Latest news with #Classof92
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Gary Neville trolled by Salford City rivals after watching opening day defeat
Salford City endured a bad start to their League Two campaign as they were beaten 3-1 at home to Crewe Alexandra, who couldn't resist poking fun at the club's owner Gary Neville as he watched on with despair Gary Neville has been taunted by Salford City 's rivals Crewe Alexandra on social media after his side's opening day defeat this weekend. The Manchester United legend cut a glum figure on Saturday afternoon as his Salford side were dealt a 3-1 loss by Crewe at home in their first League Two clash of the season. Kadeem Harris' own goal had given the away side the lead in the eighth minute before he made up for his gaffe by getting Neville's men level moments later. But Crewe quickly took control of the game just before the half time interval as Conor Thomas netted a brace in the space of a few minutes. Salford could not stage a fight back after the break and Neville was seen looking downbeat in the stands as he was pictured inside the directors' box holding up a hand against the window. And Crewe couldn't resist teasing the former England defender as they posted the picture of Neville holding up his hand, showing five fingers, and writing: "Nah it was three Gary." The cheeky post went down a hit with football fans on Twitter as one joined in with the fun, adding: "Clearly saying it should have been five by half time." Another wrote: "Counting how many places off the bottom of the league they are," as a third said: "It should have been how many Gary?" Neville has been one of the owners of Salford since 2014, agreeing to purchase the club alongside fellow Class of 92 members David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and brother Phil - as well as businessman Peter Lim. However, Neville acquired Lim's stake in the club in 2024 and this year it was announced that only Neville and Beckham remained shareholders out of the Class of 92 legends following a takeover by a new ownership group. Neville has often shared pictures and videos of himself following Salford City and he left heartbroken last season after the team finished eighth - just one spot off the play-off places. Salford is one of many business interests Neville is invested in after starting the Hotel Football group in Manchester. He has also started an investment firm called Relentless, which has invested in restaurants and properties, and media group Buzz 16, which runs his Overlap podcast content.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Gary Neville is taunted by Crewe on social media, as club take cheeky swipe after beating his Salford City side in season opener
Crewe Alexandra poked fun at Salford co-owner Gary Neville on social media after their 3-1 victory in their League Two opener on Saturday. It was a disappointing start to the season for Salford with Crewe walking away from their home ground with all three points. Sky Sports pundit Neville was in attendance, watching on from the director's box. The former Man United man was pictured observing from behind the window with his hand pressed against the glass. And Crewe couldn;t resist the chance to taunt Neville, who had five fingers placed on the window. They posted the snap on X with the caption: 'nah it was three Gary', referring to the Railwaymen's 3-1 win. Neville and David Beckham completed a takeover of Salford in May as part of a new consortium, buying out the rest of the Class of '92. The former Manchester United stars had held a 60 per cent share in the League Two club along with Paul Scholes, Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs. However, that quartet handed over their shares while Beckham and Neville have brought in new partners and investment of between £11-15million as they target Championship football within five years. Conor Thomas' brace late in the first half helped Crewe to their 3-1 win at Salford. Thomas put the Alex on track for victory after Kadeem Harris had scored at both ends of the field. Salford were awarded a penalty four minutes in after a foul on Adebola Oluwo by Mickey Demetriou. Ben Woodburn's spot-kick was struck with power but Tom Booth made a brilliant full-length save. Crewe led following a goalmouth scramble after eight minutes, with the ball adjudged to have crossed the line after ricocheting off Salford winger Harris. In an eventful debut for the Ammies, Harris restored parity, finding the bottom corner of Booth's goal after being set up by Kallum Cesay. Thomas put Crewe ahead after 41 minutes, finishing from close range following a Josh March cross. With seconds to go before half-time Thomas netted again, tapping in after Salford goalkeeper Matty Young failed to deal with Tommi O'Reilly's shot. Crewe came closest to scoring after the break with an O'Reilly shot that crashed off the crossbar.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Gary Neville brutally trolled after watching his Salford side spanked 3-1 in opening game of season
