Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Theater of Dream - Old Trafford

Football stadiums are everywhere in England. From a small town to big city, you can saw a lot football club and stadium. You can't really imagine how important that football meant to the English. That's why every corner of the world now is watching the world class football league the English Premier League. This time I had went to the Theater of Dream, Manchester United. As a Liverpool fans I shouldn't be on their ground because they are arch rival since ages ago. I don't care anything, as long as Liverpool still in my heart - You will never walk alone.


Yes. This is the legendary Old Trafford that everyone Theater of Dream. It's very cold out there because snow fall few days ago. That is really big from outside. You can imagine how big was the stadium until you reach the main entrance of it. You can't get that in Malaysia for sure.


I was damn excited when I am walking into the stadium because this is the very first time I went to a stadium tour.


The ticket into the stadium and museum tour cost you 13 pounds. I collected the ticket from the ticketing desk and get myself ready for the tour. Their ticket is so nice like a souvenir for us. You need to hold the ticket pass all the time in the stadium just like you are a staff in Old Trafford.


Give a step for Manchester United to show my support for Liverpool prove that I had leave a footstep in Old Trafford.


At last we were brought to the pitch. I got no words coming out from my mouth. Woah!!!! Cool!!! The view of the stadium is too breathtaking. 


This man was our tour guide for the whole session. He explained the history and the victory of the club. And he was quite a cocky guy giving out lame jokes. At first he told who were not MANU fans please raised your hand. He asked me who do you supported and I said The Reds. He came out with a brilliant response "We will showed you the EPL trophy later in our museum." Another cocky jokes was between him and a kids. He questioned a kid about the history of MANU and offer a "match" as a reward for the answer. The kid got it correctly and the Mr. Cocky took a match from his pocket and give it to the kid. HAHA! Pity that little kid that trying so hard for the question. Cool guy Mr Cocky.


Stretford End from the far corner is where the die hard MANU fans will be seated. Almost every game the seats were full at that end. That was a place I shouldn't go or else I will be beaten up badly by those crazy fans. The lighting on the pitch was so fucking expensive. It is to maintain the grass on the pitch during winter. According to Mr Cocky each of that cost 1 million euro or maybe pound.



We were brought to the player changing room after some explanation on the pitch. Actually this is the most excited part of the tour because we can knew what is happening behind the scene in Old Trafford. This is the part you can't get on the TV for sure.


The back line of Manchester United. Without them, MANU will not win any trophy. They are sitting together each other in the changing room. Vidic and Ferdinand are the main role in defence


This is my all time favourite player in my football memory. He is the wonder boy of England and Liverpool. Why I am supporting Liverpool because of this wonder kids. But now he is only a reserve in MANU. Hope he will regain his glory days soon.

Top striking force in England. 

Old and loyal Giggs.

Old and loyal Scholes.


According to Mr Cocky, Valencia requested the club that he wanted to sit under the clock during his transfer to United. I don't understand his silly move. I guess he don't want to pressure himself by looking at the time frequently.


Ferguson tactical board in the changing room. The mastermind depends on this board to give his player instruction for how to control the game well.


I found out a room that is really suitable for me - the BALL BOYS room. According to Mr Cocky, the ball boy was selected randomly from the children in the school in Manchester. Sad. I can't be one of them unless I study primary school again in Manchester.


This is the player lounge that the player relax themselves before the game. Wives and children or maybe friends of the player will be here before the game. A player can maximum bring a group of four into the lounge. Ferguson had never been to this room before because it stated player lounge out there. He respect the players. Or maybe he is in the executive lounge with the director boards.

Saw this photo in the lounge. The last title they captured.

The international honours  board.


The player tunnels. Many famous players had run through this tunnel. Normally the home team will line up on the right side and the away team will line up on the left hand side. Of course I chose to line on the left side. The special things of the tunnel for stadium tourist. They will put the audio of the fans cheering and welcoming words for the players.

Known as the loser bench because there is where the visiting team sitting.


I sit on the place that Ferguson normally sits. The front seats are for the substitution players. 


Fergie won't be on his seat most of the time. He will just stand there and point to his player to let them know what to do. I am acting like Fergie during a game day.


The most Munich disaster clock on the east stand. Almost half of the main players died in the air crash and that was part of the tragic history of United. They had gone through the darkest day in their history and regain their glory day 10 years later by winning the prestigious Champions League.



Get ready to the boring part of the tour - the museum tour. Explore the history of your favourite club from here. That's not my favourite, so I am not so interested about it. I don't want to see the trophy in their trophy room.


Remember this jersey wore by Beckham in 2001 during the last world cup qualifier betwen England and Greece. He scored the last minutes free kick in Old Trafford to send England check in to the world cup later held in South Korea and Japan.

The Legends room.

Roy Keane's gear during his days in United.

Eric Cantona's gears.

Anf their talisman Giggs. He is going to retire soon.


