Manchester UEFA Cup final 14th May 2008

[das]

When Cousin was sent off in Florence that killed off what little chance we had in the final. Nobody else that we had could hold the ball up front as well as him.

 

[interbear]

Dead on our feet because our SFA totally shat on us.

Absolutely. Zero assistance from the Scottish football authorities who should have been going all out to help a member club succeed and promote our game at a European level. To be honest, if any Scottish club gets to the heights of a European final, they should get that assistance, in my opinion. It's simple common sense for the good of the game in Scotland.

I had a fabulous day in Manchester other than the result. In the sun with friends and fellow bears all day, plenty of beer but stayed sober enough to get to the stadium and take in the experience of my first ever European final. I was lucky enough to get a ticket in the UEFA ballot, I entered that after Whittaker's goal in Portugal. Just had a feeling.

We stayed in Warrington. Getting back was a bit of an adventure.

 

[Bearcage]

Losing Cousin in semis also not playing Marcus De Beasley in final didn’t help also

 

[Up the road]

The night before the game was a brilliant night.

Morning of the game we were allowed into the ground to put the flags on the seats, and had a kick-about in the car park while we waited for the van to arrive! Imagine being allowed to do that these days?! It was an incredible experience being allowed to wander about inside the stadium on the day if the game.

Found a really nice bar for some lunch and a few civilised pints. Mid-afternoon we went to find some family and friends and while it was still good natured you could see where things were heading.

Decided to get the bus to the stadium early, and went for a few drinks at Mary D's and it was great.

Game was such an anti-climax, atmosphere was poor and we just didn't do ourself justice.

Long walk back to Old Trafford afterwards sobered us all up.

Becoming a thing now re poor atmosphere. The bigger the game the less of the diehard fans are getting tickets. There were plenty I knew at the Seville final who hadn’t been to a game all season.

 

[BlueHaze]

It was my 54th birthday I’m 70 today,Regarless of the result it was one hell of a birthday.

 

[GEODGC]

Losing Cousin in semis also not playing Marcus De Beasley in final didn’t help also

It’s good to see Archie McPherson has a FF account.

 

[laudofan]

I disagree.

We played the game we had to play. The game was turning 2nd half, Davis off the line, Barrys penalty appeal.

Just as the atmosphere in the stadium changed, it was clear we were now in the game, we thought we could expand a bit, KT misses one in centre of pitch and they crucify us.

Yeah that was my recollection too. We always needed a huge slice of luck and nearly got it.

Walter played it the only way he could - we had to be tight since going toe to toe with Zenit would have been suicidal. He performed miracles getting that team to a European final.

Very sad at the end but the supporters inside the stadium were superb. The chorus of "We'll support you evermore" really stirred the emotions.

Overall a good memory.

 

[ekbear]

This was our May that year

1st May - Fiorentina A
4th May - Hibs A
7th May - Motherwell H
10th May - Dundee United H
14th May - Zenit
17th May - Motherwell A
19th May - St Mirren A (A Monday!)
22nd May - Aberdeen A (Last league game - on a Thursday)
24th May - QotS

9 games in 24 days. A complete and utter disgrace.

“Aye bit yeez postponed a gemme against Gretna so it’s yer ain fault.”

Gretna game postponed in December and played in January. What the SFA and SPL did was actually hinder us for promoting the Scottish game, if it had been the beggars in that situation and we said we had a tour of Japan then the SFA/SPL would have insisted we cancel it.

A small ripple in the tsunami of hate that came from these 2 organisations 4 years later.

Bastards.

 

[Taverneeeeer]

Carlos Cuellar, the Rangers centre half.

I absolutely loved that song.

 

[Taverneeeeer]

The journey down, the stops at service stations full of bears, the day in manchester were all incredible. When I got to my seat in the ground I was blootered and remember very little of the game other than them being streets ahead of us.

Still, 2 european finals now next to my dad. If I am lucky enough to do the same with my son then I will have lived one truly fortunate and blessed life. Be nice to actually win one mind.

 

[Orangeandblue]

Was at the game and have never watched it back.

Got digs in Blackpool, great night in the jaggy thistle the night before. Train station at Blackpool was bouncing the next morning going through to Manchester. Spent the day in Piccadilly Square and could tell as the afternoon went on they were letting too many people in as it was getting tighter and tighter. Left about 5 to head over to the stadium and didn’t know anything about the trouble til we got back to the train station. A 6 hour wait in a queue for a train at 4am when I’d booked tickets for a train at the back of 1.

Was at the game and have never watched it back.

Got digs in Blackpool, great night in the jaggy thistle the night before. Train station at Blackpool was bouncing the next morning going through to Manchester. Spent the day in Piccadilly Square and could tell as the afternoon went on they were letting too many people in as it was getting tighter and tighter. Left about 5 to head over to the stadium and didn’t know anything about the trouble til we got back to the train station. A 6 hour wait in a queue for a train at 4am when I’d booked tickets for a train at the back of 1.

