Reds going to The Community Shield on August 10 can buy their train tickets from tomorrow.

It is well worth booking seat reservations in advance with both teams’ fans coming from the North West.

A return ticket is expected to cost £77.30, but you can book it cheaper if you’re willing to change trains and spend half an hour or so booking.

For example, you could book:

Manchester to Crewe return for £9.50, then

Crewe to Birmingham New Street for £14, then

Birminghan New Street to London Euston for £12.

So that would work out at £35.50 – £42 cheaper than if you go direct and spend a few minutes booking.

Meanwhile, Champion Sport Tours is taking bookings for this game. Places cost £30 per person.

Email debbie@mufctravel.com with the names of those travelling, a contact phone number and a request for an online payment link.

All payments must be made by the end of May.

Travelling by Megabus currently costs £18 return, though that only takes you as far as Victoria Coach Station.

National Express is also running coaches on this route at £14 return, though it takes about an hour longer each way.

However, the firm usually runs matchday coaches from Manchester directly to Wembley, but these will not go on sale until the kick-off time is announced.

Flying from Manchester to London on the day of the game would cost about £120 return. Visit skyscanner.net for details.

Thhe parade when United won their 19th title

Greater Manchester Police is urging Manchester United fans to behave responsibly and make their Premier League title victory parade a great occasion.

Thousands of fans are expected to line the streets of Trafford and the city centre today to celebrate a 20th league title.

Officers are reminding fans of the on-street alcohol ban in force across public places in Trafford and the city centre and urging them to enjoy themselves in a responsible manner.

Chief Superintendent John O’Hare said: “This is a great occasion for the club and we wouldn’t want to discourage supporters from enjoying themselves.

“We would simply reiterate, as we have in previous years, that people should drink sensibly and ensure they get to the stadium or the city centre in plenty of time.

“There are a number of road closures being put in place and there will no doubt be a lot of people around with fans eager to see the team parade the trophy.

“I would also remind supporters to take note of the on-street alcohol ban restricting drinking in public places.

“Our officers will be enforcing the ban throughout the day and will confiscate alcohol where necessary.

“The parade will be attended by lots of families so I would urge all those attending to be mindful that there are also young children around and behave in a responsible way.”

Tickets

United have got 2,491 tickets in the Smethwick End – the same number as last season.

They are all sold and the home end is sold out too.

West Brom are not selling tickets on Viagogo either.

TV

Sky haven’t yet decided which games they will show live on the final day but it will be a major surprise if they do not cover the end of an era for the boss of all bosses, Sir Alex Ferguson.

You can watch the match live online via Wiziwig and Match of the Day 2 on BBC1 will show highlights at 22:25

Weather

This section will be updated five days before the game

Travel

Car – £20

If you’re using a satnav or an internet routeplanner, like Greenflag, use the postcode B71 4LF.

The journey will take 80 minutes each way and will typically cost £20 in fuel.

The easiest route is down the M6, onto the M5, leaving at junction 1 on to the A41 and it’s signposted from there.

Parking – free

Park for free 15 minutes away from the ground on either Kenrick Way or Telford Way.

It’s very easy to get away from the ground after the game as it’s just off junction 1 of the M5.

You can pay a fiver to park on the club’s East Stand car park. Entry is via the A41 by McDonalds.
ICS Distribution Ltd, in Halfords Lane, B66 1BP, charges £4 for places and it’s a two-minute walk to the ground.

For £2.50 you can get a spot at Park Lane Industrial Estate, Park Lane, B21 8LE, which is a five-minute walk to the ground.

Train – £34.20

The nearest train station to the ground is called The Hawthorns – a five-minute walk away from the ground, but it’s a faff to get to.

To the game

From Piccadilly, it requires two or three changes.

Get a day return from the station on the day. Buying in advance isn’t any cheaper.

*To catch your next train, you must walk from New Street to Moor Street. Come out of the station via the Pallasades Shopping Centre onto Queens Drive and turn left. Keep walking and, when you reach TK Maxx, follow the road round to the left. Keep walking along St Martin’s Circus Queensway and, at the end, turn right onto Moor Street.

*To catch your next train, you must walk from Snow Hill to New Street. Come out of the station and turn onto Edmund Street. Walk all the way along it til the road ends and it becomes a pedestrianised path. Keep walking and, when you Birmingham Central Library on your right, turn left onto Hill Street. Keep walking and turn left onto Queen’s Drive, which till take you into the station. It’s a 10-minute walk.

