How are they going to work this one out?!

[samj1]

The two Manchester clubs both City and United have been drawn to play eachother in the FA Cup Semi Final on 16/17 April at Wembley. How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

 

[Scotrail84]

The two Manchester clubs both City and United have been drawn to play eachother in the FA Cup Semi Final on 16/17 April at Wembley. How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

Had the same Problem up here when Hearts and Hibs played a semi final at Hampden on a Sunday 1230 ko. There were 2 Specials. One from Slateford for the Hearts fans as thats close to where they play and its hearts area and one from Waverley for the Hibs fans as thats closer to Hibs teritory.

Maybe the will advise City fans to travel from PIC and run specials and advise Man U fans to travel from VIC and run specials from there???? Just a suggsetion.

 

[WestCoast]

Note to self: avoid Man Picc at all costs!

How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

The probably use a LOT of coaches but I suppose some fans will go on the train - I foresee some problems.

If I needed to go to London I'd use EMT from Sheffield on this occasion!

 

[TheBigD]

The two Manchester clubs both City and United have been drawn to play eachother in the FA Cup Semi Final on 16/17 April at Wembley. How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

Well the City fans will go from Piccadilly and the Manu fans from Surrey.

Someone had to do that joke!

 

[Nightrider]

Well the City fans will go from Piccadilly and the Manu fans from Surrey.

Someone had to do that joke!

Even from Scotland, i got that joke.

 

[Scotrail84]

Well the City fans will go from Piccadilly and the Manu fans from Surrey.

Someone had to do that joke!

LOL ive heard the chants from opposing fans at OT. It goes something like we support our local team hehe

 

[IanPooleTrains]

Well the City fans will go from Piccadilly and the Manu fans from Surrey.

Someone had to do that joke!

Even from Scotland, i got that joke.

LOL ive heard the chants from opposing fans at OT. It goes something like we support our local team hehe

Ouch, low blow! Call a foul!

 

[Ivo]

Better the Semi than the Final, surely?

Just a thought though; City may be closer to Piccadilly than United but wouldn't it make sense to have the United fans go from there instead, owing to its larger size? City could then travel from Stalybridge or Guide Bridge and use the Denton line to Stockport, or of course Victoria (or even Oxford Road). Or, failing that, they could open the MU Halt behind OT for United fans, and allow City use of Piccadilly? (The one problem here would be getting United fans to the Halt in the first place, so run shuttles from Oxford Road.)

Or, alternatively, they could always direct the United one to start at Lime Street

Actually, allowing for "The Joke", wouldn't they need football specials from Penzance as well, stopping at Truro and Plymouth?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Could do with running reds specials from Tonbridge, Guildford, Woking, Caterham, Tattenham Corner, Epsom, Penzance, Newquay, Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Torbay... you get the idea.

Of course, the FA would never pla it somewhere easier like Hillsborough (Sheffield) or Villa Park (Birmingham), or even the Millenium Stadium?

They want the returns on Wembley at any level. What a bunch of t*ssers.

 

[ChrisCooper]

Then again the final will be a Manchester team against Stoke or Bolton.

 

[sonic2009]

Well.. everyone know's a presence of man utd fans and man city fans at piccadilly will cause trouble. maybe they will section off station.. like for example..

Football Special Platform 1. Man City Fans only

Football Special Platform 12. Man Utd Fans Only.

I'm sure the local constablury will sort something, maybe the city fans come in from the entrance by where the free shuttle buses go, and utd fans from the metrolink entrance..

 

[YorkshireRider]

Virgin staff must be depairing with not only this fixture but also the other semi, Bolton v Stoke

 

[swt_passenger]

Virgin could change the menu for the weekend.

If some trains had pies and Bovril, and the others had prawn sandwiches, the fans would automatically choose the right services?

 

[Ivo]

Virgin staff must be depairing with not only this fixture but also the other semi, Bolton v Stoke

Bolton-Stoke is the least of their worries; they've also got the prospect of a United-Trotters final...

...send Bolton fans to Preston and run charters from there? (I said "Preston" and not "Wigan" because Bolton and Wigan dislike each other as well.)

 

[Bevan Price]

The two Manchester clubs both City and United have been drawn to play eachother in the FA Cup Semi Final on 16/17 April at Wembley. How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

Although there may be some "hostile" chanting, there has not been much serious violence betwen City and United fans in recent years. They are not like Rangers v Celtic games. The last major football yob trouble in Manchester was on the occasion of a match with Glasgow Rangers. Overcrowding of transport will be the major problem. Don't expect many bargain fares to & from Euston that weekend.....

Bevan

 

[sonic2009]

Although there may be some "hostile" chanting, there has not been much serious violence betwen City and United fans in recent years. They are not like Rangers v Celtic games. The last major football yob trouble in Manchester was on the occasion of a match with Glasgow Rangers. Overcrowding of transport will be the major problem. Don't expect many bargain fares to & from Euston that weekend.....

