Sport
Vincent Kompany’s cheeky jab at Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t go unnoticed
Touché, Vinny.
Amidst a whirlwind day of news over at Old Trafford, Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany managed to get in a sly dig against outgoing Cristiano Ronaldo.
Not long after the news of Ronaldo‘s departure from Manchester United for a second time and just hours before it was announced that the Glazer family could be willing to sell the club after 17 years, Kompany was on the panel for France’s World Cup opener against Australia.
The reigning world champions went on to win the game 4-1, but the 37-year-old’s abrupt exit was naturally a massive talking point amongst the pundits.
With that in mind, lead anchor Gary Lineker posed the question, “Would you take him at Burnley?”. The former City star’s answer was priceless.
I mean, whether you’re a United fan or not, he’s got a point.
Kompany was appointed as manager of Burnley FC back in June of this year and currently has the Lancashire-based club on track for a Premier League return, sitting three points clear of Sheffield United at the top of the table.
Notably, he has also helped change the playstyle significantly, dominating possession significantly (averaging 63.1% per game) and completely overhauling their passing stats and pressing off the ball.
In contrast, while Ronaldo has been in the team this season, United have covered less distance and averaged around two fewer points per game.
Read more:
A workhorse he may have once been and clearly still in immense physical condition, but as Ronaldo has gotten older, his game has naturally had to change and it seems apparent that so did his desire to play for United.
The footballing veteran and sporting icon is now set to leave the club that launched his career following a turbulent second spell during which he took aim at the manager and ownership, as well as several current and former players.
Although he is obviously away with Portugal in Qatar, it is rumoured that Ronaldo’s next destination could be either Newcastle United or a move to their owners’ country of origin, as he told Piers Morgan that he received several offers over the past year.
Well, thanks to Kompany, we know it won’t be Burnley at least…
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Image — BBC Sport
Sport
Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
Read more:
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Featured Image – Johnny Gios (via Unsplash)
Sport
Manchester Storm game postponed just one week after AO Arena return due to ‘technical issue with the ice’
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Storm’s second game back at the AO Arena had to be postponed over the weekend due to a ‘technical issue with the ice’.
The ice hockey team made a record-breaking return to the venue earlier this month, attracting some 11,000 fans to watch their match against Sheffield Steelers.
But just one week later, as Manchester Storm prepared to face off against The Nottingham Panthers, the game had to be postponed.
Fans were already inside the legendary venue when a ‘technical issue with the ice’ became apparent and the game was called off.
Manchester Storm and the AO Arena said they ‘sincerely apologise’ to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption.
The game has now been rescheduled to Wednesday 14 October, with tickets valid for the new fixture.
The full statement read: “Unfortunately today’s Manchester Storm game vs The Nottingham Panthers has been suspended due to a technical issue with the ice.
“We sincerely apologise to supporters and ticket holders for the disruption and would like to thank everyone in attendance for their patience.
“We advise attendees to retain their tickets which will remain valid for the rescheduled fixture.
“Those with single-game tickets for this game and seeking a refund are advised to contact their point of purchase.
“The rescheduled game will take place on Wednesday 14th October 2026.
“Manchester Storm and AO Arena would like to thank attendees for their understanding.”
Read more
Featured image: Supplied
Danny Jones -
23rd November 2022 
