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Compiled by 
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sky at night UNITED delight!"
www.red11.org DAILY NEWS
Date: Sat Jun 19 09:47:10 GMT+00:00 1999
Mail: barry@www.red11.org
This Issue:
1. Schmeichel to Sporting Lisbon
2. Schmikes: "We expect him in Lisbon this weekend to finalise the negotiations.
3. Two Geordie's and a packet of sweets
4. BOYS FROM BRAZIL BOOK UNITED CLASH
5. Manchester Square
6. United to be worth 1 billion in 3 years (Guardian)
7. FERGIE PUTS GLORY DOWN TO UNITED'S MENTAL TOUGHNESS
8. BOYS FROM BRAZIL BOOK UNITED CLASH
9. Two Geordie's and a packet of sweets
10. Message from Brazil: >>>>Manchester Champion World Tokio
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
*** CHAMPIONS *** CHAMPIONS *** CHAMPIONS ***
THE TRIPLE - www.red11.org CHAMPIONSHIP Sound Archive x 5
ENJOY THE GOALS recorded from * GMR * BBC RADIO 5 * ITV * SKY * DANISH TV !!!!
INDEX: http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/99
SPECIAL SPECIAL Mp3 "REDS Going to Barcelona" 3megs hifi-sound
Download here: http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/mp3/99/Barcelona.mp3
*********************
Daily RED Trivia Saturday 19th June 1999:
19/6/1946:
Jimmy Greenhoff born in Barnsley. Joined United from Stoke City for £100,000
and made his debut at Leicester City in November 1976. Greenhoff scored the winner
in the 1977 FA Cup Final, also taking part in the 1979 Final. A classy front-man who
notched 36 goals in 122 appearances between 1976-1980. One of the best players never
to have won international honours, he joined Crewe Alexandra in December 1980.
With Leeds United he won Inter Cities Fairs Cup and League Cup winners medals in
1968 and another League Cup winners medal with Stoke City in 1972.
Barry Daily Comment:
Big Pete to Sporting Lisbon? Ok its near Eric, Barcelona and in the sun!
We are all sorry to see him go but on the other hand we have known for a long time.
*** ALL of my Barcelona pics are now being transformed to a ONE PIC background file
To see the complete pic just go to
http://www.red11.org/mufc/images/99/ecfinal/barce_reds.jpg
OR click on todays "mini pic" on this newsletter on the net
A few more faces may be added if I can find room! Design is by Nick Oldham, in Manchester.
*** Thanks to Steven Cook here are the full mpg video's INCLUDING SOUND!
http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/mov/sheringham_ecf99_tyler.mpeg 19secs 2.5 meg
http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/mov/solskjaer_ecf99_tyler.mpeg 31secs 4.2 meg
Its the presentation of the European Cup at Nou Camp
Video including sound 57secs 1.5 meg Real Video Use Real Player Plus G2
Free at www.real.com
http://www.real.com/R/HPplay-1R/www.real.com/products/playerplus/index.html?src=990611home_5
Latest MUFC Squad song is now available in stereo at www.red11.org
Stereo Sound: REAL AUDIO: 607k 4mins "stereo"
http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/99/lift_it_high.rm
MP3 4.6meg 4mins "stereo"
http://www.red11.org/mufc/sound/mp3/lift_it_high.mp3
RED sky at night BARCE' delight
More fun here: http://www.red11.org/mufc/barcedance.htm
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
MANCHESTER UNITED STATS v ALL teams on the Web
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats.htm
Previous News:
BSKYB Takeover news/pics at http://www.red11.org/mufc/bskyb.htm
Brian Kidd Press conference, pic, real audio
http://www.iol.ie/~redcafe/kidd.htm
Peter Schmeichel's last Season at United!
http://www.red11.org/mufc/news/schmeichel.htm
Next games: ****Pre season tour JULY 1999 ***
Melbourne Sydney
Thu 15/7 MAN. UNITED V SOCCEROOS evening in Melbourne
at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground- capacity 90,000.) kick off 20.00hrs.
- Melbourne Cricket Ground 5 minutes from the city. Good transport available
Tickets available - starts from $60.00 - behind the goal -next up is $90.00,
$130.00 and $150.00
Sun 18/7 MAN. UNITED V SOCCEROOS STADIUM AUSTRALIA, Olympic Boulevard,
Homebush Bay, Sydney NEW SOUTH WALES 15.00 local time
Tickets for Sydney game try here:
http://www.ticketek.com.au/frame.asp?url=search/search.asp
then type MANCHESTER in the search field.
+ Far East
Wed 21/7 Shangai first time ever!!!
Sat 24/7 Hong Kong Repeat of the 1997 game
"ALL matches will be shown "the same day" om MUTV.
August 1st CHARITY SHIELD Wembley: Arsenal
August 3rd Omagh Town, St Julian's Road ground
Temp seating will be erected to increase the
capacity to 7,000 for the game.
UNITED Stats v All teams:
http://www.red11.org/mufc/stats/
*** FINAL PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AS AT 16/05/99 ***
Pos Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Manchester United 38 14 4 1 45 18 8 9 2 35 19 43 79
2 Arsenal 38 14 5 0 34 5 8 7 4 25 12 42 78
3 Chelsea 38 12 6 1 29 13 8 9 2 28 17 27 75
4 Leeds United 38 12 5 2 32 9 6 8 5 30 25 28 67
5 West Ham United 38 11 3 5 32 26 5 6 8 14 27 -7 57
*** TEAM STATISTICS - MANCHESTER UNITED - 1998/9
AVERAGE HOME ATTENDANCE: 55,188
HIGHEST HOME ATTENDANCE: 27/02/99 - Southampton (55,316)
LOWEST HOME ATTENDANCE: 15/08/98 - Leicester City (55,052)
BEST WIN: 06/02/99 - Nottingham Forest (8-1)
HEAVIEST DEFEAT: 20/09/98 - Arsenal (0-3)
BEST HOME WIN: 17/10/98 - Wimbledon (5-1)
HEAVIEST HOME DEFEAT: 19/12/98 - Middlesbrough (2-3)
BEST AWAY WIN: 06/02/99 - Nottingham Forest (8-1)
HEAVIEST AWAY DEFEAT: 20/09/98 - Arsenal (0-3)*****
CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS
Manchester Utd 2 v 0 Inter Milan
Real Madrid 1 v 1 Dynamo Kiev
Juventus 2 v 1 Olympiakos
Bayern Munich 2 v 0 Kaiserslautern
**DYNAMO KIEV 2 v 0 REAL MADRID (Agg:3-1)
FC KAISERSLAUTERN 0 v 4 **BAYERN MUNICH (Agg:0-6)
INTERNAZIONALE FC 1 v 1 **MANCHESTER UNITED (Agg:1-3)
OLYMPIAKOS 1 v 1 **JUVENTUS (Agg:2-3)
Semi Finals
Manchester United v Juventus 4-3agg 3-2 [1-1]
Bayern Munchen v Dynamo Kiev 4-3agg 1-0 [3-3]
UEFA Champions League Final MANCHESTER UNITED 2 v 1 BAYERN MUNICH
Venue Camp Nou (Estadi FC Barcelona), Barcelona, Spain
Date Wednesday 26 May 1999 Kick-Off 20.45 CET (19.45 GMT)
THE FANTASTIC TRIPLE WAS WON!!