Bevan

the bargain fares are probs being snapped up right now!!

 

[samj1]

They also have the problem of which no one has mentioned of both sets of fans around Wembley's stations and after the game both going back to London Euston and heading back up to Manchester.

Avoid the Wembley area, Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston that day me thinks!

 

[jon0844]

Well the City fans will go from Piccadilly and the Manu fans from Surrey.

Someone had to do that joke!

Yes they did, and I am disappointed it wasn't the first reply.

 

[Toad]

Man City v Stoke Final............how crap would that be ???

 

[Ivo]

Such a Final may be lousy, but I'd like to see how Europa League opposition would cope with Stoke's very physical, "Route One" style of play...

 

[12CSVT]

Thank goodness it isn't on the same weekend as the 'Small Engines' gala at the East Lancs Railway (9th and 10th), otherwise I'd have probably ended up contemplating having to flag three gronks which I need for haulage just to avoid the mayhem at Piccadilly.

 

[tbtc]

Such a Final may be lousy, but I'd like to see how Europa League opposition would cope with Stoke's very physical, "Route One" style of play...

Fair point

I should also point out that Wembley hosted a semi final between the two Sheffield clubs in 1993 (back when BR ran an hourly service to London)... a nonsense getting people to travel that far for a game between two teams in the one city

 

[Sapphire Blue]

Glad I've already got my train tickets booked for the real big game in Larndon that weekend:- Charlton v Huddersfield Town.

 

[londonbridge]

Worst case scenario is if City turn their Europa league tie around and the semi final is forced onto the Sunday,meaning a clash with the London marathon and Arsenal vs Liverpool. A Scotland Yard source has described this possible scenario as a complete security nightmare. If City-Utd ends up on the Saturday no doubt ITV would want it to kick-off at 5.15pm but would the police allow this or would they force it to be played Saturday lunchtime?

Incidentally I'm running in the London marathon this year,raising funds for the British Heart Foundation,if anyone would be interested in donating or sponsoring me pm me and I'll send you a link to my fundraising page. Many thanks.

 

[cuccir]

They also have the problem of which no one has mentioned of both sets of fans around Wembley's stations and after the game both going back to London Euston and heading back up to Manchester.

Avoid the Wembley area, Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston that day me thinks!

The Wembley bit is relatively straight forward - after all, local police, people and businesses have plenty of experience with big matches. In cup ties too the end-of-match crush tends to be less than with internationals as the fans of one team often hang around to celebrate, whilst the fans of the loosing team disappear pretty quickly!

Worst case scenario is if City turn their Europa league tie around and the semi final is forced onto the Sunday,meaning a clash with the London marathon and Arsenal vs Liverpool. A Scotland Yard source has described this possible scenario as a complete security nightmare. If City-Utd ends up on the Saturday no doubt ITV would want it to kick-off at 5.15pm but would the police allow this or would they force it to be played Saturday lunchtime?

That's a huge headache, though I think it's likely that the European match would be moved to earlier in the week, either Tuesday or Wednesday (probably depending on where the match is and if Man Utd have a home Champions League game scheduled) as this often happens for various reasons with the Europa League. Then the Manchester derby on the Saturday and Bolton-Stoke Sunday evening!

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Sadly I will be on Annual leave during the semi. so I regrettably will have to purchase plenty of Alcohol, get rid of the kids n missus for a few hours, get the lads round and enjoy United kicking Cities backside, my apologies to any of my fellow colleagues who will be having a day of hell....I'll be thinking bout ya's.....honest lol

 

[reb0118]

The two Manchester clubs both City and United have been drawn to play eachother in the FA Cup Semi Final on 16/17 April at Wembley. How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

Simple - the City fans can come down on the train and United can just travel in on their local Underground line.

 

[Oswyntail]

Writing as a non-football follower.
If two rival groups, say the BNP and the Islamic League, were to announce they were to hold demonstrations at the same time and place in London, and estimated a total of 80,000 marchers, I suspect the police would have a word to say. They would have a suspicion that there could be violence. For these matches, either there is reasonable belief that there will be crowd violence (in which case, as with the marches, ban them, keep the events apart, move them to a safer venue etc) or that there will not (in which case don't do anything special - let the fans travel together, and treat any incidents as they occur. Could it not be that the tribalism invoked by segregation actually feeds violence?)
My preferred solution would be for the police to demand that the two groups responsible hold their events at different venues, then see what the FA do. After all, it's nothing really important

 

[junglejames]

The two Manchester clubs both City and United have been drawn to play eachother in the FA Cup Semi Final on 16/17 April at Wembley. How are they going to get approximately 80,000 fans down from Manchester on the same day without avoiding violence from rival fans and major overcrowding?!

Well there was one easy way of solving this. Man U should have ensured they lost to Arsenal!!!

 

[jon0844]

I am not sure anyone could lose against Arsenal at the moment.