MAN Magazine - Winter 2023/24 by Seven Star Media

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RICKY HATTON “HOW I TURNED MY LIFE AROUND”

HOW TO FIX YOUR LIFE IN EASY STEPS

2024’s MUST-PLAY GAMES

THINKING

WHY MARCUS’ BEST IS YET TO COME S P O R T | FA S H I O N | C A R S | G A M I N G | H E A LT H

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CONTENTS

SPORT 16

Ricky Hatton’s toughest ever opponent

Proof exercise beats medication

“Anyone can have a sixpack”

England’s top 100 golf courses

Can Marcus Rashford be a world beater?

8 ways to avoid gambling harms

“Use the game to tackle suicide” – a pro footballer’s personal story

BE A BETTER YOU

Fix your life in 8 simple steps

GEAR 79

World’s fastest roadlegal cars

The most exciting games coming in 2024

Why watching sport is good for you

Should you celebrate International Men’s Day?

2024’s best travel destinations

Sweet sweatshirts

How plants help with wellbeing

00 89 04

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WELCOME Welcome to the Winter 23/24 issue of MAN.

‘ve spent much of the last 15 years or so feeling like I need to make big changes in my life – discover my true purpose… dedicate myself to something worthwhile… sculpt a physique that makes Greek gods feel inferior, etc etc – without ever really feeling like I’m making much progress towards those goals.

But a consistent theme struck me when looking through this issue: that small actions, rather than big plans, are the catalyst for progress. Whether that’s taking a shower and tidying your house (page 54), looking after a plant (page 14), checking in on someone (page 68), going to the gym (page 46), or following Ricky Hatton’s lead and booking to talk to a therapist (page 16), no action is too small to make a difference. Doing 10 press-ups a day might not sound like much, but stick to it for 12 months and you’ll have racked up 3,650. Walk 10 minutes a day for a year and you’ll cover the distance of seven marathons. They say even the biggest waves start with small ripples. I hope this issue provides a seed of inspiration to make a small change that could lead to big things. Rob

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Art Director: Richard Hejsak Managing Editor: Rob McGarr rob@sevenstarmedia.co.uk

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Disclaimer: Man Magazine is published bi-annually (twice per annum) by Seven Star Media Ltd. No part of Man Magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted to any form without permission. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of Seven Star Media Ltd, and are included to provide advice only. No content is a substitute for professional medical advice. During printing, images may be subject to a 15% variation. © Copyright of content belongs to individual contributors with the magazine copyright belonging to Seven Star Media Ltd. All rights reserved. Please either keep this magazine for future reference, pass it on for somebody else to read, or recycle it.

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MAN MAGAZINE

HOW

WE MAKE MAN MAGAZINE First, we cherry-pick the world’s best writers in the fields of sport, style, cars, music, comedy, health & fitness, travel, adventure, and more. Then we let them write the stories they want to tell. The stories that matter. And finally, we give it all away for free. Because when it’s this good, every man deserves to read it. The result is the world’s greatest magazine for men who want the best of everything.

WHY

WE MAKE MAN MAGAZINE This is the important bit. We know that being a man can be tough sometimes. Looking after your mental health, and helping your friends and family do the same, has never been more important. That’s why we work with Mind and CALM, two of the UK’s leading mental health charities. We want to help end the stigma around mental health and ensure that every man gets the support he needs.

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BE A BETTER YOU

CROWD CROWD PLEASER PLEASER Y Why watching live sport is good news for your mental health ou might think that the emotional rollercoaster involved in supporting your favourite team isn’t doing your mental health any favours, but you’d be wrong. A recent study conducted by psychologists at Anglia Ruskin University showed that attending live sporting events has a positive impact on your wellbeing and reduces feelings of isolation. In a world where

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we’re increasingly disconnected from each other, being part of a live crowd makes us feel part of a collective, which is all too rare nowadays. The social interaction also reduces feelings of loneliness, making us feel more content. Attending any event – big or small – was found to boost feelings of life satisfaction, improve mental and physical health, and lower mortality rates. Sounds like a major win, whatever the result.

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MAN MAGAZINE

INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY SHOULD YOU CELEBRATE? Is it an important opportunity to tackle the serious issues facing men – or a weapon of misogyny designed to “keep women in their place”?

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MAN MAGAZINE International Men’s Day, according to its UK website, has three main objectives: Making a positive difference to the wellbeing and lives of men and boys Raising awareness and/ or funds for charities supporting men and boys’ wellbeing Promoting a positive conversation about men, manhood and masculinity On the face of it, those seem like worthwhile aims, so why do some people take umbrage with International Men’s Day? And why isn’t it more well-known? The biggest issue with International Men’s Day is its inevitable juxtaposition against International Women’s Day, which predates it. The site itself references “…rhetorical questions about gender equality, e.g. ‘Why do women have an international celebration and not men? Men’s contributions and concerns deserve a day of recognition in their own night, not merely by analogy with International Women’s Day’” in discussions of its conception. Here’s the thing: International Women’s Day exists to promote gender equality. It is necessary and important because gender inequality is real and women are less privileged than men. Trying to actively and directly counter that aim is the gender version of White Lives Matter. That is not what International Men’s Day is or should be about. But there are, sadly, no shortage of examples of men using International Men’s Day – and International Women’s Day, for that matter – in precisely that way, as an excuse to attack feminism, spout chauvinistic views, and champion patriarchy. But those who shout loudest often aren’t in the majority. International Men’s Day isn’t about “getting even” with women and their International Women’s Day. It is about tackling the serious issues facing men, while in no way conflicting women’s rights. Wanting to address the fact that 85% of homeless people are men, for instance, clearly isn’t about trying to make more women homeless until we reach 50-50. Trying to remedy the fact that men die, on

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average, 4-5 years younger than women, isn’t about trying to reduce female life expectancy and balance the books. The International Men’s Day theme for 2023 is ‘Zero Male Suicide’. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and around three quarters of deaths from suicide are men. Suicide is killing our friends, cousins, brothers, fathers, and sons. We can’t afford to allow something like International Men’s Day – which can have a positive impact – to be diluted by those seeking to use it negatively. We need to make the most of any tools we have at our disposal. The International Men’s Day website has suggestions of ‘things to do’. Whether you choose to go all out and organise an International Men’s Day event next year or simply spend some time with the most valued men in your life, any action, big or small, can make a profound difference. Make full use of International Men’s Day as a positive force for good and those trying to use it as a negative will become an even smaller minority.

\\ SUICIDE IS KILLING OUR FRIENDS, COUSINS, BROTHERS, FATHERS, AND SONS //

Visit: ukmensday.org.uk/

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BE A BETTER YOU

SOWING THE SOWING THE SEEDS OF JOY SEEDS OF JOY Why green fingers can be your green light for happiness

ver wondered why Mr. Miyagi always seemed so cheerful and chilled? Those bonsai trees may have the answer… A recent study published by the University of Colorado Boulder found that spending time gardening can improve your sense of wellbeing and reduce your risk of mental health problems.

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Participants in the study were assigned small plots of land to tend to, with researchers monitoring their mood, diet, and exercise levels throughout a one-year trial. Spending time gardening was shown to result in a significant reduction in stress and anxiety, while also leading to healthier dietary choices and increased physical activity. No garden? No worries. The benefits can be gained from looking after plants and herbs inside as well.

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SPORT

I M SUPPOSED “ TO BE A TOUGH GUY, AREN T I? I NEEDED HELP“ Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton was one of the greatest and most popular British boxers of alltime, winning 45 of 48 professional fights, holding multiple world championship belts, breaking records, selling out stadiums and entertaining fans across the globe. Here, in his own words, he reveals that mental health battles proved to be tougher than any opponent he’d ever faced inside the ring.

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SPORT

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SPORT

think it started when I lost my first fight. I was 43-0. I thought I was going to beat Floyd Mayweather. But I didn’t. I got knocked out. It was the first time I’d ever been knocked out. It was very hard for me to swallow and mentally I got very, very down. But then I boxed at the City of Manchester Stadium. As a Manchester City fan, to box there in front of 55,000 people was brilliant for me. I won the fight and my confidence was back up again. Then I fell out with my trainer, Billy Graham, who was one of my best mates as well. My head fell down again. Then I boxed in Las Vegas, where Noel and Liam Gallagher carried my belts in. They were heroes of mine so

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\\ NEVER BE SCARED TO ADMIT YOU NEED HELP // that was another dream come true, so I was back up again. But then I got knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in two rounds, which ultimately meant I had to retire. And then, shortly after that, I fell out with my mum and dad. You can see how my mind was going up and down and up and down. And then I was just sat in my living room, thinking to myself, ‘You’ve got no boxing no more, you can’t share what you’ve done with your mum and dad, you can’t share it with your trainer, you haven’t got a wife anymore…’ I thought, ‘What do I need to be here for?’ I didn’t want to be here, I really didn’t. Back in the day, when I was in a really, really bad place, I just used to sit in the house and not leave the house. I used to just dwell on things. I think the more time you give yourself to

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SPORT just sit there and ponder, the worse it gets. You go under. I think there is a little bit of a stigma around opening up; it’s for men and women but I’d say probably more so for men. I think sometimes it’s a lack of confidence with people. You don’t feel like you can tell your mate; you don’t feel like you can tell your family. I most definitely didn’t want to tell my family because I didn’t want them worrying about me. So I kept a lot of it to myself. I didn’t want to burden them with the grief of me being suicidal and wanting to kill myself. My girlfriend at the time got pregnant with our daughter, Millie, and I thought, ‘Come on, Rick, it’s not about you now; it’s about the kids. Get yourself together.’ But even Millie couldn’t get me back on track. I was still down. So I went and spoke to a psychiatrist in Manchester and just threw myself on my knees and said, ‘You need to tell me what I’m going

to do. I can’t do it on my own. I need help. You need to tell me today what to do, otherwise I won’t be here next week… I’m going to kill myself.’ Every time I went and saw them, I came out with a huge sigh of relief. It was just unbelievable. It burns you up inside and you hold it in, you hold it in, you hold it in. You need to tell someone, but you don’t, because you feel you can’t, and it gets worse and worse and worse. When I finally went to my psychiatrist and got it off my chest, I felt like I could start my life again. It basically just started from there. I got myself a little programme and routine, and that’s what you’ve got to do. Don’t be scared to get it off your chest and tell someone. I feel very proud that my family and friends can see how I’ve turned my life around. I’m not just acting better; I’m physically looking better. The boxers that I train are getting a better trainer, my kids are getting a better father, my

\\ I FEEL PROUD THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE HOW I’VE TURNED MY LIFE AROUND // manmagazineuk.co.uk

granddaughter is getting a better granddad – I’m just in a better place all-round.

\\ BAD TIMES DON’T LAST FOREVER // People have seen where I was a few years ago, when I was suicidal. Now they see me in the present day, and they hear me tell the story – I think it has a double impact. I used to be overweight, in the pub, drunk every night, I was taking loads of drugs – it was horrible for people to see. I think, when they see the Ricky Hatton of today, and I’m speaking about it with the charities I do and the sportsmen’s dinners and the motivational speaking, on the road, every week, I’d like to think I’m helping a lot of people. And I think that helps my own mental health. It’s a bad time for mental health. People out there are suffering. My job now, for as long as I am here, I want to help people. Bad times don’t last forever. You think they’re going to last forever, but they don’t last forever, and they won’t last forever if you go and speak to someone. I’m a former boxing champion who won four world titles, I’m supposed to be a tough guy, aren’t I? And I couldn’t do it myself. It doesn’t matter what I did in the boxing ring or anything like that, I needed help. Never be scared to admit that you need help. I promise you, it’s the best thing that you’ll ever do.”

NEED HELP? CALM’s helpline and livechat are open from 5pm to midnight every day. 365 days a year. Call – 0800 58 58 58 Webchat – thecalmzone. net/get-support

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. L A D I C I U S T I FEL

. D E Y A T IS THERE’S ALWAYS A REASON TO STAY. READ RICKY’S.

Charity Reg No: 1110621 & Scot SC044347

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BE A BETTER YOU

EXERCISE YOUR MIND T EXERCISE YOUR MIND

The largest ever study into exercise and mental health says getting a sweat on may be more effective than medication at tackling depression and anxiety. he mental benefits of exercise are no secret, but its impacts have never been proven on a mass scale – until now. The largest ever study looking at the effects of exercise on mental health was undertaken by researchers from the University of South Australia earlier this year, including data from 97 review studies, 1,039 randomised trials, and almost 130,000 individuals. “Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations,” says lead author Dr Ben Singh.