Personal stories here: http://www.red11.org/mufc/barcelona.htm
++++++=========+++++++========+++++++++========++++++++
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: Schmeichel to Sporting Lisbon
COPENHAGEN, June 18 (Reuters) - Danish national team
goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel will sign a two-year contract with Portugese
club Sporting Lisbon at the weekend, the Danish daily newspaper Politiken
reported on Friday.
Schmeichel, 35, ended an eight-year career with England's
Manchester United last month by helping the side to win the
treble of European Cup, league championship and F.A. Cup.
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: Schmikes: "We expect him in Lisbon this weekend to finalise the negotiations.
Schmeichel offered a Sporting chance "Guardian" Sat
From the Press Association Saturday June 19, 1999
Sporting Lisbon hope to secure Peter Schmeichel's signature this weekend.
The Portuguese club have offered the Danish international goalkeeper a
lucrative
two-year contract with the option of a third.
Schmeichel was due to fly to Lisbon this weekend to thrash out the details
of the deal
and Sporting are confident he will put pen to paper. The ambitious outfit
would be thrilled
to pick up Schmeichel for nothing from Treble-winners Manchester United.
Sporting vice-president Paulo Abreu said: "We have offered Peter Schmeichel a
two-year contract with the option of another one year.
"We expect him in Lisbon this weekend to finalise the negotiations. We are
looking
forward to confirming all these details with him."
Sporting have just appointed former Piacenza coach Giuseppe Materazzi as
their new boss and are determined to make a serious challenge for the title
next season.
They finished fourth in the last campaign and earned a UEFA Cup place, but
with
Schmeichel in goal they believe they can go all the way.
Schmeichel, 35, was released by United following eight highly-successful
years at
Old Trafford after he claimed he could no longer cope with the demands of
the English
game.
He was linked with moves to Italy, France and Spain before Sporting emerged
as the
surprise favourites.
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: Two Geordie's and a packet of sweets - Barce Diary by Steve Fisher
OK I thought I'd rise to Barry's request and "ave a go" at a diary .
Warning *****This will take a while!
I'm not the greatest writer in the world so I'm going to write it in a
diary format,my apologies in advance if I omit a name from my report I met
so many people I've probably forgotten A FEW!
I'm going to start on the Sunday vs Spurs (it seems only right)
Fish ............
Day 1 Victoria BC Canada Sunday morning around 7.45 am I'm expecting a
couple of mates I wish they'd hurry up I'm struggling with my three nippers
and I need to set up the satellite dish!
A few moments later my pals arrive now I've got some help, I fiddle with
the dish, whats this, a message on the screen! I need to phone my satellite
provider ,so I run to the phone and after a frantic 5 or ten minutes I get
it sorted ,I'm going to miss the first couple of minutes of the
match.....Shit!
Finally the match comes on ,whats this? Arsenal !!! AAAAAARRRGGG
Another phone call ,my local provider promises to make a call ,now I'm in
two minds do I watch the Arse? or wait till later in the day and watch the
United match delayed on cable TV? or go to real audio and listen live?
Whats this? God must be a red, suddenly, the United game comes on hundreds
of Reds complaining did the trick ,now sit down and watch, we've only
missed 15 mins.
Spurs score , S..t!
still we're getting loads of chances, we'll get one at this rate ,half
times coming, good time to score........ Becks!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!
I called for Sheri to start but I must admit I'm glad to see Coley,
4 mins in Gary,Andy YES!!!!! brilliant goal one of the best of the season.
It seems like an eternity but finally the ref blows the whistle.
Number one ....sorted!
Fantastic season reds! I try to call Bill Smith who's at the match,no answer.
Then just as the lads are about to lift the trophy the bloody coverage ends.
Bloody hell (I still haven't seen the lads with the Premier trophy)
These are the trials of a North American Red ,still better than years gone
by, I must admit Dave M and I figured we had only missed 3 United games
since Christmas and most of those we saw live.
I rush over to the Mac and turn on real audio coverage via century radio
they are into a phone in segment by now and people from all over the world
are calling in to congratulate the lads. I think to myself I'd like to get
on the show so I call in, after half a dozen tries I finally get through
some bloke at the other end tells me to hold ...OK......
Whilst on hold you can hear the radio over the telephone after about 15
minutes (remember I'm holding from Western Canada) he tells me sorry mate I
can't squeeze you in try next week! Tosser, I'll be at Wembley next week!
So I dress up in my best Red T'shirt and go out to meet the world ,funny
though, the one thing you miss about being here is, very few people care
,oh sure the results in the paper, but very few can discuss whether
Scholesy or Nicky should start and which is Phils best position.
Thank God for the list!
Monday now, I phone my tour operator I make sure that the FA tickets will
be available on the plane as I am forgoing two nights in London so I can
hang out with my old mates in Cheadle Hulme.(I also want to travel to
Wembley on the bus just like the old days) my mate Roy Callwood is sorting
the Wembley leg out for me.No problem the tour guide says, tickets on the
plane! Sorted! I think.
Tuesday arrives and I'm starting to get excited my pal Brett phones me he's
managed to get on the trip at the last moment, although they can't
guarantee a FA, still he's going, and another Red to the list.He'll pick me
up at 2pm on Wednesday.
Wednesday last minute details sorting out day care, trips to two banks
,last minute e-mails to Sean ,Paul W and Steve Edge , finally 2pm arrives
off we go to catch the 3pm ferry to Vancouver. Did I say nobody cares? I
was wearing my internet T shirt and on the ferry a guy says to me,do you
think they'll do it?
I leaned over and said I hope so mate I'm on my way to London and Barca
right now! The look on the guys face,astounded.
Around 5pm now at Vancouver airport Brett and I check our bags and we see
two lads wearing .....wait for it.....
thats right 2 toon army boys in striped pajamas,
F^$#^^& H^%$ I said to myself I hope they aren't with us,they were!
We meet up with Joe (tour guide) so straight up to him I go (never
comfortable until match tickets are in my hand) beside's I'm dying to see
them,then out comes the tickets FA's first I take a look Newcastle United
stamped all over them F%*& I thought, all this way and I'll have to sit
with that lot.
