Thursday, May 15, 2008

Carnage Carnival


Well, I'm just glad that I don't live nor work in the city centre.
Not saying that there wasn't a brilliant carnival atmosphere when around 150,000 Rangers fans descended upon a sunny Manchester to watch their team in the Uefa Cup final. There was - it looked great, everyone seemed happy.
There was a little trouble as expected from a minority of fans who, understandably, were rather upset when one of the big screens that was supposed to be showing the match in Piccadilly Gardens broke down. Plus they had been drinking all day and probably were suffering from sunstroke. Anyway, riot police were involved, someone got stabbed, people got hurt.
The Scots went home the losers, and whilst people would have thought that the city of Manchester would have benefitted from the mid-week influx of so many tourists spending money in the vicinity, looking at the rubbish and damage left behind, I think the city was also a loser.
Supermarkets selling crates of beer were probably the overall winners.

3 comments:

  1. I like reading the BBC streaming coverage of the football (because I can't listen to it, grr). Lots of little humorous bits that turn up.

    Like on Scot trying to buy a can of beer off someone for a tenner because the city centre had run dry.

    Still, crappy state of affairs afterwards. At least it means they won't be putting screens up next week for the CL final. What's the point anyway? Man City aren't playing in it and all the ManUre fans would hardly drive up from London to watch it.

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  2. Hmmm...I have a feeling those screens will be going up again next week and then probably at least one of them may be left up to cover Euro 08.

    Or maybe not, since England aren't playing.

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  3. Still safer than going - according to the news, Al Quaida are targeting the European Cup... No big surprise. I love the way authorities say they're paying special attention to tickets bought from "at risk" nations like Afghanistan.

    Because obviously they'd never think of sending suicide bombers here to buy them *locally*. What do they expect? Two tickets for the final to Mr O.B.Laden, Third Cave Up, Rock Formation Outside Islamabad, XX1 7BR?

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