Latest news with #Classof92
Daily Record
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Record
Stephen Robinson reflects on 'three seasons in one' after St Mirren drama
The Buddies gaffer didn't have his troubles to seek in the early part of a campaign which had a happy ending. Stephen Robinson insists he has come through the hardest season of his career. The St Mirren manager had multiple problems to deal with during the campaign but still guided the club to a top-six Premiership finish. From training ground issues which forced the squad to prepare for crunch European games at Neilston's Brig O'Lea and the Garscube complex in Glasgow to the sheriff court appearances of three players, there was a lot of adversity. Behind-the-scenes documentaries are all the rage in football just now from Salford City's Class of 92 films to the Netflix hit 'Welcome to Wrexham' and Buddies boss Robbo knows there would have been plenty to keep the cameras rolling after 'three seasons in one'. 'It has been the hardest season I've ever had to deal with,' the Northern Irishman admitted. 'The things that have happened make it feel like it's been three seasons in one! 'To a board and a playing staff, these things don't really happen once in your career. For it to happen three times in such a short space of time, it was a lot to deal with. 'All the issues we've had throughout the season as well with training pitches not being available, losing staff and all the things that go with that, it's been really, really difficult. 'The lesson from that is that people kept believing. The players kept believing, the staff kept believing and the board kept believing. 'My wife was asking me, 'Can you believe you're in the top six again? That you're unbeaten in the top six?' And I have to say, back in September, I couldn't see that happening. 'So, that's testament to the players and the staff that we've not only come through all of that, but come through it flying. We've played brilliant football and been an exciting team to watch.' When times were tough, Robbo knew he had to provide the direction. He added: 'You have to come in on a Monday morning and be the one that puts things into perspective. Sometimes I have to put a brave face on.' Meanwhile, the Buddies' Premier Sports Cup group stage fixtures have been confirmed. Saints will travel to face Arbroath at Gayfield on Saturday, July 12 and then are back up to Angus on Tuesday, July 15 for a date with Forfar Athletic. On Saturday, July 19, Annan Athletic make their first-ever visit to the SMiSA Stadium which also hosts Scott Brown's Ayr United on Sunday, July 27 for a televised clash. ■Saints hero Stephen McGinn has left his academy role to become first-team coach at Premiership new boys Falkirk. The club have announced that Craig McLeish will head a new Under-19s set-up.
Scottish Sun
7 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd wonderkid won't ever want to give up his shirt as he wears iconic number for clash against Hong Kong
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED fans reckon wonderkid Jim Thwaites will never change his shirt number after his appearance against Hong Kong. The 17-year-old midfielder featured as the Red Devils won their post-season friendly 3-1 today. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Jim Thwaites wears the No92 Credit: Getty 2 Thwaites came on as a sub as United beat Hong Kong 3-1 Credit: MUTV He replaced Toby Collyer for the final 15 minutes as late goals from Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven spared United's blushes. Thwaites came off the bench wearing the squad number 92. Of course, the number is synonymous with United thanks to the iconic Class of 92. The name was given to David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary and Phil Neville, who all broke into Sir Alex Ferguson's side in 1992. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL HEAT IS ON Man Utd fans demand club is liquidated as horror blunder gives Hong Kong lead Thwaites will be hoping to follow in their footsteps and he is highly-rated by many at Old Trafford. His style of play has seen him compared to Christian Eriksen. The teenager featured 24 times in the Under-18s Premier League this season, scoring nine goals. And he made his first senior appearance in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to the ASEAN All-Stars. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Thwaites impressed and put in a brilliant tackle, which was praised by ex-United wonderkid Ben Thornley on commentary, who said: "What a tackle that is. He slides in brilliant, brilliant from Jim Thwaites. "That is not easy to do and it will leave a mark on Ruben Amorim as the minutes tick by. Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho show middle finger to fans during Man Utd's post-season tour in Malaysia 'Amorim will remember that, something so late in the game sticks in the manager's mind, I am sure.' The boss went on to praise youth after the game, saying: "I liked the young kids, they try. That's enough for me in the moment. "They want to play more but we have to rotate everybody to play. They did well." Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford
The Sun
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Man Utd wonderkid won't ever want to give up his shirt as he wears iconic number for clash against Hong Kong
MANCHESTER UNITED fans reckon wonderkid Jim Thwaites will never change his shirt number after his appearance against Hong Kong. The 17-year-old midfielder featured as the Red Devils won their post-season friendly 3-1 today. 2 2 He replaced Toby Collyer for the final 15 minutes as late goals from Chido Obi and Ayden Heaven spared United's blushes. Thwaites came off the bench wearing the squad number 92. Of course, the number is synonymous with United thanks to the iconic Class of 92. The name was given to David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Gary and Phil Neville, who all broke into Sir Alex Ferguson 's side in 1992. Thwaites will be hoping to follow in their footsteps and he is highly-rated by many at Old Trafford. His style of play has seen him compared to Christian Eriksen. The teenager featured 24 times in the Under-18s Premier League this season, scoring nine goals. And he made his first senior appearance in Wednesday's 1-0 defeat to the ASEAN All-Stars. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Thwaites impressed and put in a brilliant tackle, which was praised by ex-United wonderkid Ben Thornley on commentary, who said: "What a tackle that is. He slides in brilliant, brilliant from Jim Thwaites. "That is not easy to do and it will leave a mark on Ruben Amorim as the minutes tick by. 'Amorim will remember that, something so late in the game sticks in the manager's mind, I am sure.' The boss went on to praise youth after the game, saying: "I liked the young kids, they try. That's enough for me in the moment. "They want to play more but we have to rotate everybody to play. They did well."