It's OK he assures me he's getting more in London and then out comes the
largest wad of ECLF tickets anyone has ever seen 34 in all (14 spares)
I couldn't believe it! for weeks we've all been trying to get tickets and
this SOB has spares! apparently he applied to the Spanish FA in January
well before the finalists were known.Anyway at approx 7.45pm we board the
plane to London and by 8.15 we were off. At this point I remembered what
Steve Edge had told me a few days earlier "try and do a Roger Murney and
get into the press box" well at this point a good kip was needed more
so,half an hour into the flight I jibbed into business class and got away
with it! Top lads those Mancs! Ten hours later feeling buggered (as you do
flying transatlantic with free booze) out into Heathrow we poured.Through
customs and over to the shuttle to Ringway,short flight later and we arrive
at around 5pm local time and of course and I kid you not it was sunny!!!!!
My pal Walshy picks me up and that night after a BBQ and a session in the
Ladybridge I finally hit the sack after being up for 34 hours! can you say
Knackered!
Friday now, a few phone calls ...Linda ,Paul and later a bit of shopping
in Stockport and I get home around 5pm the phone rings it's Ken
Merritt...... well not really, it's Dave Menashe taking the piss, I must
admit to falling for it though,well for a few minutes anyway, after a good
chin wag he tells me of a possibility of a spare FA through the USA branch
president Pete Holland ,earlier Paul W had told me Sean from Boston was
still looking for a brief so I called Paul to give him the news as well as
Petes hotel number. I'm very glad to say Sean got a ticket via those calls
...the list in action! later that night another session in the Ladybridge
club and off to bed about 1am, do you think I could sleep? No bloody
chance! pre match nerves.
Saturday up at 7am, Walshy (a good lad, but bitter) gave me a lift to Roy's
house and then off to Wilmslow to catch our coach (Thompsons Terror Tours)
aptly named I might add! These boy's are very "clued up" as they say, the
first thing I see is about 14 cases of ale taken to the back of the bus
then they loaded about 7 huge bales of T shirts into the cargo hold of the
coach, if you purchased (or saw) red T shirts illustrating Fergies Trophy
cabinet they were made and sold by the lads on this bus (mainly Whythenshaw
and Handforth reds).On the bus we sang and drank and I listened to Euro
away day stories these lads were top reds ,I was shown one passport that
had every passport stamp from this years campaign (These lads also were
heading to Luton airport after Wembley) if any of you saw T shirts reading
"J stand on tour" in Loret de Mar they were my mates from the bus. Up to
Wembley now, of course one thing you never remember about the UK is how
poor the road systems are when overloaded, the trip to London was great,
about 3 hours, but once we got within smelling distance of Wembley the
traffic slowed to a crawl it took almost another hour to travel the last 6
miles! Still it was a good trip to be on because we were booked into a
Conservative mens club around the back of Wembley (our end), honest, I
could spit to the back of the ground from where we sat and drank ,We were
ushered upstairs to a private room and the moment we arrived (1pm) out came
the buffet lunch, butties,pork pies,sausage rolls,chicken wings etc all
washed down with bitter and Guinness,Lovely!
It was mentioned to me that Jon Leigh may?? of been in the same boozer but
we never met.
Nearly 2pm now and I get wind of another possible spare (in the end it
wasn't) I tried to get Paul W on his mobile but I couldn't get through in
fact none of the mobile numbers I tried worked ,now maybe this was me
screwing up or maybe due to the high number of calls in the area I don't
know ,anyway off to the twin towers now to meet Brett (and my ticket) right
on time we meet, next to the right hand tower, near the steps ,a harried
looking Pat Crerand hurried by ,I almost shouted out, hey do you know Roger
Murney? but the moment had passed! I looked at my ticket Yes!!!! entrance J
our end ! It must have been our end as Mr Boyle was having a sing song
right outside, however the ticket said "partially obscured view" Oh shit.
And in I went! I'd forgotten what a dump Wembley is,however I must admit
I'll miss the old place ....Uniteds home away from home.
Down to my seat block 242 row 5 seat 157 in the corner where the lads had
there pictures taken just about ten rows back from the center of that mini
tunnel in our end. Good seats really ,with a swerve of the body you could
see the other corner flag overall good seats a "corner view" would describe
it best.
Atmosphere was OK I don't think it will ever reach the fervor I remember
versus the saints and the scouse in 76 & 77 standing and singing with your
mates in those days and everyone made a flag not those cheap mass produced
silk screen jobs, real flags with Manc wit! Anyway it was a very relaxed
day certainly as relaxed as I can ever remember a Wembley final once we'd
scored you never really felt like they would get one, apart from two
chances near the end it was smooth sailing and I had a brilliant view of
Scholes's goal.
One poor sod behind me was so relaxed he slept right through the first
half! Why do people drink so much that they miss the match? it doesn't make
any sense.Give the ticket to someone who wants to watch.
Watching the lads celebrate so close to me was the real joy of the day, I
felt so proud almost like when my lad scores a goal or does well at school.
After Becks went off the pitch I wandered around the back off Wembley
watching the supporters enjoy the moment I was also hoping to bump into
Linda or Paul or any other members of the Throstles brigade,after that I
made my way back down to the club where after showing my pass made my way
up to the private room, immediately I'm offered a pint from over a dozen
cool ones sitting on our table,then as if by magic out comes more food
....brilliant! then on the telly, highlights!...... singing ......I'm in
heaven f.....g heaven.
This room btw was on the second floor overlooking a road just seconds from
Wembley, did someone say sing song?
Till about 7.30pm we sang our hearts out starting with the new ones (btw
the last line of the Stam song goes "try a little trick and he'll make you
look thick" but as the night wore on we went through the whole United song
book,
My old man said be a city fan,6 foot 2 eyes of blue,Gordon Hill king of the
cockneys,If I die on the kippax st,We went down to Wembley,Who's our king ?
Denis Law,Number one is Georgie Best etc etc,many a geordie went by, we
even had a couple of barcodes mooning us (spotty arsed b......s they were
too),of course, the usual, who ate all the pies? for the chubby geordies
and of course get your t*ts out for the lads whenever a smart looking women
went by,(sorry ladies) honestly I've not had so much fun in many a
year.Anyway the time was getting on and I needed to get back to London, so
around 8pm I grabbed my gear off the coach and walked along the front of
the ground towards Wembley way,at this point I turned towards the tube
station, bought my ticket and caught the first train towards Russel sq. I
had to change at the Piccadilly line it was then and ony then, I became
concerned, suddenly as I got off the train I could hear about fifty or so
very pissed up barcodes (London was full of them) giving it the runway song
it really pissed me off but it wasn't the time to say anything I just
pulled up the zipper on my jacket to cover the colors and put away any red
gear I was carrying.The rest of the journey was uneventful back to the
hotel around nine ,shower,change and down to the hotel lounge for the last
couple of hours.I remember hitting the sack around midnight because MOTD
was coming on so I took a can upstairs and had a nightcap in my room
watching the highlites ,magic.