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What type of exercise does the most for your mental health?

“Higher-intensity exercise had greater improvements for depression and anxiety, while longer durations had smaller effects when compared to short and mid-duration bursts,” says Singh. “We found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercise such as walking, resistance training, pilates and yoga. “Importantly, the research shows that it doesn’t take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health.”

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SPORT

PRIDE OF ENGLAND The experts at Today’s Golfer rank the top 100 golf courses in England – that anyone can play.

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SPORT

100 REMEDY OAK WOODLANDS, DORSET One of the best of the courses built in the last 25 years, with water used intelligently. Gorgeous in summer.

99 ROYAL WIMBLEDON WIMBLEDON, SURREY Arguably one of the best selections of par 3s in Surrey. This Willie Park design is poised to get even better, with remodelling taking place.

98 NORTH HANTS FLEET, HAMPSHIRE A picturesque heathland with enough rise and fall in the ground to make the judgement of approach shots tricky.

97 EFFINGHAM EFFINGHAM, SURREY

Berkhamsted

offers a good variety of uphill and downhill holes with accurate driving essential to avoid heavy rough and hanging lies. An impressive display of bunkering and a solid test.

94 THE CENTURION ST ALBANS, HERTFORDSHIRE

James Braid maritime heathland easily has the bones of a top-80 course.

91 PAINSWICK STROUD, GLOS

This modern woodland-parkland begins among towering pines then darts over undulating open land.

Blind shots over hill fort ramparts… and that’s just on the par 3s! Mixing views that attract walkers to the Cotswolds from hundreds of miles away with architectural quirk, Painswick is a genius piece of work.

ST MELLION (NICKLAUS)

93 ST ANNES OLD LINKS LYTHAM, LANCASHIRE

90 FULFORD YORK, NORTH YORKSHIRE

A famous architect and a course offering a famous challenge. The Nicklaus was a beast even for Seve and Co in the ’80s and will push you to the absolute limit.

Effortlessly good Lancashire links with the famous 9th just one of many highlights.

Woodland-heathland with European Tour fame is a lovely inland experience on the outskirts of York. An aggressive woodland management programme would reap reward. Very difficult first five with some long, tricky par 4s, but superb traditional design with iconic memories.

An impressive display of bunkering and a solid test. The 18th finishes at the impressive and foreboding clubhouse.

SALTASH, CORNWALL

95 LUFFENHAM HEATH STAMFORD, RUTLAND The turf is lusher than most heathlands and there is very little heather, but the routing

92 THORPENESS THORPENESS, SUFFOLK Expect Thorpeness to rise in future lists as the club continues with a tree management programme. If that is a thorough process and Thorpeness breathes again, this interesting

89 HADLEY WOOD CHIPPING BARNET, HERTFORDSHIRE

This Alister MacKenzie classic is being sympathetically restored by Clyde Johnson. An elegant parkland of subtle strategy, as one would expect of the doctor.

ISLE OF PURBECK SWANAGE, DORSET

88 BERKHAMSTED BERKHAMSTED, HERTFORDSHIR E A refreshing experience to play a course where the excellence of the design and clever use of the natural landforms make bunkers redundant. An intriguing test.

“On a beautiful summer’s day there cannot be many more attractive places to play, with not only good views but nicely shaped holes,” says one panellist. “This is the interesting criteria at IOP,” says another. “We know the course is spectacular, but the condition was a real issue when I last visited. This time, however, a real improvement has been made.” Purbeck offers a memorable journey, with great views and wildlife in

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abundance. And in the spectacular 5th it has one of the finest holes in England. Tim Lobb enhanced the experience, principally increasing the width of the playing corridors by reducing gorse and rough. In doing so, he restored the heathland environment, enhancing the risk and reward strategy, and enlarging the putting surfaces to capture lost pin positions. Don’t expect its rise to stop here...

87 COOMBE HILL KINGSTON, SURREY

A gorgeous routing with beautiful finishing and peripherals. Perhaps too much foliage, but still a delight.

85 SHERINGHAM SHERINGHAM, NORFOLK The archetypal clifftop course with some truly breathtaking bluff-edge holes.

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SPORT

84 THE BELFRY (BRABAZON)

SUTTON COLDFIELD, WEST MIDLANDS Multiple Ryder Cup host impresses with its conditioning.

83 PRESTBURY PRESTBURY, CHESHIRE Set among the mansions of well-heeled Cheshire, Prestbury is a luxurious, firm-running inland course characterised by approaches to the raised greens, idiosyncratic holes and its superb use of undulating land.

82 ASHRIDGE BERKHAMSTED, HERTFORDSHIRE Cerebral parkland with terrific green complexes and where strategy abounds. Not flashy, but technically superb.

80 FORMBY LADIES SOUTHPORT, MERSEYSIDE It might surprise some for the course within a course to feature in this ranking, but those who have played it know it’s a wonderful links worthy of the top 80.

79 SEASCALE SEASCALE, CUMBRIA Fabulous, fabulous links that is bundles of fun and has a handful of world-class holes. Enjoyable, quirky, very entertaining and great value.

78 LINDRICK WORKSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

BEARWOOD LAKES WOKINGHAM BERKSHIRE

Bearwood Lakes is a special place, impeccably presented and a visual delight. It’s a fun and fair course with many subtle elevation changes and a superb variety of holes. If you’re not on your game you will still enjoy the walk. If you don’t do that, perhaps consider another sport. The opening run of holes are all very good and give opportunities to score before reaching the tough par-4 7th, which is justifiably SI1. A long tee shot through a narrow alley of mature pine trees is required before the hole turns uphill to the left. A beautiful brute of a hole. The 8th is only 300 yards and trouble shouldn’t be in play, but it often is. Despite the club’s name, the lake protecting the

The 1957 Ryder Cup host is a well-maintained, heathy course that is now presented better than ever. A pedigree club and course. Number 78… need any more convincing that England has ludicrous strength in depth?

77 WOODBRIDGE WOODBRIDGE, SUFFOLK An exquisite heathery course with just the right amount of challenge. It will never disappoint.

par-3 9th is the first water to really be in play for most; until then it largely only adds to the aesthetics. The first three holes on the back nine, all framed by majestic, tall trees, are stunning and arguably the best section. The 10th – a long, downhill par 4 protected by water short-right of the green – is followed by the 11th, a brilliantly designed par 5 where you miss the elevated, narrow green at your peril. Then comes the 12th, a tough but beautiful short hole. Water is very much in play on the 13th and 14th, which require the main lake to be navigated multiple times. The 17th is an excellent short par 4, and 18 is a fitting finale, with a large water hazard carried on the second shot. A wickedly sloping green then needs to be mastered, meaning par will often win a match here. We think even the most avid links or heathland aficionados will enjoy a round on the parkland of Bearwood Lakes.

76 KNOLE PARK

SEVENOAKS, KENT

A J.F. Abercromby design in a most atmospheric of undulating parkland settings. Offers a challenge to even the strongest golfers. Herds of onlooking deer somehow know where not to graze.

75 PILTDOWN UCKFIELD, SUSSEX A high-quality heathland, which the panel felt didn’t quite have enough visual interest or elevation change to be that bit higher in this most competitive of lists. Real quality, though.

74 CLEEVE HILL CLEEVE HILL, GLOUCESTERSHIRE This hilltop course impresses with its setting, playability and fun holes – it has all three in abundance.

Piltdown

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SPORT

73 CAMBERLEY HEATH 69 PERRANPORTH CAMBERLEY, SURREY PERRANPORTH, CORNWALL A lot of the original Colt design features remain intact and this is therefore an extremely strong heathland that stands tall among the Surrey glitterati.

71 BLACKMOOR BORDON, HAMPSHIRE A delightful Harry Colt heathland with characteristically good short holes. Simply a delight to play!

70 SAUNTON (WEST) BRAUNTON, DEVON The West probably suffers a bit from being next to the world-class East, but this is a first-rate links in its own right. Never go here and miss it.

Rumbustious links set high above the town. Combines views, fun, bewilderment and some very memorable holes.

68 TANDRIDGE OXTED, SURREY The front nine is excellent, the rollercoaster back nine simply out of this world.

67 BLACKWELL BROMSGROVE, WORCESTERSHIRE

Estate agents might correctly describe this course as ‘deceptively spacious’, with its design using its small acreage very cleverly. One of Britain’s elite parklands.

65 LITTLESTONE LITTLESTONE-ON-SEA, KENT Excellent greens, clever rotation of the holes and strong finishing holes. This championship links really gets going from the par-3 6th on. A roll call of architectural greats have worked here, and many of its holes have been copied in the US.

Perranporth

HARTLEPOOL, DURHAM

“Seaton Carew is constantly improving. Ignore the surrounds and enjoy a proper links test.” “A fantastic traditional links layout, with a good mix of dog-legs and tight tee shots at times. The back nine is an excellent mix of holes.” A taste of the panel’s views on Seaton Carew. The ‘surrounds’ mentioned are the industrial backdrop, but the golf is so good you quickly forget the setting. A links of rare appeal.

STONEHAM SOUTHAMPTON, HAMPSHIRE

A club that has invested in its course in recent years. New bunkering, woodland management, rope drainage and fairway irrigation installation have combined to present the very best face of Stoneham. Due to the investment, it has some of the best fairways in GB&I, as well as very pure greens; get on the wrong side of them and a chance of a one-putt can often and very easily lead to three.

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SEATON CAREW

Stoneham is all about variety, views and fun, and enjoys a range of qualities in its layout. It has five par 4s, five par 3s and eight par 4s and was designed by Willie Park Jnr, of Sunningdale Old fame. The five par 3s are superb and their yardages illustrate the variety, starting at 109 yards and extending up to 228, which in the winter can need a driver just to get on the front. The 8th is arguably the pick,

played over 150 yards to a fantastic green complex with lots of movement. Then there is the 3rd, which plays uphill and with most of the drive being carry alone. The hole also is home to a phenomenal English oak, which is more than 1,000 years old and was a sapling when King Edward the Confessor was reigning.

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Wallasey

64 CAVENDISH CAVENDISH, DERBYSHIRE

East Devon

Ipswich (Purdis Heath)

An Alister MacKenzie design with tonnes of architectural merit and a fine setting. A round of nuance and subtlety you’ll always remember.

63 THE GROVE WATFORD, HERTFORDSHIRE A wonderful Kyle Phillips parkland that is always in magnificent condition.

62 TREVOSE PADSTOW, CORNWALL Windswept and interesting, Trevose requires all your skills. The renovation by Tom Mackenzie has reaped rewards and the setting is at times jaw-dropping.

61 KINGTON KINGTON, HEREFORDSHIRE Enchants with the extraordinary views from its elevated fairways, charms with its enjoyably eccentric holes, and delights with its year-round firm turf. Brilliant!

60 EAST DEVON BUDLEIGH SALTERTON, DEVON A Harry Colt design from 1902 that received a Frank Pont restoration. East Devon sits on the cliffs above Budleigh Salterton and is heathland in nature yet with fabulous vistas.

59 IPSWICH (PURDIS HEATH) IPSWICH, SUFFOLK

“If this had a Surrey postcode it would be top 40,” says one panellist. Purdis Heath impresses everyone who plays it. One of the best opening halves in English inland golf, enhanced with upgraded bunkering.

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WALLASEY WIRRAL, CHESHIRE

This historic links is continually improving and has an exciting future. Wallasey’s giant dunes are more reminiscent of West Ireland than England. Bar a few flatter holes – the 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th – the course is a breathtaking ride from high tees to elevated greens, crossing rippling linksland in between. From the 2nd to the 5th and most of the back nine, it is glorious, and it has as good a finish as you would find anywhere.

58 DELAMERE FOREST

54 LITTLE ASTON SUTTON COLDFIELD, WEST

Surprisingly, given its name, trees hardly feature at all. Instead it is rolling hills and very cleverly-sited greens that characterise one of England’s finest and most varied inland courses.

A stout parkland with wonderful green complexes. You really would love to be a member here.

NORTHWICH, CHESHIRE

57 HUNTERCOMBE NUFFIELD, OXFORDSHIRE A joyous journey over firm, rumpled land that was used to perfection by Willie Park. A bewilderingly good set of green complexes.