Train and shuttle bus – £19

The shuttle bus leaves from the stop on the centre right

To cater for their own fans, West Brom run a shuttle bus service from outside Stafford train station, costing £5 return.

It leaves at 13:30 and gets to the ground for about 14:30 after stopping in Cannock.

The bus drops you off in a car park a 10-minute walk from the ground and it leaves from the same place at 30 minutes after the game, reaching Stafford at about 19:15.

I would definitely recommend this as the cheapest and most convenient option, though it might be wise to keep colours hidden.

Matchday coach – £15

The Betty Bus is sold out. It leaves from Chorlton Street Coach Station at 12:00 and from outside The Bishop’s Blaize pub in Trafford at 12:15.

Champion Spourt Tours’ coaches are sold out. They leave from outside The Bishop’s Blaize at 12:30 and places cost £15.

On behalf of United, Thomas Cook Sport is running coaches departing from Old Trafford, priced at £26. Departure time will be confirmed on booking.

Click on the banner below to book.






Public coach – £10.10

West Bromwich doesn’t have a coach station, but you could get a National Express coach to Wolverhampton or Birmingham or the Megabus to Birmingham and then continue your journey by train.

Megabus from Manchester to Birmingham is £4 each way and then the train from Moor Street to The Hawthorns is £2.10 return.

Details here.

Tickets

United have got 2,914 tickets, which is the same number as last season.

They cost £62 for adults, £26.50 for over 65s and £23.50 for under 16s. All are sold out.

TV

Sky Sports 1 will show the match live.

You can also watch it live online via Wiziwig. We recommend using Sopcast.

BBC1 will show highlights of the match during Match of the Day which starts at 22:30.

Weather

It’s a good day for football: After five days of rain in North London, there is set to be sunshine broken up by cloud, with a high of 14C and low of 5C.

Travel


Car – £62

If you’re using a satnav or an internet routeplanner, use the destination postcode N5 1BU.

The journey will take about three-and-a-half hours each way and is 206 miles each way.
Petrol is £31 each way, with an extra £4 each thrown in for the M6 Toll road if you so choose to take that route.

The basic route is M6 → M4 → M1 → A1 → A503.

Parking – £1.10

There is no official parking at the stadium itself, and Arsenal “strongly advise” people not to try to park near the ground because: “the ground is situated in a mainly residential area with an extensive Event Day Parking Scheme in operation”

It really is a struggle to find a street within a mile and a half that is not restricted with parking.

A far better solution is to park at Walthamstow Central tube station, which has a car park with 270 spaces. It costs £1.10 per car all day on a Sunday
Go here for details.

From there, you can get the Victoria Line five stops south and get off at Highbury and Islington station for the stadium.

You will need a one-day tube pass covering zones 1-4, which costs £7.70.

You could also park at Cockfosters Tube which costs £1.50 for the day. Details here.

From Cockfosters, take the Piccadilly line south eight stops and then transfer to the Victoria Line and take it one stop south to Highbury and Islington.

Oli Winton says: “On a Sunday, parking is easy in lots of other places too on single yellow lines,

“If
coming off M1 at junction 1, you can park by Finchley Road Train Station and go direct on
train to Highbury and Islington, or park at Tottenham Hale [along noth circular
from M1] and get the Victoria Line to the stadium.”

Train- £84.30

The simplest route is Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston by train, then transfer to the Tube.

Going

The cheapest you’ll get at this stage is an off-peak day return, which you can buy at Piccadilly on the day or in advance by clicking the link below, for £77.30.

From Euston, buy a one-day pass covering zones 1 and 2 for £7 and take the Victoria Line two stops north and get off at Highbury and Islington.

It takes 4 minutes, plus about 20 minutes walking at either side.

Highbury and Islington tube stop has a structured waiting system at the surrounding Tube stations after the game, so you can hope to be back at Euston by 18:40, depending on when you leave.

Matchday coach – sold out

The Betty Bus is sold out. PLEASE NOTE
- the coach will only be picked up at Chorlton Street due to a running event taking place in Trafford.

Thomas Cook Sport is sold out.

Champion Sport Tours is sold out.

PLEASE NOTE – coaches leave from near Lancashire County Cricket Club due to a running event taking place in Trafford.

Public coach – £25

Megabus runs coaches between Shudehill Bus Station in Manchester and Victoria Coach Station in London.

National Express runs coaches between Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester and Victoria Coach Station in London

From the coach station, walk the short distance to Victoria Tube station and buy a one-day pass covering zones 1 and 2 for £7.