Sunday... needless to say I intended to take it easy today (so I thought)
it all started the way I planned with a decidedly dodgy free buffet in the
"hotel restaurant" then off to JJB sports to shop in the sale bins, the
weather turned out quite nice and we found a decent pizza parlor for a late
lunch (3pm) back to the hotel a couple of phone calls then into the lounge
and we watched a Rangers game on TV .
After a shower and shave I had a bit of a kip in my room after the last few
days I really needed a rest .I managed to get a good couple of hours
shuteye and I didn't venture back to the lounge till around 8 o clock.
The lounge that night was a typically London event there were people from
all around England and (the world) coming and going ,our table naturally
became the footie table and over the course of the evening we had Arse
,Everton and even a Burnley fan all having a good natured chin wag about
yesterdays match and football in general ,the funniest was listening to the
two Arse fans one of which was an old fella who owns a season ticket at
Highbury, owning up to "your squad is better than ours" followed by "but
our starting eleven is better" you can imagine the arguments over that one
.I also realized that all that has been said on this list about Burnley
fans is true ...small minded and the biggest ABU's I've ever met! As the
evening became the small hours the Arse fan tells me his grandchild lives
in Cheadle Hulme!!!! and of course supports UNITED! then ho goes on to tell
me how hard it is to get a match ticket at Old Trafford ,so I swap
addresses and promise to help him get his grandson (8yrs) to OT,I figure
once we get him there we'll have a red for life! This session ended in a
drunken singsong and I hit the sack around 2am.
Is it me or does every night on this trip end up with me getting pissed?
Monday !!! off to Barca
The plane left at a very reasonable mid afternoon so it was a late lie in
and down to the lounge to wait for the bus to pick us up, after slinging
the gear on board we were off to Heathrow and from there BARCELONA!!
The plane touches down and immediately once the plane doors opened you
could feel the humidity in the air,not too mention my excitement. This was
a scheduled BA flight booked well in advance of the semi's so there was
only a smattering of red army members .I do remember speaking to two young
American students who were arriving in Barca for a four night stay, they
had no idea what the ECF was, never mind who was playing! God help em I
thought.
Anyway off the plane and into the area where you collect
baggage, immediately I knew something was up, there was a platoon of
photographers and a million reds hanging around , apparently the United
plane was due in about an hour ,unfortunately we couldn't wait around that
long as a coach was waiting, it's a pity because later I heard Barry and the
gang came down to the airport that day. We arrived at the Hotel I must say I
was pleasantly surprised it was very clean, modern and efficient, Brett and I
were rooming together so upstairs we went , quick shower and out for the
night,the town celebration for Barcelona FC was this evening everywhere we
traveled there were families all dressed to the nine in Barca gear and
flags, they were heading downtown to the main square.
I can remember my first reaction to the city. I was excited to be in a city
where football meant so much,"my kinda town" as the chairman said! My first
wander down the diagonal and down las Ramblas was very exciting quite a few
reds were already out in force and walking down the boulevard and stopping
to shop in the market stalls (full of footie scarves ,badges and porno
mags) it was one of those nights you get abroad ,warm,humid and a general
buzz in the air from the celebrating catalans and arriving red army members
.Everywhere you looked a group of reds with a pile of bags at there feet
discussing the trip, hotels,tickets,pubs etc.And already the outdoor patio
bars were doing a roaring business.
We walked around for a while and eventually found a red watering hole it
was around 10pm and I was ready to sink my jaws into a few cool ones ,The
Robin Hood was near to the bottom of las Rambla quite near the waterfront
it was a large beer tavern for lack of a better word and the atmosphere
inside was electric ,everyone was smiling ,talking excitedly about the days
travels and of course the nights that lay ahead! We sat near the back of
the room the singing was fantastic.It was the usual selection of United
faves with the 12 days of Cantona my personal pick of the best.We sat with
4 lads from Middleton and it was there I realized the extent of the forgery
crisis, only the one had a genuine ticket the other 3 forgeries! However at
least these lads knew what they had and hadn't paid over the odds ,I think
it was simply a way to "get in" anyway they could.We sat and sang for
nearly three hours this first night and I can't really do justice to the
fun I had,but believe me I'll never forget that night or the other ones
that followed.
Something else that needs to be mentioned is the fact wherever you traveled
in Barca during the next few days it seemed impossible to get from A to B
on time ,you always stumbled into another party and this night was no
exception .
At around 1am we decided to call it a night and started the trek back to
the hotel , walking back along the Rambla we soon encountered another huge
gathering in the center of the boulevard literally hundreds of reds singing
and bouncing in unison at one of the outdoor bars so of course we stopped
and sang a few more,finally with the time approaching 3 am we got a cab and
headed back for some well deserved kip.
pt2 in tomorrow's Sunday 20th June "Daily News"
http://www.red11.org/mufc/news/99/200699.htm
steve fisher
1023 nakini place Manchester United Football Club
brentwood bay till death do us part
British Columbia
v8m 1a3
Canada
trafford publishing http://www.trafford.com
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: BOYS FROM BRAZIL BOOK UNITED CLASH
Brazil is beginning to loom large on Manchester
United's map of world domination.
Not only is the great footballing nation hosting a
world club tournament next January, it's also now
providing the Reds' opposition in the World Club
Championship, the traditional play-off match between the
champions of Europe and South America.
Palmeiras have just earned the right to face Alex
Ferguson's men, following their victory in the Take Libertadores
Cup on Tuesday. Their squad includes Cesar Sampaio who
scored the opening goal of France '98 against Scotland.
Other internationals include Magazinho, who wore the number 9
shirt when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994, and Junior
Maxwell-House, a first-choice defender.
United versus Palmeiras promises to be a great spectacle
in Tokyo on 30 November, but only if both teams play
better than they did to become champions of their
respective continents.
While the Reds struggled to find their feet for 89 minutes of
the European Cup Final, the green shirts of Palmeiras had
to scrap their way to the South American crown against
Deportivo Cali of Columbia.
After losing the first leg of the final 1-0, the Brazilian club
won the controversial second leg 2-1, and ultimately
triumphed 4-3 on penalties. Two spot-kicks were also
awarded during normal time by referee Aquino, nephew of
the Palmeiras President, who was later described by
Palmeiras striker Paulo Nunes as "brilliant."
