Legend of the Mole-Man

Reckless spending, gambling on major events and dozens of irate artists and suppliers waiting to be paid. @manchestermill.bsky.social has the inside story of what’s gone wrong at Manchester Pride. manchestermill.co.uk/bad-bets-how...

Mancini being in line for the Forest job is absolutely hilarious. A famously argumentative and emotional manager, working under Marinakis - what could possibly go wrong?!

Unexpected item in the bagging area.

As yes British football in the 1980s. Well known for its good-natured fun. He's a ridiculous person.

"There is no universe in which Sam Ashworth-Hayes – or any of Britain’s array of overpaid columnists, commentators and ideological wonks – is more valuable to this country than a care worker" I wrote for @samfr.bsky.social's Substack on benefits and "contribution" samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...

Have to say, my WFH co-worker is a bit of a slacker...

A fun thing about uninsured cars: I can, at any moment, type a number plate into my phone and find out if a car is uninsured. police cars can, at any moment, automatically use ANPR to check the number plate of the car in front of them. It is illegal to combine these two capabilities

RTJ4, with lyrics which are still so goddam relevant... (Don't know if I've ever seen a better encapsulation of the gulf between what Christ said vs. modern RW political US Christianity, than in these verses here)

As fundraisers for @younglivesvscancer.bsky.social go, this is a pretty cool one courtesy of two Manchester music institutions, the fantastic Vinyl Revival in the Northern Quarter, and a band from the city that some of you may have heard of, The Stone Roses... www.clashmusic.com/news/the-sto...

The City game has become much more tense in the second half, but at least with the CAMRA discount two beers costs only £4.03 at the Royal Oak in Chorlton. That helps things somewhat.

If you read one thing today, please make it this by @ophiraophira.bsky.social at @manchestermill.bsky.social. A moving, honest story about the Crumpsall terrorist attack and the long history of Jews and Muslims in North Manchester.

Some are calling this Stephen's most cromulent opinion.

Desmond seems very interesting in the goat gravy in particular, in our takeaway from The Drop Inn... (If you're in South Manchester, it's the place to go for Carribbean food in our humble opinion)

When me & my partner visited a few years ago we were fortunate to almost have the place to ourself, minus a school group. One of the wonderful volunteers walked us around the museum, the highlight of which was the restored synagogue where he talked us through what each item in there meant.

Within the first year of my daughter’s life, the Lionesses have won the Euros and the Red Roses have won the World Cup in front of sell-out crowds and huge tv audiences and it’s so wonderful to know she will grow up thinking that of course women play sport and of course everybody watches it

Final night in Lagos, and the scores all went my way in the football, so picked up some prosecco at the shop round the corner (lost of booze available at low low prices) to celebrate it all...

Been enjoying some excellent fish whilst we've been in Lagos (Portugal), thanks to a recommendation from a friend of Morwenna's who visits here a lot. The Adega da Marina is the place to be. Fantastic fish, and the table wine was a very reasonable €5 per litre...

In the spirit of rapprochement after Trumps' insane talk at the UN, I would like to say thank you to the lovely Americans on the table next to us at dinner, who offered us their litre of table wine when leaving. Truly, you are better ambassadors for your nation than your president will ever be.

Fair play to Continental Europe, it's hard to argue with wine for €0.70.

Lisbon really is a beautiful city in the sun (and also from their trams!)

VAR is still crap, but I can't deny there's something very novel about being this close when it all takes place (I'm usually in the third tier, treated myself to some pitch side action for the game tonight)

Bit closer to the pitch tonight, for a change.

Made a friend when leaving the house earlier... (Maybe Vinny and Desmond have been putting a good word in with the other neighbourhood cats?)

Got myself tickets to see Gorillaz in Manchester next March! When it will, somehow, be 25 years since Clint Eastwood was released. 25 years!!! (As an aside, booking charges really are the biggest scam going. £34.30 I'm paying in fees and charges, on top of the £85 face value of the ticket!)

Now to relax and treat myself to a lovely post match pint of mild and some pork scratchings (I assume, as professional sportsmen, that the City players are doing the same right now)

Only the memories of Mike Tyson at his most destructive in sparring can rival the vivid images I carry of the young Ricky Hatton training in an old hat factory. He was utterly lost in boxing. It all felt so pure. Ricky was unforgettable then – and remains so now www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/s...

Well that was enjoyable for my first home game of the season (missed spurs cos I was on holiday). My attempt to get a photo during the Poznan. O'Reilly and Khusanov excellent, alongside the more celebrated players.

It's a cliche to say he was very down to earth and good humoured with his fame, but Hatton did seem to be so - I bumped into him once in a Manchester pub back in 2018, and he was great to everyone when he was inevitably mobbed by us all (me included!). V emotional tribute to him today at the derby.

Don't you just hate when you've got a back seat driver offering their advice?

"I call it a toffee, or a key, but you can't call it that in a cafe, because then they bring you toffee... Or a key"

This is a really interesting article and one thing that struck me was the echoes here of the brilliant Guardian piece on Sam Smith's pubs back at the start of the year - the reclusive and ever aging land hoarding owner, allowing properties to rot on their watch, amongst other things...

The posters told me to drink a Boddingtons, and who am I to argue when they're so insistent?

If anyone is inspired to have their own pint of Boddies, The Crown Inn in Stockport has had a bit of a refurb and this is now pride of place at the bar...

Idea for a motivational poster.

I do enjoy just how put upon Desmond looks in this photo... Was napping on his own all relaxed in his cat bed, then Vinny decided to jump in and join him!

Went out for the most succulent of Chinese meals in Manchester, and alongside the food, I also loved how the restaurant (A Plus Oriental) was clearly named to take advantage of a prominent listing in the Yellow Pages - they've clearly been going for a while! (Also, food was great!)

Strange how this keeps happening (see also the flag botherer in Manchester with the conviction for people smuggling on behalf of drug gangs)

In a slightly disturbing example of how everything is totally fine at the moment, a teacher friend has this morning asked me and another friend about the history of St George, for an assembly he has planned, so that the kids he teaches can stand up for themselves against the flag botherers...

Tax aside, this is objectively a very sad end to Rayner’s political career: a teenage single mum from a deprived family who went onto be deputy prime minister. The right wing press detested her for not knowing her place. Their glee at her downfall will be palpable in tomorrow’s front pages.

look, it might not have worked with the public, but at least it was the wrong thing to do morally

Some academic backing for the view that Labour's current stance of "Reform are right on immigration, please don't vote for them" might not be smart politics...

Thinking that the solicitors who are doing your conveyancing are incompetent morons who stand a very real chance of completely ruining your life just makes Rayner more relateable imho.

Given the demographics of Bluesky, I imagine I'm not the only person on here now in mourning because of this! But fair play to Melvyn Bragg, decades of episodes covering everything you can think of. Used to listen to the back catalogue when I commuted from Manchester to Huddersfield on the train.

The cats appear to be doing a form of synchronised snoozing...

The beer could have been even cheaper! Turns out the CAMRA discount is only on one pint each time. £2.07 for a pint. £2.07!

Well, City still manage to find ways to concede that are breathtaking in their stupidity. Still, at least the beer was cheap!

Cos of social occasions, first time I've been able to actually watch the City game, and we've decided to watch it at the Royal Oak in Chorlton because you can buy two pints (with CAMRA discount) for £4.37. Two pints! £4.37!

Well you certainly can't accuse the @manchestermill.bsky.social of burying the lede on this, that's one hell of a headline there.