Sport

Manchester reacts to England’s stunning win over Germany

As the net bulged and Wembley wobbled with glee, the pandemonium rippled 200 miles north to Manchester - where the city celebrated the Euros victory with its own brand of hysteria.

The Manc The Manc - 30th June 2021

England made history last night. And, for the first time since 1966, it was the right kind.

After 55 exhausting years without a knockout tie victory against Germany, the Three Lions finally found a way to defeat their old rivals at a major tournament – triumphing 2-0 to advance to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.

If that didn’t already taste sweet enough, consider the fact that it was two Manchester representatives that got them on their way. One Red. One Blue.

Manchester United’s Luke Shaw sublimely picked out Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling in the 75th minute – with the latter slotting home his third goal in four games to send Wembley into utter pandemonium.

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Germany’s Thomas Muller had the audacity to power through on goal with 10 minutes to go, but when the striker uncharacteristically fired the ball wide with just Jordan Pickford to beat, it felt like it might be England’s day.

Six minutes later, we knew it was.

Harry Kane – whose run without a goal had become so notorious that even Boris Johnson became aware of it – finally broke his duck for Euro 2020 by heading home Jack Grealish’s cross and made it 2-0.

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Game, set, match.

The second goal apparently made Gareth Southgate “very happy”, according to the tranquil manager’s post-match interview. For the 40,000 fans at Wembley, the response bordered on insanity.

Not only was the victory England’s first knockout win against Germany for over half a century, it was also just their second triumph ever in a Euros knockout game.

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No wonder, then, why the nation temporarily lost its mind.

Indeed, whilst Wembley was wobbling, the scenes of delirium radiated 200 miles north into the city of Manchester.

Celebrations came in all forms. Whoops from windows. Full pints tossed into the air. Drivers slapping their sweaty palms on steering wheels (for once, the cars on roads near Ashton Canal were doing more honking than the geese).

Some of this joyful footage was uploaded to social media in the wake of the win. And we’ve picked out some of the top posts.

Watch them below. Then, watch them again. And watch them one more time. Before you know it, it’ll be Saturday. And this Euros tournament is about as uncertain as local tier COVID rules in 2020. Anything can happen.

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This is the moment to savour a victory that we all bloody needed.

Is it coming home?

Featured image: Euro 2020

Sport

Despite the cynics, Man United mop up Premier League’s manager and player of the month awards for September

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man United manager and player of the month awards

As many disillusioned fans were expecting, Manchester United made a shaky start to the Premier League season. However, they look to have gathered some form and momentum over recent weeks.

So much so, in fact, that after having strung together four wins on the bounce – two coming in big games against long-standing rivals Liverpool and Arsenal, no less – they have won both September’s manager and player of the month awards.

The first to be awarded was Marcus Rashford, who despite missing out on Gareth Southgate’s most recent England squad through injury, has had a much improved last month or so.

Netting two goals and a pair of important assists to go with them, the 24-year-old looks to finally be breaking his duck and underlying confidence issues.

A big goal in the derby against Liverpool and in the 3-1 victory over high-flying Arsenal has no doubt helped lift his spirits.

Man United fans will be hoping this is just the start of a Rashford renaissance.

Moreover, even beyond his direct goal contributions, Rashford’s all-around play looks to be returning to pre-slump levels, playing a key role in the transition and a more fluid forward line.

It seems like the United no. 10 is benefitting from a new way of playing or, perhaps more accurately, a new manager who clearly sees him as a key player in his system.

It’s clear that Erik ten Hag‘s approach hasn’t just benefitted the likes of Rashford and, say, Sancho but the team looks more well-organised as a whole. Earlier this month, Bruno Fernandes gave fans a bit more of an insight into the Dutch coaches ‘strict rules’ and discipline.

Not only have they kept clean sheets in three out of the last six games across all competitions but there has been a noticeable improvement in both passing and possession stats since he arrived, whilst still being able to sacrifice some of the ball for a more counter-attacking set-up went the game calls for it.

That being said, it is a long old season and many fans will still need some convincing that the squad is good enough to take them back to a competitive level.

Even the man himself isn’t getting too carried away just yet.

Nevertheless, both the panel of experts and those deciding via public vote seem to think his efforts over the last month are worthy of recognition, earning manager of the month alongside his once again firing forward.

This is the first time a United player and manager have scooped the monthly double since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s award in February 2019, who also won it alongside Rashford.

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Accolades aside, ten Hag’s patience and pragmatism should serve the team well over the next few weeks, as United still have a challenging run-in.

As well as the Manchester derby on Sunday, their next four games include a home fixture against a growing Newcastle side, Conte’s high-flying Spurs and a Chelsea squad with more than enough quality to end their bad run of results.

Manager and player of the month aside, it’s about getting points on the board and his weekend is massive for Man United’s 22/23 campaign.

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

Sport

Football fans slam rail services after complaints of no derby day trains from London to Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones No trains from London for Manchester derby

With derby day approaching, Manchester United and City fans are making their arrangements big fixture and while local Mancunians should be fine, people travelling from elsewhere look to be in a bit of bother.

More specifically, United and City fans living in London (yes, we know the joke) will have some trouble making their way up for the game if they’re travelling by public transport due to the ongoing rail strikes.

Sports writer Barney Ronay shared an exasperated tweet explaining how there are seemingly “no trains to Manchester from London for City v United this Sunday”, arguing that the overall “fan experience is so terrible now some are having to give up”.

He goes on to identify this as symptomatic of the “horrendous state of infrastructure killing away days” and even went so far as to diagnose the modern matchday as almost “masochistic”.

Plenty of fans who travel to see their respective clubs echoed his thoughts, commenting that the regular drama of “changed dates/hotels not refunding etc it is becoming too expensive for many” and that even outside of reasonable strike action, matchday services are difficult to plan around.

Many of those commenting on the thread also clarified that despite tickets being displayed as ‘sold out’ or ‘unavailable’ online, this often isn’t true and it’s more a case of there being no seats left to reserve.

However, just as many were quick to respond that this offers little help to those who need to have a reliable plan for commuting back and forth, even more so when it comes to midweek games or those scheduled on a Sunday like this week’s Manchester derby.

Moreover, others rightly noted that very few people are in a financial position where they are able to buy an expensive face-value ticket on the day on the half-chance they might be able to squeeze onto a packed train and stand for more than two hours.

As was to be expected, plenty of people also took to ridiculing the tweet and the two clubs, advising to simply “support your local team” and so on. It was also pointed out that a United fan travelling to the match from London, for instance, isn’t exactly what most fans would dub an ‘away day’.

Nevertheless, even those travelling on ‘proper’ away days couldn’t help but agree with the overarching point, with many citing that they regularly spend upwards of £100-150 just getting to their destination.

Any travelling football fan will know – especially those coming to and from London – it’s an expensive habit this football lark and even after you make it to wherever the game is that day, you’re still forking out more for food, drink and perhaps even additional transport to the ground.

Beyond those strictly hoping to catch the Manchester derby, most seem to agree with the strikes and suggested that more needs to be done to combat “the government’s assault on living standards, terms and conditions, pensions” which are subsequently impacting matchday travel year-round.

As for those still looking to try and make the journey into Manchester for derby day, the likes of Avanti West Coast are releasing their train schedule later today (Thursday).

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

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