Aquino sent off a Deportivo player in each half for innocuous
offences, Cocain was dismissed for inciting the crowd to
perform a Mexican Wave, and Baron was red-carded for
taking a throw-in from the wrong position. Butros, nicknamed
the 'Assassin' opened the scoring for the Brazilians in the
13th minute of time added on in the first half, but Carlos
'The Jackal' Postlethwaite equalised despite long protests
by the Palmeiras players, President and their TV Channel
who were covering the game. Juanito, 'The Deadly One'
squandered two penalties, awarded for 'persistant use of
the hands' by goalkeeper Paulo Whiskas, nicknamed 'The Cat'
but in a dramatic final few minutes, referee Aquino was
gunned down by a mystery marksman in the Directors
Box, the Deportivo Centre-Backs were turned into pillars
of Salt, Whiskas was castrated whilst play was at the other
end of the field, and with seconds to go and with four
balls on the field at the same time Julio Costagrande, known
locally as the 'Well-Hung one' bundled the ball in whilst it
was shoved up his shirt to level the aggregate scores.
With the Colombian keeper clearly hampered by his
earlier misfortune, Palmeiras prevailed in the penalty
shoot-out to earn their place against United.
The President of Colombia, Juan Niltothearsenal, has
asked FIFA to investigate what he called 'certain
irregularities' during the game.
Palmeiras refused to let him spoil their celebrations,
though, as they claimed their first-ever South American
Cup. For one of Brazil's leading clubs, it is an honour that
was long overdue.
Their coach Luiz Felipe Neville can now start to swot up on
Manchester United, as both teams bid to win their first
World Club Championship in five months' time.
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: Manchester Square
For those who do not know, I live in Israel in a city called Rehovot.
Anyhow, Rehovot and Manchester are twin cities(I think I knew that but
didn't think too much about it). The new mayor of Rehovot(about 4 months
or so) is apparently a United fan and he decided to name a square
"Manchester United square" for the next 30 days as a way to celebrate
our European winning season.
Oh well, I wasn't able to attend the ceremony(last Friday), which also
had someone from the English embassey in Israel, though I did take a
walk to see what "our square" was about. Thank god no one in Manchester
knows about it. This square and United is like Ralph Milne and United.
It doesn't seem right.
We're talking about a 10 by 10 meters circle in a middle of a road, with
some flowers(which were there before) and a small green board in hebrew
and english. You'd be interested to know we've won the "Championship of
the Champions League". Oh, and they didn't even write "square"
correctly. They wrote "sqare".
In 23 days the sign should be taken down. I'll be counting the days!
--
Glory Glory Man United,
Amir Inbar,
Israel
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: United to be worth 1 billion in 3 years (Guardian)
This should set Rupert howling and Fartin drooling ..
Manchester United are tipped to
become worth 1billion within the next three years.
The Old Trafford giants are as much a force in the world of
business as they are on the football pitch.
United have signed a 10-year deal to sell merchandising to
five countries in the Far East and have first option on several
more.
BSkyB were willing to pay 623.4 million for the club only
for their takeover bid to be rejected by the Government back
in April and one leading football analyst believes their
value will top ?1billion by 2002.
William Davies, of stockbrokers Capel-Cure Sharp, said: "I
thought Rupert Murdoch was getting the club slightly cheap
with his offer of 623million. "If there had been a bidding
war, with someone like Time Warner involved, then the price
might have gone close to the 1 billion mark.
"The club's present market capital is just under
500million and if they reached the 1 billion mark in three
years, I would not be surprised. "I think the club will do it
because it still has such enormous potential.
"United have been slightly wary about developing in the UK with
their concept of the Theatre of Dreams museums, shops and the
Red Cafe. "They don't want an unhappy Leeds fan smashing the front
window of one of their shops. But globally United have no such
problems and they have a massive following beyond our shores and
the events of the recent weeks have only enhanced that.
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: FERGIE PUTS GLORY DOWN TO UNITED'S MENTAL TOUGHNESS
ALEX FERGUSON has revealed the secret behind his stunning success -
he has coached the minds of his Manchester United players, not just
their feet. The determination they showed in completing the Treble,
winning three massive matches in succession at the end of a mammoth
season, and clinching the final trophy in the dying seconds, was no
fluke. Ferguson had planned it all along.
The recently knighted Old Trafford supremo told The Technician, the
quarterly bulletin of the UEFA technical department: "When I
started coaching, my main job was to improve my players, shape and
balance my team, and get them to play football which I enjoyed.
Nowadays, you have to coach their minds, you have to develop winning
attitudes, teach them about preparation, get them to understand
the need for sacrifice."
The prospect of getting the very best out of squad of 20
millionaires, most of whom have already won the league and cup
double and played at the highest level with their countries, is one
many managers relish. Or at least they do until they find their team
in a minor slump and can't motivate them to play out of their skins for
the sake of the club and themselves.
But the 57-year-old Scot has never allowed the danger of a dressing
room full of egos to cripple United. Instead, he instilled in each new
player the need for humility and hunger. Arrogance had to be backed
up by class displays and even better results.
"The players must recognise each other's qualities and
appreciate the talents of those around them," said the
former shipyard worker, who started his playing career as
an amateur with Queen's Park. "I must also create the
kind of environment that can get us through tough times.
I always tell the players that we need at least eight of
them to play well on a particular day if we are going to
have any chance of winning."
Unlike most teams, Ferguson's players have rarely fallen
into the trap of relying on others to make up the
eight. They are determined to be one of the best themselves, helping each other
through rough spells and never, ever giving up. Witness the
injury time scenes in Barcelona last month.
"Losing the league to Arsenal in 1997-98 had a beneficial
effect on our young players," he claimed. "Many of them
had never lost before and they gained a new resilience by
overcoming the setback. A short-term loss can be a
long-term gain. A winning mentality is vital. My teams
are aggressive and positive and they want to win, just
like me.
"You must develop a mental attitude in the players which
makes them produce on a daily basis. I never dodge the
issue of communicating my displeasure if players don't
perform to our standards. Superstars usually have big
egos and these need to be fed - that means they need to
win. Money can change anyone but our best players have
remained unchanged in their mentality, despite their
riches. It's the person inside that matters. It's about
drive and ambition and many people retain these urges
even if they become wealthy. I have."
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: BOYS FROM BRAZIL BOOK UNITED CLASH
Brazil is beginning to loom large on Manchester
United's map of world domination.
Not only is the great footballing nation hosting a
world club tournament next January, it's also now
providing the Reds' opposition in the World Club
Championship, the traditional play-off match between the
champions of Europe and South America.
