Manchester United was previously considered the greatest team in England and one of the best in the whole world thanks to the number of world-class players who played for the team at some point and of course, the tactics and knowledge of the greatest head coach of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, who turned them into an unbreakable machine. When Ferguson retired in 2013, everyone knew that this process would have negative consequences for the team, but that it could be overcome. But what Manchester United is experiencing today after many coaches and failures is truly incredible… in the worst possible way.
Sure, since Ferguson left, they’ve been able to win some things, but they haven’t been able to reclaim the Premier League and the team’s performance is getting worse over time. Last season they finished 15th in the Premier League table, their worst result since their relegation in the 1973-1974 season and not only that, they lost the UEFA Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
Furthermore, they have lost a lot of matches against weaker opponents who they previously won by a large margin. And a few days ago, and in the second round of this year’s EFL Cup 2025, Manchester United played away against Grimsby Town, a team from EFL League Two, the fourth division of English football in other words. They lost against Grimsby Town on penalties, and this team’s fans invaded the pitch.
This EFL Cup match and this defeat for Manchester United have created a wave of angry fans attacking them online. But there are also those who take advantage and create memes about it, and one of the most famous is this one used by Grimsby Town itself.
The club’s official account tweeted the image below which read – “You’ve just been slapped by the fish”.
Was hoping we could use this… #GTFC pic.twitter.com/lftTZgHg8b
— Grimsby Town F.C. (@officialgtfc) August 27, 2025
This is a trending meme format among the fans of EFL clubs. But not many people understand what it’s about, so it would be hard to explain. First of all Grimsby are a fishing town whose fans wave inflatable fish in celebrations.
But this meme was actually created by the English team Bradford City AFC, which was a little different since instead their meme says “You’ve just been pecked by the chickens” and they used it every time they won a match. Just like it was fish with Grimsby, Bradford are associated with chicken as it’s in their club crest.
It has been theorized that Bradford City started this by mirroring Hull City’s “mauled by the tigers” chant, although that hasn’t been confirmed. Some English fans have described the Hull City chant, with various sides seemingly making memes with a similar style, although in a more ironic manner. It would also make sense given the fact that a lot of these clubs are associated with animals.
You’ve just been pecked by the chickens! 🐓 #BCAFC | #STOvBRA | @OFFICEINTERIOR5 pic.twitter.com/zsr3VxhZTa
— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) August 26, 2025
After Grimsby Town’s match against Manchester United, the fourth-division team altered the meme slightly and began using it as a form of banter and trolling as well. In this following tweet, we can see how they use it after their EFL Cup victory.
The funniest thing is that there are fans who don’t know the meme, don’t understand it, but are here for the meme itself and to troll, which has been the case since they defeated Ruben Amorim’s team.
But seriously, it’s sad to see a team like Manchester United suffer and lose like this. The last few years have been extremely tough for the team and the fans. Sir Alex Ferguson‘s departure back in 2013 undoubtedly affected them greatly. We sincerely hope they can wake up again and be the giant they once were.
However, there is no denying that is also great to see a team like Grimsby Town having a great match to celebrate.