55 GOSWICK

MIDLANDS

53 WENTWORTH (EAST)

VIRGINIA WATER, SURREY Little brother to the West but favoured by members and by Sir Nick Faldo himself. A solid test with textbook hole templates.

52 NEW ZEALAND WEST BYFLEET, SURREY

BERWICK-UPON-TWEED, NORTHUMBERLAND The most northerly English links is laid out in a figure of eight, with the best holes traversing the dunes. Similar to Silloth in terms of natural, rugged, remote links.

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Before teeing off, one glimpse of the closing green and the cascading fairway shows what to expect. Wallasey is exacting (and certainly not short from the back tees), but the stunning terrain and pins perched on plateaus deliver pure fun. “Even given the pedigree of the other vaunted courses in the area, this may offer the most enjoyable all-round experience,” says one panellist.

A glorious walk and the perfect example of intelligent architecture on a quiet site with nuances everywhere. The aura is different at NZ. Blissful. Challenging holes laid out in the heather. Clever bunkering and maybe one of the finest clubhouses in England.

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51 FERNDOWN BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET One of the most playable, pleasurable courses in this list. A gorgeous heathland with fantastic greens.

50 BEAU DESERT HAZEL SLADE, STAFFORDSHIRE

Could not be more deserving of its top-50 in England status. Wonderful, wonderful green complexes on a classy heathlandwoodland.

49 SEACROFT SKEGNESS, LINCOLNSHIRE Seacroft is a touch of class and makes some big-name courses look deeply uninteresting in comparison.

Beau Desert

48 ALDEBURGH ALDEBURGH SUFFOLK About to undergo a significant redesign by Martin Ebert, so it’s worth getting to this twoball club soon to play the existing course. Its unremitting maritimeheathland challenge is one to relish.

47 HAYLING HAYLING ISLAND, HAMPSHIRE

More open than it once was, it got some serious love from the panel. Holes 7 to 14 could be the best stretch of links in the country.

46 HINDHEAD HINDHEAD, SURREY

Seacroft

The front nine meanders through heatherclad valleys, creating incredible vistas. The shot frame here is faultless. It is hard to envisage a more dramatically memorable heathland front nine. Hindhead nestles deep within the Devil’s Punchbowl; huge walls of trees create enormous amphitheatres framing the outward holes as they wind through cavernous valleys far below. The pulse really races from the dramatic downhill drive at the 2nd, quickening again at the even steeper approach down to the short 6th. The second nine is comparably understated, but is littered with clever architecture. It meanders across the plateaus and anywhere else it would be stunning in its own right, but that front nine is impossible to live with. The closing two-shotter is a stern test, an apt finale to an outstanding affair. Hindhead

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THE JCB CLUB

The JCB Club

45 SHERWOOD FOREST MANSFIELD, NOTTS

Notts heathland that can run as firm and fast as a links. A proper test that asks for well-struck shots. Seriously satisfying.

44 SOUTHPORT & AINSDALE

is so good. You always look forward to the Blue just as much.

41 ROYAL NORTH DEVON

WESTWARD HO!, DEVON Simple, unpretentious links; some may feel it’s a little mellow, others will delight in its subtlety and playability.

UTTOXETER, STAFFORDSHIRE Bursting with strategy, risk-reward holes and, although it can be a brute off the tips and is hosting the Seniors Tour again in 2023, lots and lots of fun. If you get the merest sniff of a game here, take it!

SOUTHPORT, MERSEYSIDE A bit more playable than others around Southport and certainly with some unforgettable moments. The par-3 start lives long in the mind.

WALTON HEATH (NEW) TADWORTH, SURREY

Intertwined with the Old and only marginally less entertaining. If it wasn’t for the plethora of neighbouring class, this would be up there with its brother.

THE BERKSHIRE (BLUE) ASCOT, BERKSHIRE

The No.2 at this pine-lined heathland utopia, but that is only relative given the Red

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Sherwood Forest

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39 ROYAL WORLINGTON

Broadstone

& NEWMARKET NEWMARKET, SUFFOLK The green complexes take the breath away. Their designs are exceptionally strong architecturally, with the unique green on the par-3 5th making it a truly special hole.

38 LIPHOOK

LIPHOOK, HAMPSHIRE Brilliant remodelling has improved an already fine course. Tom Mackenzie’s excellent redesign has woven several new holes into the routing so impressively that they look as though they have always been there.

37 BROADSTONE BOURNEMOUTH, DORSET A wonderful middle on a heathland that sits on terrain that rises and falls significantly to offer the chance for epic shots and memorable holes. A handful of holes are top-10 calibre. A memorable heathland adventure.

36 THE ADDINGTON CROYDON, SURREY This adventurous heathland has undergone a tree management programme and restoration by Clayton, DeVries & Pont. Now, with even greater strategic options, wider playing corridors, expansive views and more exposure to a breeze, an already brilliant layout is made even better. Green aprons are growing and killer contours are being reintroduced. The Addington has terrific land movement and the shot frame is tremendous.

33 WEST HILL WOKING, SURREY Golf on ‘the hill’ is getting better and better, its finessing over the years elevating its standing. This entertaining par 69 has variety, quality, playability and engrossing bite in places.

32 MOORTOWN LEEDS, WEST YORKSHIRE The tree management programme nearly two decades ago – when such action was nowhere near as in vogue as it is now – transformed this pedigree heathland.

34 PARKSTONE POOLE, DORSET Parkstone’s conditioning is now always hovering around ‘outstanding’ and its varied collection of holes over enviable heathland terrain place it well within the top 40.

ROYAL ASHDOWN FOREST (OLD) FOREST ROW, EAST SUSSEX A bracing walk over hilly, heathland terrain is rewarded with towering views and memorable golf. Bunkerless, but challenging in cerebral as well as physical ways.

Royal Ashdown Foest (old)

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Worplesdon

31 WORPLESDON WOKING, SURREY Another course that has benefited from a Tim Lobb restoration. The bunkering is delectable and the course is incredibly pretty. A classic heathland.

WENTWORTH (WEST)

VIRGINIA WATER, SURREY It’s in vogue to dislike the West, but this parkland-heathland still has its supporters. The greens have a silvery glow and can scare even strong players. A tough test for the higher handicapper, though.

29 PRINCE’S SANDWICH, KENT

26 HUNSTANTON HUNSTANTON, NORFOLK

Has benefited from investment by the McGuirk family and the attention of Martin Ebert. The three nines are now on a par and there is increasing feeling the Himalayas, hitherto the weakest, could now be the strongest. Conditioning, bunker reshaping and sandy wastes characteristic of Ebert’s work have transformed the links.

Slick, true greens at this host of myriad championships. Enough cool features to please the quirk-seekers, too.

28 WEST LANCASHIRE SOUTHPORT, MERSEYSIDE Such a high-quality links and so entrenched in the top 30 that it is easy to forget it used to be the poor relation in Southport. Its all-round examination on firm, delicious turf is now rightly revered. Smart routing and variation.

27 HILLSIDE SOUTHPORT, MERSEYSIDE The back nine is up there with the very best at next door neighbour Birkdale, but the less explosive front nine has plenty of merit too.

HANKLEY COMMON

FARNHAM, SURREY Sprawling heathland on a big site that is large enough to house two courses. The scale is vast, but the intricacies of the green sites and the heathland contouring are terrific. The short 7th lives long in the memory. In the midst of a Mackenzie & Ebert restoration.

THE BERKSHIRE (RED) ASCOT, BERKSHIRE

“On a sunny day, golf amidst The Berkshire’s towering pines is hard to beat,” says a usually-tough-to-please panellist of this Herbert Fowler heathland.

West Lancashire

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23 HOLLINWELL HOLLINWELL, NOTTS Burnham & Berrow

A heathland that has everything; tranquil setting, clever holes, challenge, variety and superb conditioning. A refreshing walk and a wonderful all-round challenge.

22 BURNHAM & BERROW

BURNHAM & BERROW, SOMERSET

18 WOKING

WOKING, SURREY

at being unfriendly, but don’t be fooled: Brancaster is fantastic fun.

16 WEST SUSSEX PULBOROUGH, SUSSEX

It boasts more good holes than most other links, especially as it starts and ends in style. An outstanding, traditional seaside course where the par-3 9th is a highlight.

The ‘Temple’ forged movements in course architecture – thanks to Stuart Paton’s centre-line bunkers on the 4th – and it continues to gently improve with tree removal under the eye of Tim Lobb. The newly-framed 2nd is a delight.

21 SAUNTON (EAST) BRAUNTON, DEVON

17 ROYAL WEST NORFOLK

A championship-calibre links that made its debut in our World Top 100 at the end of last year, the East purrs with unfussy class and technical merit.

BRANCASTER, NORFOLK

15 RYE RYE, SUSSEX

A fantastic routing and location that makes the most of the unique tidal element. The cavernous, sleeper-lined bunkers hint

Superb par threes are the highlight on this venerable old links, set down brilliantly by Harry Colt along, over or on top of dune ridges.

Not as illustrious a name as most in the top 20 perhaps, but this heathy heaven wholly deserves this position. Oozes quality, holes packed with strategic merit and splendid approach bunkering.

SILLOTH ON SOLWAY SILLOTH, CUMBRIA

Hollinwell

“Rugged, raw, and really, really good,” says one panellist. An epic links that is every inch a World Top 100 course.

19 FORMBY SOUTHPORT, MERSEYSIDE A pleasing blend of links and heath with excellent green complexes. It stays above several stellar names.

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14 GANTON SCARBOROUGH, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Clever routing, some of the deepest and most well-positioned bunkers you’ll ever encounter, and gorgeous turf. A golfer’s golf course with peerless pedigree, enhanced by Martin Ebert’s renovation.

13 ST ENODOC (CHURCH) ROCK, CORNWALL

Brilliant start and superb finish. Incredible variety, interest and views. The infamous 10th is a par five-and-a-half, but is not even among the nine best holes!

12 WALTON HEATH (OLD)

TADWORTH, SURREY Understated and not as dramatic as its heathland neighbours, but class all the way round. Tee to green transitions are brilliant. Perhaps favoured by lower-handicap players, as a result of its numerous long par 4s. This panel found fellow heathlands St George’s Hill and Alwoodley a touch more engaging.

Roya Cinque Ports

11 ALWOODLEY

LEEDS, WEST YORKSHIRE This heather-lined Alister MacKenzie original is being refined and nurtured admirably. A world-class inland course.

ROYAL CINQUE PORTS

9 ST GEORGE’S HILL

(RED/BLUE) WEYBRIDGE, SURREY

It has long flown under the radar; not any longer. Another example of sublime elevation change.

DEAL, KENT

8 ROYAL LIVERPOOL WIRRAL, CHESHIRE

Going out along and in the dunes is a treat, while the last third represents one of the best finishing stretches in England.

A historic club with an evolving and improving course. Much more movement and character in the land than it is often credited with.

Ganton

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7ANNES ROYAL LYTHAM & ST LYTHAM, LANCASHIRE

What it lacks aesthetically, Royal Lytham more than makes up for as an ultimate test of golf. Heavily and penally bunkered, but you relish the challenge. Impeccable presentation – as befits an 11-time Open host.

6 SWINLEY FOREST ASCOT, BERKSHIRE A beguiling course and club with a uniquely charming and playable layout. Swinley never fails to leave an imprint on the heart.

5SUNNINGDALE, SUNNINGDALE (NEW) SURREY The tougher brother of the two. A true championship test and equally as glorious as the Old. It could easily have been two spots higher; don’t be surprised if one day Sunningdale does indeed have two of the top three.

4 WOODHALL SPA (HOTCHKIN) WOODHALL SPA, LINCS

Tom Doak’s superb renovation keeps the robust Hotchkin in the top five. Despite the overall flatness of the land, it possesses bunkers deep enough to make any links deeply envious.

3SOUTHPORT, ROYAL BIRKDALE MERSEYSIDE Tough but fair and still many people’s favourite English links, this is the Open host the pros really love.

ROYAL ST GEORGE’S DEAL, KENT

RSG is, in our view, England’s standout No.1. Fearsome but very, very fun, this multiple Open venue has it all.

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ROYAL SUNNINGDALE (OLD)

SUNNINGDALE, SURREY A delightful walk, a delightful experience and one of the game’s most exquisite rounds. The undisputed top inland course in these isles. Expert contouring and mesmeric heathland scenes. A perfect example of elevation and the shot frame. Oozes confidence and class.