Palmeiras have just earned the right to face Alex
Ferguson's men, following their victory in the Take Libertadores
Cup on Tuesday. Their squad includes Cesar Sampaio who
scored the opening goal of France '98 against Scotland.
Other internationals include Magazinho, who wore the number 9
shirt when Brazil won the World Cup in 1994, and Junior
Maxwell-House, a first-choice defender.
United versus Palmeiras promises to be a great spectacle
in Tokyo on 30 November, but only if both teams play
better than they did to become champions of their
respective continents.
While the Reds struggled to find their feet for 89 minutes of
the European Cup Final, the green shirts of Palmeiras had
to scrap their way to the South American crown against
Deportivo Cali of Columbia.
After losing the first leg of the final 1-0, the Brazilian club
won the controversial second leg 2-1, and ultimately
triumphed 4-3 on penalties. Two spot-kicks were also
awarded during normal time by referee Aquino, nephew of
the Palmeiras President, who was later described by
Palmeiras striker Paulo Nunes as "brilliant."
Aquino sent off a Deportivo player in each half for innocuous
offences, Cocain was dismissed for inciting the crowd to
perform a Mexican Wave, and Baron was red-carded for
taking a throw-in from the wrong position. Butros, nicknamed
the 'Assassin' opened the scoring for the Brazilians in the
13th minute of time added on in the first half, but Carlos
'The Jackal' Postlethwaite equalised despite long protests
by the Palmeiras players, President and their TV Channel
who were covering the game. Juanito, 'The Deadly One'
squandered two penalties, awarded for 'persistant use of
the hands' by goalkeeper Paulo Whiskas, nicknamed 'The Cat'
but in a dramatic final few minutes, referee Aquino was
gunned down by a mystery marksman in the Directors
Box, the Deportivo Centre-Backs were turned into pillars
of Salt, Whiskas was castrated whilst play was at the other
end of the field, and with seconds to go and with four
balls on the field at the same time Julio Costagrande, known
locally as the 'Well-Hung one' bundled the ball in whilst it
was shoved up his shirt to level the aggregate scores.
With the Colombian keeper clearly hampered by his
earlier misfortune, Palmeiras prevailed in the penalty
shoot-out to earn their place against United.
The President of Colombia, Juan Niltothearsenal, has
asked FIFA to investigate what he called 'certain
irregularities' during the game.
Palmeiras refused to let him spoil their celebrations,
though, as they claimed their first-ever South American
Cup. For one of Brazil's leading clubs, it is an honour that
was long overdue.
Their coach Luiz Felipe Neville can now start to swot up on
Manchester United, as both teams bid to win their first
World Club Championship in five months' time.
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: Two Geordie's and a packet of sweets
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 1999 11:56:35 -0500
From: Steve Fisher
OK I thought I'd rise to Barry's request and "ave a go" at a diary .
Warning *****This will take a while!
I'm not the greatest writer in the world so I'm going to write it in a
diary format,my apologies in advance if I omit a name from my report I met
so many people I've probably forgotten A FEW!
I'm going to start on the Sunday vs Spurs (it seems only right)
Fish
Day 1 Victoria BC Canada Sunday morning around 7.45 am I'm expecting a
couple of mates I wish they'd hurry up I'm struggling with my three nippers
and I need to set up the satellite dish!
A few moments later my pals arrive now I've got some help, I fiddle with
the dish, whats this, a message on the screen! I need to phone my satellite
provider ,so I run to the phone and after a frantic 5 or ten minutes I get
it sorted ,I'm going to miss the first couple of minutes of the
match.....Shit!
Finally the match comes on ,whats this? Arsenal !!! AAAAAARRRGGG
Another phone call ,my local provider promises to make a call ,now I'm in
two minds do I watch the Arse? or wait till later in the day and watch the
United match delayed on cable TV? or go to real audio and listen live?
Whats this? God must be a red, suddenly, the United game comes on hundreds
of Reds complaining did the trick ,now sit down and watch, we've only
missed 15 mins.
Spurs score ,Shit!
still we're getting loads of chances, we'll get one at this rate ,half
times coming, good time to score........ Becks!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!
I called for Sheri to start but I must admit I'm glad to see Coley,
4 mins in Gary,Andy YES!!!!! brilliant goal one of the best of the season.
It seems like an eternity but finally the ref blows the whistle.
Number one ....sorted!
Fantastic season reds! I try to call Bill Smith who's at the match,no answer.
Then just as the lads are about to lift the trophy the bloody coverage ends.
Bloody hell (I still haven't seen the lads with the Premier trophy)
These are the trials of a North American Red ,still better than years gone
by, I must admit Dave M and I figured we had only missed 3 United games
since Christmas and most of those we saw live.
I rush over to the Mac and turn on real audio coverage via century radio
they are into a phone in segment by now and people from all over the world
are calling in to congratulate the lads. I think to myself I'd like to get
on the show so I call in, after half a dozen tries I finally get through
some bloke at the other end tells me to hold ...OK......
Whilst on hold you can hear the radio over the telephone after about 15
minutes (remember I'm holding from Western Canada) he tells me sorry mate I
can't squeeze you in try next week! Tosser, I'll be at Wembley next week!
So I dress up in my best Red T'shirt and go out to meet the world ,funny
though, the one thing you miss about being here is, very few people care
,oh sure the results in the paper, but very few can discuss whether
Scholesy or Nicky should start and which is Phils best position.
Thank God for the list!
Monday now, I phone my tour operator I make sure that the FA tickets will
be available on the plane as I am forgoing two nights in London so I can
hang out with my old mates in Cheadle Hulme.(I also want to travel to
Wembley on the bus just like the old days) my mate Roy Callwood is sorting
the Wembley leg out for me.No problem the tour guide says, tickets on the
plane! Sorted! I think.
Tuesday arrives and I'm starting to get excited my pal Brett phones me he's
managed to get on the trip at the last moment, although they can't
guarantee a FA, still he's going, and another Red to the list.He'll pick me
up at 2pm on Wednesday.
Wednesday last minute details sorting out day care, trips to two banks
,last minute e-mails to Sean ,Paul W and Steve Edge , finally 2pm arrives
off we go to catch the 3pm ferry to Vancouver. Did I say nobody cares? I
was wearing my internet T shirt and on the ferry a guy says to me,do you
think they'll do it?
I leaned over and said I hope so mate I'm on my way to London and Barca
right now! The look on the guys face,astounded.
Around 5pm now at Vancouver airport Brett and I check our bags and we see
two lads wearing .....wait for it.....
thats right 2 toon army boys in striped pajamas,
F^$#^^& H^%$ I said to myself I hope they aren't with us,they were!
