Old Trafford has come in for a little bit of stick in the past year or so with even great Manchester United legends such as Gary Neville claiming there has been little investment into the infrastructure and that is is literally falling down.

Truth is that although some parts seem almost bolted on and hark back to the 1970's and some sections almost seem to have been built over, including the away section, it is still impressive.

Even the most anti Manchester United man in the land cant help but admire Old Trafford, it is one of the most spectacular club grounds in the country and not only that but it is a showcase of all that this country has to offer in the way of multiculturalism, in all of the home areas you will find all sort of people joining together in their love of backing a winner, sorry supporting Manchester United.

I would advise any Saints supporter to take a walk around the stadium before the game and soak in the atmosphere, a visit to the Manchester United megastore is a must, forget the bearpits of the London or New York Stock exchanges, this is where the real money changes hands, marvel at some of the biggest industrial strength cash tills in the World as they kerching their way through the three hours or so before the match, as an army of United followers show their devotion by spending the gross national income of a small country in this emporium of all things United.

It truly is a sight as shirts are purchased and rows of embossing machines emblaze the names of erm, Shaw, Fernandez & Fred and perhaps even the odd retro Schneiderlin et al across the backs of the shirts soon to be admired in places as exotic as Tokyo, Stockholm, Oslo, Dublin, Guildford and even the odd part of Manchester.

One item missing though is the Grey away kit circa 1996.

Don't put yourself in physical danger by asking where the 7-0 At Anfield T shirts are, you will be abused in 17 different accents and 97 different languages.

Then stroll around what is the Epcot (They sell United shirts in Epcot in Florida too) of the Premier league with all nationalities as well as all counties in Britain represented, have your picture taken with some Torquay reds or chat to some Japanese United fanatics and if your lucky you might meet Fred The Red.

Getting There

By car its simple, take the A34 up to Oxford and then join the M40, from then on you wont be short of United supporters to follow up to the Theatre Of Dreams, just in case you don't spot any though it is signposted once you get past Oxford, just follow signs to the North and the M6, stay on it northbound till junction 19 and take the A556, which leads into the A56 at Altrincham you can then follow this road right the way through to the gates of hell itself, or Old Trafford as its signposted.

Getting away might be more difficult, as you can imagine with a large proportion of the crowd coming from South of Manchester and I don't mean Stockport, the roads back to the M6 may be congested.

Parking

The Old Trafford Cricket ground is well signposted from the A56 and has ample parking, however Im told that they now charge a whopping £10 to park, however it does have the advantage of being relatively safe and enclosed not to mention a short walk, there will also be many other car parks near the ground offering parking at similar rates.

The Salford Quays Lowry Outlet Mall (M50 3AH), a ten minute walk away from the stadium, costs £4 for four hours that side of the ground offers cheaper parking but you will need to get there early.

Alternatively, park in Altrincham town centre and take the metrolink (tram) to the ground its about 20 minutes and cheap.

By Train

You are likely to arrive in Manchester Piccadilly Station, from there hop on a tram, there are two lines, the first to Altrincham and you alight at Old Trafford cricket ground, or the second to Eccles where you get off at Pomoma or even the next stop Salford Quays, or get on one of the buses from Piccadilly Gardens, the station is approximately 3 miles from the Ground.

The away section

Saints supporters are in the South East corner of the ground and offers a great view even if it is a little cramped and dwarfed by the stands around it, the concourses aren't that big but serve the usual fare as well as alcohol etc.

Security Notice — Taking Bags Into Old Trafford

The Club are quite strict about the size of bag that can be taken into Old Trafford. Anything bigger than a handbag sized (max 20cm x 15cm x 5cm) bag, has to be checked into storage for the duration of the game. The Club charge £5 (to be donated to the Manchester United Charitable Foundation) for the storage.

Eating Drinking Etc

As you would expect Old Trafford has plenty of takeaway, chip shops and stalls etc surrounding the ground, although strangely not many pubs within a ten minute walk, those that are though are usually home fans only, although given the plethora of southern accents about the place, if you aren't wearing colours you should get in ok.

Salford Quays a short walk from the ground has a few bars as well as restaurants etc so might be a better bet than the throngs in the nearest pubs to the ground.

Otherwise you might be better served having a drink in the City Centre and then hopping on one of the trams as detailed, one trick might be to alight at an earlier station along the route where the pubs although still busy are less hectic.

If you are making a night of it, then the Northern Quarter in the City Centre is probably your best bet with plenty of bars and restaurants etc.

If you have any tips to share with us about where to go etc at Old Trafford feel free to leave a comment in the section below.

NB All catering outlets in the Old Trafford area have banned the sale of soft drink 7 Up, you will find just a bare shelf where this drink formerly stood in the shops, however i am informed that is it flying out of the stores in the Merseyside area.

Address: Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester, M16 0RA

Official Web Sites: www.manutd.com

Main Telephone No: 0161 868 8000

Fax No: 0161 868 8804

Ticket Office: 0161 868 8000

Stadium Tours: 0161 868 8000

Ground Capacity: 76,100 (all seated)

Club Nickname: The Red Devils

Year Ground Opened: 1910

Pitch Size: 116 x 76 yards

Photo: Action Images

cocklebreath added 16:09 - Mar 8 The beginning of your write up could have been about Anfield
0