A Manchester United fan group is planning the next large-scale protest outside Old Trafford in response to the latest raft of unpopular decisions by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his executive board.
The ‘Theatre of Dreams’ has been subject to many fan protests in the last few years, the most notable of late being the demonstrations in May 2021, which saw thousands surrounding the premises and many supporters even breaking into the stadium.
Although the previous instances were in response to the Glazer family’s much-maligned stewardship, the upcoming protest is in response to the new co-owners and minority shareholder Ratcliffe along with the INEOS Sports Group who have taken control of footballing operations over the past year or so.
It’s barely been a full 12 months since the partial takeover was completed and despite plenty of early positivity, the mood amongst the Man United fan base looks to slumped significantly already, with results and actions around the club changing the sentiment significantly. Cue groups such as The 1958:
🗣️Shall we begin: Announcing protest Arsenal 9th March
We have been preparing for this for a few weeks in anticipation.
We are angry, the fans are angry and it’s been building for some time.
The long-standing fan group (named so in memory of the ‘Busby Babes’ and the Munich Air Disaster) are now gearing up for their next big protest, which is scheduled to take place ahead of Man United’s game against Arsenal at Old Trafford on 9 March.
Although the Red Devils have other home matches before this fixture, including Ipswich on Wednesday, 26 February and the next round of the FA Cup against Fulham, it seems poignant that the fans have selected one against a fierce rival and one which gives them plenty of time to prepare.
The announcement begins by stating: “We have been preparing for this for a few weeks in anticipation. We are angry, the fans are angry and it’s been building for some time.
“We have all been more than patient. We all know the root cause, we have always known the elephant in the room. Yet, this isn’t being addressed. It’s those who can least afford it, have the most emotional connection with our club who are being asked to pay the price in more ways than one.”
The 1958 go on to accuse the new administration – as what they now feel is merely a continuation of the Glazers’ neglect – of “trampling over generational support and memories of friends and family who handed the club over to us like something they have stepped in.”
Citing “the treatment of fans from the club” and “eradication of fan culture”, they point towards recent widespread grievances such as United targeting concessions and upping the prices of tickets for the remainder of the season; excluding a fan with dementia, ‘forwarding membership’ debacle and more.
The most recent and notable is another imminent series of job losses, with upwards of 100 staff set to be made unemployed.
The post which has already been reshared countless times online, which at least hints at the kind of numbers the protest will garner, goes on to argue that while the club “preach fan engagement the reality is they dont practice it”, adding “We know this first hand and have evidence.”
“ACTIONS NOT WORDS, IT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH […] We rise again to defend our club and be warned this will not just be on the street campaigns at the ground. Keep treating the fans with contempt at your peril.” An unwaveringly serious tone, to say the least.
In case you need a reminder of the protest scenes we’ve seen from United fans in the past, be it in the name of the ‘Glazers Out’ movement or clubs rallying against Super League talk, look no further…
Let’s just say some much-needed good results in the coming weeks could go a long way towards deciding just how big this next demonstration will be.
Are you a Man United fan who will be heading to the next protest at Old Trafford?
Streamer AngryGinge ‘arrested and banned’ from Silvestone at the British GP
Danny Jones
Popular Manc influencer, ‘AngryGinge’, was arrested, fined and ultimately banned from Silverstone at this year’s British GP.
The Salford-born Twitch streamer, YouTuber and social media personality (real name Morgan Burtwhistle) was detained at the circuit after being arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
Ginge recently starred in Soccer Aid 2025 and is a well-known face both on the internet and in the sporting world, regularly working in and around football, and is an avid Manchester United – even featuring in the club’s third kit launch video last year.
The 23-year-old and two other fellow streamers, ‘Chazza’ and ‘Samham’, were accused of criminal damage after sitting in an F1 car whilst recording around the Silverstone complex.
AngryGinge returned to streaming after being detained by police for 15 hours
The streamer and several friends were arrested for climbing into a display F1 car at the British Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/WDSYb6MVtj
“On Friday, July 4, NP received a report that a classic Formula 1 car on display at Silverstone Circuit during the British Grand Prix event had sustained several thousands of pounds worth of damage, which was alleged to have been caused by someone accessing the display stand and climbing into the vehicle.
“Officers carried out initial inquiries, and suspects were identified. Three men, aged 23, 25 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage to a vehicle and taken into police custody.
“Following a thorough investigation into the circumstances of the incident, all three men were released with no further action.”
Burtwhistle went into more detail on the incident on socials, explaining that the trio were taken away in handcuffs and “locked up” for several hours – 15 hours, according to SamHam (Samuel Imie).
All three individuals deny causing any damage to the racecar, even despite users sharing clips from the livestream footage captured for the Red Bull online Content on the day that many argue incriminates them, or at least sounds like it – we’ll let you watch and decide for yourselves.
Ginge himself went on to detail that ridculousness of the situation, explaining how he was effectively detained for watching someone else climb into the vehicle.
He’ll be dining out in this one for some time, you can be sure of that.
He’s literally a brands dream isn’t he 😂 so quick and smart with it
Featured Images — Soccer Aid/angryginge13 (screenshot via Twitch)/Samham (via X)
Sport
Boxing legend Ricky Hatton is coming out of retirement after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Mancunian and British boxing legend Ricky Hatton MBE is coming out of retirement after more than a decade for his first competitive fight in 13 long years.
This is sure to be one to watch.
The Stockport-born and Hattersley-raised fighter first retired back in 2011, but did flirt with a comeback a year later in what turned out to be a one-off fight and defeat to 35-year-old Ukrainian welterweight, Vyacheslav Senchenko.
‘Hitman’ Hatton also got back in the ring for an exhibition match against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2022, enduring eight two-minute rounds after a decade away from fighting, but now he’ll be undertaking an official fight over in the United Arab Emirates.
Lacing up his gloves at 46 years old, Hatton will be facing fellow veteran Eisa Al Dah (same age), who was the first professional boxer in the UAE.
The ‘Pride of Hyde’ may have been out of the competitive sporting sphere for a while, but he’s still remained an active figure in the boxing world.
In addition to training his son, Campbell, who has followed in his father’s fighting footsteps, Hatton has continued to coach other young boxing talents from his gym in Tameside, including John Hedges and Chloe Watson.
Campbell, 24, has won 14 of his 16 fights, losing just twice since he began in 2021.
Meanwhile, his dad – who still boasts a record of 45 victories from 48 matches, 32 of which were by knockout – will be once again focusing on getting himself back in fighting shape for the Dubai bout.
The local athlete has done plenty to dispel the old jabs of ‘Ricky Fatton’ in recent times, mind you, having taken his talents as a once-promising young footballer to play in the Manchester Remembers charity match, as well as the aforementioned Barrera exhibition.
Set for this winter, Ricky Hatton will face fellow veteran Eisa Al Dah in a middleweight contest on Friday, 2 December, telling national media via video call in the recent press conference that confirmed he would be coming out of retirement: “What you’re trying to do there for boxing in Dubai is fantastic.”
Meanwhile, Al Dah added: “It will be a true fight, true action. And I will do my best, because everybody in the UAE and the Gulf, they will watch this fight. The place will be sold out, and it will be watched around the world.”
Will those Haymakers still hit like they used to? Well shall see before the end of the year.
Danny Jones -
17th February 2025 