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BE A BETTER YOU

\\ YOU’RE NEVER TOO BUSY TO GET IN SHAPE //

JOEL CORRY

Ever found yourself saying you don’t have time to get in shape? Don’t tell that to Joel Corry, the five-time BRIT Award nominated superstar DJ who refuses to let late nights and a hectic jet set lifestyle get in the way of maintaining his trophy-winning physique. When did you first get into health and fitness? I started going to the gym when I was about 14. My dad was a tennis coach at the local David Lloyd, which meant I got free entry to the centre. I went into the gym to try it out and just instantly loved it. I started training three or four times a week and began to see the results; I started seeing abs and pecs. I was the only one at school hitting the gym so I kind of got known for that, which obviously boosted my confidence. I started researching weight training and got really into it.

What is your training like now? I train six days a week. I focus on a different body part each day, so chest, back, arms, shoulders, legs, etc, then I do abs at the end of every session for 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes of cardio on the stepper. The whole session will be between 60-90 minutes. I’m into volume over heavy lifting. My working sets will be about 12 reps; I do 4-5 exercises in a session and 4-5 sets per exercise. I do a lot of dropsets where I’ll halve the weight and burn until failure. I keep rest periods short; I hate lifting and then sitting there doing nothing for two minutes.

\\ EVERYONE CAN HAVE A SIX-PACK //

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Are there any exercises you hate? I hate training legs, but I think everyone does! Especially when you have a big legs session and gets DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) for days. But if there’s something I really don’t enjoy, I don’t do it. Everything I do I do because it feels nice and it works for me. I hate running on a treadmill and I hate rowing machines so I always use the StairMaster for cardio; I love the feeling of it and always work up a big sweat.

How do you fit training into your busy schedule? I try to workout first thing in the morning. I know that by 9am my label and management are in the office so

from then on my phone goes mental all day long. I’m in the gym by 7 or 8am, before there’s any distractions.

Do you have to make do with hotel gyms when you’re traveling? Generally hotel gyms don’t have enough equipment for me, so wherever I go in the world I always Google ahead and find the nearest decent gym. There’s a lot of 24-hour gyms in places now. Pretty much every day of my life involves a flight but I’ve got a ‘no excuses’ mentality so even if I land somewhere late, get to the hotel and the gym is far away, I’ll get an Uber and get myself in the gym. Even if I don’t want to do it, I’ll drag myself there, because I know that afterwards I’ll come out feeling great.

\\ I WAS HAVING DREAMS ABOUT PANCAKES, BURGERS AND DOUGHNUTS //

How strict is your diet? Do you track everything you eat and count your macros? I used to do all that when I was competing in men’s physique competitions in my early 20s. I did five years of being on stage, and when I was prepping for those shows I tracked everything and knew what I was eating for every single meal. I don’t do that now, I’m more relaxed about it. But, because I went through that process for so many years, I have a good idea of what I’m eating and how much I should eat of it.

Is it harder to eat well when you’re traveling so much? I see a lot of DJs saying it’s so hard to stay on your diet and eat healthily when you’re on tour but I actually don’t think it is, you’ve just got to be switched on and make the effort. In most places, Uber Eats is an option, so you can always find some kind of salad and chicken place and get something clean. Or there’s generally supermarkets nearby where you can grab healthy stuff.

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BE A BETTER YOU

\\ THE PHYSICAL BENEFITS I GET FROM THE GYM ARE SO MINOR COMPARED TO THE MENTAL BENEFITS //

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\\ I KNOW THAT AFTERWARDS I’LL COME OUT FEELING GREAT // Is it hard not to get drawn into the party lifestyle as a DJ and let that affect your training? I love to party. That’s how I got into DJing in the first place, through the club scene, so it’s always great to blow off some steam and let your hair down, but it has to work with my schedule for me to have a night out. If I look in the diary and see I’ve got a couple of days off, I might have a big night out, but that’s once in a blue moon. It’s important for me to get on the dancefloor sometimes and listen to DJs and see what the other guys are playing and just vibe – you want to stay connected to it. Generally, I have a couple of drinks if I’m DJing, but maybe not even that, and then I’ll be fresh the next day.

What motivates you to train? When I started I just wanted to get ripped and have a six-pack, but nowadays the physical benefits I get from the gym are so minor compared to the mental benefits. It helps me stay mentally clear and have the clarity I need to perform well in all the other aspects of my life.

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BE A BETTER YOU Whenever I haven’t been able to go to the gym – during Covid, for example – it affected me quite badly mentally. That then affected other areas of my life, like my productivity, my focus, my business, and my music. If I get my workout in, I feel productive and then carry on with my day and do well in other areas. The gym is my anchor for the day.

Do you ever skip a session? I’m pretty disciplined and I’ll go even when I really don’t feel like it, but now and again if I’m absolutely wrecked I’m not going to make myself do a workout because it won’t be good anyway. There are days when I’m so smashed from touring or really jetlagged and I know that I just need to go to bed. But I will be up early the next day and training twice as hard to make up for it!

which is a very long preparation. I’d never put my body through that sort of thing before. It was a very restrictive diet, lots of cardio – it was very tough. I really grinded it out and went to a dark place with the prep to get into that sort of condition. I won the show and then competed in another show the week after and won that as well. I was on a roll, entering show after show, winning them, and loving it. Before I knew it, I’d been prepping non-stop for about six months and kind of burnt out a little bit. I did another show but I didn’t enjoy it; I just wanted it to be over. After that I rebounded really badly. I was eating everything in sight because I hadn’t eaten anything nice for six months. I was

Have you ever let your fitness slip? My first ever competition was Miami Pro in 2015. I prepped for it for four months,

\\ I HADN’T EATEN ANYTHING NICE FOR SIX MONTHS //

having dreams about pancakes, burgers, and doughnuts. I went on holiday to LA and had a list of all the fast-food places I wanted to try. I got back from my holiday and my mate was like, “Woah, what has happened to you?!” because my face was this round balloon. It took me a couple of months to come back to normal after that. I definitely learnt a good lesson about dieting and rebounding, and just having to keep a balance rather than going to extremes with it.

What are your fitness goals now? Just to maintain where I’m at and keep a healthy routine. I’ve completed the big fitness goals in my life already. I was on the cover of Muscle & Fitness Magazine and to get that cover shoot there are serious levels. I won men’s physique competitions. Those were my endgame goals with fitness. I’ve done it, got the trophies, completed that mission – now it’s just about enjoying it.

What advice would you give someone who says they don’t have time to keep in shape? You do have time, for sure. It’s about time management. It’s about making the fitness aspect of your day a priority. Whether it’s going to the gym, boxing, swimming – it’s a rule to yourself that you have to get this done today. Once that becomes a priority in your mind, you’ll find a way to make it happen. There’s always a way to get at least half an hour in. You’ve just got to make it an absolute priority, no compromise, you’re going to make it happen.

If a mate asked you how to get a six-pack, what would you say? I’d tell them it starts in the kitchen. Everyone has actually got a six-pack there, it’s just most people can’t see it. Sort the diet out, get the calories down, and you’ll see it in no time.

Joel’s debut album, Another Friday Night, is available now.

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BE A BETTER YOU

O T W HO UNF* *LI*FE R U O Y

Joey Schweitzer runs the YouTube channel Better Ideas, where he explores self-improvement and motivation, alongside physical and mental health, with his 2.4m subscribers. This is his eight-step method to get yourself out of a rut…

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BE A BETTER YOU

\\ THE MODERN WORLD IS DESIGNED FROM THE GROUNDUP TO KEEP YOU INSIDE //

ORDER THE KINGDOM Clean your room. Deep clean your house. Get rid of all the shit that’s scattering your mind. Refuse to live in a monument of filth, like an ever-present reminder of things left undone, because the space you occupy is an extension of yourself. Is it disordered? Because if it is, so are you. So take your pick. You can order yourself or order your kingdom. It doesn’t really matter because it’s the same thing. No more half-done jobs. Go room to room and make things right, make things beautiful. When you are clean, and your kingdom is too, then you’ll feel like you have your shit together somewhat. And it will encourage you to bring that energy to the rest of your life. Start with you and the things that you have control over, and then…

STEP

CLEAN THY EARTHLY VESSEL Shower. Get fresh. Treat yourself with respect. Brush your teeth, wear a scent, because this is it. This is the character you’re playing as. And if you fail to take care of yourself on a basic level, you’ll fail outwards in space and time, because it all starts with you. Being clean and feeling fresh as a ritual will increase your selfperception over time. You’ll be putting your best foot forward and will be signalling to your subconscious that you are worth taking care of. So even if Yellowstone erupts and the world descends into chaos and destruction, at least you’ll smell good.

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STEP

VENTURE FORTH When you have your ducks in a row, then get out of the house. The human brain operates best with our feet moving, sun in our face, and eyes moving from left to right. We’re meant to be in relationship and community with others. Become an initiator of people coming together and things happening. The modern world is designed from the ground-up to keep you inside. We technically don’t have to leave the house ever. So a lot of us don’t. And our lives pass us by.

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BE A BETTER YOU STEP

If I told you there was a pill that was guaranteed to boost your mental and physical energy throughout the day, increase your overall mood and outlook on life, improve your mental clarity, prolong your lifespan, and increase your physical attractiveness, would you take that pill? But that pill is real, and it’s called working out. And the top performers in the world take it every day. So get the blood pumping. Go break a sweat. Do it daily, because that which cost us energy giveth energy.

SWEAT

\\ YOU CAN ORDER YOURSELF OR ORDER YOUR KINGDOM // MONITOR THY TREASURY Because giant corporations are thriving on the fact that you don’t. They encourage unconscious spending and autorenewing subscriptions that slowly bleed you of your hard-earned cash. And this out-of-sight, out-ofmind attitude is keeping you stuck. So check your balance daily. Does it sting? Good. Let that sting motivate you to investigate what’s going on. What are you paying for that you don’t care about? Exposing yourself to the hard numbers unlocks the ability to do something about it.

STEP

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BE A BETTER YOU STEP

STRATEGIZE Every military operation, political campaign, and major corporation relies on a strategy to increase the chances of success. If you were tasked to run one of these entities and you showed up without a strategy, you’d be laughed out the door. But what about your life? Are you just floating through without a strategy, hoping you’ll end up in a desirable place five years down the line? Well, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but things don’t usually get better on their own. Even a man of faith would be a fool not to be proactive with the tools God has given him. So put the figures on the board. What do you want in life? And in what ways do you tend to fail achieving it? Develop a strategy based on the information you have available and use this info to figure out the most effective way forward. You’d be surprised as to how monstrously effective even a basic strategy can be.

REMOVE THE HOOKS What are you bound to? What are you dependent on in order to operate at baseline? What external substances or behaviours are you using to medicate internal problems? Turn off notifications. Stop getting pulled back into the cycle. Unsubscribe to email chains, unfollow Instagram accounts. Remove things that constantly pull you back into mindless consumerism.

STEP

SUBMIT Submit to the things you must do, because the thinking has already been done by you. Shut your mind off and relinquish yourself of the burden of overthinking. Learn what it feels like to put your rationalization on mute. Take a deep breath and do what you need to do. Trust the more authentic voice in your head and let it override your weaker self, because over time, this authentic self will become your primary voice. And the more you listen to your authentic self, the more you’ll develop a stronger sense of identity. And having a strong, reliable identity is the basis of confidence and self-efficacy. And there’s no better feeling than that.

STEP

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HEAD IN THE GAME

Recent seasons have seen Marcus Rashford experience mental health struggles, suffer penalty shootout heartbreak, face racist abuse, go head-to-head with a Prime Minister, and try to fill the boots of Cristiano Ronaldo. Now, as his trademark celebration shows, he’s got a clear head and his mind set on becoming a world beater.

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he phone call to Manchester United came from Boris Johnson’s personal secretary, with the world paralysed by pandemic back in November 2020.

“BORIS WANTS TO TALK TO MARCUS NOW.” “HE’S TRAINING.” “WELL, YOU’LL NEED TO GET HIM FROM TRAINING, BECAUSE BORIS WANTS TO TALK TO HIM NOW.” “SORRY, BUT HE CAN’T, HE’S TRAINING.”

