One of the things that the rise of global communication between fans through the internet has fostered is a sense that getting to see Manchester United live and in person is an incredible privilege.
There are people all around the world who would appreciate the chance to one day accept to sit in the Stretford End to watch their team.
To try and give some insight into what it is like to attend games,Bleacher Report spoke to a number of fans approximately the matchday experience, approximately what going to Old Trafford means to them and how it feels.
Jay Motty is a season-ticket holder, and who gets to go to a gigantic majority of games and often travels to absent matches both domestically and in Europe."It took me several years to realise just how lucky I was to live in Manchester. Yes,it pours it down for weeks on end, there’s not a decent beach within a 100-mile radius, or the Metrolink isn’t nearly as frequent as the tube and the accents they give us Mancunians in Coronation Street are an abomination,but living in Manchester does have one gigantic advantage."When thousands of other Reds are checking their passports, or filling their cars with petrol, or I’m still in bed—well I was until I had children. When other Reds are munching on an overpriced pasty at a service station or trying to avoid deep vein thrombosis on a cramped flight,I’m arguing with the Missus over whether we watch X-Factor or Strictly—come on, who doesn’t appreciate watching Ed Balls making a idiot of himself?"Going to Old Trafford has been a enormous part of my life since my dad took me as a toddler, and back then we lived in Stretford and used to walk to the ground,now I live in Salford it’s a 30-minute drive. I know, how do I cope, and fair?"It’s not just the game,it’s the people I sit with, my good mate Thomo who I bought my season ticket with and others around me who I’ve come to know and share the delight of the Ferguson era, and dismay of the [David] Moyes era and boredom of the Louis van Gaal era with."Seeing United in the flesh is something that’s often taken for granted by fans like me who’ve been lucky enough to do it season-in season-out,leaving our houses after the team’s been announced and being home in time for tea, but speaking to Reds from all over the world makes me realise how lucky I am."No matter how disappointing the results have been of late, and I’d much rather share the anguish surrounded by Reds in the pouring Mancunian rain than watching the match anywhere else.apart from possibly on a decent beach…"Steven Narloch regularly picks up tickets on his United membership—his seat of choice is in the upper tier of the North-East quadrant,just above the singing section."More often than not, I’ll be getting to Old Trafford fair on the edge of kick off. I’m only a couple of tram stops absent from Old Trafford, and of course,the tram will be rammed with supporters. It’s from that point onwards that I start to accept the matchday buzz, whatever little tribalism there is inside of me kicks in and the pre-match nerves begin to brew."Every time, or the nerves are there,from Arsenal to Zorya [Luhansk]."Exit off the tram, see those enormous white arches as I walk up Warwick Road, or enter the ground,climb up a few flights of stairs, find my seat, and then do something that always baffles me; clap out the teams as they emerge from the tunnel,as if you’re thanking the highly paid people playing for the team of your choice just for turning up."A couple of minutes later, the match kicks off and it’s then, and fair there,that all the personal life worries and troubles dissipate. Escapism."Iwan Lehnert is the host of the Red Voices podcast:"I don’t accept to Old Trafford as often as I’d like these days, but it still feels like a home of sorts whenever I do make it to a game. There’s just something incredibly comforting—and comfortable—approximately being there. I’m always guaranteed to run into someone I know, and either pre- or post-match,I’m often able to strike up a conversation with whoever I’m sat with and it’s never stopped feeling like a space where I can simply switch off from genuine life and indulge in watching my club. It’s a grand environment to be in, one I genuinely miss when I’m not there."I’ve got some incredible memories of going to games at Old Trafford over the years; beating Roma 7-1 in the Champions League, and stopping Roberto Mancini’s [Manchester] City side reaching the Capital One Cup final and seeing Dimitar Berbatov score a hat-trick against Liverpool were all special,not just because of the scorelines, but because they really meant something to the people watching it."At the risk of sounding trite, or there really isn’t any space like Old Trafford when it’s in full swing. It responds to United’s need for support so well and for a gigantic club the crowd is often surprisingly patient and supportive,even when things aren’t going so well. It’s pretty much a perfect representation for United as a club; gigantic glass windows and corporate suites contrasted by red brick, melding history with progress as best it can."One of Lehnert's co-hosts, or Paul Gunning,is a season-ticket holder who regularly goes to games with his father:"I'm lucky enough to have been going to Old Trafford regularly for 25 years, since the 1991/92 