Craig Thomas

Husband, Dad, owner of a chocolate labrador, Project Manager, golf fanatic, Manchester United supporter. Property Inv & Developer. Views are my own

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

We're delighted to announce that we've been confirmed to be receiving @CymruFdn funding for our proposed 3g training pitch at the Ynys Park. Construction will start this month enabling more children and adults from our amazing community to play football.

[Craig Thomas @CPTHOMAS84]

@CymruLeagues Vote @roanpiper1

[Rob Blanchette @_Rob_B]

Why have I been mostly positive about Sir Jim Ratcliffe, INEOS, Sir Dave Brailsford vs, say, Qatar?....

It wasn't that long ago that there was zero chance the Glazer Family & Richard Arnold would sell any part of Manchester United. Their incompetence & theft at #MUFC has infuriated so many of us for almost two decades.

We've been in rusty, golden handcuffs of debt. As owners, they haven't invested a single pound into our team. They are vultures, pecking at our dying corpse.

The thought of anyone coming into United and being allowed to revamp the football operation was pure dreamland...but, here we are.

If something appears too good to be true, it usually is: Middle East consortiums could have bought United years ago, but it's easier to take smaller teams and reinvent them, much like Man City & PSG, and connect them to your branding ambitions.

Tbe spotlight will always shine brighter at Old Trafford, there is much less scrutiny elsewhere. If Qatar had valued United as high as INEOS, they'd have won this race. If they really wanted the club, they had the power in their hands & bank accounts.

Instead, they played spin games in the press and on Twitter. It didn't impress the Glazer board. They needed to work with them to strike a deal. That didn't happen.

Only one bidder was willing to negotiate to grab the reins of the team. The preference was always to see the Glazers go 💯, and to go quickly, but that, as I said, is still just a dream.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe isn't getting younger. He's spending his money to get involved, to try and make United a winning-institution once again. The stakes are high for a Conservative billionaire.

Would INEOS benefit from any success? Yes, of course, but the first step was removing the football influence of the Glazer board, even if Joel & Avram hang around to skim the cream off the top of the milk: They care most about our brand, not the sport.

Ultimately, SJR's agenda is to take United out of the Glazers hands. That battle cannot be won overnight. It can't be won in a year. It'll take time, but we have plenty of that. One day they'll be gone and we will rejoice. We will dance in the streets.

As Arnold leaves, hopefully we will also see the removal of Glazer employees that support their horrid ideology. Whether it's Paul Mitchell or someone else arriving, United need this reboot. The club is as rotten as the roof in our stadium. That's why the football team has declined.

Do I 'like' SJR? Not really. But he put together the most competitive package to push United towards something different. It can't be a quick fix. Ralf Rangnick explained this. The first step was to remove Arnold and satisfy the majority owners.

United never needs to be City 2.0. It certainly doesn't need to be Newcastle-lite. It needs to be Man Utd, again. Red, White & Black with a heart of Green & Gold. A family club that just so happens to have a billion fans. A team from Stretford that's more interested in winning games than selling shirts & gaining sponsors.

Every United fan in the world on this journey now has the right to hold Ratcliffe and INEOS to account because we don't support oil barons, we support a team that should represent what Sir Matt Busby & Sir Bobby Charlton invented. The club Sir Alex Ferguson pushed forward after years of embarrassment & failure.

This must be a new chapter. The story ends when the Glazers finally go.

If Ratcliffe doesn't respect that, he will face incredible opposition. I get the feeling as a boy from Greater Manchester, Ratcliffe will understand the privileged position he will hold as the gatekeeper of our team. It'll be the biggest challenge of his professional career. He's about to learn what pressure really is.

[Swansea City AFC @SwansOfficial]

Come on you Swans 🖤🤍

[South Wales Cricket Association @SWCA_Official]

The run-down of todays #SWCAFinalsDay23 🏆 Massive thanks to @PirateCricket for hosting and good luck to all involved 🙌🏻

[Craig Thomas @CPTHOMAS84]

https://t.co/LCj2MlFm1u

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

Antti Niemi turns 51 today, which is a great excuse to post the greatest radio call-in of all time:

"He's not finished, he's only 28!" 😂😂😂

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

Thanks to everyone at Macron for their usual exemplary service. Next seasons club kits for both senior and junior sections which will also coincide with the clubs 40th Anniversary. #backtotheroots #OneTeam #40thanniversaryoftheclub #fromtheploughuntilnow

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

@trefelinbgc will be officially opening The Hwb @ The Ynys on the 16th Feb at 6:30pm. The Hwb in conjunction with the Darren Phillips Community Wellbeing Trust , will provide a safe place for people and the community to meet and talk. Everyone welcome. #uppatref #mentalhealth

[(fan) Trey @UTDTrey]

Show me your CBs

[Phil Abraham @philabs100]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

Another huge milestone for the club and one not to be missed as we welcome @AmmanfordAFC for the first game under lights at the Ynys on the 18th November. Kick off is 7:30pm with the club open for refreshments from 5pm ⚽️🍺💡🍟 #uppatref #dreambig

[Craig Thomas @CPTHOMAS84]

First away game @wba. Great Reception #wbaswans

[Noel Mooney @NoelMooney13]

Are you a grassroots football club ? Do you need help with better facilities for girls & boys to play football in @Cymru? If so, I suggest you have a clear plan for your next step, know what the costs are and be ready to apply for funding soon.

@FAWales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿⚽️
#TogetherStronger

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

Shout out to our volunteers this weekend who have organised and managed 2 very busy events and two football matches over a bank holiday weekend. Hats off to you all ❤️ ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️#uppatref

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

Don’t forget it’s the Darren Phillips Memorial walk Saturday coming before our home fixture against @PenlanAFC if you only want to walk one half of the route buses will run from the club at around 10:30am to the half way point https://t.co/fd71KPK0he

[Jimmy McBride @jimmymcbride1]

If you’ve watched Man Utd over the last two seasons & don’t think Christian Eriksen is a massive upgrade on Pogba, Matic, Lingard, or Mata then I’m not sure football is the sport you should be watching

[Sam Nolan @nolan_sam]

Games gone mun !

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

Our first team are looking for a friendly on Friday evening, we have a pitch booked already please drop us a DM if you're interested

[Trefelin BGC @trefelinbgc]

We're delighted to be hosting @krisoleary4's @SwansOfficial under 23s at the Ynys Park on Saturday 9th of July. It's a 4pm kick-off and the bar will be open earlier so why not join us after these terrible weeks without any football! #UppaTref ⚽️ 🍺 ☀️