We meet up with Joe (tour guide) so straight up to him I go (never
comfortable until match tickets are in my hand) beside's I'm dying to see
them,then out comes the tickets FA's first I take a look Newcastle United
stamped all over them F%*& I thought, all this way and I'll have to sit
with that lot.
It's OK he assures me he's getting more in London and then out comes the
largest wad of ECLF tickets anyone has ever seen 34 in all (14 spares)
I couldn't believe it! for weeks we've all been trying to get tickets and
this SOB has spares! apparently he applied to the Spanish FA in January
well before the finalists were known.Anyway at approx 7.45pm we board the
plane to London and by 8.15 we were off. At this point I remembered what
Steve Edge had told me a few days earlier "try and do a Roger Murney and
get into the press box" well at this point a good kip was needed more
so,half an hour into the flight I jibbed into business class and got away
with it! Top lads those Mancs! Ten hours later feeling buggered (as you do
flying transatlantic with free booze) out into Heathrow we poured.Through
customs and over to the shuttle to Ringway,short flight later and we arrive
at around 5pm local time and of course and I kid you not it was sunny!!!!!
My pal Walshy picks me up and that night after a BBQ and a session in the
Ladybridge I finally hit the sack after being up for 34 hours! can you say
Knackered!
Friday now, a few phone calls ...Linda ,Paul and later a bit of shopping
in Stockport and I get home around 5pm the phone rings it's Ken
Merritt...... well not really, it's Dave Menashe taking the piss, I must
admit to falling for it though,well for a few minutes anyway, after a good
chin wag he tells me of a possibility of a spare FA through the USA branch
president Pete Holland ,earlier Paul W had told me Sean from Boston was
still looking for a brief so I called Paul to give him the news as well as
Petes hotel number. I'm very glad to say Sean got a ticket via those calls
...the list in action! later that night another session in the Ladybridge
club and off to bed about 1am, do you think I could sleep? No bloody
chance! pre match nerves.
Saturday up at 7am, Walshy (a good lad, but bitter) gave me a lift to Roy's
house and then off to Wilmslow to catch our coach (Thompsons Terror Tours)
aptly named I might add! These boy's are very "clued up" as they say, the
first thing I see is about 14 cases of ale taken to the back of the bus
then they loaded about 7 huge bales of T shirts into the cargo hold of the
coach, if you purchased (or saw) red T shirts illustrating Fergies Trophy
cabinet they were made and sold by the lads on this bus (mainly Whythenshaw
and Handforth reds).On the bus we sang and drank and I listened to Euro
away day stories these lads were top reds ,I was shown one passport that
had every passport stamp from this years campaign (These lads also were
heading to Luton airport after Wembley) if any of you saw T shirts reading
"J stand on tour" in Loret de Mar they were my mates from the bus. Up to
Wembley now, of course one thing you never remember about the UK is how
poor the road systems are when overloaded, the trip to London was great,
about 3 hours, but once we got within smelling distance of Wembley the
traffic slowed to a crawl it took almost another hour to travel the last 6
miles! Still it was a good trip to be on because we were booked into a
Conservative mens club around the back of Wembley (our end), honest, I
could spit to the back of the ground from where we sat and drank ,We were
ushered upstairs to a private room and the moment we arrived (1pm) out came
the buffet lunch, butties,pork pies,sausage rolls,chicken wings etc all
washed down with bitter and Guinness,Lovely!
It was mentioned to me that Jon Leigh may?? of been in the same boozer but
we never met.
Nearly 2pm now and I get wind of another possible spare (in the end it
wasn't) I tried to get Paul W on his mobile but I couldn't get through in
fact none of the mobile numbers I tried worked ,now maybe this was me
screwing up or maybe due to the high number of calls in the area I don't
know ,anyway off to the twin towers now to meet Brett (and my ticket) right
on time we meet, next to the right hand tower, near the steps ,a harried
looking Pat Crerand hurried by ,I almost shouted out, hey do you know Roger
Murney? but the moment had passed! I looked at my ticket Yes!!!! entrance J
our end ! It must have been our end as Mr Boyle was having a sing song
right outside, however the ticket said "partially obscured view" Oh shit.
And in I went! I'd forgotten what a dump Wembley is,however I must admit
I'll miss the old place ....Uniteds home away from home.
down to my seat block 242 row 5 seat 157 in the corner where the lads had
there pictures taken just about ten rows back from the center of that mini
tunnel in our end. Good seats really ,with a swerve of the body you could
see the other corner flag overall good seats a "corner view" would describe
it best.
Atmosphere was OK I don't think it will ever reach the fervor I remember
versus the saints and the scouse in 76 & 77 standing and singing with your
mates in those days and everyone made a flag not those cheap mass produced
silk screen jobs, real flags with Manc wit! Anyway it was a very relaxed
day certainly as relaxed as I can ever remember a Wembley final once we'd
scored you never really felt like they would get one, apart from two
chances near the end it was smooth sailing and I had a brilliant view of
Scholes's goal.
One poor sod behind me was so relaxed he slept right through the first
half! Why do people drink so much that they miss the match? it doesn't make
any sense.Give the ticket to someone who wants to watch.
Watching the lads celebrate so close to me was the real joy of the day, I
felt so proud almost like when my lad scores a goal or does well at school.
After Becks went off the pitch I wandered around the back off Wembley
watching the supporters enjoy the moment I was also hoping to bump into
Linda or Paul or any other members of the Throstles brigade,after that I
made my way back down to the club where after showing my pass made my way
up to the private room, immediately I'm offered a pint from over a dozen
cool ones sitting on our table,then as if by magic out comes more food
....brilliant! then on the telly, highlights!...... singing ......I'm in
heaven f.....g heaven.
This room btw was on the second floor overlooking a road just seconds from
Wembley, did someone say sing song?
Till about 7.30pm we sang our hearts out starting with the new ones (btw
the last line of the Stam song goes "try a little trick and he'll make you
look thick" but as the night wore on we went through the whole United song
book,
My old man said be a city fan,6 foot 2 eyes of blue,Gordon Hill king of the
cockneys,If I die on the kippax st,We went down to Wembley,Who's our king ?
Denis Law,Number one is Georgie Best etc etc,many a geordie went by, we
even had a couple of barcodes mooning us (spotty arsed bastards they were
too),of course, the usual, who ate all the pies? for the chubby geordies
and of course get your t*ts out for the lads whenever a smart looking women
went by,(sorry ladies) honestly I've not had so much fun in many a
year.Anyway the time was getting on and I needed to get back to London, so
around 8pm I grabbed my gear off the coach and walked along the front of
the ground towards Wembley way,at this point I turned towards the tube
station, bought my ticket and caught the first train towards Russel sq. I
had to change at the Piccadilly line it was then and ony then, I became
concerned, suddenly as I got off the train I could hear about fifty or so
very pissed up barcodes (London was full of them) giving it the runway song
it really pissed me off but it wasn't the time to say anything I just
pulled up the zipper on my jacket to cover the colors and put away any red
gear I was carrying.The rest of the journey was uneventful back to the
hotel around nine ,shower,change and down to the hotel lounge for the last
couple of hours.I remember hitting the sack around midnight because MOTD
was coming on so I took a can upstairs and had a nightcap in my room
watching the highlites ,magic.