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
‘Very different to Wrexham' – Gary Neville and David Beckham WON'T pour millions into Salford as they outline ‘project'
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Gary Neville outlined the plan he and David Beckham have for Salford City after their recent takeover of the club. Neville and Beckham, both 50, led a new consortium and gained control of the League Two side earlier this month by buying out shares from fellow Class of 92 icons Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville. 5 5 The United greats have teamed up with businessman Declan Kelly and Lawn Tennis Association chairman Lord Mervyn Davies after major backer Peter Lim stepped away last year. The former England internationals have big plans as they are determined to get the League Two outfit in the Championship within the next five years. Ever since their arrival in 2014, Salford got promoted from the Northern Premier League Division One North to the EFL in five years, but they have remained in the fourth tier ever since. Neville told The Overlap Fan Debate, on behalf of Sky Bet: "Shares in a football club for most owners, other than the passion and the feelings you get from it, you're a reliability from an investment perspective more than an asset. "We've put money into Salford and in January we just thought we needed to get a group of people involved, who we could trust. "Me and Becks [Beckham] agreed that we would put money in for the next four or five years, which is a commitment we've all made. "Salford City won't be changing the budget – to reverse out of the model we already have, you need two or three years. "You can't go from investing to becoming sustainable that quick – you need to look at players' contracts for three years and you've generally got a model that you've built which you can't come away from." Successful celebrity-owned clubs have risen to prominence in recent years and many are hoping Salford will follow suit. Wrexham have earned three successive promotions from the National League to the Championship under Hollywood celebrity owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. And Birmingham won the League One title this season and will join the Red Dragons in the second division with NFL legend Tom Brady as minority owner. However, Neville is adamant things will be "very different" compared to Wrexham and Birmingham. The Man Utd hero insists millions will not be poured but instead he and Beckham will focus on turning the club into a "good football project" that will be very close to the local community. Neville added: "We just need to change the model of the club slightly, in fact quite a bit. It's very different than Wrexham and Birmingham - you're talking about millions going into those clubs. "That's not what we're looking to do with Salford. We want Salford to be a good football project. "Salford City has the cheapest ticket prices in the EFL. On day one, I committed to the fans that we would be the most affordable and accessible football club. I'd rather go down than do that [be unsustainable]." 5 5
The Star
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Giggsy spurs United on
HE'S won virtually every single club and individual honour in the game. He is the most decorated footballer in the history of the English game and one of the most decorated of all time. StarSport caught up with footballing legend Ryan Giggs who was in Kuala Lumpur to promote the Manchester United vs Asean All-Stars match on May 28. Q: You've been to Malaysia quite a few times now. What's your favourite food? A: The first trip was before 2000, I think it was 1995. I've had quite a bit of the local food in Malaysia, but I have to say, I have a soft spot for satay. It's not too spicy. In fact, on the flight over, I had some satay. (Giggs arrived in Kuala Lumpur after a 36-hour flight and transit). The team have lost 18 league matches this season, a run of form not seen since the 1970s. What do you attribute this malaise to? I think it's an accumulation over time, over the last eight or nine years with recruitment and obviously the change of managers as well. You have a manager who comes in and likes a player and then you have a different manager coming in who doesn't, and these players from different regimes cost a lot of money. And then you have a team of players that can't play the manager's system and just aren't used to winning. They do not have that feeling of consistency and that winning feeling. So, yes, it's a difficult time. I've no doubt we will be back. It's just a matter of time. You were an integral part of the Class of 92, which had top figures like Bryan Robson, Paul Ince, Steve Bruce. Do the youngsters, such as Chido Obi, Harry Amass have big characters to guide them? It's hard to know without actually being on the training ground or around the team. I think you've good, good, pros in the team, but like you just mentioned when I came into the team, there were Bryan, Steve, Mark (Hughes), Brian (McClair), Peter (Schmieichel) and Paul. Yeah, just so many characters but winners as well. They wanted to win the small-sided games, they wanted to win in training every day, and I came into that environment. I had to elevate my game, my performances, my consistency to their level, otherwise I would have fallen away, and so it's very difficult to compare eras but I was lucky that I came into that kind of environment. But now it's a different era and mentality, it's a different world really, but somehow you need to get that togetherness, because I agree, you need the young players coming through and aspire to be like the older players. From the Busby Babes in the 1950s to your era with Fergie's Fledglings, United had paraded youngsters. Do you see that continuing? I mean, I do, but it's difficult because they're coming to an environment