And replaced by me. I am lucky to have my 60 pounds jersey posing with all those legendary jerseys in the museum. I supposing not buying the jersey but buying jersey in the Megastore is one of the purpose I came to the musuem. I burnt cash again!


When they beat Chelsea in penalty to win this cup. I still remember the days in Inti when I looked at this trophy.


Always never forget to pose your certificate in front of the museum before you leave. I was so surprise when they handed me a copy of certificate after I complete the tour. I hope it works in my CV when I am applying a job. Maybe it works when you applying a job in Old Trafford.

Closer look.


31 comments:

Fikri Rais said...

why not Anfield? :)

Diana Diane Teo said...

I went to MU stadium in year 2008 and not yet blog about that...OMG! Ur cert is much prettier and awesome than mine. Mine is damn simple 1..

Meitzeu said...

Wow! You are lucky to join the tour in MUFC! I didn't manage to join, not enough time to catch the bus back to Liverpool later.

Read mine - http://withinmeitzeu.blogspot.com/2008/07/manchester-united.html

My old old post which I started blogging. (not a pro one lar~~)

;)

BaiTofu said...

Great Life in UK! Sad Australia.

Reanaclaire said...

Must be very exciting to be there..

burnkelana said...

Wah!very valuable experiences.. you are so lucky! can u bring me there.. huhuhu..

Teh Tarik Drinker said...

I remembered watching two games here, was screaming with the fans at the Stratford end seating!


tehtarikmemoirs.com

Wendy V. Vaz said...

OMG this is soooo cool!
Although i'm a chelsea fan, i really hope to get to go there one day too! :D

RS said...

it snowed in Manchester?? that can't be! my friends never mentioned any snow.... its been really warm. =S

www.riskofrain.com

Adam bin Ahmad said...

13 pounds for stadium visit? is this for reeaaaal?

kumfye said...

otteck ~ i went to anfield as well..will post soon

diana ~ they had improved a lot i think

meitzeu ~ viewed yours...too bad u never went in for a tour

baitofu ~ australia nearer to msia...you can go back when you want

claire ~ yea...nice place

burnkelana ~ sure...why not?!

teh tarik ~ omg u watched a game before...awesome

wendy ~ i been o stamford bridge too...i hate CHELSEA

rs ~ happened 4 months ago not now...this post should be up 4 months ago

adam ~ yea...cheapest among the big four

Anne Lee said...

so shuang...I never went there before.

Ely Hasrul said...

oh my, being liverpool fan u r so cool but i hate u! i want to go there too... i'm so jeles... huwaaa...

Rachel Melody said...

I hope to go there one day because I am MU fans =) make me so envy

Baby Sumo said...

Oh, are you in UK now?

Nava Kishnan said...

Must show my hubby the pics on MU, he will jump in glory, die hard MU fan, everything stops when MU is playing.

kumfye said...

miss N ~ yea very shuang one....have chance then you must come

Ely ~ u r man utd fans? no way

rachel ~ you will have your chance to come over one day

sumo ~ yea lo..in uk...at canterbury kent

nava ~ show him then...die hard MU no way...you will never walk alone

Aishah Rahman said...

I never been here yet but I've been to emirates before. The stadium looks similar.

Merryn said...

wow wow! This is so awesome! *speechless*

Meitzeu said...

Aiyoyo~~ U make me sound like a pig in my food post. *geleng kepala*

Losty said...

WOah I will try and steal ronney shirt la haha! The cheque takes about a week delivery time.

Abuya Hayat said...

Ball boys room...
Yup, exactly a room for us guys...
hahahaha...
nice man the stadium...

kumfye said...

aishah ~ i also went to emirates before...that was a luxury stadium

merynn ~ yea fucking awesome...

meitzeu ~ you always post about food only...zzz...

lostly ~ their shirt actually from the megastore...you can buy it there...55 pounds i guess...

abuya ~ ball boys...no we are man...of coz nice mate...

Unknown said...

Wow. Nice :D

HappySurfer said...

This is such a great post, Kumfye. Thanks for the tour. I think Old Trafford must be THE stadium to visit for any soccer fan regardless of any club one supports.

LOL on "We will showed you the EPL trophy later in our museum." But of course!

Again, great post!

velasrizal said...

i wish i can be there 1 day..

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kumfye said...

xoxo ~ haha...yea

happy surfer ~ thx for the compliment

velasrizal ~ hope your dream come true

JRmy said...

Lol, what a funny old man the tour guide is.

Azwana said...

hi there, thanks for visiting my site. wow this is such a long post, i hope i know how to write long like you, mine is only like a short sentence, i got bored easily, sometimes when i talk i find myself bored death and sleepy. joking.
so, how it feels like being there in the stadium and see it for yourself? must be amazing!
wish u a nice day ahead
regards
pixie

choi yen said...

I wish I have chance to go there!! Hubby's favorite football team!

Emilly Amisa said...

I'm a Liverpool fan~ but I love MU too!!! bcoz of my brother~~ huhu...

He really is the fan of MU~