Two brand new coaches have joined Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City this week, and they arrive at the club with an impressive and interesting pedigree, to say the least.
2024/25 was the first campaign that the Catalan head coach finished the competitive season without picking up silverware since his maiden year at the club in 16/17. As a result, it looks like Pep is risking any further flirtation with complacency and looks to have been proactive in the transfer market and beyond.
As well as player acquisition (one already completed and more inbound), the official appointment of two key additions to the first-team coaching personnel on Tuesday morning has piqued some interest.
Not least of all because they’ve been snapped up from a rival club.
The two men in question are Pepijn Lijnders and James French, who, up until this month, used to belong to the current English champions and had been for more than a decade, respectively.
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Lijnders, who is now assistant coach to Guardiola, initially joined Liverpool as part of former manager Brendan Rodgers’ entourage before being kept on by club legend and now close friend, Jürgen Klopp, who left the Premier League after nine years in charge last year.
Why have one Pep when you can have two, eh?
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As for his 42-year-old protégé, the fellow Dutchman had a short 2018 spell in charge of NEC Nijmegen back home in Eredivisie and, most recently, the RB Salzburg boss before ultimately being dismissed after just 29 games.
Lijnders also famously published his first book while still working as a football coach, Intensity: Inside Liverpool, back in 2022; it chronicled Liverpool’s 2021/22 season and was heavily criticised by many for shedding too much light on the dressing room and coaching secrets.
Safe to say his arrival at the Etihad Campus is a loaded and intriguing one for a number of reasons.
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He certainly seems to back himself and has already tried his hand in the top job.
Meanwhile, long-time colleague, French, has been at Anfield studying opposition teams even longer. The former Hearts, Cardiff and Swansea match analyst landed in Merseyside all the way back in 2012.
Born in Portugal but raised here in England from an early age, picking up degrees in Scotland and Wales before also enjoying a role as part of the Welsh FA, his CV is a varied one which now includes Man City‘s new set-piece specialist.
With runners-up Arsenal having seen huge success in gaining extra points through goals converted from dead-ball situations, and Pep already a very astute tactician, it looks as though the Blues are hoping to find further success in this area.
You could argue he now serves as the perfect man to help push the team forward against their closest modern rivals and will certainly serve as a helpful opposition coach now too, having effectively spent a very long spell ‘researching’ what goes on over at Melwood.
Commenting on the appointments, fellow new starter and recently integrated Director of Football, Hugo Viana, said: “We are all delighted that Pepijn and James have joined our senior coaching set-up. Pepijn and James have each amassed huge experience working in their individual roles over the past few years.
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“Their talent, application, work ethic and all-around commitment are totally aligned with the values that underpin how Pep wants football to be played.
“I have no doubt at all that both will prove to be very important assets for Pep and his coaching team as we prepare for the Club World Cup and then the 2025/26 season.”
Along with new reserve goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli from Chelsea also being confirmed, it is expected that Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders are next to be announced.
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak made clear to fans early doors that his side would pick up “several targets” this summer, even after the roughly £200 million spending spree back in January, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see even more new faces before the end of the window.
‘The United Strand’ shares update after video of assault at Old Trafford goes viral
Danny Jones
Viral Manchester United fan Frank Ilett, more commonly known online as ‘The United Strand’, has now spoken out in a video update after a clip of him being attacked by another man at Old Trafford was shared across social media.
The 29-year-old Man United supporter was in attendance for the Red Devils’ rainy win against Chelsea in the Premier League this past weekend, and proved a popular figure around the majority of the stadium.
However, despite being previously preoccupied with meeting, greeting and taking selfies with other United fans, his time at Theatre of the Dreams took a more nightmarish turn as one individual began pulling him by the hair before being separated by Reds in the vicinity.
The supporter who assaulted Ilett has yet to be identified, but Frank himself has now opened up on the incident in his latest video.
Sharing a lengthy update across all of The United Strand accounts,
It’s worth noting that Frank didn’t take a break from his daily posting challenge either, as his streak of not cutting hair and recording its now internet-famous growth every day until Man United win five games in a row continues.
But as for the ordeal itself, as you can see, Frank genuinely thought his aggressor was just joking at first.
Just like those around him, it only clicked that the man meant to do him harm when he “properly started yanking my hair”, detailing that he also called him an “attention-seeking [undisclosed expletive]” at the same time.
Sadly, Frank – who not only started this challenge as a silly bit of fun but also to help raise money for charity – went on to reveal that, unfortunately, this wasn’t the only less-than-warm reception he received from fans in and around the stadium.
In addition to the unprovoked attack, Frank says he also received some verbal abuse.
