Euro 2020 is already off to a cracking start for England fans.
It’s been a long time coming – but after a year of postponement due to the pandemic, with the sun shining and temperatures soaring, European football’s flagship tournament finally got underway over the weekend.
24 countries are battling it out for the sought-after trophy, including three UK home nations – England, Scotland, and Wales.
The tournament’s first match saw Italy secure a win over Turkey on Friday, but for many Mancunians and football fans up and down the country, all eyes were set on Sunday when England would face the team that knocked them out of the World Cup in 2018.
Gareth Southgate’s squad faced Croatia in their first match at Wembley Stadium, securing a solid 1-0 victory – which is the first time England has ever won their opening game at the European championships.
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The goal by Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling looked to kick-start what we’re all hoping will be a special summer of sport.
But it perhaps won’t quite be the summer of sport we were all expecting.
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Euro 2020 is due to take place right through until 11 July, but after a ruling which sadly looked imminent for weeks prior, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has this evening confirmed that the country’s so-called ‘Freedom Day’ – which was originally set as 21 June – is to be delayed by four weeks, with an anticipated lifting of all lockdown / social restrictions now set for 19 July, at the earliest.
The UK government has always maintained the stance that it would be guided by “data not dates” when it comes to introducing each step in its “irreversible” roadmap for lifting the current national lockdown, and that the date for each step was not set it stone.
Despite this admission though, today’s latest decision will have undoubtedly still dealt a blow to the rafts of England fans who were hoping to bring the unrivalled atmosphere of the 2018 World Cup and previous tournaments back to Manchester.
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While bustling fan parks, roaring goal celebrations, pints being thrown in the air, hugging strangers, and joining in for renditions of Three Lions may not be on the cards this year after all, that doesn’t mean we still can’t make some unique memories.
Against all the odds, maybe Euro 2020 will be the tournament that England fans remember fondly for years to come?
We can always still hold out hope that football is coming home, right?
Manchester’s Oast House
It truly is all to play for this week, as England face fellow home nation and old rivals Scotland this Friday in the second match of the Group Stage.
Fans will descend on Wembley once again, with a kick-off set for 8pm.
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Looking for somewhere to watch?
Manchester is a city that’s obsessed with football and its engrained in our culture like nothing else, so it’s understandable that there’s plenty places in the city centre that are pulling out all the stops in the safest way possible for the Euros this year, and after being inundated with messages from our loyal audience who were keen to find out the best places to catch a match this summer, we’ve knuckled down and did the leg work for you.
So if you’re looking for some recommendations ahead of England vs Scotland this Friday, you can check out 20 of the best spots in Manchester city centre here.
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Don’t fancy hitting up the city centre this weekend though? Prefer to celebrate at home instead?
Cheering on the national team in the company of fellow eager football fans definitely has its appeal, but it’s not for everyone and many would rather spend it with their nearest and dearest in the comfort of their own home or garden instead.
If that sounds a little more up your street, then you’re not alone, as we asked our Facebook community to send us pictures of their garden setups ready for last Sunday’s match – and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
If you’re thinking of kitting out your garden this weekend, then you can head on over and check out the roundup article for some inspiration here.
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Jürgen Klopp reveals the main reason he turned down the Manchester United job
Danny Jones
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has revealed one of the main reasons he turned down the Manchester United job more than a decade ago.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund boss turned Merseyside hero spent nine years at Anfield, going on to win a Champions League, Premier League, and a collection of cups.
It’s also worth noting that this all came in the years following the departure of legendary Man United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but there could have been an alternate reality where Klopp carried on where ‘Fergie’ left off, as the now 58-year-old says the club spoke to him during that time.
With Sir Alex leaving in 2013 after the best part of 30 years, Klopp told Steven Bartlett on his most recent Diary of A CEO episode that “of course, they were interested.”
OUT NOW!
💥Jürgen Klopp on The Diary Of A CEO
Some of the topics we cover:
•His surprise at Liverpool’s £450m transfer window and why he didn’t get the same money
•He says a return to Liverpool is possible – but he couldn’t ask for just one year off
Admitting that the interest was mutual “at one point”, the prospect of joining Liverpool‘s historic rivals clearly appealed to him.
