[Football] Observations from Old Trafford saturday

[BBassic]

Saturday was my first ever visit to Old Trafford and in my mind with all its history and club money the stadium should be ‘up there’ with Wembley and Anfield as a place to visit for any fan but……

1. Apart from the two stewards at the top of the E231 steps, the Stewards were an unfriendly and basically a jobsworth bunch.
Despite searching my medium size shoulder bag (which was pretty empty after we had eaten our lunch so contained nothing of interest), they were questioning its size. Is that simply to make you use their £5 bag drop? I saw women with bigger handbags in the stadium that obviously had made it in.
Strangely the security was tighter getting in to the shop than through the turnstiles. We didn’t want to buy anything just went in to get out of the cold and rain.
2. Away toilets were dingy and dirty from the off but not helped later by Albion fans who have no ability to aim properly.
3. Refreshments. No space to put drinks down and soft drinks were served in flimsy plastic containers making it impossible to carry more than two.
4. Seats were primitive plastic. I know Tony spoils us.
5. No big screen showing teams and highlights? Are they that desperate to squeeze every last tourist in that they can’t spare the space?
6. Home fans. Where were they? I couldn’t work out which end was the home end.

A pretty disappointing show from such a famous club.

Incidentally, did anyone else notice the senior steward along the dugout side? Ordering his team around every time the ball went out of play? And that was in front of the home fans lol

What did anyone else think?

You know the parts of the ground that weren't chock full of Albion fans? Those are the home bits.

 

[Munkfish]

Went last season and again on Saturday, both times in the league, The stadium itself must be close to as unsafe as I have felt in a concourse since visiting loftus road, there was almost no room at half time and felt pretty uneasy so had to step back out to the stands.

The Atmosphere on both occasions was very poor, it wasnt even a loud cheer when they scored, I assumed that they would be up for it with the run they are on and having the feel good factor back.

 

[Is it PotG?]

Up there with Everton, dated and cramped. Awful place.

 

[Wozza]

Despite searching my medium size shoulder bag (which was pretty empty after we had eaten our lunch so contained nothing of interest), they were questioning its size. Is that simply to make you use their £5 bag drop?

For future reference (or not), Wembley has similar rules. Always worth checking before you travel - regardless of whether you plan to eat the contents of the bag or not.

 

[Monkey Man]

First time there in about 20 years for me. I just like football grounds of all shapes and sizes so I'm not moaning – it was a great experience to be there in a vocal away section.

However, that cramped concourse was grim, and there was absolutely no way (at 6ft 4in) I could sit in my seat.

Sightlines looked pretty good all round the stadium which you can't say about all old grounds.

Quiet home fans and loads of tourists ... true enough but I think I knew that anyway.

 

[el punal]

Where to start in relation to your thread? Here goes :

For a stadium that holds 75,000 it didn’t look that big inside, impressive from outside though.

Yes, they absolutely cater for (pander to!) the “tourists”. By the statue of Best, Law and Charlton a photographer was taking pics of fans holding various replica trophies as mementos. I spoiled the party by offering to pose in my Albion colours, that threw the buggers!

The stewards were friendly and efficient - no complaints there.

Being an old stadium that’s been redeveloped piecemeal shows. The seats are cramped but the view of the pitch was good.

My second time to Old Trafford and yet again the atmosphere created by the home fans was nonexistent, even when they scored. Mind you our lot were making a hell of a racket so hard to judge.

Arriving and leaving the ground was problem free. A short walk to Old Trafford cricket ground and a five minute wait for a tram back to Piccadilly was good news.

All in all experience was okay but not mind blowing.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Saturday was my first ever visit to Old Trafford and in my mind with all its history and club money the stadium should be ‘up there’ with Wembley and Anfield as a place to visit for any fan but

You'll experience the same thing at Anfield. The concourse in the anfield road end is ridiculously small, most of the time you can hear a pin drop in the kop end and the place is bang full of tourists.

I love the comfort that we get at the Amex but I quite like visiting the old stadiums, it's a reminder that you're primarily there to watch the football and get behind the team, comfort should always come second.

 

[papajaff]

I went to watch the Albion, not to get my feckin nails done.

 

[essbee1]

Saturday was my first ever visit to Old Trafford and in my mind with all its history and club money the stadium should be ‘up there’ with Wembley and Anfield as a place to visit for any fan but……

1. Apart from the two stewards at the top of the E231 steps, the Stewards were an unfriendly and basically a jobsworth bunch.
Despite searching my medium size shoulder bag (which was pretty empty after we had eaten our lunch so contained nothing of interest), they were questioning its size. Is that simply to make you use their £5 bag drop? I saw women with bigger handbags in the stadium that obviously had made it in.
Strangely the security was tighter getting in to the shop than through the turnstiles. We didn’t want to buy anything just went in to get out of the cold and rain.
2. Away toilets were dingy and dirty from the off but not helped later by Albion fans who have no ability to aim properly.
3. Refreshments. No space to put drinks down and soft drinks were served in flimsy plastic containers making it impossible to carry more than two.
4. Seats were primitive plastic. I know Tony spoils us.
5. No big screen showing teams and highlights? Are they that desperate to squeeze every last tourist in that they can’t spare the space?
6. Home fans. Where were they? I couldn’t work out which end was the home end.

