Stretford End

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.

History

Traditionally, the Stretford End houses United's most loyal and partisan supporters who prefer to stand and sing. In the days before all-seater stadia, it was the main standing area of the ground, accommodating around 20,000 standing United 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, which has created greater atmosphere that sometimes compares with the traditions of the Stretford End. 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 which has caused anger from the more hardcore supporters who prefer to stand up and sing. Beneath one of the corners are the players' dressing rooms, tunnel and lounge.

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. The upper tier of the Stand is usually taken up by fans who love to sing and stand during the matches. The stand is mostly taken up by ticket holders who also mostly contibrute to away matches, hence the reason why Manchester United's away support has been stated to be one of the best in Britain since they outsing many of the away opponent's fans.

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.

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:
* 032 Years — a reference to the length of time since United's rivals Manchester City had won a major trophy. The supporters purchased a set of matching numbers with velcro so that the number could be updated each year. There are various rumours of this banner being removed by the owner to be taken to FC United of Manchester matches. Stretford End Flags have created a replica "ticker" banner which can be seen from the Pundit box at half time on tv.
* 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.
*2color|red|"O LE"GEND — 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.
* ""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 banners were removed in August 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. This however has caused much controversy amongst United supporters, some of whom consider it to be a show of faith and acceptance towards Malcolm Glazer and his family.

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)

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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.

References

* [http://www.stretfordend.co.uk Access to Stretford End - The Website of Dreams]
* [http://www.stretford-end.com www.stretford-end.com]
* [http://www.republikofmancunia.org www.RepublikOfMancunia.org]