Man City’s treble parade was always going to be an unforgettable one, but our wonderful city also chose to welcome back the boys in blue in the only way it knows how: with a heavy downpour of rain as thunderstorms spread across the region.
Nevertheless, the thunder, lightning and torrential showers didn’t bother the City fans one bit, as thousands lined the streets of Manchester from Deansgate all the way to St Peter’s Square and while plenty had the good sense to bring anoraks, ponchos and umbrellas, others just had their kits on.
Some didn’t have a shirt on whatsoever — after all, it was a title parade in British summertime.
Even though the parade start itself had to be pushed back to around 7pm, with police, stewards and police horses escorting the open-top bus back underneath a bridge to keep out of the storm, the Cityzens weren’t going anywhere. Once it got going, it was like no one even noticed the weather.
If you look closely, you can the cameraman get sprayed in the eye with champagne by Ederson.
If anything, the weather only seemed to get heavier again once the open-top bus began rolling but, as you can clearly see, there wasn’t a single soul who was letting the weather put them off.
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Seeing everything from mums with little kids in prams and old boys who’ve been going to the game for decades, to people with their faces painted in full City colours and others wearing Haaland wigs, the fans were in strong spirit throughout.
As the treble parade bus drove further along Deansgate and towards the centre of town, the rows of City fans lining the streets let off flares and waved their sky blue flags as they chanted and sang along with the team — pretty sure there were at least 50 choruses of ‘Johnny, Johnny Stones…’
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Here’s how it looked from a rooftop not far from Spinningfields:
As for those who gathered near the stage, people had been sprinting through the rain like they were in the middle of a counter-attack to get a spot as close to the front as they could.
Situated just before St Peters Square at the intersection around Oxford Road, Portland Street and Peter Street, a big blue stage fit for a bald king, his council and their three shiny new crown jewels sat waiting for them to arrive.
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First dubbed ‘Centurions’ and now Treble Winners, Pep Guardiola and this Man City squad have become heroes amongst the blue half of Manchester, so it’s no wonder supporters did whatever they could to get a glimpse of them in all their glory.
Fans legging it to get to the frontThat’s not how you use a bus stop…The crowd packed out quickly as the bus arrivedThat’s a Manchester sky if we’ve ever seen one
As for the aftermath, there was always going to be rubbish, confetti and the rest of it after a big city centre celebration, but we didn’t expect to see a bus stop completely destroyed. Regardless, we’re glad to see that the majority has been cleaned up this morning.
To be honest, whatever ‘carnage’ was left behind following the parade will no doubt pale in comparison to whatever Jack Grealish got up to last night, let alone the rest of the City squad.
We’ll leave you with a few lasting images. Congrats again, Blues.
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. 👏
Danny Jones -
13th June 2023 