A pretty disappointing show from such a famous club.

Incidentally, did anyone else notice the senior steward along the dugout side? Ordering his team around every time the ball went out of play? And that was in front of the home fans lol

What did anyone else think?

I went last season and thought the same. Awful place.

 

[PFJ]

I first went there in our first season in the top flight. We were stuck in the corner pen by the corner flag with huge red wrought iron railings in front of us. Probably a few hundred Albion fans there that day. What I remember most (apart from losing 2-0) was the absolute crescendo of noise, and that was just for the corners. When they scored , it was deafening. It had atmosphere and it was very loud. The Stretford End still used to surge to the front like a giant red wave. But back then, it was largely full of people from Manchester.
I say largely, I still remember our one coach to Burnley back in the eighties being overtaken by three MUFC coaches from Cornwall.
It's a shame a once great stadium has been taken over by neutrals and tourists.

 

[el punal]

2. Away toilets were dingy and dirty from the off but not helped later by Albion fans who have no ability to aim properly

Didn't think the Ladies were that bad.

Whoa! Are you saying you went into both lots of bogs? If you’re a bloke I hope you put the seat down in the Ladies, and if you’re a lady I hope you’ve recovered from visiting the den of pestilence that is the Gents.

 

[BlockDpete]

People moaning about toilets at football grounds remind of people moaning about toilets at pubs.

You don't go to either just to go to the loo.

Always think of it as a massive ground stepped in history. Plus looking at the Munich memorial just outside just underlines this.

Ok agree about the atmosphere , but I would think Liverpool or a big European match would be worth experiencing.

What did impress me was the tram service post match. Think I was back in the city for 1730, in time for a couple of pints before the train home.

 

[Sussex Nomad]

Never been to Old Trafford, never really had the urge too, however this thread, with its many dissenters sent me to the reviews on football ground guide. Most will agree about cramped space in seating, but all said they stand up anyway. The only other multiple gripe it would seem is the home support being like a library. Everything else tends to get a big thumbs up from visiting supporters.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Up there with Everton, dated and cramped. Awful place.

I really liked Goodison Park when we went earlier this season. Dated, yes but the stand we were in had so much history. I'm not that bothered by facilities inside grounds.

 

[Nixonator]

Dripping in piss and shit.

Your post is for the tourists.

If I want a day out to soak up history and tradition I will go to a museum or a Historic England site. A football ground is for the here and now and the atmosphere on the day, combined with the result.

If you just want to soak up all that history at Old Trafford do the stadium tour and skip the 83 jobsworth stewards outside the away entrance, the plastic seats that have less leg room that a dwarf would be happy with.

If the PL ever introduced a minimum leg room requirement, the capacity at Old Trafford would be halved over night.

Consider yourseles whooshed

 

[Wardy's twin]

I am not an inveterate away traveller and I wasn't there on Saturday, but went to our cup match there last season.

I was enormously disappointed with it. Agree with all your comments. In terms of a "stadium experience", I think the AMEX is miles ahead.

The other stadium I have been to a few times is St Marys in Southampton, both as a Home and an Away Supporter. It is nowhere near the AMEX, but streets ahead of Old Trafford.


Our plumber, a Saints fan, has told me the best places for comfort and facilities are the Etihad and the Emirates.

Clearly not been to the amex.... You can't buy a drink on man City's outside concourse if you are an away fan. Emirates was better but really only an AMEX on steroids.

 

[HalfaSeatOn]

If you've tasted the atmosphere of the likes of OT and Anfield in the 70's then its bound to disappoint. So sterile in comparison. That said, I enjoyed Saturday overall - the pubs, transport, pitch view, away atmosphere - without the threat of going home in a f***in ambulance

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

Clearly not been to the amex.... You can't buy a drink on man City's outside concourse if you are an away fan. Emirates was better but really only an AMEX on steroids.

wont be rushing back to either

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Clearly not been to the amex.... You can't buy a drink on man City's outside concourse if you are an away fan. Emirates was better but really only an AMEX on steroids.

If you're saying I've not been to the AMEX, where's that place I have been going with my season ticket for the last 4.5 years?

EdIT - Sorry, you're probably saying our PLUMBER has not been to the AMEX...….

 

[Hampster Gull]

We got in with a water bottle with a cap on, despite getting past a policeman and his dog and two layers of stewards and a pat down