Noting that he was flourishing as an up-and-coming coach (aged 46 back then) in charge of an impressive Dortmund team – adding that even some of his then future players to be at Liverpool flew to watch them play in the Champions League – it’s clear he had plenty of suitors.
However, the retired German footballer turned ‘Gegenpressing’ tactician goes on to explain that despite United trying to poach him from the Bundesliga, it was “the wrong time, wrong moment for me.”
Crucially, he says that some aspects of the conversations between him and the club at the time proved to be a turn-off rather than an incentive, citing talk of ‘the biggest club in the world’ and supposedly “signing any player we want.”
In short, Klopp says that, crucially, it didn’t sound like it would have been his project, drawing parallels to the board wanting to bring back players like Paul Pogba, with arguably similar ‘mistakes’ being made with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. In his eyes, looking backwards simply “never helps”.
You can see the clip in full here:
Had he not turned down the offer, do you think Klopp could have helped rebuild Man United?
According to Klopp, after negotiations seemed to revolve primarily around the kind of players they were going to bring in, he decided the opportunity wasn’t for him.
Nevertheless, it looked like things worked out for Merseyside’s biggest club, at least, as he went on to become one of the most successful managers in the Premier League, managing to break up the long period of dominance overseen by both Manchester United and, most recently, Man City.
As for the red half of Manchester, they at the very least had a good weekend as they finally ended their long wait for a win away against Liverpool.
In case you missed it, you can watch the highlights – including another big clutch goal from Harry Maguire – down below.
A 5k charity event where runners dress up as Pitbull is coming to Manchester city centre
Danny Jones
Yep, you read it right the first time – a regular 5k charity run returns to Manchester this month, only this time, those taking part will be dressed up as Pitbull for some reason…
Don’t ask us, we just thought it was funny and it’s for a good cause, so why the hell not?
For a little context, this is the latest idea from Slow Run Club: a local running organisation that takes place weekly at three different locations across Greater Manchester.
We know ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself has been and gone, having played a couple of nights in Manchester earlier this year, but these lot have decided two nights of yelling ‘Timberrrr’ still wasn’t quite enough and asking those joining the October fundraising 5k to dress up like the one and only Pitbull.
In case you missed it when ‘Dale’ fever took over the city streets this past summer, bald caps, sunglasses, black felt goatees and drawn-on moustaches descended upon central Manchester as they have been all over the UK and beyond for his live shows.
Was it utterly daft? Yes. Was it still one of THE best gig crowds we’ve seen in yonks? Absolutely.
The 44-year-old Floridian rapper and resurgent pop star played multiple nights at the Co-op Live, and they were brilliant, but we’re not going to pretend that the best wasn’t seeing the sea of shiny bald heads and shades in suits and ties.
It’s rare that you see such a shared moment of abandoning inhibitions and embracing the silliness; it was genuinely so great to see, and it’s that same energy that these guys are trying to tap into. Put simply, it’s about letting go and dancing like no one’s watching.
Teaming up with fellow charity-focused running group, Run The Streets MCR, Slow Run Club (SRC)’s Pitbull fancy-dress-themed run is just the latest in a growing trend of alternative ways to get some exercise in.
After you’ve gone all ‘305’ at the Pitbull run, these Manchester runners are worth looking into as well.
Having done everything from the regular fancy dress Halloween runs to Oasis, Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA-themed runs, and many more, you’d be surprised how much you don’t care about what people think when you’re running around and dancing to tunes – especially when it’s for charity.
Once again, the Slow Run Club x Run The Streets MCR ‘Pitbull Edition’ 5k charity run takes place this month on Wednesday, 22 October, from 6:30pm onwards outside The Tap House on Circle Square, just off the Oxford Road Corridor, before setting off at a laid-back social pace.
This is the same place and time you’ll find SRC’s city centre regular meet-up every week; speaking to The Manc, founder Holly Spiers said: “We run from The Taphouse every Wednesday (just not usually dressed as Pitbull) and offer an inclusive pace as well as rest stops.”
Speaking of fancy dress, if you haven’t seen the group of four mates who made history at the 2025 Manchester Half, stop what you’re doing and read this:
These legends set an incredibly fun, wholesome and amusing world record at this year's @ManchesterHalf – all whilst raising money for @andysmanclubuk. 👏
Emily Sergeant -
14th June 2021 