Sunday... needless to say I intended to take it easy today (so I thought)
it all started the way I planned with a decidedly dodgy free buffet in the
"hotel restaurant" then off to JJB sports to shop in the sale bins, the
weather turned out quite nice and we found a decent pizza parlor for a late
lunch (3pm) back to the hotel a couple of phone calls then into the lounge
and we watched a Rangers game on TV .
After a shower and shave I had a bit of a kip in my room after the last few
days I really needed a rest .I managed to get a good couple of hours
shuteye and I didn't venture back to the lounge till around 8 o clock.
The lounge that night was a typically London event there were people from
all around England and (the world) coming and going ,our table naturally
became the footie table and over the course of the evening we had Arse
,Everton and even a Burnley fan all having a good natured chin wag about
yesterdays match and football in general ,the funniest was listening to the
two Arse fans one of which was an old fella who owns a season ticket at
Highbury, owning up to "your squad is better than ours" followed by "but
our starting eleven is better" you can imagine the arguments over that one
.I also realized that all that has been said on this list about Burnley
fans is true ...small minded and the biggest ABU's I've ever met! As the
evening became the small hours the Arse fan tells me his grandchild lives
in Cheadle Hulme!!!! and of course supports UNITED! then ho goes on to tell
me how hard it is to get a match ticket at Old Trafford ,so I swap
addresses and promise to help him get his grandson (8yrs) to OT,I figure
once we get him there we'll have a red for life! This session ended in a
drunken singsong and I hit the sack around 2am.
Is it me or does every night on this trip end up with me getting pissed?
Monday !!! off to Barca
The plane left at a very reasonable mid afternoon so it was a late lie in
and down to the lounge to wait for the bus to pick us up, after slinging
the gear on board we were off to Heathrow and from there BARCELONA!!
The plane touches down and immediately once the plane doors opened you
could feel the humidity in the air,not too mention my excitement. This was
a scheduled BA flight booked well in advance of the semi's so there was
only a smattering of red army members .I do remember speaking to two young
American students who were arriving in Barca for a four night stay, they
had no idea what the ECF was, never mind who was playing! God help em I
thought.
Anyway off the plane and into the area where you collect
baggage,immediately I knew something was up, there was a platoon of
photographers and a million reds hanging around ,apparently the United
plane was due in about an hour ,unfortunately we couldn't wait around that
long as a coach was waiting,it's a pity because later I heard Barry and the
gang came down to the airport that day.We arrived at the Hotel I must say I
was pleasantly surprised it was very clean,modern and efficient,Brett and I
were rooming together so upstairs we went ,quick shower and out for the
night,the town celebration for Barcelona FC was this evening everywhere we
traveled there were families all dressed to the nine in Barca gear and
flags, they were heading downtown to the main square.
I can remember my first reaction to the city. I was excited to be in a city
where football meant so much,"my kinda town" as the chairman said! My first
wander down the diagonal and down las Ramblas was very exciting quite a few
reds were already out in force and walking down the boulevard and stopping
to shop in the market stalls (full of footie scarves ,badges and porno
mags) it was one of those nights you get abroad ,warm,humid and a general
buzz in the air from the celebrating catalans and arriving red army members
.Everywhere you looked a group of reds with a pile of bags at there feet
discussing the trip, hotels,tickets,pubs etc.And already the outdoor patio
bars were doing a roaring business.
We walked around for a while and eventually found a red watering hole it
was around 10pm and I was ready to sink my jaws into a few cool ones ,The
Robin Hood was near to the bottom of las Rambla quite near the waterfront
it was a large beer tavern for lack of a better word and the atmosphere
inside was electric ,everyone was smiling ,talking excitedly about the days
travels and of course the nights that lay ahead! We sat near the back of
the room the singing was fantastic.It was the usual selection of United
faves with the 12 days of Cantona my personal pick of the best.We sat with
4 lads from Middleton and it was there I realized the extent of the forgery
crisis, only the one had a genuine ticket the other 3 forgeries! However at
least these lads knew what they had and hadn't paid over the odds ,I think
it was simply a way to "get in" anyway they could.We sat and sang for
nearly three hours this first night and I can't really do justice to the
fun I had,but believe me I'll never forget that night or the other ones
that followed.
Something else that needs to be mentioned is the fact wherever you traveled
in Barca during the next few days it seemed impossible to get from A to B
on time ,you always stumbled into another party and this night was no
exception .
At around 1am we decided to call it a night and started the trek back to
the hotel , walking back along the Rambla we soon encountered another huge
gathering in the center of the boulevard literally hundreds of reds singing
and bouncing in unison at one of the outdoor bars so of course we stopped
and sang a few more,finally with the time approaching 3 am we got a cab and
headed back for some well deserved kip.
steve fisher
1023 nakini place Manchester United Football Club
brentwood bay till death do us part
British Columbia
v8m 1a3
Canada
trafford publishing http://www.trafford.com
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Subject: Message from Brazil: >>>>Manchester Champion World Tokio
This message has arrived at http://www.red11.org
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>From: "Francisco Antonio Alves Teixeira"
>Reply-to: tonnyn@zipmail.com.br
>Subject: Manchester Champion World Tokio
>Date: 17 Jun 1999 19:06:05 -0300
>Amigo Barry,
>I am Brazilian, i am torcedor of São Paulo F. C., i no gosto del
Palmeiras, por isso vou torcer pelo Manchester United, he vai ser winner in
Tokio, em 30 de november, já estou formando uma torcida contra el Palmeiras,
>Palmeiras is verry bad, vai ser derroted.
>I am de Fortaleza - Ceará - Brazil.
>My name is: Antônio Alves Teixeira
>My e-mail is: tonnyn@zipmail.com.br
>I no speak english....
>----------MANCHESTER, MANCHESTER, MANCHESTER ........
> CHAMPION OF WORLD
>www.spfc.com.br , The best........
>_____________________________________________________________
>http://www.zipmail.com.br O e-mail que vai aonde você está.
Feel free to write to our "amigo" Francisco
Cheers Barry
Click on pic for wallpaper size!"
Pic Link today is http://www.red11.org/mufc/images/99/ecfinal/barce_reds.jpg
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