GARY NEVILLE was taunted with a hilarious social media post after Salford City lost their season opener. Salford 's new campaign started in misery after 3-1 defeat to Crewe Alexandra at home. 5 5 And the ever-devoted Neville looked just as miserable from his director's box. A photographer inside Moor Lane snapped a stern Neville watching the game through a window on Saturday afternoon. The Man Utd legend looked downtrodden as he rested his hand on the glass with his eyes fixed on the action. With his hand spread out, Neville had five fingers pressed against the window - and this prompted a bit of fan from Crewe's social media admin. Crewe posted the photo on X with the caption: "Nah it was three Gary" in reference to the Railwaymen's 3-1 win. The Cheshire-based side took the lead inside eight minutes after Salford star Ben Woodburn had a penalty saved by Tom Booth. Kadeem Harris scored at both ends of the field to make it 1-1 inside 16 minutes. But Conor Thomas' quickfire double at the end of the first half was enough to secure the win. 5 5 This season was meant to mark new beginnings for Salford after Neville and England icon David Beckham completed their takeover in May. Neville clubbed together with other members of Manchester United's famous Class of 92 to buy stakes in the club in 2014. Gary Neville reveals fear with Liverpool to become most successful English team ever Salford enjoyed four promotions in five years once the ex- United stars initially bought in. Beckham then joined the ownership team in 2019 when he purchased a ten per cent stake from majority shareholder Peter Lim, who left in 2024. But now Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes have also relinquished their ownership. Butt, 50, was also inadvertently snapped sitting in front of Neville this weekend. The new group also includes four further businessmen plus an Indian sports technology company. According to The Athletic, they have invested between £11million and £15m to bolster Salford's infrastructure and sporting ambitions. The 2024-25 season was their sixth consecutive campaign in League Two. The Ammies finished eighth, missing out on a play-off spot by just one point. But Neville's dreams of chasing Wrexham up the footie pyramid hit a stumbling block after Crewe's latest win. 5
Daily Record
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
John Higgins in the frame as Ronnie O'Sullivan's manager makes bold 'Class of 92' prediction
The iconic trio of Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins, along with players inside the world's top 64, can now play in certain events on a rival tour Ronnie O'Sullivan's manager believes at least one member of snooker's iconic 'Class of 92' will feature in the 2026 World Seniors Championship at the Crucible following a relaxation of eligibility rules. The illustrious trio of O'Sullivan, Mark Williams and Scottish legend John Higgins, along with players ranked within the world's top 64, were formerly prohibited from participating in World Seniors Snooker (WSS) tournaments due to an accord with the World Snooker Tour (WST). Jason Francis, who as well as managing the Rocket is chairman of WSS, had been campaigning for the WST to allow all players aged 45 and above to compete in their events. When negotiations failed to yield a satisfactory agreement, WSS terminated its agreement with WST after May's World Seniors Championship in Sheffield. Now, any competitor who meets the age criteria, regardless of their ranking status, is permitted to participate in WSS tournaments, provided they don't conflict with WST events. The development has conjecture about whether O'Sullivan, 49, Williams, 50, and Higgins, 50, who collectively hold 14 world titles, might compete in two separate World Championships at the Crucible next spring. The participation of any 'Class of 92' member would represent a significant coup for WSS. Francis told the Mirror:"They're available to me right now. If the commercial terms are right, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, John Higgins can all play World Seniors Snooker UK broadcast events. "A lot of players have expressed an interest in supporting the World Seniors and would like the chance to play in what they like. I would be staggered this season if you didn't see at least one of the Class of 92 in World Seniors events, maybe more." Regarding seven-time world champion O'Sullivan's potential involvement, Francis added: "The interest will be, 'Will Ronnie O'Sullivan play at the Crucible at the World Seniors Championship?' I don't know at this point but he can, that's the point." Matthew Stevens, a former UK Championship runner-up and currently ranked 52nd in the world, has already seized the opportunity presented by the lifting of restrictions. The 47-year-old will be part of the field at the British Seniors Open in Derby, which will be broadcast on Channel 5 between Boxing Day and December 28. Francis said: "While the headline will always be that (the Class of 92), let's look at the other players who now become eligible for another earning opportunity. "People like Matthew Stevens are looking at this rule change and thinking, 'Hang on a second, I get the chance to play at the Crucible again.' If we get the bigger names in, we should get prize money up, then these things start snowballing. "Now that we've broken away from that restrictive contract, we're able to compete, albeit we have an age group in the seniors. We're not in a position where we can broadcast Judd Trump and Zhao Xintong yet. But there are no (other) restrictions as long as we put our events on when World Snooker don't have an event on." Earlier this year, NST Worldwide, of which Francis is a director, launched a £10.2m lawsuit in the Competition Appeal Tribunal against WST and snooker's governing body, the WPBSA. NST claims that "unlawful and anti-competitive practices" have been used to prevent snooker players "playing in tournaments, events, or matches organised by competitor promoters." Victory for NST would potentially lift playing restrictions further. WST, which is owned by Barry Hearn's Matchroom operation, has said it "rejects" and "will defend" the claims against it.
