Sean Barton

Students from @sheffielduni have built and launched a supersonic rocket - breaking UK and European altitude records

A new UK Clearing House for sustainable aviation fuels has officially launched @sheffielduni ✈️🌎 (1/3) sheffield.ac.uk/news/uk-cleari…

🎉🎉🎉 @sheffieldUni just won the University of the Year award at @whatuni! We’re speechless! Thanks again to the @sheffielduni community - from our students and staff to alumni and supporters in the city and beyond. #WUSCA

Plenty of understandable positivity emanating from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s involvement with #MUFC. Acting quickly, appointing good operators in Berrarda and, eventually, Ashworth, consulting Sir Alex Ferguson, talking to staff, supporters and media. Sir Dave Brailsford is an attentive figure at games, seeing the strengths and flaws in the team, squad and culture. So far, so good. Ratcliffe and Brailsford engage well. Here’s five of the main other issues they need to address… NEW TRAFFORD. Take Old Trafford down and build a new stadium on expanded site. Renovation pointless. New era needs a modern, state-of-the-art, architecturally stunning, 90,000 stadium. Statement of intent, the regeneration game. The best stadium in the country is the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, shoehorned elegantly into a far tighter site. Brilliant for Spurs fans – look at the rake of the South Stand – and for the lucrative corporate clientele and money-spinning other events. United could do that, and even bigger. But please don’t dare call on taxpayers’ money, beyond any legitimate sporting grants. The public subsidising a billionaire tax exile and distant US owners during a cost-of-living crisis in a tribal world like football? Wrong. “Wembley of the North” narrative is misleading. It’s different to Wembley; New Trafford is a club enterprise. Plus build a Munich Museum adjacent, open every day, having carefully re-located the clock and all the powerful images and artefacts from the Munich Tunnel. MANAGER. Back Erik ten Hag. There’s been too much turnover. Support him with words, patience, players, and more elite staff. He’s a good manager, desperate to succeed, did well last season, and trying to bring discipline to a dressing-room in need of it. He gives youth a chance, Garnacho, Mainoo etc. But please get Ten Hag to lighten up a bit so players warm to him more. He comes across as solemn, earnest. Of course he’s totally focused on the team but could still show his more personable side. I had a private chat with him on the terrace adjacent to players’ canteen at Carrington once and he told a very good joke, slightly against himself. He’s very likeable. Be good to see more of that. A manager’s personality matters as well as tactical and man-management substance. LEADERS. The first training session of one of the current United squad was greeted critically by two of those present. “Not strong enough for United,” they told each other. There’s too much of that with this squad. All recruitment should now focus on player ability but also character. United need leaders, strong characters, responsibility-takers on and off the field. Leaders. Bruno Fernandes is a fine footballer but not a true captain. Moans too much. As well as improved incoming, some outgoings essential for PSR and squad balance/strength. Sancho, Martial have to go. Antony has yet to deliver consistently. Eriksen, probably, too. GLAZERS. Impossible to laud Ratcliffe fully until he buys the rest of United and gets rid of the Glazers. If he is truly a fan, as the Failsworth-born billionaire says, and truly wants the best for this famous club, as he clearly does, Ratcliffe has to have a plan and pathway for the Glazers’ exit. He has to understand the depth of loathing for the Glazers, most powerfully on the Stretford End. Glazers' presence, a shameful symbol of debt and dividend, is embarrassing for a club of United’s history and stature. Glazers may want to stay, as Ratcliffe will get the football operation going properly, and they will make even more money. Pity. Ratcliffe will be embraced fully when he gets #Glazersout. MASON GREENWOOD. Sell. Whatever happened - and what was heard on that tape cannot be unheard - bringing Greenwood back would cause too many problems. Protests and distractions, endless negative headlines and opposing chants, as well as the very obvious moral debate. Ratcliffe has to be quite clear on this, and not repeat the blurred comment the other day. United cannot countenance Greenwood’s return. He’ll never play for England again, even if he moves to Barcelona and excels. Greenwood denied wrongdoing but said in his statement that he accepted he made mistakes and “take my share of responsibility for the situations which led to the social media post”. Returning is not in his interests either. Good player, doing well in Spain, good luck to him and his partner and their child, but it’s time for both parties to move on. United should invest what fee they receive in the academy. So good luck to Ratcliffe. He has plenty to do at United. He also has plenty of energy and expertise with which to do it.

Thanks to @newscientist for covering @sheffunieng research that could revolutionise how we monitor the health of batteries in mobile phones, laptops and electric vehicles 📱🔋✅ institutions.newscientist.com/article/240762…

@amypullan @sheffielduni ❤️

So proud of all my amazing colleagues @sheffielduni involved in sharing the news about this momentous milestone! Especially @Seany_Bee History in the making ✈️💚🌍 #VS100

Thanks to @RishiSunak for highlighting @sheffielduni's role in the first ever 100% SAF transatlantic flight 🌎✈️

Great to spot our professor alongside colleagues from @Boeing, @VirginAtlantic & others boarding the first ever transatlantic flight powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuels 🌎✈️

We have takeoff! ✈️ Today is a historic day. We're proud to be part of Flight100, a pioneering research project led by @VirginAtlantic, to launch the world’s first transatlantic flight by a commercial airline using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). #VS100

A new Centre for Korean Studies has been officially launched by @sheffielduni 🇰🇷

.@sheffielduni has been named a ‘University of Sanctuary’ in recognition of its support for refugee students and scholars 🌎🎞️⬇️ youtube.com/watch?v=A70vJU…

Could this robot save your life one day? 🤖 🚑 The idea is to send it into places that are too dangerous for medics to access. Hear more 🎧 bbc.in/3QJCB6M

Happy Czech National Day! 🇨🇿 The day of October 28 relates to the year 1918 when the then Czechoslovakia was founded on liberal democratic principles✌️Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk became the first elected president.

Britain’s appeasement of Hitler caused mental health problems for people across the UK, research from @unishefhistory has revealed. 🧵(1/5)

A new passport system for buildings could help address the RAAC issue, according to engineers from @SheffUniEng 👷‍♀️🏗️ Full details: 📰⬇️sheffield.ac.uk/news/raac-issu…

🏆The National Student Survey is out and the University of Sheffield has placed top of Russell Group (RG) universities. Congratulations to all our university colleagues and @SheffieldSU for this achievement! It’s a testament to your hard work. #NSS2023 1/2

Researchers from @ScienceShef are warning that the global wildlife trade could alter key ecological processes in some of the world’s most biodiverse regions 🌎🐘 (1/3) 🧵

Huge congratulations to students in @Sunride_UoS for successfully testing their liquid rocket engine 🚀🎉 The students made the engine using 3D printing - the first students in the UK to do so (1/2) 👩‍💻

Signing number 6⃣ has been delivered 👀 #RAFC

Huge congratulations to @sheffieldsu for being voted the Best Students’ Union in the UK for the sixth year in a row 🥇✨ The @Whatuni Student Choice Awards are the only annual university awards based on student views 👩‍🎓✍️ (1/2) #WUSCA