Toby Runciman

[George Elek @GeorgeElek]

Wolves signing a 26yo keeper called Joao Virginia who has played more games for Portugal youth teams than club league games might well be peak Wolves

[Cleveleys News @cleveleysnews]

Teacher at Lytham Primary School suspended for telling children that they will be sent to Fleetwood if they misbehave.

[Manchester City Nostalgia & Memorabilia @MickMcCarthyF]

HAPPY 53rd BIRTHDAY, DIETMAR HAMANN

The story of former City midfielder Dietmar Hamann’s arrival at the club is certainly an unusual one.

After leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2006, Hamann appeared destined for Bolton Wanderers and even signed a pre-contract agreement with the club — only to have a dramatic change of heart.

Instead, he joined Manchester City on 12 July, with City agreeing to pay Bolton £400,000 in compensation.

Years later, the story took another twist. In 2013, Bolton chairman Phil Gartside claimed the club had never officially signed Hamann and had simply put the paperwork “in the drawer”. However, a Premier League investigation concluded that Hamann had indeed signed for Bolton before making his almost immediate switch to City.

Hamann remained with the Blues until the summer of 2009, making 71 appearances and scoring just once.

Since leaving, it’s probably fair to say he hasn’t always been the most complimentary about City — and he certainly wouldn’t feature highly on many supporters’ lists of favourite former Blues.

But on his 53rd birthday, here’s one for the memory bank…

Against which team did Dietmar Hamann score his one and only goal for Manchester City?

[FTBL_Planet @FTBL_Planet]

When Jonathan Walters was 11, his mum Helen sadly passed away from bowel cancer.

She was only 40.

About a week before she died, his dad sat him and his brothers down.

“Your mum’s not going to be around for much longer.”

Walters took himself away on his own.

“I probably would have cried for about six hours, seven hours.”

The day after Helen passed away, his dad sent him straight back to school.

He did not really know what else to do.

Walters walked back into his Year Six classroom and his mates immediately asked him:

“Are you alright?”

“You pretend you are.”

From that point, that became how he dealt with it.

“You put up a wall and nobody knows you.”

His mum was barely spoken about afterwards.

Walters later described her almost becoming a taboo subject in the family.

He could be upset about her and still never really allow himself to grieve.

“You ask me how I deal with it.”

“I don’t deal with it.”

“I lock it away. That’s how I deal with it.”

But there was one thing about Helen that Walters carried with him.

She was from Dublin.

As a child he had spent summers in Ireland with her family, and when he started getting closer to becoming a professional footballer, he already knew which country he wanted to represent.

“When my mother died, I promised I’d play for Ireland.”

“For her.”

Walters declared for the Republic of Ireland and eventually made his senior debut in 2010.

Over the next few years he became one of the most important players in the side, but the night that brought everything back came against Bosnia in November 2015.

Ireland were one game away from qualifying for Euro 2016.

Walters had missed the first leg through suspension.

He came back for the second in Dublin and scored both goals in a 2-0 win to send Ireland to the tournament.

Afterwards, he went back out onto the pitch on his own looking for his family in the stands.

For a player who had made that promise as an 11-year-old boy, there was only one person missing.

“My mum passed away when I was 11 and I made the decision at a very young age to come and play for Ireland.”

“She was smiling down on me tonight, I’m sure.”

Even years later, standing with Ireland before a game could still take him straight back to her.

“It’s very emotional when I hear the Irish national anthem.”

“When you are younger you want to do everything to make your mum proud.”

“Everything I did, I did for my mum.”
#football

[Boring Milner @BoringMilner]

RIP Dolly Parton.

Her death reminds me of the time at Manchester City when Edin Dzeko performed ‘9 to 5’ as his initiation song.

Afterwards, I reminded him that training is actually 10 to 1.

He said, Ok thanks Jolene.

I said, No, my name is James Milner.

[BluMoon007 @BluM00N07]

Look at how many City careers ended on this day 😳

[Bayse Sports @BayseSports]

Excellent eye 👁 control 👏

[Davo @DavoPLloyd]

I remember a lad in my year in school lighting the gas straight from the tap. I think that was what finally got him expelled

I’d ask him, but he died in the mid 2000s when he fell through a skylight and landed on his screwdriver whilst trying to rob a warehouse

Have a great Monday everyone 🙌🏻❤️

[miresh @mireshpatel]

Losing to a team in the opener who’s only here because Southampton sent a scout to spy on their practice is peak 2020s United

[Liam Gallagher @liamgallagher]

HULLarious

[⚡️🇧🇼 @Priceless_MCI]

Enjoying my last day of peace before 11 men who don’t know I exist determine my mental health for the next 9 months

[Sean @shornKOOMINS]

Nick Kyrgios getting busted for coke must be the least surprising positive drug test in sporting history

[Danis @DanisMCFC]

Prepared for Manchester City 26/27 👍

[City Xtra @City_Xtra]

Pep Guardiola to #ManCity’s players after losing 2-0 vs Juventus in December 2024: “Guys I want to confess something. I’m f***ing divorced from the most beautiful woman in your planet, my wife, my ex-wife. I love her unbelievably but we lost the passion. I love her? Yeah, absolutely. She loves me? Yeah, but we lost the passion.

“How do you play football? Because you play, or for something inside? In your lives, whatever you are going to do, do it with passion. I don’t want good players, I want players with passion…” [via ‘A Beautiful Obsession’/@TheAthleticFC]

https://t.co/KjCKw8RYVW

[⚡️🇧🇼 @Priceless_MCI]

We survived this btw

[Football on TNT Sports @footballontnt]

The streets won’t forget this Manchester City front three 😮‍💨

[Ali Hampson Silk @alihampsonsilk]

How has it been FOUR years since this happened I feel sick

[No Context Brits @NoContextBrits]

We are not the same.

[Sam 🏳️‍🌈 🚉 🎸 @flpcharthiatus]

like missing a bus in Devon