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. Old Trafford (given the nickname The Theatre of Dreams by Sir. ... Telstra Stadium in Sydney, Australia is capable of being converted from a rectangular rugby football field to an oval for cricket and Australian rules football games This article is about the building type. ... Manchester United Football Club are a world-famous English football club, based at the Old Trafford stadium in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and are one of the most popular sports clubs in the world, with over 50 million supporters worldwide. ... Statistics Population: 42,103 Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SJ7994 Latitude: 53. ... The cantilevered beam (green) projects from its supports (blue), balanced by the structure (red block), which supports the load (red arrow). ...

History

Traditionally, the Stretford End housed United's diehard supporters. In the days before all-seater stadia, it was the main standing area of the ground, accommodating 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 2nd May 1992. The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing. ...

In 1993, the Stretford End was converted into an £10 million all-seater cantilever stand to comply with the Taylor Report, and its name was officially changed to West Stand, although it is still often referred to as the Stretford End. In 2000, a second tier of seating was added. 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 is one of the quietest areas in the stadium, a contrast to the old Stretford End. Beneath one of the corners are the players' dressing rooms, tunnel and lounge. Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... All-seater is a terminology applied to sports stadiums in which every spectator must be seated. ... The cantilevered beam (green) projects from its supports (blue), balanced by the structure (red block), which supports the load (red arrow). ... The Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. ... The term dressing room may be applied to different places. ...

Only Denis Law and Éric 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. Denis Law (born February 24, 1940, in Aberdeen, Scotland) is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s. ... Éric Daniel Pierre Cantona (born May 24, 1966 in Marseille) is a French former footballer of the late 1980s and 1990s. ...

Following Manchester United's premature ending with the clubs sponsor Vodafone, the new sponsor, AIG will not be displayed in the seats and 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. Vodafone Group plc is a mobile network operator headquartered in Newbury, Berkshire, England. ... Swoosh is the symbol of the athletic shoe and clothing manufacturer Nike. ...

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. UNICEF Logo The United Nations Childrens Fund or UNICEF (Arabic: ; French: ; Spanish: ) was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946. ...

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:

• 031 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 are in the process of deciding if a replica "ticker" banner will be made.
• MUFC The Religion — symbolizing fanaticism and loyalism 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.
• 2O LEGEND — a reference to the United player Ole Gunnar Solskjær who had been injured for over a year when the banner was made. Solskjær wears 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.
• February 6, 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 on their day, this does not reflect the quality of the team.

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. Manchester City Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Manchester. ... Republik of Mancunia is a term used by Manchester United fans as a way of expressing Mancunian pride. ... Graphic designers sometimes employ faux Cyrillic typography to give a Slavic feel to English text, by replacing Latin letters with Cyrillic letters resembling them. ... This article is about the city in England. ... First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Biggest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Biggest defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... Ole Gunnar Solskjær (born February 26, 1973) is a Norwegian football player who currently plays for Manchester United (since July 1996). ... The classic line-up at the time of Spike Island The Stone Roses were one of the most influential bands to come out of Britain during the late 1980s and early 90s. ... Champions League Logo The UEFA Champions League is an annual international inter-club football competition between Europes most successful clubs, regarded as the most prestigious club trophy in the sport. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A plaque at Old Trafford Football Ground commemorating the Munich air disaster The Munich air disaster took place on February 6, 1958, when the British European Airways Flight 609 crashed in a blizzard on its third attempt to take off from an icy runway at the Munich-Riem airport in... Malcolm Irving Glazer (born May 25, 1928 in Rochester, New York) is an American businessman and sports-team owner. ... After Manchester United F.C. was floated on the stock market in 1990, the high value of the club made it seem unlikely that a hostile takeover would be possible. ...

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 game)
• United > England (in place at the Tottenham game, but has been banned since due to one complaint)

The New Fans Group Stretford End Flags responsible for the new banners above can be found at http://www.stretfordendflags.com

Statue

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 Stretford End" as he was idolized by the End's faithful. Denis Law (born February 24, 1940, in Aberdeen, Scotland) is a retired Scottish football player, who enjoyed a long and successful career as a striker from the 1950s to the 1970s. ... September 23 is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

References

www.stretfordendflags.com

Access to Stretford End - The Website of Dreams

www.stretford-end.com

www.RepublikOfMancunia.org