The UK’s Prime Minister and one of the UK’s top forwards did eventually talk, after the Red Devils had played Everton behind closed doors. The Goodison Park scoreboard that day showed an image of Rashford along with the words: “Thank you for sticking up for our kids who needed a voice, here on Merseyside and across the country.” There’s very little that unites Manchester and Liverpool, but Rashford managed it. Sadly, no one was fortunate enough to be a fly on the wall for the conversation between Rashford and Johnson, but it was reported that Rashford, awarded an MBE a month previously, was “overwhelmed with pride” at the progress of his campaign to fight child food poverty. In a government U-turn, ministers announced a £170 million winter grant scheme, aimed at helping low-income families struggling because of COVID. A banner soon appeared underneath the ‘Welcome to Wythenshawe’ sign,

close to where Rashford spent some of his childhood, declaring: “Rashford 1 Boris 0.” The one-time bed sheet now hangs in the National Football Museum in Manchester, alongside artwork that was commissioned by the enduringly anti-establishment Eric Cantona. Marcus Rashford scored 21 Manchester United goals during that COVID-interrupted 2020-21 season, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side finished second in the Premier League. He’d netted 22 the season before, well up on the eight, 11, 13 and 13 goals of his first four seasons at Old Trafford. Rashford’s star was ascendant on and off the pitch, a bright light in the pandemic’s omnipotent gloom. Pep Guardiola once told a United legend that Rashford – whose solo strike in the 1-0 March 2016 win at the Etihad Stadium made him the Manchester derby’s youngest scorer and all-but retired Martin Demichelis – was the only player from across the city he’d take to his own team.

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\\ AT 14 HE HAD A CONFIDENCE CRISIS AND WANTED TO BE A HOLDING MIDFIELDER //

Years earlier, City sent senior officials to Rashford’s house when he was still a youth player to try to sign him, but were met with a no thanks: he was a Manchester United fan. Barcelona tried in the spring of 2019, but knew they were pushing their luck. They still went back last summer, to ask again for the player that Jose Mourinho once described as being “at the head of the talent” at the club he then managed. Football’s biggest names rated Rashford. Assessing the possibility of the speedster making it at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson had long told his former players that “the kid Rashford has got a real chance”. And he did. Though never considered prolific, his scoring statistics were better than those of Cristiano Ronaldo’s at the same age. Rashford scored a winner at

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who’d marvelled at Odell Beckham Jr during a 2017 event at Nike’s HQ was now surpassing the NFL star’s popularity on social media. Adidas and Nike both vied to work with Rashford, he released a bestselling children’s book, and lucrative endorsements followed for A-list brands such as Burberry, but the social projects came from his heart. Rashford really had gone hungry as a kid. .

Paris Saint-Germain away. Twice. There was a first treble against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, goals against Arsenal and Liverpool, plus a screamer at Chelsea. To this day, Rashford’s highlight remains his debut, when he was rushed in to play for an injury-hit side against Midtjylland in a Europa League match in 2016, scoring twice aged 18. As the social causes elevated his profile and former US President Barack Obama praised him, Rashford became one of sport’s most marketable entities – a young homegrown forward with a wholesome off-field image, backed up by his support for social justice for the less privileged. The man

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\\ HE CAN BE ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD IF HE KEEPS GOING //

Most people within United, and indeed in society, welcomed his offfield work. As time went on, though, there were worries. At Old Trafford, some wondered whether the club were becoming part of the Marcus Rashford story, when they felt that nobody was bigger than the club. United were already doing extensive work across the local community through their own foundation, which was being overshadowed.

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SPORT While tweets from his personal account went viral and were for a good cause, some didn’t sound like Marcus Rashford at all. “One of the more comprehensive and extensive marketing jobs that has been done around an athlete,” explains a highlevel PR specialist to FourFourTwo. “But it was well done and it did a lot of good. “Marcus became more comfortable with the messaging over time because he was intimately involved, but Kelly Hogarth [his then PR] was driving it and she did a very good job of it. Both for him and for what they achieved. He bought into it at the top level. He agreed to it, he pushed it.” In October 2021, Rashford was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of Manchester for “his ongoing charity work and campaign against child poverty off the field, as well as his outstanding sporting achievements on the pitch”. At 23, he was the youngest recipient of an honorary degree in the university’s history. “Rashford invited five staff members, plus several players and Sir Alex Ferguson,” says Paul McGuinness, who coached him as a young United talent. “That was lovely to be invited to a personal award alongside his team-mates and former coaches. Another coach, Tony Whelan, was very proud. We all were. Tony said, ‘You see someone you’ve coached when he was eight, who becomes your hero for his social work’.”

When alarm bells Rang(nick) Yet 2021 had not gone to plan for Rashford in a football sense. He didn’t feature as much as he’d hoped in Gareth Southgate’s plans during Euro 2020, starting none of England’s seven games in the run to the final, playing 83 minutes of a possible 690. One of those minutes was the last 60 seconds of the final, when he came on to take a penalty, then was the first England player to miss. The Three Lions had looked on course for success until that moment: Harrys Kane and Maguire both converted, while Andrea Belotti failed to beat Jordan Pickford for Italy. After Rashford hit an upright, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka had their efforts saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma and the Azzurri were champions. The online abuse for the three young black players was pernicious. The words “s**te in a bucket, bastard”, “f**k Sancho”, and “f**k Saka” were sprayed on to a Rashford mural in the

\\ HE’S PLAYED FOR THE CLUB AT A TIME WHEN THERE’S BEEN CONTINUOUS CHANGE AND TURMOIL //

Manchester suburb of Withington, where he and his siblings had spent the early part of his life. “Take pride in knowing that your struggle will play the biggest role in your purpose,” was the mural’s original wording. Rashford was not in a good place when he headed back to Old Trafford. He was down, affected by what had happened. There were concerns from coaches about the time and energy the extracurricular stuff was taking, but they could also see value in the forward’s off-field work and the praise it was attracting. The 2021-22 campaign would be Rashford’s worst. A niggling shoulder injury, combined with a disrupted preseason, meant he sat out the first 10 games. He lost his place in the England team and wasn’t selected for any of the 15 matches between the Euros final and the 2022 World Cup. When he returned to Manchester United action, his team lost four league games in five, conceding four goals at Leicester and Watford as well as five at home to Liverpool. Solskjaer, with whom Rashford usually had a positive relationship, was sacked, replaced by caretaker Ralf Rangnick. Alarm bells rang weeks into the German’s interim reign. At Atletico Madrid in a crucial Champions League game, United’s players didn’t know their

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line-up 90 minutes before kick-off. Diego Simeone’s charges had been working on shape for weeks. Rashford didn’t even start in the home leg three weeks later, and few were surprised. He’d become a non-goalscoring forward, with only five goals to his name all season. Coaches who’d worked with him became saddened. “Marcus was a great kid,” says former Manchester United striker Brian McClair, the head of the academy when Marcus came through. “I found his mum to be an incredible woman and Marcus to be all about family. Jesse Lingard was the one who would get more distracted. Marcus didn’t. It wasn’t just Marcus who was unhappy last year. A lot of players were unhappy.” McGuinness, the son of exManchester United boss Wilf, had real sympathy with the forward. “He’s played for the club at a time when there’s been continuous change and turmoil,” the coach points out. “That’s not easy for a young player adapting to different managers, who all come with different ideas and change four or five players. The training changes – there were significant differences between David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. It affects players.

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SPORT “Football is really complex and all young players’ development will have been stifled. Van Gaal had a logical step-bystep style of football with combinations and dribbling, the stuff Marcus had been brought up on. When you have a stable team, you start to build connections and passes with the players you’ve worked closely with. People think that if you bring a new player in, then it’ll click. It doesn’t usually happen. Casemiro clicked last season, but he’s a five-time Champions League winner. Most of United’s big buys didn’t. If they had, Marcus would be even further on with his career than he is now.” This wasn’t the first time that Rashford had encountered setbacks. “In the under-12s and under-13s, he was fantastic and often up against older boys,” his then coach Neil Ryan explains. “You didn’t feel that it was effortless like it was with Ravel Morrison. Marcus’ attitude and talent always stood out, but aged 14 he had a confidence crisis and wanted to be a holding midfielder. I recall talking to his mother and brothers. He spoke about wanting to get on the ball more. He didn’t have the pace then to burn past others because he was still growing, but we always thought he’d be a forward.” McGuinness knew the youngster well and was impressed by his seriousness. “Marcus was always respectful with me and driven to improve,” he continues. “One of my jobs was to help players fall in love with the club. You want them to think of the place as their favourite youth club, to indoctrinate them. That was one idea behind taking them away on tours – that and specifically improving Marcus on his receiving skills on one trip to Germany. You are the guardians of Manchester United history, and I felt Marcus was massively in love with Manchester United. One reason for a drop in form was that he cared so much and thought, ‘This isn’t what it used to be’, when he was a kid.” McGuinness had watched him flourish. “When Marcus was 18, we really worked on him learning to make runs behind defenders,” says the former midfielder. “He hadn’t been able to run for a time with OsgoodSchlatter disease [which causes pain below the knee joint, typically among active adolescents], so his development was delayed.

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SPORT He was easily good enough to play for the reserves, but there was a better way to coach him, as he had a lot to learn.” Learn he did. “He absolutely went for it,” reflects McGuinness. “He’d text me and say, ‘Did you see that run from Sergio Aguero or Wayne Rooney?’ As a student, he was easy to coach, he wanted to learn. If you learn to spin as a forward, to lose your marker, come short or go behind, a whole new world opens up for you. That didn’t happen for Marcus until he was 18. “I’ll never forget him having races straight after training. Marcus and RoShaun Williams would go the full length of the pitch, like kids in a playground or wild horses running with the wind through their hair. They did it for fun, full of exuberance.”

POINTING THE FINGER

No more beans, beans, beans There was little exuberance on evidence by the end of 2021-22. Rashford reached 300 Manchester United first-team appearances aged just 24, but Rooney publicly urged him to “f**king get his head out of his arse” to turn his fortunes around. After their final encounter of the campaign, a sixth consecutive away defeat at Crystal Palace, the team travelled back to Manchester Airport. The mood was glum, but the players knew they’d be going on holiday. A private jet was waiting to take Rashford and his friends to Los Angeles, a week after ex-Red Devil Louis Saha encouraged him to take a lads’ holiday to Las Vegas. “He should go and enjoy himself as much as he can,” said the Frenchman. “This guy is an amazing player – he just needs a rest and some time to think about his career and what he wants next. He has a massive future at United. Yes, he’s struggling, but when you look at his potential and ability, it’s nothing that he can’t recover from. He needs to get back to where he was when he was 19, not over-thinking, or thinking about his status. Work hard, play with a smile and everything will be fine. This guy has it all.” Though Rashford was entitled to go away on holiday, some senior Manchester United figures were not impressed when they saw his mates waiting sheepishly in the private terminal. The club had heard reports about hangers on, that he and other players had been spotted out and about in Manchester as the team’s form faltered. United were disappointed in Rashford

Rashford explains the story behind his trademark celebration. “Football’s probably 95 per cent to do with your mentality. For me that’s everything that gives you the base line to go and perform. Without that side, you are just playing off ability. There are many players with ability, it’s why they play at the top level. But what sets them apart is the mentality, and I’ve been on both sides of it. I’ve struggled at times – more mental

things, not my own performance. It was other things off the pitch. Too often I wasn’t in the right headspace. I understand the strength of it and the value of it. I’m just concentrating a lot more on keeping myself in that headspace and I think it’s needed in order to go and win games and trophies.”

and other players that season, but while some left at the end of the campaign with a feeling of ‘good riddance’, Rashford had a longer contract. In Los Angeles, the man with an A-list profile but who couldn’t get into Rangnick’s starting XI kept his head down. There was no repeat of the 2019 close-season when he jumped around an American hotel room yelling ,“Beans! Beans! Beans!” with Jesse Lingard, even though his good friend was in California with him. Instead, he got engaged on the beach to his longterm partner Lucia Loi – the pair

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had met at Ashton on Mersey School, a state institution with whom United have a successful partnership close to their Carrington training ground. Rashford had been a popular student there – after his wonder debut against Midtjylland in 2016, he went into school the next day as usual. Asked why, he explained simply, “All of my friends are here. I live across the road and I can’t drive, so I may as well come in and do my work.” Teachers say he was a good pupil. Last summer, the Red Devils appointed yet another new manager. Erik ten Hag met his staff in May and told them in detail what he wanted from them, but didn’t get his players together until the end of June. “You must not wear a striker like Rashford out, he’s like a thoroughbred racehorse,” says McGuinness. “You didn’t see Cristiano Ronaldo running up and down the wing – Sir Alex played Wayne Rooney there in some games, to do all the running.” Rested and primed from private Stateside gym sessions (and not the basketball ones that caused Paul Pogba to rock up late for the previous preseason), Rashford turned up on the first day of training “in

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a bad mood”, one source reveals. “It was like nothing had changed,” remembers the source. “But by day two it had. He started to smile again.” The team headed to Thailand, hammered Liverpool and then moved on to Australia. In Perth, after a game against Aston Villa, this writer asked him how he felt. “I’m in a good place mentally and physically,” he replied. “I feel positive and I know I’m not the only one. There’s a joined-up feeling among the players. We want the season to start, to show what we can do. Hopefully we can start the season off a lot better. We’re better players than what we showed last year.” Asked about his relationship with his new coach, he said, “It’s positive – he’s a positive manager who likes to play attacking football. Even when we’re defending, he wants us

to be on the front foot, to squeeze the pitch and press high. The players enjoy it. When we win the ball back, we’re in a better position to score. Has preseason been hard work? Yes, definitely. Do we enjoy it? Definitely.” In Melbourne earlier on the same tour, Rashford got an insight into Ten Hag’s strong line on discipline when he turned up late for a team meeting and didn’t start a friendly in which he would have been included. “One of the first things I said to him was, ‘Come to training and smile’,” Ten Hag told several journalists on Manchester United’s mid-World Cup training camp in Spain, while Rashford, back in favour with Southgate, was out in Qatar. “We bring him exercises that hopefully bring players joy. They must be effective, but there must be joy as well and that gives you energy when you’re happy. When you see the benefit of it, you can be happy. Actually, Marcus was one from the start who came with a smile to Carrington and left with a smile day by day. From the first moment, it was a joy to work with him. I recognise his talent and his finishing ability.”

