A massive Rick and Morty mural is being erected on the stadium front of Old Trafford and people online have been scratching their heads as to the reason why.
Pictures of the large multi-panel banner being assembled outside the East Stand, hanging just above the United Store entrance, began circulating on social media on Tuesday, 28 September.
What's this about, Rick from Rick and Morty on a massive banner outside Old Trafford…spot the broken window! pic.twitter.com/rOUdPEmgDQ
But even before then, single posters of the titular characters were spotted flanking either side of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.
Given how many people travel past this iconic landmark every day, seeing two giant images of arguably the most popular cartoon characters in the world right now is sure to have caused a few double-takes.
Erm, just walking within eyesight of Old Trafford and there’s massive banners of Rick and Morty up on the Sir Alex Ferguson stand… pic.twitter.com/BHsIASuscd
Manchester United fans and tourists are more than used to seeing the latest United campaign, player collage or special poster – the latest being the tribute to Queen Elizabeth II – but it isn’t often you’ll see an external brand take up this kind of wall space. Well, ad space.
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As many of you may have guessed already, the Rick and Morty poster outside Old Trafford is, of course, another marketing idea and although the Red Devils don’t have a sponsorship deal with Adult Swim or Netflix, they do have one with Adidas.
It may have slipped past you over recent months, but the hit animation has recently partnered with the sportswear brand for a number of adverts such as promoting their new X Speedportal football boots.
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Official Adidas athletes like Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Arsenal Women’s Dutch forward Vivianne Miedema both starred as their animated selves for a fictionalised game. However, the ad campaign clearly hasn’t stopped there.
Like Miedema herself, Arsenal have been an official Adidas partnered club since 2018 and they too helped promote what the show describes as their “living” episode, ‘Wormageddon’ to celebrate the launch of the sixth season. This involved a number of statues dotted around the Emirates Stadium:
With that in mind, while we ascertain the exact nature of this Rick and Morty x Adidas x Manchester United ad, if you look closely at what portions of the posters have already gone up, there’s a clear hint at what the club are getting out of it.
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Besides wearing the Adidas mentioned above, if you closely at the image of main character Rick, you can see he is wearing what looks to be United’s recently released third kit under his trademark lab coat:
So there you have it; it might have looked a bit of an odd sight at first glance but there’s actually a very logical explanation.
At the end of the day, United have so many commercial partners at this point, we wouldn’t put it past them to secure a direct partnership with Rick and Morty somehow. They did one with Deadpool after all.
Pep Guardiola says he won’t manage another club after Manchester City
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola has claimed he won’t manage another team after his tenure at Manchester City is up, so enjoy the ride whilst you can, Blues.
One of the most successful managers in history, Pep Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers to have ever lived but it looks like the 53-year-old is now starting to think about life after football – or at least after Man City.
Guardiola recently extended his stay at the Eithad with a new two-year contract but it did look like he was ramping up to leave until the 11th hour and it now seems as though his time at City will be his last in the world of club football.
Pep Guardiola claims that he won't manage another club after Manchester City…
When asked about his future by his fellow compatriot, Pep said: “I’m going to stop. I am not going to join another team, I’m not going to leave to go to another country. I won’t have the energy. For now, I’m still here but to think about starting again, the whole process of training – no, no.”
Energy has been a defining factor for so many managers of late, with long-time rival Jürgen Klopp having departed Liverpool FC as a result of the fatigue caused by the job.
With countless cups, six Premier League titles and a trio of Champions League trophies to his name, Pep has pretty much won everything there is to win, which will no doubt factor into his eventual decision.
That being said, Pep did go on to suggest that however long he stays in the sport after his time in Manchester is all said and done, his next role would likely be in international football as leading a country to major silverware is the one thing he hasn’t achieved just yet.
City have managed to get points back on the board in their last two games, notching a much-needed 3-0 against Nottingham Forest before only managing to scrape a draw against Crystal Palace this past weekend, but with a derby approaching this Sunday, all eyes are on Manchester.
With the title race already looking like a nigh on an insurmountable task given the points they’ve already drooped (even with Liverpool’s recent slip-up), Pep’s stress and energy are already pushed to their limits as it is.
You might only get a couple more years with the tactical genius, City fans, so make the most of it.
You can watch Pep Guardiola’s full interview with Dani García down below – though it is in Spanish so you will need subtitles on:
Manchester City’s alleged charges have been increased to 130
Danny Jones
Manchester City’s hearing over their 115 alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) has ended and the outcome is that their charges have now been increased to 130.
Not exactly what Blues will want to hear.
The hearing officially concluded last Friday, 6 December after a 12-week process to determine whether they broke Premier League regulations regarding PSR (profit and sustainability), with accusations initially spanning a nine-year period.
However, rather than making any progress when it comes to clearing their record, it looks as though the opposite has happened.
Man City are now alleged to have committed 130 breaches of Premier League rules with both parties still able to enter an official appeal.
The hearing was held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre near St Paul’s in London, kicking off in September before coming to a close on Friday, 6 December.
Fans will no doubt have been hoping for and maybe even expecting a much more positive update, especially after having been successful in their recent case against the division regarding sponsorship deals and Associated Party Transactions (APT).
As well as the number of alleged breaches having risen to 130, the period of offence is also now said to have been extended, jumping from just under a decade to a total of 14 years.
The Times writer Martyn Ziegler says the club could quietly learn of their fate as soon as next month and even though a final decision still isn’t expected until spring 2025, should either side appeal the final outcome, this will likely draw out proceedings for several more months.
Man City’s charges have gone from 115 to 130. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For context, City still deny all of the claims laid against them, which include failing to provide accurate financial information for as many as nine seasons, full details of players’ wages, hiding the true figure former manager Roberto Mancini was paid for her service, as well as failing to cooperate with the Premier League’s investigation and UEFA’s FFP rules.
The club were slapped with a two-year European ban back in 2020 and have been fined by the European footballing body previously, but that ban was ultimately dropped and even their most recent financial punishment was dropped from £30 million to just £10m – chump change given their spending power.
It still remains unclear what exactly will happen to the reigning English champions if they are found guilty but with Pep Guardiola’s also struggling for form of late, having lost five games in a row for the first time in the Catalan’s career, those inside the Etihad could do with some good news.
The blue moon that has loomed over Manchester in recent years is looking a little lost behind the clouds at the minute.
Danny Jones -
28th September 2022 