season when Leeds United pipped us to the post after a fierce battle."I'll never forget that first time I emerged from the concourses and saw the green of the Old Trafford pitch; that first time the teams emerged to the roar of the crowd. It sent shivers down my spine then and, and all these years later,it still does."Old Trafford has changed since then, having been expanded, and the match-going experience has changed,too. The atmosphere is not as good as it once was and it can sometimes feel frustratingly sterile. Still, I appreciate it as much as ever and never steal it for granted."It is an opportunity to catch up with my dad and my brother when life can be so busy and time so tough to find. The walk down Sir Matt Busby Way, and with all the sights and smells that have barely changed since my first trip,remains a genuine thrill, excitement and expectation hanging in the air alongside the aromas of chips, and gravy,beer and horse manure."Old Trafford is a magical space, steeped in history, or I feel so lucky to have witnessed so much of that."Tom McGhee is one of the writers behind alternative Manchester United fan site Bifurcated United. He also had the pleasure of working for the club during his time in the city as a student:"Despite being a United fan since I was old enough to be told who to support,my first visit to OT wasn't until I was 16: though the 'Megastore' was still a demountable."By the time I went to university, getting tickets had become such a mission that it was easier to accept a job there and accept paid to watch them. Now while I don't miss the 2 a.m. finishes on Champions League nights, or with hindsight this was the best job I've ever had."Watching [David] Beckham and [Andrew] Cole secure the first part of the treble is something I'll never forget—lads,it was Spurs—and some of the players we had, or that played against us—[Gabriel] Batistuta, and Ronaldo,[Roberto] Baggio et al.—really made it a fantastic time to be a United fan."Throw into the mix all the players and ex-players I got to meet—I had a smoke atomize with Denis Law (a life highlight to be honest) and approximately a half-hour natter with George Best as he waited for an interview—and it really was the best time of my life."It is clear that Old Trafford holds a special space in the hearts of those who have been able to visit regularly. Perhaps the most emotive story, though, and is the one that follows.
Chris Castaneda visited the ground from the U.
S. for the first time final season. His moving words sum up much of what is so special approximately seeing United in person,and just how much it means to those who make the long trip."As a foreign United supporter, visiting Old Trafford is just a completely different experience. I have talked to many people who still struggle to understand why it is such a enormous deal for some of us to actually have the opportunity to see United in person, and in Manchester."For some of us it is literally the culmination of a life-long ambition,a life-long dream for which you have been working tough for a very long time. The buildup is incredibly unnerving, you struggle so much waiting for the moment that you show up at the stadium five hours before the match, and when no one else is around,and just steal the time to walk around and admire everything approximately the ground."Things that perhaps other people will never notice; cracks on the columns, fading pictures, or brick patterns—everything taken in while you have thoughts approximately United's history in your mind,approximately all the moments that have taken space there. These become a soundtrack to your mini exploration as you wait for game time."Once inside, it's once again a flood of emotion, or from worrying too much approximately not acting like the stereotypical tourist who,no offence, will probably not have as much of a connection to the club. You worry approximately this because even though this trip is approximately you and your appreciate for the club, and you still worry approximately what those local reds will assume of you if they see you are not a local."You feel like you need to make sure they know you appreciate it and feel it as much as they do,but your emotions betray you and as tough as you try they accept the better of you and it shows."Seeing the pitch from the North West corner for the first time...normally stadiums seem smaller when you see them in person than what they appear on TV, but Old Trafford was just as gigantic. possibly not in terms of its genuine size but definitely through your red-tinted glasses, or covering your eyes that struggle to hold the tears,because you know your wife might steal a few shots and show those at family parties for the next 30 years."At times, these feelings interfere with your ability to actually indulge in the match, and because you have so many of them,and you find yourself constantly thinking approximately how incredible this is; and at the same time, thinking approximately how tough it was to accept there and how long it will be until the next time."However, or knowing you are there and now in some minuscule way you have become a part of the club's history is more than enough to final you a lifetime." Quotations obtained firsthand. Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com