Better late than never The turnaround has been drastic under Ten Hag, but Rashford still wasn’t prolific at the start of last season – years ago, when a coach asked him what it would mean to score 30 goals per season, he responded, “We’d win the league title.” At the start of 202223, he’d scored in just three of the opening 14 league matches, albeit one coming in the season-changing defeat of Liverpool after desperate early losses against Brighton and Brentford. Just before Qatar, the self-immolating CR7 departed the club. “It’s better for everyone that Ronaldo is gone,” says McClair. “It’s hard to get on with your own stuff when your hero growing up – and Marcus was watching Ronaldo as a scholar – becomes a team-mate and you see the reality.” Rashford had done enough, however, to earn a place in England’s World Cup squad, coming on in the Three Lions’ opening game against Iran and scoring inside 49 seconds, on his first international appearance since that heartbreaking Euros showpiece. When he hit the first of two goals in the last group game against Wales, he pointed to the sky, remembering friend Garfield Hayward who’d died of cancer days earlier.

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\\ HE’S LETHAL ON THE COUNTERATTACK WITH HIS PACE // Rashford has introduced a new celebration – in frequent use since a post-Qatar goal flurry – of pointing to his brain. He scored in nine of his next 10 league appearances and also struck in five cup ties, the last of which delivered United’s first silverware in six years against Newcastle in the League Cup final. Among his league goals was a superb solo strike as a substitute at Wolves on New Year’s Eve. “Rashy was brilliant – we’ve been telling him to use his power to push past defenders and he did that,” one of those watching on the United bench said while walking through the mixed zone. “He has nothing to lose. He’s strong enough to do it, as he showed for the goal. If they bring him down because he’s too fast for them, it’s a penalty. He needs to make more combinations and he did that – did you see how he combined with Bruno Fernandes for the goal? He needs to be more direct when running at goal and he did that.” A United executive added, “Marcus is now smiling again, he’s enjoying playing football again. He’s concentrating on his football.” Then an unsmiling Marcus Rashford walked straight out, ignoring requests from reporters to talk. He’d come off the bench because he’d been late for a

team meeting. “When I played, you got a phone call to stop that happening,” says McClair. “Or your roommate woke you, but players don’t room together anymore. Ten Hag has his rules, Marcus transgressed and was punished. I saw players break the rules when I was a player, and in the end they didn’t remain at the club. Win or lose, Ten Hag is doing it his way. That’s great.” Rashford admitted that if he’d been the manager, he would have done the same. Instead, his team-mates were prepared to speak for him, in as glowing terms as you’d expect. “He’s in a really good way,” said Luke Shaw. “Extremely confident and positive. He’s world class and can be one of the best players in the world if he keeps going.” Last season was the most productive season of Rashford’s career so far – he netted 30 times for Manchester United in all competitions, eight more than his previous best haul for a single campaign. At Old Trafford, the marksman has a chant in his honour: “From Wythenshawe and loves to fight. He’s born to play in red and white. So listen close, it must be said. Like Manchester, Rashford is red.”

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“He’s clearly confident and happy,” states McClair. “Everything else then falls into place. He’s found a balance. Going to the World Cup has helped. Rashford wasn’t a certainty until Southgate picked the squad, and then he had a decent World Cup. There are other factors. You can’t dismiss doing a full pre-season. Miss it and it’s a big problem for a player. “Playing all the time makes a big difference, too. The form tends to follow. Marcus is not a goalscorer in the way that Erling Haaland or Mohamed Salah are, but he’ll score and he’ll create. That’s important for any team. His best attributes are his pace and balance. He’s always had a good mentality as well. He loves playing football. It doesn’t faze him to miss chances – he thinks another will come.” Neil Ryan is impressed by just how dangerous Rashford has become. “Ruthless,” he says. “I see someone scoring goals so regularly that it’s becoming a habit. He’s taking his opportunities and you back him to score. He’s been a match-winner in big games. He attacks at speed, he dribbles either side, he drives inside from the left. He’s lethal on the counter-attack with his pace.” His boss is no less complimentary. “From the first moment, I saw huge potential,” said Ten Hag. “And now to get out the potential, I believe when Marcus’ positioning is on the back of the defensive line, there is almost no better player in the world.” They’re still working hard on him at United, though. Rashford enjoys evaluating with his coaches including former Champions League-winning striker Benni McCarthy. He’s better in the air now, better at winning duels and was almost unplayable as a centre-forward against Barcelona in the Europa League. “He has so much more to come,” predicts McGuinness. “I like to show his January goal against Nottingham Forest in the coaches’ presentations I do. He ran from the halfway line, it’s so exciting and dynamic. He sprints through them all and blows them away. It was like a goal he scored in the youth team.” During recent months, Marcus Rashford has been busy becoming Manchester United’s talisman again. If Boris Johnson ever wants another chat, he’ll probably have to wait.

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SPORT

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SPORT

Earlier this year, Clydebank defender Jamie Darroch’s life was directly impacted by suicide. Here, he opens up on his experience, in the hope other families don’t have to go through something similar.

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SPORT

don’t want this to be about me and my story but I need to share my experience so we can get to a point of knowing and understanding that you’ll never see this coming. It will come straight out of left field. It will take your whole life and turn it upside down. I know that because that’s what happened to me. On the 24th of March, we had a Friday night game at home to Beith. We lost 1-0, and after the game I headed home to my partner, Stacey, who was nine months pregnant. As you can imagine, it was a really exciting time for the whole family. Everybody was on edge and hanging on every phone call, waiting for news. We were chilling out at home that night when got a phone call at 11.39pm. It was the police, saying they were sending two cops up to my door. Obviously, that never sounds good.

\\ SOMETIMES I THINK WE PUT TOO MUCH ONUS ON THE PERSON WHO IS STRUGGLING //

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At 11.51pm that night, two cops came into my living room and told me that my dad had died by completing suicide.

The aftermath I still don’t have the words to describe how I felt at that exact moment. You didn’t actually believe what was happening. I think the cops left my house at about 4.30 in the morning. Obviously I had to make a couple of phone calls; I called my mum about three in the morning to tell her. She was expecting me to say that Stacey was in labour, so it was a completely different type of phone call. I spent the Saturday going to break the news to my dad’s brothers and his sister, and then spent Sunday going to formally identify my dad. I had Stacey’s hospital bags in the backseat of the car as our first baby was due two days later. My dad was a 50-year-old man, sought after all over the county for his work. He loved coming to watch us play football. And, any time you spoke to anybody in the weeks and months after, they said how excited he was about becoming a granddad for the first time. After the initial period, which was the worst three or four days of my life, I had a bit of a moment on the Tuesday, which was Jude’s due date. Stacey and I had a bit of downtime in the house and it was the first time the house had been a bit quiet. I remember feeling the sorest, worst imaginable pain that I could ever, ever have felt. I was heartbroken. Totally and utterly heartbroken. I woke up the next day and had a bit of a moment of clarity where I felt like the unluckiest person in the world but I knew that at any moment I was going to be the luckiest person in the world. In due course, that’s what happened; nine days later Jude was born and it was the best day of my life. You go right into being a dad. There’s probably books on bereavement and losing a parent, there’s probably books on becoming a new dad… there’s not a book to tell you how to do both at the same time. So we totally winged it. It’s been a long five months, but it’s been a manageable five months because of the support network I

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SPORT have around me. The only time I still get a bit heavy about the situation is when I think about Jude, and the questions he’ll have and the conversations I’ll have to have with him when he gets older.

The power of football A lot of people assume football would be one of my lesser priorities, given what I was going through at the time, but the changing room and the club were a massive part of getting me through it. The gaffer was one of the first people I spoke to; I spoke to him the day after it happened. The news filtered down and I got messages from every single one of my teammates. I didn’t feel compelled to answer but I knew that they were all here for me. Some of the messages I got from fans are messages I will keep forever. Whether it’s full-time football, part-time, Sunday League, Saturday morning amateur – whatever it is, everybody has got that element of a support network. Ultimately, I don’t want this to be about the person that’s struggling. There are people out there who are struggling. I think we need to look a bit more at ourselves. We have all these amazing charities and awareness weeks of “It’s okay not to be okay” and “Please speak out” and things like that, which is all absolutely true, but sometimes I think we put too much onus on the person who is struggling. It’s not in everybody’s makeup to come out and tell people how they’re feeling and lay it all on the table so that they can go and get help. Some people need that small push.

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\\ WE’RE NOT USING FOOTBALL WELL ENOUGH //

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SPORT

\\ CAN WE DO A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR EACH OTHER? // 72

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SPORT Helping each other Since my experience with my dad, I’ve properly started to look at things. I’ve looked at numbers and statistics and it’s happening to us. It’s happening to young men under 50. It’s happening in the west coast of Scotland. it’s happening in our bubble of football. I think to myself, we’re not using football well enough. We are so lucky that three times a week, 10 months a year – 24/7 if you include WhatsApps – we’ve got access to each other. I get that it doesn’t come easy to people, asking somebody how they are or what’s happening, but trust me, however uncomfortable you might feel, it’s so much better than the alternative. The alternative and what it leaves behind is grief, soreness, and heartbreak. We just need to make small changes. I’m not saying that if you ask somebody how they are they’re immediately going to come out and tell you how they’re feeling, but they might go home that night and be like, ‘You know what? I could maybe do with a chat with somebody.’ And that’s when we can signpost them to so many amazing charities. There are charities like Breathing Space, Back Onside, and Man On – I know the work they do and it’s honestly unbelievable. I just think we can use a football team changing room or when you’re jogging round for a warmup as a time to check in with each other. Somebody might have lost their job or somebody might have a new kid; just asking someone how their weekend was or how they’re getting on finding work – there’s so many small bits we could make a change with.

Ask the question I’m not saying it’s going to work. I could have asked my dad a million times a day, “How are you, Dad?” and he’d be like, ‘I’m fine, son. How are you? How was training? How are the boys feeling for the weekend? How’s Stacey?’ But I’m now thinking, how much did I really ask? That’s something I’m going to deal with in my own time. I’ll continue to ask myself that question: did I ask enough? That’s why,

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\\ I’LL CONTINUE TO ASK MYSELF THAT QUESTION: DID I ASK ENOUGH? //

since my dad, I’ve started to ask people. Work colleagues, teammates, just asking them, ‘What’s happening?’ can lead to so many different conversations. I’m definitely not an expert on this subject but I don’t think anybody is – that’s why we keep finding ourselves back in these situations. I just think if we can all try to ask a question, check in with pals, just have a chat – it can make a difference. My experience has happened and I can’t change it now. But if this prompts somebody to go and have a beer with their pal at the weekend, text their pal, or catch up with somebody they’ve not seen for a while, then I’d see that as a success. It’s something that’s very much in my thoughts now: can we do a little bit more for each other and for people who are struggling, and stop putting the onus on them? I know there will be people that will end up in the same situation as me, but if we can just try to bring the number down a bit at a time, we’ll have made a difference.

