Former captain Ryan Brierley is returning to Salford to become chief executive, the consortium that has won the bid to run the phoenix club has said.
Brierley, one of the players who departed the club midway through the 2025 campaign, has ended his playing career at Oldham in order to take on the role.
He has been appointed two days after fellow former Salford player Mason Caton-Brown’s consortium was successful in applying for membership of the second-tier Championship from the Rugby Football League.
The old Salford Red Devils club were wound up on 3 December after a turbulent year, with a mass player exodus, late wage payments, heavy defeats and ultimately the loss of their Super League status for 2026.
“Salford is in my heart, and I believe saving its rugby league heritage is something that transcends rivalry,” 33-year-old Brierley said.
Katherine Ryan says she has undergone “serious cosmetic surgery” just eight weeks after giving birthCredit: GettyThe comedian welcomed daughter Holland in October, and says she brought the newborn along for the surgery last weekCredit: Instagram
And Katherine, 42, says that the little one came along to the surgery, which took place in York – hours away from their London home.
Talking on her podcast, Telling Everybody Everything, Katherine said she is in “no pain” following the procedure.
Katherine explained: “I went to York, it was three and a half hours, I elected to take the baby with me because she just turned eight weeks that day and I’m still breastfeeding her, obviously, I will be for a long time.
“You can’t breastfeed immediately after surgery but I could obviously spend the night with her before and breastfeed her then.
“I was thinking to myself, after I got this surgery – which, wait until you see it, is pretty serious surgery – I was like, ‘Katherine Ryan what is your damage? What the f*** are you doing? Why have you brought a baby to surgery.’
“But then i thought, up and down this country, worldwide, everyday, we are giving women C-sections and then saying, ‘Sweet, go keep these twins alive’.”
Katherine clarified that a C section is “much more serious” than the procedure she had.
She joked: “So, what’s an elective cosmetic procedure with a newborn?”
Continuing that she is in “no pain”, Katherine said that while she’d like to share what procedure she has had done, it’s under wraps.
The comedian was joined by a filming crew who captured the whole thing for an upcoming docuseries.
She says there is more information coming soon on the show.
The comedian is also a mum to 15-year-old Violet, who she has from a previous relationship.
She says the surgery was captured by a film crew for an upcoming docuseriesCredit: InstagramKatherine opted to take her little one because she is still breastfeeding and didn’t want to be apart for several daysCredit: InstagramHer husband, Bobby, recently praised Katherine in a sweet post following the birth of their youngest daughterCredit: Splash
Wintle is enjoying Cardiff’s new brand of football under Barry-Murphy, particularly as he is back in the first-team picture after time on the periphery.
The 28-year-old spent last season on loan at Millwall, but has started 15 of Cardiff’s 18 League One games in this campaign.
Wintle also captained the team in the win over Huddersfield earlier this month, wearing the armband for the first time since the 2023-24 season in the Championship.
“I’m loving it. With this manager, everyone has to be ready,” he added.
“You’ve got to make sure you’re playing well to keep your shirt. If you don’t, you’ll be out because we’ve got players sat on the bench that probably should play every week as well.”
Barry-Murphy has shown he is willing to rotate his players and bench senior figures such as Republic of Ireland forward Robinson, England international defender Calum Chambers and Perry Ng, who was voted Cardiff’s player of the year in the Championship.
All three have demonstrated they have a role to play, however, and the former Manchester City Under-21s coach has so far been vindicated with the faith he has shown in younger players.
“I think if we didn’t have Bri as the manager, there would be a bit of unknown, uncertainty in players, especially the older players, you think, ‘Oh, can we do it?’,” Wintle said.
“Myself and Perry have played League One and League Two for a few years when we were younger and we know it’s not easy. You can get bullied and eaten up but, with this manager, the way we play, it gives everyone freedom and you feel like you can’t get it wrong.
“So for me and for the young lads, it’s brilliant. Everyone knows their role and you feel like you go out there and you know exactly what’s going to happen.”
