A little under two miles south of Salford City’s Moor Lane ground stands the imposing and iconic Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, and for many years these two clubs were neighbours with no consequence. 

Inhabiting very different worlds, the Ammies secured promotion to the Northern Premier League in the 2000s, then fought to remain there, while the Red Devils won the actual Premier League many times over, with a couple of Champions League triumphs thrown in for good measure. 

Then in March 2014 all that changed, and dramatically so, when five United legends formed a company called Project 92 Limited and secured a controlling share in the non-league outfit.

From that day forward the recent glorious past of one club has been indelibly linked to the future of the other, and Salford City’s fortunes have been utterly transformed.

Naturally, when Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers – five prominent members of United’s famed ‘Class of 92’, hence the name of their company – purchase a football club it’s going to make headlines, and certainly there has been interest to spare ever since.

Who are the richest owners in world football?

My latest for @888sport https://t.co/9KR4PJApNE

— Stephen Tudor (@SteTudor123) January 10, 2023

In addition to a welter of articles, there have been two separate behind-the-scenes documentaries aired, on Sky and the BBC, and not only has this provided valuable income for the small club, it has raised their profile considerably. 

But if a quintet of household names investing in little Salford was newsworthy, the story gained further traction in November of 2014 when Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim bought a 50% stake, reducing the former footballer’s stakes to 10% each.

A long-term friend of the players and already an owner of Valencia in Spain, Lim’s financial backing has ensured that Salford can spend aggressively in the transfer market, buying the best players at that level and subsequently – and inevitably – they have climbed up through the footballing pyramid.

In 2017, the club turned professional. Two years later they were promoted to the football league. 

With five high-profile legends and an uber-rich backer at the helm, what’s the betting that Salford’s rise continues, but this engaging tale doesn’t simply end with success on the pitch. 

At the beginning of their promotion-season, along came the final piece to the jigsaw, the last – and by some distance wealthiest and most famous – of the Class of 92. Buying 10% of Lim’s shares, entering into proceedings came David Beckham. 

A look at David Beckham's CV for @888sporthttps://t.co/P0Odpqvyzk

— Stephen Tudor (@SteTudor123) January 9, 2023

With a superstar-laden board and Gary Neville as their CEO – a position he recently relinquished to Butt – Salford City have garnered all manner of coverage since their unlikeliest of takeovers and not all of it has been positive. 

There has been criticism of the club’s propensity to chop and change managers while for some it leaves a sour taste in the mouth how they have essentially bought their way through the divisions.

Yet in an era where small clubs typically flounder, and even go bust, it’s unquestionably refreshing to see the polar opposite occurring and that brings us to the supporters, arguably the only individuals who ultimately matter. 

Presently, Salford City are short-priced in the betting odds to reach the giddy heights of the third tier next term, competing against the likes of Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday. 

For those who watched them back in the day, they are living a dream played out in real time. 

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*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*

 

FIRST PUBLISHED: 20th January 2023

Former NFL star Jason Bell provides his thoughts on the latest events in the National Football League as we enter the Divisional Round of the postseason...

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Brady On The Move

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football and I do think that was Tom Brady’s last game in Tampa Bay.

However, I don’t think it was his last game in the NFL and as I said last week, the Las Vegas Raiders look a good fit.

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He’s done pretty much all you can do in the NFL, but has really nurtured and developed a quarterback? I don’t think he really has, and at the Raiders he has the opportunity to do that.

He can help Las Vegas with their culture and with what Josh McDaniels is trying to do, so that in the seasons to come they can be a force again. It’s almost his time to give them a parting gift and show them how the quarterback position is played.

The last year of his career, in my view, will be more of a ‘let me give back’ scenario.

No reason to suggest Jones and the Giants can’t keep rolling

There were plenty of standout performances during the Wildcard weekend, but the player that really stood out for me was Daniel Jones.

Alongside Dak Prescott, he was the player that really excelled and they were the two that really upped their level of performance compared to what we thought they’d produce. Jones really staked his place for having a future with the New York Giants.

They take on the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend and they can definitely cause another upset, particularly if Jones turns up again.

Coach Daboll on Daniel Jones: 'Nothing really rattles him'

Full video: https://t.co/LyWiIW4rhj pic.twitter.com/bhODRRhN2p

— GiantsTV (@GiantsTV) January 19, 2023

Their defensive line, led by the brilliant Dexter Lawrence is a match for anyone and if you’re going to beat Philly then you’ve got to get past their offensive line which is their big strength.

The strength of the Giants’ defense is certainly their defensive line, so they have the arsenal to hurt the Eagles, it’s just a matter of whether they can execute on the day.

Having said that, I’d just favour the Eagles here. I can see AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith both having big games and feel that might end up being the difference. It will be tight, but I’d just favour the Eagles, particularly at home, to get the job done.

Brian Daboll for Coach of the Year

Win or lose this weekend, Brian Daboll certainly has my vote for Coach of the Year. He’s done a really amazing job with the franchise and the fact he’s done it with largely the same people as the old set-up had shows that.

If you didn’t really have anything to compare it to it would be hard to judge, but the way he’s coached these guys to get them to play at their best is a real achievement.

Offensive line issues a worry for Cincinnati but don’t count them out

You have to be worried about the injuries to the offensive line of the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of their encounter with the Buffalo Bills because in all honesty, I’d be all in on them if they were fit and healthy.

However, Joe Burrow has had these problems before, and he finds a way to mitigate the pressure and get the ball out fast enough to avoid getting sacked in the NFL.

He sees it like one of the elite players do and he’s playing really well, which you can certainly say isn’t the case with his opposing quarterback Josh Allen.

Allen isn’t performing at his best right now and he comes up against a much better defense this week than he did against Miami.

Bread and butter 🤞 pic.twitter.com/KjBqwCeYi5

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 19, 2023

He won’t be allowed to throw those bombs downfield with such ease here, simply because Cincinnati just won’t let him, and they’ll make him fight for every inch.

Does he have the offensive weapons to deal with it? I’m not sure and if anything I’d probably come down on the side of no.

I see this game coming down to the fact that if the Bengals beat-up offensive line can protect Joe Burrow, we know he has the weapons to do serious damage.

In contrast, if they can slow down the Bills’ run game and make him throw, does he have the same weapons? I’m not so sure.

Rodgers will stay put

I think Aaron Rodgers will stay with the Green Bay Packers, especially if he wants to. He’s got plenty of leverage with the contract situation at Green Bay and I’m not even sure he wants to start over anywhere anyway.

Those cryptic messages, in my opinion, are all a bit of a play to get him what he wants, so I don’t think see him going anywhere.

He just likes the scare tactics and I think he’s too invested in the franchise and the city to up sticks and change it all, particularly at this stage of his career.

I’m not sure he wants to do what Brady has done, so I’d expect him to be in Green Bay come the start of the next campaign.

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