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BE A BETTER YOU

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BE A BETTER YOU

8 WAYS TO AVOID GAMBLING HARMS

GambleAware’s advice will help make sure gambling doesn’t start to have a negative impact on your life.

SET A MONEY LIMIT IN ADVANCE, AND STICK TO IT

Before you begin playing, decide what you can afford to spend and commit to it. In the moment, it can be hard to stick to a self-imposed limit, but there are ways to do this — if you’re playing online, most websites or apps will let you set a limit on your account. Otherwise, you can write it down, separate the funds into another pot or account, or tell someone you trust what your limit is and ask them to help you stick to it.

WALK AWAY FROM YOUR LOSSES

If you’ve lost the money that you set as your limit, it’s time to walk away. Trying to win back your losses often leads to even bigger losses, and the chase can start to negatively impact your life. GambleAware have a handy online

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calculator (begambleaware.org/ spend-calculator) to help you keep track of what you’re spending.

\\ OVER TIME, YOU’LL GIVE AWAY MORE MONEY THAN YOU GAIN //

TREAT GAMBLING AS AN EXPENSE

Gambling companies are cleverly designed to make money for themselves. Over time, you’ll give away more money than you gain. If you do gamble, think of it like buying a cinema ticket — you’re paying a fixed price for the entertainment, not trying to win a profit. That way, anything you might win is a bonus.

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BE A BETTER YOU

\\ TRYING TO WIN BACK YOUR LOSSES OFTEN LEADS TO EVEN BIGGER LOSSES //

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THE MORE TIME SOMEONE SPENDS GAMBLING THE MORE MONEY THEY LOSE.

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SET A TIME LIMIT IN ADVANCE

NOTICE YOUR FEELINGS

It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re caught in the moment. But what other life moments are you missing out on while you gamble? Research shows that the more time someone spends gambling, the more money they lose. So set a time limit, keep an eye on the time, and when the time’s up, move on to something else.

Ask yourself how you feel when you make the decision to gamble, or while you’re playing. A lot of people use gambling as a distraction from difficult thoughts, life situations or feelings… but over time, it can actually make things worse. Instead, get out and about, try another activity that you enjoy,

BE A BETTER YOU

BE CAREFUL IF YOU DRINK OR DO DRUGS

Drugs and alcohol make it harder to stick to your limits. If you do drink or use drugs, tell a friend about your gambling and limits, to help you stick to what you have decided.

IS MY GAMBLING A PROBLEM?

talk about it with someone you trust or get non-judgemental support from the GamCare helpline (gamcare.org.uk/getsupport/talk-to-us-now/)

KEEP OTHER ACTIVITIES IN THE MIX

If gambling has become your go-to activity when you want to have fun, that might suggest it could start to negatively impact your life. Keep things balanced by spending time on other activities you enjoy.

TAKE LOTS OF BREAKS

Gambling for long stretches of time can make it difficult to keep track of the time and money you’re spending whilst playing. Stepping away at regular intervals for some air or a bite to eat will clear your head and help you keep a healthy perspective.

If you want a better understanding of your gambling habits, try GambleAware’s quick self-assessment tool: (begambleaware.org/selfassessment)

NEED TO TALK? However you’re feeling right now, help is at hand. Call – 0808 8020 133 Call a GamCare adviser and speak one-toone for confidential advice, information and emotional support. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Live chat – gamcare.org.uk/getsupport/talk-to-us-now/ Chat online with a GamCare adviser oneto-one for confidential advice, information and emotional support. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

\\ PEOPLE USE GAMBLING AS A DISTRACTION, BUT IT OFTEN MAKES THINGS WORSE // manmagazineuk.co.uk

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If you’re worried about how gambling makes you feel, we can help.

GEAR

The experts at carwow highlight the fastest road cars in the world.

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GEAR

LAMBORGHINI AVENTADOR SVJ Top speed: 217mph 0-60mph: 2.6 seconds

10 Top speed: 238mph 0-60mph: 3.2 seconds

The Pagani Huayra is a fantastic looking car. Every detail is exquisite, and it’s more than just a pin-up as well. It has an AMGderived twin-turbocharged V12 engine putting out 730hp and 1,000Nm of torque, enough for a top speed of 238mph. The Huayra is made mostly of carbon fibre to keep the weight down, as well as to make it more rigid, and it’s covered in active aero to help it slip through the air more easily.

PAGANI HUAYRA

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The fastest naturally-aspirated production car you can buy at the moment comes from the lunatics at Lamborghini. The SVJ is the ultimate version of the Lamborghini Aventador supercar and produces a whopping 770hp from its 6.5-litre V12 engine. Its 217mph top speed is actually the same as the standard Aventador S, but the lighter and gripper SVJ will get there quicker and be faster around corners.

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ALKYRIE

GEAR

Top speed: 250mph 0-60mph: 2.2 seconds

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You may not think, based on appearances, that the Aston Martin Valkyrie is road legal. It might look like a full-blown LeMans racer, but you can really drive it on the street. Mounted behind the driver is a 6.5-litre hybrid V12 with 1,160hp, capable of pushing this F1-inspired road-racer from 0-60mph in 2.2 seconds.

ASTON MARTIN VALKYRIE

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GEAR

REGER

KOENIGSEGG REGERA Top speed: 250mph 0-60mph: 2.8 seconds

This Swedish speed machine comes with a twin-turbo V8 engine and an electric motor that combine to produce a total of 1,500hp. Unlike any other car on this list, the Regera can go from 0-250mph using just one gear. Yep, no matter if you’re cruising at 30mph or aiming to hit its 250mph top speed, you’ll be in the same gear.

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GEAR

Top speed: 250mph 0-60mph: 2.5 seconds

With a 250mph top speed, the Speedtail is the fastest road car the British luxury manufacturer has ever built. The Speedtail is faster than McLaren’s last three-seat car — the legendary McLaren F1. Its super-slippery bodywork and drag-inducing wings mean it looks like something ripped straight from a futuristic cyberpunk film. And you can fit two of your mates in, too.

MCLAREN SPEEDTAIL

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Top speed: 258mph 0-60mph: 1.9 seconds

RIMAC NEVERA

Electric cars offer instant acceleration thanks to the torque from their electric motors, but the added weight of the batteries can limit them in terms of top speed. This isn’t the case for the Rimac Nevera. This ballistic electric hypercar has four electric motors, producing a whopping 1,914hp and 2,300Nm of torque. That’s enough to launch it from 0-60mph in just 1.9 seconds, and it can go on to a top speed of 258mph. It’s made almost entirely out of carbon fibre to keep the weight down, but this isn’t just some stripped-out drag racer. The interior is a lovely place to be, and you still get all the luxuries you’d expect of a car that costs £2 million.

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GEAR

HENNESSEY VENOM F5

4 Top speed: 295mph 0-60mph: 2.5 seconds

The American SSC Tuatara (Tooah-ta-ra, in case you’re struggling) comes in third on this list, with a pretty respectable 295mph top speed. That said, it’s not without a little controversy. You see, SSC claimed the Tuatara actually managed 316mph in October 2020 to make it the world’s fastest car — but later admitted to a GPS error that depicted that speed wrongly. Later tests saw it hit a maximum of 286mph and then 295mph. That said, a verified 295mph could arguably make the SSC Tuatara officially the fastest road car at present, as we’ll see from the final two entries…

Top speed: 272mph (for now) 0-60mph: 2.6 seconds

Sometimes you really can’t beat a good old-fashioned V8 with a couple of turbos strapped to it, and the Hennessey Venom F5 proves this. The 6.6-litre twinturbo lump puts out 1,817hp and 1,617Nm of torque, enough to launch it from 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds. The highest top speed Hennessey have got from this allAmerican beast so far is 272mph, but they reckon it can go faster. How much faster? Well Hennessey wants to get over 300mph out of the Venom.

SSC TUATARA

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BUGATT

GEAR

BUGATTI CHIRON SUPERSPORT 300+

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Top speed: 305mph* 0-60mph: 2.2 seconds

That old cliché of doing what it says on the tin rears its head here because the Bugatti Chiron Supersport 300+ will do, well, 300mph+. More specifically, it managed 304.77mph when the French firm decided to unleash it at Volkswagen’s Ehra-Lessien test track. This 1,600hp mega-machine doesn’t officially hold the world record, though, as it only did that run in one direction. To break the record, you have to do it twice, once in each direction — which Bugatti decided not to do.

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GEAR

BSOLU

KOENIGSEGG JESKO ABSOLUT

Top speed: 310mph* 0-60mph: 2.5 seconds

It’s no surprise that Koenigsegg makes it onto this list twice, as they’re very good at making bonkers hypercars. The Jesko Absolut is powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 producing 1,280hp on normal fuel, or a whopping 1,600hp on E85 race fuel. This is enough for a 0-60mph sprint time of 2.5 seconds. Continuing the trend, there is some controversy around the top speed here, with Koenigsegg’s calculations saying it is capable of 310mph. “Simulations say this will go way past our target of 500kph or 310mph,” says the company’s boss, Christian von Koenigsegg. “The limit is tyres, location, and sanity. We are looking into how and where we can see how fast it can really go.”

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MAN MAGAZINE

YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Norwich City F.C.’s World Mental Health Day Campaign

The Norwich City #YouAreNotAlone video is the pinnacle of the club’s longer-term strategy to proactively promote positive mental health. As a club, this all started back in June 2022 when we uncovered a statistic that sadly showed the average age and demographic of our season ticket holders correlated to the age bracket most likely to die by suicide (45-49 males). From this point forward we knew we had to play their part. Our recent #YouAreNotAlone video has resonated with people globally, currently being seen over 117m times across all platforms. The club have also made the original video file freely available to all, allowing organisations, governments, prisons and places of worship to access and share the message.

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THEGAMER FOR ALL YOUR GAMING NEWS, REVIEWS, AND VIEWS

TheGamer is a gaming site with a different spin on things, and we break some of the biggest stories around. We wrote an extensive expose on workplace abuse at Techland, an oral history on Fable, and we were the first to report that PlayStation was moving to shut the Vita store down. For all your news, views, and reviews, (and guides, but that doesn’t rhyme), you should bookmark TheGamer. That’s TheGamer, no spaces.

FOR ALL THIS AND MORE, CHECK OUT THEGAMER.COM

@THEGAMERWEBSITE

@THEGAMERCOM

THEGAMER

@THEGAMERWEBSITE

GEAR

GAMES OF 2024

Next year is packed with exciting new releases, so we asked the staff from leading gaming site TheGamer to name the titles they can’t wait to get their hands on.

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GEAR Star Wars Outlaws Josh Coulson, Affiliates Editor

Star Wars has been a big part of my life since I saw the original trilogy at the cinema in the late ‘90s, and even though there’s so much Star Wars content to consume nowadays, I’m still not sick of it. Far from it, in fact. I’m still so excited about the franchise that right now, there’s no game I’m looking forward to playing more in 2024 than Outlaws. It looks fantastic and will somehow add even more layers to a period in Star Wars history that has been explored and then re-explored for decades at this point.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Jade King, Lead Features Editor

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I have so many questions about Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was far more than a simple reimagining of the 1997 classic, and at every turn sought to reinvent the characters, narrative, and locations we’d come to adore for decades now. The further I got, the more immersed I was in the unfolding mystery, eager to see how exactly Square Enix would subvert a tale which in a past life once felt untouchable. Now, I want to see it explored in completely different ways. Rebirth appears to be delivering on that promise as we continue the journey of Cloud and company beyond Midgar and into the awaiting arms of future adversity. The foundations are now built, so I hope this sequel can deliver on all of the absurd potential it has boiling away.