Manchester United are yet to issue any kind of public statement regarding the matter, but subsequent reports have claimed that United officials have been made aware of the footage and are now investigating the incident internally, and will “impose strong sanctions” if/when caught.
Fellow fan account Stretford Paddock (formerly Full Time Devils) responded in the comments: ‘Keep it up, Frank. You’re giving us all a smile at a difficult time as United fans and doing some brilliant things along the way!
Even JD Sports offered their support with a reply, with their social media admin writing, “Keep doing your thing, broski.”
As for Frank Ilett, besides thanking those who helped him in the inexcusable moment of violence, he reiterated that not only did he never expect to still be doing this challenge, but that it was only ever meant to be “something to laugh at in a difficult time as fans.”
His goal was simply to “spread positivity and humour”; we can only hope that he faces nothing but more of the many “positive interactions” that he did in fact enjoy on the day, the next time he visits the ground.
Featured Images — The United Strand (screenshot via YouTube/Instagram)
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Salford City ‘extremely disappointed’ in Yorkshire Police’s investigation after racist abuse
Danny Jones
Salford City FC have issued a statement expressing their disappointment with Yorkshire Police and the force’s final decision regarding a racist incident earlier this year.
Local authorities in the region opened an investigation into allegations of racism and verbal abuse during a pre-season game between Salford and York City FC back in July.
Now, just over a month later, North Yorkshire Police have concluded their investigation and decided not to pursue charges against the accused individual – an outcome that SCFC have not taken lightly.
Issuing an extensive and frustrated response online, they wrote: “Salford City Football Club is extremely disappointed with the findings of the investigation by North Yorkshire Police (NYP), and the subsequent decision not to charge the individual responsible for the racist abuse aimed at Adebola Oluwo.”
“It is particularly concerning how the investigation concludes that there is no evidence to corroborate the report of abuse, despite a number of first-hand accounts of the abuse from those present at the fixture.
“This includes [by] the match officials, who we know, through discussions with the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), gave verbal statements on the night and provided their details for the investigating team to follow up, but have not been contacted.”
Oluwo signed for Salford this summer from Barnet FC on a two-year deal, but sadly faced racist abuse before his debut season with the club had even begun.
The 25-year-old explained how “monkey noises” were made in his direction; sitting down with various other senior figures from within the club and around the administration, he and the likes of head coach Karl Robinson made it clear that this kind of treatment is simply unacceptable.
We urge you to watch this in full.
The club statement continues: “Having spoken with Adebola and sought further advice on the matter, including legal, we will be exercising the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme to request an independent review to reconsider this outcome.
“Our players, coaching staff, members and everybody at our Club stand united with Adebola, and we have also engaged the English Football League (EFL), the Professional Footballers ‘ Association (the players’ union), and Kick It Out, who have all offered their full and unequivocal support for the review application.
“The match officials, supported by their governing body PGMO, remain available to be contacted to provide their impartial accounts of events that evening. We will pursue every available avenue to ensure accountability, and together send a clear message that racism has no place in our sport.”
SCFC sign off by insisting that they will be adding no further comment, but supporters, both local and beyond, have certainly had plenty to say online.
York City themselves made it clear at the time that everyone assosciated with the fellow Northern side categorically “condemns racism in all forms” and assured they would cooperate with Salford and the police service on the investigation.
York City Football Club are horrified to learn of allegations of racial abuse aimed at Salford City players in this evening’s pre-season match.
Both clubs, alongside the match officials, decided to take both teams off the pitch at that time.
While it is distressing to learn that NYP won’t be proceeding with the hate crime that was so openly and emotionally acknowledged by both teams, ‘The Minstermen’ did reiterate that the 23-year-old arrested at the time “will face the strongest possible sanctions from the club.”
In terms of the update from ‘The Ammies’, one user replied: “North Yorkshire police? Failure to bring charges? Suggesting [a] lack of evidence? Nooooooo, never. They don’t seem the type.”
Another added: “Was this case referred to the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service], who decided not to charge; or did North Yorkshire Police not refer it to them for a decision? Tough to know who to be p***ed-off with until that is clear.”
We can only echo the post shared by Salford City FC and stress how disheartening it is to still see situations like this arising. It also goes without saying that we send our support to Adebola Oluwo and everyone at the club during this difficult time.
Not only is ‘the beautiful game’ for everyone, but the only way we can ever even hope for racism to be completely kicked out of football is for decisive, consistent and punitive action to be taken in moments like this and more often, as we know the number of incidents that occur is far higher than those reported.
Danny Jones -
10th June 2025 
