United to Riyadh

A fixture I've been looking out for is Manchester United's one million pound trip to Saudi Arabia. The date has been set for Monday 21st January.
Ferguson said “This is a great chance for the players to escape the harsh realities of winter for a few days, while keeping up their fitness levels and taking in the exhibition match,” adding “I hope we will come back from this refreshed and ready to continue the challenge for honours.”

It's FA Cup 4th Round weekend when they get back. Will be available on TV in the UK - very possibly not. Would you take an afternoon off work, allowing for time zone differences - very possibly not.

Feb 6th 2008

What goes on the brains of the Football Association? No manager, no structure but let's have yet another meaninless friendly at Wembley. Let's invite Switzerland over. Why, why, why? Let's arrange it for Wednesday 6th February as the busy hard winter fixture list is grinding out results.

As a United fan, I was hoping for our own meaningful friendly to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Instead United will play their next fixture against City in shirts with no AIG sponsors logo and numbered 1 thru 11. Wow, that good a tribute.

As an aside there was another example of self interest by the games administrators this week. The Scottish FA, Welsh FA and Northern Ireland FA all blocked an England's Women team from going to Beijing for the Olympics 2008. Where's the harm it's not going to cause an earthquakeStory. Bit concerned about their separate identities. More like the loss of a good job with perks and free tickets if FIFA decide to have one association for all of the UK.

Old Trafford Poll Winner

There was an online poll and taking part were 36,894 people...and topping the poll in the Pride of Place for Trafford was :
1. Manchester United's Old Trafford 40.8 per cent
2. Lancashire CCC's Old Trafford 28.39 per cent
3. Imperial War Museum North 7.79 per cent
4. Walkden Gardens 6%
5. Dunham Massey 6%
6. Goose Green, Altrincham 5%
7. The Trafford Centre 2%
8. Sale Waterside 2%
9. Davyhulme Circle Cenotaph War Memorial Gardens 2%
10.Trafford Park 2%

Not so sure about the tiny Goose Green, Altrincham beating the giant traffic jam of Trafford Centre - but I've been to the former more times than to the temples of chain store consumerism. Old Trafford is more than a football ground it's a mini-industry with car park attendants, cafe, tours, and a big shop selling stuff made in China. That's the queue just to get in the doors of the store on a match day Saturday. In a future posting I'll be reviewing all the free things I've collected from Old Trafford...it's not much, they give very little away...

Stretford End Bridge : Just a Vid

Stretord End Bridge from biffadigital on Vimeo.
Must have walked this footbridge to Old Trafford hundreds of times. This is not the tourist route. No corporates, no prawn sandwich monkeys, just the back way, and short cut to the The Stretford End.

Just My Pictures : United Cafe

Last time I passed the United Cafe at the corner of Sir Matt Busby Way / Chester Road the faces of United legends above the windows looked a little worse for wear. I reckon it's going to get a makeover. My estimation is that the mural was painted in 1994. Click the pic for a bigger view.

Offside:Manchester United Blog do a series called Just A Picture like this old black and white snap of United v. Portsmouth 1907 with a chemical works in the background..here or a modern Old Trafford with the Bridgewater Canal in the foreground..here.

Some Standing Room Only

Man. Utd Supporters Trust are promoting a Safe Standing Day. Even planning to run coaches to the game. Wycombe Wanderers will host a Fans United Safe Standing Day at their home match versus Brentford on Sunday 9 September 2007 ko. 1330h. This game is live on Sky Sports. More.

There are fans who want to stand and those who want to sit - you'd think a football ground could cater for both desires.

Road to Moscow

This will do nicely the Champions League draw Group F : Manchester United, AS Roma, Sporting Clube de Portugal, FC Dynamo Kyiv. Though personally I always want a team I've never seen before drawn out of those big bags. No Shakhtar Donetsk, Slavia Praha or SS Lazio then.

Now we have to wait a day or so until the fixture list is drawn up, another week before the United ticket office get it together, and 20 days until the first match. Can't expect another 7-1 win over Roma like last season - an unbelievable night at Old Trafford, but can expect crowd trouble at the game in Rome.

They Just Pop Up No.5

Picture is of Denis Law by the famous artist Harold Riley. It's part of 'A Photography Retrospective 1943 - 2007' - begins and ends in Salford, via locations around the world. Venue is The Lowry, Salford, 6th October right through until April 20th 2008 - so plenty of time to miss it. Free admission but you usually get stung in car park charges. Photograph taken in 1966, when Denis would have been 26 and the King at Old Trafford.

Manchester Evening News: Link to Story