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GEAR Persona 3 Reload Gabrielle Castania, Specialist

I began 2023 excited that I was finally going to get to play the elusive Persona 3, after hearing for years that it was hard to find in an era of more modern consoles. The story, friends had told me, was one of the darker in the series, and as someone who loves it when media hurts my feelings, I was ready. And as glad as I am that I got to experience the beautiful story of Persona 3 at all, after being told that I likely wouldn’t for years, playing it as a visual novel sort of detracted from what was meant to be an emotional game. While Persona 3 Portable was convenient, clean, and, indeed, portable, I got to demo Persona 3 Reload recently, and I couldn’t be more excited for the revamp. A fresh coat of 3D paint is just what Persona 3 needs to pluck at your heartstrings the way it’s trying to, and the combat’s smoothness and streamlined interface feel more like Persona 5’s. I always look forward to Persona’s remasters, and it’s high time for Persona 3’s tragically beautiful story to step into that light. I can’t wait to suffer!

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Joshua Robertson, News Editor

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Yakuza: Like A Dragon managed to do the unthinkable back when it first launched — make me adore a Yakuza protagonist more than Kazuma Kiryu. We’ve only had one game with Ichiban Kasuga so far, but I’m already prepared to die for the man. With only the knowledge that Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has the lovable goofball washing up on the shores of Hawaii completely starkers, I’m itching to find out what hijinks he’s got himself wrapped up in this time. Couple that with a refined turnbased combat system, the typically wacky side quests/minigames, and potentially a whole new location to explore, and Infinite Wealth is shaping up to be yet another fantastic entry in a series that I just can’t get enough of.

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GEAR Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl Joe Parlock, Tabletop Editor

I’ve been a huge fan of the Stalker games since first playing Shadow of Chernobyl on my new gaming PC way back in 2010. The grim visuals, the unforgiving gunplay, the horrific mutants, and the sense of a living, breathing ecosystem tucked away in the Chornobyl exclusion zone made it simply unforgettable. I often come back to either Shadow of Chernobyl or Call of Pripyat about once a year, and always find something new and unexpected. I really, really can’t wait to see how Stalker 2 expands on the setting, and how it lives up to the tech-defining nature of the first game.

5 Silence Of The Siren Matt Arnold, Specialist

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The classic Heroes Of Might And Magic games were immensely influential for me, and while the franchise technically still exists, it’s a microtransaction-ridden shell of its former self. Silence Of The Siren might be trading in medieval fantasy for space fantasy, but that could be just the change the genre needed! Based on everything I’ve seen, Silence could be everything Heroes 3 was and more, with more tactical options in combat and a world map that blends 4X and RPG gameplay. It’s been at the top of my wishlist since I heard about it, and I can’t wait to give it a go.

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GEAR 33 Immortals Amanda Hurych, Evergreen Content Lead

Of all the games set to release in 2024, none has me so hyped as 33 Immortals. Roguelikes have slowly but surely wormed their way into my heart, from Spelunky to the masterpiece that is Risk of Rain 2. There’s something satisfying about tossing yourself into a situation, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and then applying your knowledge over and over again to varying degrees of success. 33 Immortals looks to bring us fast-paced roguelike action and couples it with an astonishing 33-player cooperative feature. That means up to 33 people will be running around trying to survive! I don’t know how this will look aside from the glimpses we’ve caught in teaser trailers, but holy smokes, I’m super pumped! The potential chaos! The sublime moments of either accidental or intentional teamwork! I can’t wait to run through bulletriddled, enemy-crowded, and death-ensuring spaces with my 33 other compatriots.

Black Myth: Wukong David W. Duffy, Database Editor

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This one has been kicking about for a while now, and we still know little of it. However, it’s perhaps one of the most epic mythological tales the world has to offer, and given it’s being made by Game Science, a Chinese developer, we’re likely to get a much more authentic interpretation than if it had been co-opted by a Western studio. From the promo videos released in the last few years, we know it’s going to look good — quite possibly the best-looking game I’ve ever seen. The Eastern approach to choreographing combat could mean it’s the game that reinvigorates the rather tired third-person action RPG formula.

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GEAR

9 Tekken 8 Axel Bosso, Guides Trainer and Evergreen Editor

What is this? A fighting game? From a long-lasting celebrated franchise? With aggressive new mechanics and breathtaking graphics? In which you can control a big bear that throws a fish that turns into a rocket in a blink? And you can customize that same bear with different clothes and luxurious jewellery? Sure mate, sign me in.

Life By You Helen Ashcroft, Lists Trainer and Evergreen Editor

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I’ve been a fan of The Sims series for a long time, but I’ve always been disappointed that there aren’t really any other games like it. A few call themselves life sims, but they always inevitably seem to focus on building a farm, hitting up a mine, harvesting crops, and shacking up with the locals. While I do play these games on occasion, what I really want is another title that puts your player character first. Letting you control your world and build your home but also your life, through meaningful interactions and encounters. Paradox is promising me all this and more with Life By You. Now they just have to deliver. Please Paradox, I’ve been waiting 20 years for a game like this.

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GEAR Avowed Ben Sledge, Features Editor

11 ?

A new Obsidian RPG set in a fantasy world that basically looks like the legendary studio’s take on an Oblivion remaster? Sign me right up. I wasn’t huge on The Outer Worlds, but I’m more than happy to get excited about Avowed and keep my fingers crossed that Obsidian recaptures that New Vegas magic in a fantasy setting.

Clock Tower James Troughton, Cross-Department Editor

Horror is in its undeniable stride, right now. Silent Hill is back, Resident Evil is thriving, Five Nights at Freddy’s is getting a movie, Amnesia just had its best game yet, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has elevated the asymmetrical genre to new heights, and the list goes on and on and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. But nothing cements horror’s second golden age like Clock Tower coming back, a foundational survivor horror that laid the groundwork for the games we love today, and as someone who never got to try it for themselves, a chance to relive such an impactful classic is beyond exciting. Now all we need is Dino Crisis. C’mon, Capcom.

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MAN MAGAZINE

Winter getting you down? Book a trip to one of 2024’s hottest destinations so you have something to look forward to next summer. WORDS SOPHIE THOMPSON

Nashville, Tennessee

An alternate way to explore the US, Nashville has become a bustling hub of culture, and a great way to dip your toe into the Deep South lifestyle (minus the controversial views). The Grand Ole Opry country music show still serenades visitors every week, the state is the birthplace of Jack Daniels whiskey (and you can even grab a tour of their distillery), and there’s the home comforts of barbeque food to boot. It’s also a city of incredible sights, including parks laced with luscious greens, rivers (head to Radnor Lake State Park), and neon lights lining the streets of ‘The District’. The best time to visit Nashville is in April to May or September to October as it’s not too hot, and there are fewer tourists.

Where to stay: Omni Nashville Hotel Where to eat: Puckett’s Nashville for no-frills southern food

Valletta, Malta

A mediterranean backdrop and grand architecture bathed in the glow of sunlight are what makes Europe’s smallest capital a joy to explore. Valletta has so much history (it was built by knights on the premise of being ‘by gentlemen, for gentlemen’), and every position you stand in offers panoramic views of the Grand Harbour, which is packed with hip bars and restaurants. However, if a palace or an art museum isn’t your thing, there are also plenty of boutique hotels to soak up the sun, or sprawling yachts you can take a trip on.

Where to stay: Iniala Harbour House Where to eat: Fifty Nine Republic

Cityscape of Nashville, Tennessee at Dawn

Valletta, Malta

MAN MAGAZINE

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MAN MAGAZINE Dubrovnik, Croatia

Croatia has become a go-to spot for sunseekers with its budget-friendly holiday options (both for travel and when you arrive), as well as glistening waters likened to those of the Maldives. Dubrovnik offers a mix of beach vibes and education for history lovers, and plenty of stunning Baroque architecture for those Instagram snaps. It’s even most-recently been a filming set for Game of Thrones, so you can relive your favourite characters’ storylines. However, palaces and monasteries are a definite must-do.

The Boulder Reservoir in Colorado, United States

Boulder, Colorado

Boulder has been named ‘the happiest city in America’ - and there’s little wonder why. Situated in the picturesque valley below the iconic Flatirons, Boulder has the weather (300 days of sunshine a year), the entertainment (particularly great if you’re someone who loves the outdoors), and outstanding food, all set to an incredible backdrop. In the city, one of the most popular attractions is Pearl Street Mall, where you can enjoy street performers and a taste of city life. Or, just moments away are world-leading hiking and biking trails. It’s even a great place to ski during the winter months.

Where to stay: Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik Where to eat: Nautika

Where to stay: St Julien Hotel and Spa Where to eat: Oak at Fourteenth

Sardinia, Italy

Sardinia is often overlooked when it comes to choosing an Italian getaway, but the Mediterranean island is rife with culture, relaxation, and hidden troves to explore. It’s the perfect place for waterbased activities such as scuba-diving and finding ocean caves, or if you’d prefer to stay on dry land, you can even catch a glimpse of flamingos in the salty lagoons. Moving inland, consider hiring a Vespa and heading up the winding mountain roads to catch a glorious view from above. As with any Italian trip, however, the highlight is always set to be the authentic, locallyproduced food. Sorry if your stomach is rumbling now.

Where to stay: Grand Hotel Cannigione and Spa Where to eat: Il Portolano

Sardinia, Italy

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Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Croatia

Gustavia, St. Barts

Saint barthélemy

St. Barts is at the top-end of the price range when it comes to taking a holiday to the Caribbean - and is so exclusive you can’t get flights directly from the UK. That being said, should you get the opportunity to rub shoulders with the elite on the French territory’s sandy beaches, it’s sure to be unforgettable. Known for its party culture, luxury boutique shopping, spa retreats, and water sports, it’s a haven of relaxation - that’s if you can take your eyes off the scenery. One worth saving for.

Where to stay: Le Barthelemy Hotel and Spa Where to eat: L’Esprit St. Barts

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GEAR

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Övik Knit Fjällräven - £185 fjallraven.com

Mountains&All Sweatshirt, Sutsu - £48.99 sutsu.com

Polo Bear Fleece Pullover Ralph Lauren - £179 ralphlauren.co.uk Pank Hudson Snap, Jack Wolfskin - £75 jack-wolfskin.co.uk

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GEAR

Retro Nostalgia North Face - £75 thenorthface.co.uk

Easy Quiksilver - £45 quiksilver.co.uk

Helvetia Hoodie Columbia - £70 columbiasportswear.co.uk

Mesa Windchill Hurley - £59.95 eu.hurley.com/uk

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GEAR Sidestripe Block Crew Vans - £56 vans.co.uk

Technical Sweatshirt Castore - £60 castore.com

Odyssey Recycled Cotton, Passenger - £49.95 passenger-clothing.com

Boundary - Half-Zip Mock Neck Fleece Billabong - £90 billabong.co.uk

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Nah Yeh Polar Fleece Ripcurl - £79.99 ripcurl.eu/en

B.Intl Frankie Crew Neck Barbour - £94.95 barbour.com/uk manmagazineuk.co.uk

MAN MAGAZINE

MAN To advertise in the next issue, please call

01959 543 650

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A decent skincare routine is the cornerstone of good grooming. Did you know? Men’s skin is 25% thicker than womens and oilier due to testosterone production. A targeted men’s skincare routine is essential. ClarinsMen products are tested and tailored to men’s specific skin needs. Boost your routine with these four essential tips. INVEST IN A SOLID CLEANSER Combat the effects of daily pollution and grime with an everyday detoxifying foaming cleanser that can help draw impurities away from your skin. ClarinsMen Active Face Wash deeply cleanses and revitalise skin, it’s also an ally against razor burn irritation and it can be used twice a day.

HYDRATION IS KEY You have to moisturise your skin, no matter your skin type, to keep it hydrated, healthy and protect it from the elements. Use our best-selling and non-greasy Super Moisture Balm morning and night to intensely hydrate and soothe skin.

TAKE SPF SERIOUSLY

Skincare is not all superficial. It also helps to prevent severe skin-related issues including sun damage. Before long days of sun exposure, coat your face and body with an SPF as the last step of your men’s grooming routine. The higher the SPF, the better, opt for a water-resistant, invisible and nonoily formula – like the Clarins UV PLUS Anti-pollution SPF50.

ClarinsMen Active Face Wash Foaming Gel £21.00 ClarinsMen Super Moisture Balm £32.00 UV PLUS Anti-pollution SPF50 £34.00

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PRACTICE BETTER SHAVE & BEARD CARE Regular shaving causes skin irritation and dehydration. As a result, skin is deprived of its natural ability to retain moisture. Apply ClarinsMen After Shave Soothing Gel, a 2-in-1 post-shave product to moisturise and reduce skin irritation whilst also strengthening and softening beard hair. CLARINS.COM

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ClarinsMen After Shave Soothing Gel £25.00

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