent years.
Landing on Disney+ only, the film will follow his glittering cricket career as well as his return to the sport and the public after a life-altering car crash whilst filming Top Gear in 2022.
Much to our surprise, it’s all ready to go and is dropping next month.
— What’s On Disney Plus (@disneyplusnews) April 11, 2025
The Disney+ doc will run for approximately 90 minutes and follow on from his recent BBC series, Freddie Flintoff‘s Field of Dreams, which saw him start to open up about the difficult period and recovery publicly for the first time.
An eye-opening and candid show in its own right alongside the inspiring story of a teen cricket team being coached by the Lancashire and England legend, he won even more hearts when the second season launched last August.
It’s no surprise that there is a third instalment on its way next year.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time he’s been the subject of his own documentary, as the 47-year-old also released a BBC One called Freddie Flintoff: Living with Bulimia, charting his personal struggles with the eating disorder and mental health even prior to the trauma of his crash.
You can see a snippet of the one-off show down below.
The Preston-born all-rounder has confessed he still suffers from PTSD following the incident, detailing struggles with anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks of the crash, insisting that it “changed my life forever.”
All that being said, we’re glad to see that he’s continued to overcome numerous obstacles and remains an extremely funny and personable figure, as well as an eternal icon of British sport that so many admire.
As for Disney’s Flintoff film, the documentary will be available exclusively on the streaming platform in the UK and Ireland from Friday, April 25.
The first-ever Gladiators Live Tour is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Gladiators, ready! Mancs, ready? We certainly hope so because the first-ever ‘Gladiators Live Tour’ is setting across the UK and is coming to Manchester.
When we first heard that the beloved British version of the hit TV show (which first ran here in the UK for eight seasons between 1992 and 2000) was coming back, we were buzzing, and now we’ve heard it’s coming to us live and in person, we’re about ready to fight you with big pugil sticks over a seat.
Since returning in 2024 and the second series beginning at the start of this year on BBC One and Player, with a third season set for January 2026, Gladiators has recaptured imaginations across the country, bringing in both new viewers and those who remember the original back to the screen.
We’ve always wondered what it would be like to take part – not that we’d stand a chance, mind you – but we suppose seeing the Gladiators in action live right here in Manchester is the next best thing.
Set to deliver an action-packed experience, the global debut of the Gladiators Live Tour is ready to drop a superhero landing in the heart of Manchester city centre at none other than the legendary AO Arena.
Promising a thrilling two-hour watch featuring fan-favourite events and, of course, an ultimate Eliminator, the live Gladiators experience has all the charm of the much-loved TV show with the added excitement of different twists each night.
There are a pair of dates in Manchester, as well as two events a pieces available in Liverpool, London and Birmingham, with the AO matinee shows spread across a weekend this autumn.
It goes without saying that the fast-paced and fun-for-all-ages spectacle will see some serious athleticism and stunts, as well as purpose-built sets and state-of-the-art lighting in order to bring the gladiatorial battleground truly to life in front of your very eyes.
We may have just missed out on the latest recruitment drive, but we can guarantee you’ll find us out there in the audience.
GLADIATORS, READY!⚡ For the first time ever, the Gladiators Live Tour is here to electrify Manchester!
Gladiators The Live Tour comes to Manchester on 22 and 23 November 2025, and you have two chances to access pre-sale: first through the AO Arena itself from 10am on Tuesday, 15 April and then again the following day if you’re a Three Mobile member.
As for general admission, tickets go live at 10am on Thursday, 17 April and trust us, these things will go faster than a round of ‘Unleashed’.
Danny Jones -
14th May 2024 
