In an amusing bit of PR, Stockport County and Runaway Brewery have collaborated to come up with a brand-new beer to sell at Edgeley Park ahead of the new season.
Teaming up with the local Stopfordian brewing company based just down the road from County‘s home ground, the club have created a tasty new pale ale inspired by their promotion-winning manager, Dave Challinor, and his now-famous post-match catchphrase.
Challinor, 47, is known not only for his honest and very matter-of-fact approach to post-match press conferences but also for ending virtually every single interview by saying, “Cheers, thank you”.
Having become a bit of a running joke amongst the staff, the players and the fan base, the club decided to lean into the gag and as they were looking for a name to give their beer, it turned out the answer was staring them in them right in the face. Introducing the ‘Cheers, Thank You’ pale ale:
🍻 We've teamed up with @RunawayBrewery this season, to bring you a brand new pale ale!
'Cheers, Thank You' will be available exclusively from the County Courtyard on a matchday, starting this Saturday ahead of our game against Gillingham!#StockportCounty
The Stockport County manager might have been hoping to have his name next to a trophy this season, but we’d hazard a guess he wasn’t expecting to have inspired a beer.
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It’s not the first time they’ve had some fun with this particular pun, either: the club previously sold a limited edition run of Dave Challinor-inspired ‘Cheers, Thank You’ mugs not long ago too.
Now, though, the Chester-born coach’s signature sign-off phrase has given its name to the new 4% pale which is said to offer “citrus notes with a clean and refreshing bitterness, delivering a modern, hoppy beer, perfect for a Saturday afternoon.” Can’t lie, sounds glorious.
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Being sold exclusively at the stadium on matchdays and joining the likes of Great North Pie Co. at the not long opened County Courtyard, the ‘Cheers, Thank You’ pale ale with be available all season long starting from the Hatter’s opening League Two game against Gillingham this Saturday 5 August.
Speaking on the collaboration, Mark Welsby, Head Brewer at Runaway, said: “The club sits at the heart of the town in every sense, so we jumped at the chance to collaborate on this speciality beer.
“County fans create an amazing atmosphere out of the Cheadle End, which we can often hear down at the brewery. We’re both proud and excited to know our beer ‘Cheers, thank you’ will be a part of the fans’ match day experience”.
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As for the club’s chief exec Jonny Vaughan, he said that “partnering with Runaway further enhances our commitment to supporting local businesses and we are excited for fans to try the beer in our first match of the season against Gillingham.”
But it isn’t just beer and pies they’ll be serving along Hardcastle Road, the County Courtyard is promising a rotating menu of the very best street food in the world. We’re still thinking about that PCD (portable Christmas dinner — obviously)…
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
Manchester City plotting spending spree ‘before’ Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to embark on somewhat of a spending spree this summer transfer window as the club’s higher-ups are looking to get business done before the 2025 Club World Cup.
With FIFA’s intercontinental club competition set to get underway in mid-June, the Blues don’t have too long to welcome in new players, but Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated their urgency regarding recruitment.
Despite having brought in four new acquisitions in a very short space of time last season, the 50-year-old argued that he wasn’t completely happy with the extent and speed of their business.
Giving a lengthy interview this week, CFG‘s founding chairman has imposed an internal deadline ahead of the lucrative knockout competition.
Speaking with club media, Khaldoon recognised that while there were incomings in January of this year, he believes they “should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do, adding that he believes it “cost [them].”
“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly [the targets are], in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option”, he continues.
More importantly, he goes on to add: “We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
He also suggested the flurry of activity this past January was not just atypical of the administration, but felt the squad fell into a crisis state with the number of injuries, insisting they “had to act.”
City have already been linked with a hugely talented and highly-rated European target in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne‘s departure and a lack of strength in depth in midfield.
An initial bid is said to have been received already and will likely be the first of many City summer signings.
He also insisted that the players who joined last season weren’t scattershot, emergency transfers (perhaps barring the resigning of İlkay Gündoğan) but were the start of the rebuild and “gives [fans] an idea of what’s coming this summer.”
Another player linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who scored in big moments during their Europa League run this year, registering 32 goal contributions across all competitions throughout the 24/25 campaign.
Who would you like to see added to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, then, Man City fans?
You can watch Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s interview in full down below:
Danny Jones -
4th August 2023 