where instantly, the pressure is on and every game for Man United is big anyway. It seems at the moment there's a lot of criticism, and it's not easy for a young player to come into that environment. And when you're not winning, your confidence goes, you maybe do not do things that you did in the youth team or the reserves, so it is difficult but like I said, we'll come back, but at the moment it is difficult for a young player to come into the team because of the lack of consistency. Your last competitive match was 11 years ago. You must miss it, you're still relatively young and still as good looking. (laughs) Yeah, you know what I obviously played until I was 40 and I was in the team at 17. At that time (in 2014), I had done everything, and I was ready for the next stage of my career, but I think you do miss it. You miss the big games, the Champions League, and also training. Football's the best job in the world going, playing with some of your friends and yes, so I miss that. How do you keep yourself fit? You still look fit. Difficult, I think the main thing is just watching your diet. When you play, you've always got an excuse to maybe not eat the wrong food or have too many beers or wine, but now you don't have that excuse anymore, so you know, you can indulge, you can have a few drinks. But it's just mainly concentrate on what you eat, really, and I've always been pretty disciplined with that. And also, yeah, I like to play paddle, I like to play five-a-sides still, I'm lucky I don't have injuries, I don't have bad knees, no aching joints, so I'm still able to exercise at a pretty high level. Interview Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.—AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star. You turned to yoga at your peak in 90s, 2000s to maintain your flexibility. Do you still do it? No, that was the hardest thing that I did, and I did it purely because it was good for me and my career. My injuries got less. My availability for games and training became more, so yoga was good for me, physically, spiritually and mentally. But it was hard, and I am not flexible. I don't like it, and now I'd rather play golf or paddle or five-a-side, rather than do yoga. Your last managerial job was in 2022 (in Wales) and at Salford City. Is there a similar role for you in near future? Yeah, I hope so. I mean, I loved my time with Wales and working as Louis Van Gaal's assistant with United (in 2014) and I'm still relatively young as a coach, so yeah, I still have aspirations to be a manager. I feel I've got a lot to offer. I've got the UEFA Class A coaching licence. I did that while I was still playing. I got my pro licence where you can coach or manage anywhere. While I was still playing, I was preparing myself for the next step. So yeah I'm ready to go. As a United fan, my favourite goal of yours was the one you scored in the 1999 FA Cup semi-final replay against Arsenal. What's your favourite? Yeah, I enjoyed that goal so much. It was a good goal but also the occasion itself. I've scored many goals where I dribbled but probably none that was more important than that one against Arsenal. The winning goal makes a difference and it was a good goal as well. Of the many goals and trophies in your career, which was the best? Could it be the 1999 treble? I think growing up as a United fan and not winning the league for so long, that first one was extra special (referring to United's first league title after 26 years in the 1992-93 season) and it gave us the confidence to build from that. Especially the year before when we lost to Leeds, so narrowly, I was so disappointed, and I couldn't wait to get back in pre-season the next year. And so, when we eventually won the league playing Blackburn at home, the whole stadium was buzzing with your friends and family there, that was a real special trophy. Fast forward to the MU of the present. They will play Europa League final on May 22 (tomorrow) against Tottenham Hotspurs. Your thoughts? Class act: Giggs in full flow during his prime. It's a strange one because we've been so poor in the league but so good in Europe. In fact, we're the only unbeaten team in any European club competition this season. I don't know if it's Ruben's tactics (manager Ruben Amorim) or if it's the players or an escape from the domestic game troubles they've been having because they just seem to be embracing it and enjoying it. Of course you need a bit of luck like the late drama we had against Lyon, but yeah, the team look really good in Europe. It'll be a tough game because Tottenham have had better results against us the last few years but I always fancy us against Spurs. Is it true or is it one of those urban legends that Sir Alex (manager) comes into the dressing room before every Spurs game and goes, 'Lads, its only Tottenham.' Hahaha. It was said a few times. Roy Keane (captain) said it, Sir Alex said it. I think historically, when we went to White Hart Lane, they'd always had, (Glenn) Hoddle, (Paul) Gascoigne, (David) Ginola, these sort of flair players, but they didn't have a Roy Keane or a bit of steel so historically, we always enjoyed playing them. They enjoyed it too but they lacked the steel that we had. I always enjoyed playing against Tottenham because it was a good game and we usually won. You've played many friendlies, against Malaysia too, how did you view a match like this during pre-season? Yeah, I think it's the overall experience really of where you're going rather than the game, because it's very difficult with the humidity and the heat to train properly and the game obviously is going to be hot and it's the end of the season. I think it's more of the experience of coming to another country, seeing the fan base and interacting with the fans. And just trying to enjoy yourself really, trying to get out and see Kuala Lumpur if you can.