Daily Mirror
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Ronnie O'Sullivan's manager makes bold 'Class of 92' claim with snooker restrictions lifted
Snooker legends Ronnie O'Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams could play in two Crucible World Championships next year following the lifting of restrictions Jason Francis expects at least one of the snooker's 'Class of 92' to grace the next World Seniors Championship at the Crucible after the easing of player restrictions. The iconic trio of Ronnie O'Sullivan, who is managed by Francis, Mark Williams and John Higgins, along with players inside the world 's top 64, were previously barred from competing in World Seniors Snooker (WSS) events due to an agreement with the World Snooker Tour (WST). WSS, of which Francis is chairman, had been lobbying the WST to allow all players over the age of 45 to be eligible for their events. A compromise could not be reached, leading to WSS breaking off the arrangement with WST following May's World Seniors Championship in Sheffield. Now, any player who meets the age criteria, regardless of their ranking, can play in WSS tournaments provided they don't clash with WST events. That has naturally led to speculation over whether O'Sullivan, 49, Williams, 50, and Higgins, 50, who boast 14 world titles between them, will play in two different World Championships at the Crucible next spring. The presence of any member of the 'Class of 92' would be a major boost to WSS. Francis said: 'They're available to me right now. If the commercial terms are right, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark Williams, John Higgins can all play World Seniors Snooker UK broadcast events.' Francis added: 'A lot of players have expressed an interest in supporting the World Seniors and would like the chance to play in what they like. I would be staggered this season if you didn't see at least one of the Class of 92 in World Seniors events, maybe more.' On whether his client, seven-time world champion O'Sullivan, will be involved, Francis said: 'The interest will be, 'Will Ronnie O'Sullivan play at the Crucible at the World Seniors Championship?' I don't know at this point but he can, that's the point.' One top-64 player who has already taken advantage of the lifting of restrictions is former World Championship runner-up Matthew Stevens, 47, who will be part of the field at the British Seniors Open in Derby, which will be broadcast on Channel 5 over Christmas. Francis says there has been great interest from players like Stevens, currently ranked 52nd in the world. He said: 'While the headline will always be that (the Class of 92), let's look at the other players who now become eligible for another earning opportunity. 'People like Matthew Stevens are looking at this rule change and thinking, 'Hang on a second, I get the chance to play at the Crucible again.' If we get the bigger names in, we should get prize money up, then these things start snowballing. 'Now that we've broken away from that restrictive contract, we're able to compete, albeit we have an age group in the seniors. We're not in a position where we can broadcast Judd Trump and Zhao Xintong yet. But there are no (other) restrictions as long as we put our events on when World Snooker don't have an event on.' Earlier this year, NST Worldwide, of which Francis is a director, launched a £10.2m lawsuit in the Competition Appeal Tribunal against WST and snooker's governing body, WPBSA. NST claims that 'unlawful and anti-competitive practices' have been used to prevent snooker players 'playing in tournaments, events, or matches organised by competitor promoters.' Victory for NST would potentially lift playing restrictions further. WST, which is owned by Barry Hearn's Matchroom company, has said it 'rejects' and 'will defend' the claims against it.
