How Does It Feel to Watch Manchester United Play Live at Old Trafford in Person?
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 love the chance to one day get 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 about the matchday experience, about what going to Old Trafford means to them and how it feels.
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Jay Motty is a season-ticket holder, who gets to go to a big majority of games and often travels to away 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, 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 big advantage.
"When thousands of other Reds are checking their passports, or filling their cars with petrol, 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 love watching Ed Balls making a fool of himself?
"Going to Old Trafford has been a huge part of my life since my dad took me as a toddler, 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, right?
"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 joy of the Ferguson era, 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 fortunate 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, I’d much rather share the anguish surrounded by Reds in the pouring Mancunian rain than watching the match anywhere else.
Except maybe 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 right on the edge of kick off. I’m only a couple of tram stops away from Old Trafford, and of course, the tram will be rammed with supporters. It’s from that point onwards that I start to get the matchday buzz, whatever little tribalism there is inside of me kicks in and the pre-match nerves begin to brew.
"Every time, the nerves are there, from Arsenal to Zorya [Luhansk].
"Exit off the tram, see those huge white arches as I walk up Warwick Road, 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, right there, that all the personal life worries and troubles dissipate. Escapism."
Iwan Lehnert is the host of the Red Voices podcast:
"I don’t get 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—about being there. I’m always guaranteed to run into someone I know, 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 place where I can simply switch off from real life and enjoy watching my club. It’s a great 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, 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, there really isn’t any place like Old Trafford when it’s in full swing. It responds to United’s need for support so well and for a big 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; big glass windows and corporate suites contrasted by red brick, melding history with progress as best it can."
One of Lehnert's co-hosts, Paul Gunning, is a season-ticket holder who regularly goes to games with his father:
"I'm fortunate 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, 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 love it as much as ever and never take 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 hard to find. The walk down Sir Matt Busby Way, with all the sights and smells that have barely changed since my first trip, remains a real thrill, excitement and expectation hanging in the air alongside the aromas of chips, gravy, beer and horse manure.
"Old Trafford is a magical place, steeped in history, and 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 get a job there and get paid to watch them. Now while I don't miss the 2 a.m. finishes on Champions League nights, 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, 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 break with Denis Law (a life highlight to be honest) and about 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 place in the hearts of those who have been able to visit regularly. Perhaps the most emotive story, though, is the one that follows.
Chris Castaneda visited the ground from the U.S. for the first time last season. His moving words sum up much of what is so special about 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 huge deal for some of us to actually have the opportunity to see United in person, 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 hard 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, when no one else is around, and just take the time to walk around and admire everything about the ground.
"Things that perhaps other people will never notice; cracks on the columns, fading pictures, brick patterns—everything taken in while you have thoughts about United's history in your mind, about all the moments that have taken place 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, from worrying too much about not acting like the stereotypical tourist who, no offence, will probably not have as much of a connection to the club. You worry about this because even though this trip is about you and your love for the club, you still worry about what those local reds will think of you if they see you are not a local.
"You feel like you need to make sure they know you love it and feel it as much as they do, but your emotions betray you and as hard as you try they get 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 big. Maybe not in terms of its real size but definitely through your red-tinted glasses, covering your eyes that struggle to hold the tears, because you know your wife might take a few shots and show those at family parties for the next 30 years.
"At times, these feelings interfere with your ability to actually enjoy the match, because you have so many of them, and you find yourself constantly thinking about how incredible this is; and at the same time, thinking about how hard it was to get there and how long it will be until the next time.
"However, 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 last you a lifetime."
Quotations obtained firsthand.
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