Manchester United is set to debut its first-ever ‘tifo’ banner ahead of their big game against Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday night.
The Red Devils are staring down their biggest moment of the season – arguably one of their biggest in some time – as they must beat Lyon in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final to advance in the competition, which is their only chance of silverware this year.
It’s been a tough start for new manager Ruben Amorim since he arrived at Old Trafford, with Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS ownership group having been amidst turbulent times pretty much ever since they took up a minority stake in the club.
All that being said, and with Man United’s financial obstacles now well-publicised by the co-owner himself, winning the tournament and therefore securing a shot at Champions League football next season is crucial to how their ambitious rebuild and, notably, stadium redevelopment plans pan out.
A pleasure to have worked with @ManUtd on this. The whole display should be fantastic. Let's ensure all fans are in the stadium early to create an atmosphere.https://t.co/yBzo3kXWrx
With that in mind, the club are looking to be bolder than ever when it comes to creating an atmosphere for the crucial knockout fixture, announcing that a tifo banner will be unveiled inside the stadium for the first time in the club’s history.
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For any of those still unclear on what a tifo is, they are large, colourful, choreographed displays typically organised by the supporters themselves, which spotlight things like club badges, legendary players, insignias, messages and more.
Popular in various other parts of the continent and beyond, especially in the likes of Italy (where the trend first started) and Germany, as well as southern and eastern Europe, this particular part of global football fan culture hasn’t really made it over to the Premier League just yet.
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Not too far away from the kinds of big banners that are commonplace throughout most football, only even more massive and usually much intricate in shape, design and detail, the club has confirmed their inaugural attempt at a United tifo will be shown in front of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand.
As for what it’s going to look like, the specifics are being kept under wraps for now, but the club are said to have worked with fan representatives closely on the project before being shared with captain Bruno Fernandes to get his seal of approval.
The flag shown during this year’s Munich Disaster memorial observation. (Credit: The Manc Group)
For now, the only details revealed are that “the ‘tifo’ will be raised from the ground to the roof, in front of the halfway line, creating a spectacular moment ahead of kick-off in M16.”
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There have been plenty of big banner moments – both in protest and to mark important memorials – already this season, but this promises to be a whole different kettle of fish for the club.
During their most recent Europa League fixture, those up in the stands even got to witness Old Trafford putting on pyrotechnics for the first time, though it’s safe to say they didn’t quite nail the concept.
In fact, it looks like the club itself would be the first to admit it, as they also confirmed that the pre-match pageantry will include “red-and-white pyrotechnics will also appear adjacent to the banner, in a larger display than the one seen before the win over Real Sociedad in the previous round.”
Tifos are all well and good, but they need backing up with results, and it goes without saying that this match could define not just Man United‘s season but work wonders for Amorim’s future moving forward. This is the sort of standard they’re up against…
Ultras do not mess about when it comes to this kind of stuff.
Stockport County are hosting huge World Cup screenings at Edgeley Park
Danny Jones
Stockport County are set to host one of the biggest World Cup screenings in Greater Manchester this year, with the nearby football club opening up their very own ground at Edgeley Park to host some huge watchalong parties.
And before you ask, no – you won’t be watching from the pitch, sorry.
Still, a dozen large TVs, loads of great street food and free-flowing drinks, not to mention plenty of stadium-level atmosphere, we’d absolutely call this the next best thing.
With the 2026 World Cup and a whole summer packed with sporting tournaments coming up, ‘The Hatters’ will be creating their own home camp to help cheer on the national squad.
As you can see, while you won’t quite be out of their on the turf for yourselves, and outrageous ‘scam’ ticket prices mean even fewer England supporters will likely be flying out to watch the boys in person, the Stockport side will be doing their best to create a proper good crowd.
Taking over the County Courtyard – the team’s dedicated social hub for before and after games, which opened back in 2022 – the local League One side will be turning this into a Three Lions fan zone for each and every game they play in the tournament.
Fingers crossed they give us plenty of rounds to witness, eh?…
Anyone who’s been to Edgeley Park‘s County Courtyard or simply even seen the scenes online will know how busy this place can get on a matchday, so just imagine what it will be like with the big screens showing the all-important games.
With resident cult figure ‘Chef John’ cooking up street food scran inspired by the cuisine and cultures that will be hosting this year’s World Cup, and a special, not to mention brand-new, US-inspired beer in collaboration with natives Runaway Brewery, it’s a great lineup – we just pray Thomas Tuchel matches it.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied via Stockport County Football Club)
Doors open at 6pm for all fixtures, and The Courtyard will remain open until midnight; with tickets starting from just a fiver for the group stage, you’d be foolish not to at least consider it.
If England do make it through to the knockouts, each following fixture will obviously be shown on the box, too, with tickets then rising to £10 per game (Edgeley Park is also a fully cashless venue).
You can find out more information about what will be on offer and find the ticket link right HERE.
As for Stopfordians and regular season ticket-holders, they’ll no doubt be gutted to hear that manager Dave Challinor has now departed SK3 after a hugely productive five-year stint – here’s hoping a great World Cup can help lift some spirits.
Memories that will last a lifetime 💙
We wish Dave and his family every success in the future – they will always be welcome back at Edgeley Park 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZxcH5Keag9
— Stockport County (@StockportCounty) June 1, 2026
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Stockport County FC (supplied)
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Two towns around an hour away from Manchester named ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home
Emily Sergeant
Two towns that are around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home.
It’s all according to the latest analysis by consumer watchdog Which?, and Lloyds bank.
Getting onto the property ladder remains a struggle for many first time buyers, especially following increases to mortgage rates since the start of spring – but where you buy can make a huge difference, according to Which?, and now new research from Lloyds has revealed the cheapest areas to buy your first home.
Some of the locations on the list are even averaging less than half the price of homes in London, proving the North West is where you want to be to get your foot on the property ladder.
According to research from Lloyds Bank, the most affordable place for first time buyers in the UK is East Ayrshire in Scotland.
But when it comes to the North West, Blackpool is not only the most affordable area in region – ranking at number three on the list – but it’s also the cheapest in the whole of England too, beating Kingston upon Hull by just a few hundred pounds.
Two towns around an hour away from Manchester have been named among the ‘most affordable’ places to buy your first home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott | Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
The average first time buyer price in Blackpool is £150,780, according to the research.
Following Blackpool, ranking at sixth place on the list, is Hyndburn in Lancashire – which is actually a local Government district with borough status, that encompasses towns like Accrington and Great Harwood – with an average first time buyer price of £155,911.
Along with the most affordable areas for first time buyers, Lloyds has also calculated the areas with the youngest first time buyers too – and the North West also takes that title,
In the UK as a whole, the average age of a first time buyer is now 32, however buyers in some parts of the country are getting onto the property ladder much earlier than others, particularly in more affordable areas outside major cities.
The area with the youngest first time buyers is the Ribble Valley, according to Lloyds.
The largest town in this Lancashire district is Clitheroe, on the edge of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, and in less than 40 minutes by car, you can get to Preston, Blackburn, and Burnley, so it’s a pretty well-connected place for also being so affordable.
Danny Jones -
16th April 2025 
