Stretford End
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Stretford End, officially named West Stand, is a stand on the west side of Old Trafford, the stadium of Manchester United F.C. It took its name from the nearby town of Stretford, as it is in the direction of Stretford, looking from the centre of the pitch. The stand is divided into two tiers, and in common with the rest of the stadium, it has a cantilever roof.
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[edit] History
In the days before all-seater stadia, the Stretford End was the main standing area of the ground, accommodating around 20,000 fans. It was once measured that the roar of the crowd from the Stretford End was louder than a Jumbo Jet taking off. The last game played in front of the famous old terrace was a 3–1 win over Spurs on 2 May 1992 – the final game of the 1991–92 First Division campaign.
During the 1992–93 season, the Stretford End was converted into an £10 million all-seater cantilever stand to comply with the Taylor Report (which required all Premier League and Division One clubs to have all-seater stadiums by the start of the 1994–95 season), and its name was officially changed to "West Stand", although it is still often referred to as the Stretford End. For the 2000–01 season, a second tier of seating was added. As well as hosting a number of executive boxes, the first tier of the West Stand is now partly taken up by the family seating area. At the corner with the South Stand is the players' tunnel.
Only Denis Law and Eric Cantona have reached the status "King of the Stretford End" among the United faithful. The former for his formidable goal record, the latter for his on-pitch charisma and aura.
Following Manchester United's premature ending with the clubs sponsor Vodafone, the new sponsor, AIG will not be displayed in the seats; the 'Nike Swoosh' has been relocated to the East Stand and the words "Stretford End" have been written on the seats of the West Stand.
Stretford End is also the title of The Website of Dreams (www.stretfordend.co.uk) which is the unrivalled home of Manchester United statistics on the internet with over 12,000 pages of data about the club's match and player history. It has recently (November 2006) become the official supplier of statistics to Manchester United's official club website (www.manutd.com). The Stretford End website raises funds for two Manchester United charities, Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association (MUDSA) and United for Unicef.
[edit] Banners
Once work on the second tier was complete, the club allowed supporters to mount banners on the wall in front of the second tier, and groups of supporters got together to produce and pay for them. The slogans on the banners included:
- 033/4 Years — a reference to the length of time since United's rivals Manchester City have won a major trophy, the most recent being the 1976 League Cup. The supporters purchased a set of matching numbers with velcro so that the number could be updated each year. The original banner was removed by the owners after the Glazer takeover - Stretford End Flags have created a replica "ticker" banner which can be seen from the Pundit box at half time on tv. Every year on 28 February (the anniversary of the 1976 final) the banner is updated to show another year has passed without success for City; during the season the banner is updated such that the present number of years (33) appears to revolve in the style of a counter into the next year (34)[1].
- MUFC The Religion — symbolizing fanaticism and loyalty for the club. MUFC stands for Manchester United Football Club.
- Republik of Mancunia – Red Army — written in faux Cyrillic showcasing the Mancunian pride of the supporters and, for some, their apathy towards the England national football team.
- 2O LEGEND — a reference to the now retired United Legend Ole Gunnar Solskjær who had been injured for over a year when the banner was made. Solskjær wore the number 20 on his shirt.
- One Love – Stretford End – MUFC — One Love is the title of a song by Manchester band the Stone Roses that was played at the 1999 European Cup final, which Manchester United won.
- 6 February 1958 – The Flowers of Manchester — A tribute to the Munich air disaster, in which eight United players died. The Flowers of Manchester is the title of a tribute song by The Spinners.
- Form Is Temporary Class Is Permanent – This banner is a reference to United's history in saying that the Manchester United first team has always had great players. Although anybody can beat anybody else on their day, this does not reflect the quality of the team. The banner incoporated 16 Premier League Trophies and was aimed as a dig at Chelsea.
- ""Sent To Me From Heaven...You Are My World"" — this is in reference to the late George Best and are lyrics taken from the Stone Roses song, Sally Cinnamon. The banner features images of Best, Charlton and Law, Busby and Fergie, Robson, Keane and Cantona. It blends the old Busby era with the Ferguson era.
The banners were temporarily removed in June 2005. Initially, this was caused by building work on the corners of the stadium, but the majority of their owners decided not to put them back up as a protest against Malcolm Glazer's takeover of Manchester United.
More Banners have returned to Stretford End designed by the fans along with the old ones (i.e. the "ONE LOVE STRETFORD END MUFC" banner). The last banner will be voted on by the fans during the end of 2005. All Manchester United Suppporters are encouraged to submit their ideas for banners and information on how to submit can be found at www.stretfordendflags.com
New Banners
- The Phoenix Banner – "MUFC - EST 1878 WE'LL NEVER DIE" (first in place at the Blackburn match)
- Blue Nose Day Banner – "Blue Nose day comic relief for 29 yrs" (in place at the Manchester City match)
- In Memory of Noel Cantwell Banner – "Noel Cantwell 1932-2005 RIP" (in place at the Manchester City match)
- Eusebio I Say Kiddo Banner – "Eusebio and I say Kiddo...Kiddo,Kiddo - Wembley'68" (in place at the Benfica match)
- United > England (in place at the Tottenham match, but has been banned since due to complaints)
- For Everymanc A Religion (in reference to the Ian Brown song "F.E.A.R.")
- European Capital of Trophies - Manchester 08 – A reference to Liverpool being made the European Capital of Culture for 2008, a year in which Manchester United won the Premier League, Champions League and World Club Championship but their rivals Liverpool finished trophyless.
Given the wear and tear on the banners from years of exposure, some of the original banners can now be found in other locations within Old Trafford. The original One Love - Stretford End banner was turning pink, so a new replica stand sin its place, the original banner now hangs within the concourse area on Stretford End Tier 2. Many of the other banners are now hanging on the very back wal off the Stretford End Tier Two, above the last row of stadium seats.
[edit] Statue
It also has the statue of United's 1960s legend Denis Law on the upper concourse which was unveiled on 23 September 2002. Law was known as the "King of the Stretford End" as he was idolised by the End's faithful.
[edit] References
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