Whole organisation was a shambles.

 

[pandager1]

Walter made a pigs ear of that game. Novo was bang in form and should have started. Always irked me that we went out as if we were playing for a draw

He was probably too negative for a final but that Zenit side would've cut us to ribbons if we had opened up. They absolutely destroyed Bayern that season.

 

[club175]

He was probably too negative for a final but that Zenit side would've cut us to ribbons if we had opened up. They absolutely destroyed Bayern that season.

They were definately a decent side but playing for pens in a cup finals isn’t for me. It also killed the atmosphere stone dead

 

[G51 bear]

Never watched it since being at the actual game.

Same here mate , still hurts to this day , the result and the sizeable amount of drunken zoomers that traveled down .

 

[KingCarlos72]

Never watched it back like many others, mental trip, great trip but when I think back to Manchester and Seville, these trips must have done some damage to my liver

 

[sofa_kineazy]

Had my ticket wrapped in a plastic bag and kept under the insole of my trainer. Only retrieved it when I got to the turnstile. Me and Scott had paid a grand for a pair of tickets.

Was quite funny when we were waiting outside a tube station in London to meet the guy when Scott said “ shall we just do him in, take the tickets and save us £500 each?”

I’m could see his point but declined that suggestion.

Trip up with the Gosport Loyal was a great one and seeing the Bears emptying the beer aisles as quick as the staff could restock them was quality.

The game, disappointing but glad I was there.

Then after the game seeing Zenit fans diving into bins and pulling 1.5l vodka bottles out that they’d stashed before the game.

 

[nelster]

Had my ticket wrapped in a plastic bag and kept under the insole of my trainer.

Wish I’d thought of that, I was appointed the tickets guardian, walking about all day in the heat checking every few seconds they were still there.

Anyone that doesnt remember they were just bits of card with an rfid chip inside, the ink on them was well dodgy, when I first got mine I thought they were fakes.

You held them up to a light you saw the rfid chip and knew they were real.

Was proud to have a thread with photos and a guide that was a sticky on here before the Fiorentina 2nd leg.

 

[stonewall Jackson]

A great trip despite the reversal.

Was with lots of close pals and actually stayed in the same city centre hotel as Dave Smith. Had a very pleasant evening in his company on the Tuesday night.

Remember a Wetherspoons getting emptied by Zenit Ned’s on Wednesday afternoon. They were lucky it was plastic glasses on the day. Liberty takers with lots of women and kids.

The game was a bit of an anti climax as was the walk back into the city centre.

It was mental in the hotel after the game as they shipped in lots of bouncers and cracked down on everything. These Cnuts were over the top and actually threw a Zenit fan who was staying in the hotel down a flight of stairs.

 

[blueaway]

That was a great trip, regardless of how things went.

My old man was part of the maintenance staff and there were only a few left at the time, maybe 7 or 8 guys, him, wee George the plumber, big George joiner, Picasso, and a couple of other boys. Staunch as you like and were buzzing to go down as part of the staff as that was part of the plan that they all went down on the staff buses and watch the game.

Martin Bain put paid to that about a week or so before it when he decided that Ibrox was to open up so no staff were to go down and that was a dagger to the heart of these guys. Dad asked me if I wanted his ticket to go down with the staff but it eas only one ticket and I had a deal with my pal that as we watched all the campaign together that we would go down together, ticket or not. I knocked it back, stupidly and went down on the day with my mate.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, will ever better the sight when getting off that train at Piccadilly of seeing the full place ram packed with red white and blue, flute bands playing and the whole place absolutely buzzing. It was roasting outside and it was a glorious day. Stepping outside the station and you couldn’t see anything other than blue tops and people lining the whole street down to the Piccadilly square.

What a day, what an experience. Bumping into people you know everywhere, not a place sold booze anywhere apart from the M&S in the train station where the wee security guard was just letting folk walk out with whatever Shitey Belgian beer that was left in the shelves just to clear the shop and close it. Every pub rammed and closed to any more folk wanting in. We found a wee pub in a side street that was strangely empty, and it had a few Russian fans in and that was it so we stayed there for a couple with these great Russian guys as friendly as you like just enjoying the day out.

Ended up having to run along past the Arndale centre just to find a telly and thankfully one of the upmarket pubs had a big screen outside, just down from where the football museum is now, so we caught the second half and the rest is history really. After that the day went from heaven to hell but I wouldn’t change it for anything other than us winning the game.

Was so proud of us that day, a superb experience.

Unbelievable that by Bain, terrible to hear that - he could have got Rock Steady in and just covered it. Absolutely classless behaviour but probably at the behest of Murray no Money.

 

[VGM]

It’s good to see Archie McPherson has a FF account.

Archie would know Beasley got injured six months earlier.

 

[Daviegblue]

Absolutely loved Manchester. The
night before in the square was amazing then to wake up and come out hotel at 10am and see the amount of fans was unbelievable.