Then take the Victoria Line northbound six stops and get off at Highbury and Islington. It takes 20 minutes.

Plane – £116.50

From Heathrow, buy a one-day Travelcard covering zones 1-6 costing £8.50 and take the Piccadilly Line all the way to Kings Cross and then transfer over to the Victoria Line.

Take the Victoria Line to Highbury and Islington for the stadium. The whole journey will take about 45 minutes.

United fans are being urged to keep aisles clear and to not congest the concourse at tomorrow’s match against West Ham.

Last time United played at West Ham in the league, fans got 2,200 tickets, down from 3,000 on the previous league visit.

But safety officials said there were still problems with fans blocking aisles and people blocking the concourse to such an extent noone could walk from one end to the other.

As a result, they limited tomorrow night’s allocation to just 1,992.

United officials will be handing out letters at the turnstiles to encourage fans to not block the aisles and concourse.

No alcohol will be on sale in the concourse.

MUST chief executive officer Duncan Drasdo said: “In recent months fans’ groups have been working extremely hard to preserve and increase our allocations at away games – particularly at West Ham.

“Special mentions must also go to Dale Haslam at Reds Away and Amanda Jacks of the FSF who’ve been a driving force behind this.

“We have had clear indications from safety authorities that fans blocking aisles is a major concern for them and has resulted in reduced allocations previously.

“The letter being distributed at West Ham will ensure all of our fans are aware it not only causes emergency access problems but also denies fellow reds tickets for future games and none of us want to see that.

“I am delighted United have supported fans’ groups’ requests for this letter to be distributed as it has been made clear to us that, if aisles are kept clear and people can move freely through the concourse, it will drastically increase our chances of getting more tickets for future fixtures both at West Ham and other grounds.”

And the attendances for cup games were far lower than the official figures given by United, according to new figures.

Under FA rules, United, as the host club, must publish the ‘official attendance’, which includes everyone who bought a ticket whether they went to the game or not.

But, for safety purposes, Greater Manchester Police keeps its own record of the actual number of people who pass through the turnstiles.

Reds Away asked GMP for this using the Freedom of Information Act and GMP supplied the figures today, which are as follows (similar figures for Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will follow next month):

Tickets

We’ve got 1,992 tickets at £49 adults, £26 over 65s and £26s under 16s.

All tickets sold out.

Read we’ve got so few tickets here.

TV

Sky Sports 2 will show the match live.

You can also watch it live online via Wiziwig and

Weather

This section will be updated five days before the game.



Travel



Car – £75

If you’re using a sat nav or a routeplanner, use the postcode E13 9AZ.

The journey is 225 miles, takes about three hours and 45 minutes and will cost you about £75 in petrol, plus £4 each way if you decide to go there and back on the M6 road toll.

The basic route is the M6, M42, M1, M25, M11 and A406 (north circular road).

Take the A406 to the A124 (East Ham).
Then on Barking Road for approximately one-and-a-half miles until you approach the traffic lights on cross-roads.

Turn right into Green Street & the ground is on the right hand side., through Barking and then to East Ham.

Parking

The best areas to look for spaces are side streets off Barking Road, once you are past the lights at East Ham Town Hall. Try Didsbury Close (E6 2RX).

Barking Road gets really busy with traffic after the match so you’re better off parking as near to the North Circular as you can be bothered to walk from to ensure you get on the open road as quickly as possible after the game.

A lot of the streets on the right side of Barking Road have parking restrictions, but it’s worth checking the signs because many of the restrictions only apply until 18:00.

Calverton Road, West End Road and Kempton Road (E6 2LD) don’t have any restrictions and you will probably find the odd space in that area if you arrive early enough.

You can park at Newham General Hospital (E13 8BL) where there is a pay and display car park, which costs £1.50 for four hours, or £3.50 for six.

To find the hospital, drive down Barking Road and pass the ground on your right.

Turn left into Prince Regent Lane and the hospital is signposted from there.

It’s a 15-minute walk from the ground.

Train

In terms of getting home, the train is risky to say the least: If the match finished on time at 21:30, you would then have until 22:00 to make it back to Euston for the last train back Manchester.

This is unlikely as it’s 28-minute Tube journey even if you get on without queueing or waiting and then there’s the long trek up the escalators at Euston.

We wouldn’t advise taking this option.

However, if you decide to go one way by train, or come back the next day:

- Don’t leave Piccadilly before 09:35 as you will pay a small fortune

- After this, trains leave Piccadilly xx:15, xx:35 and xx:55 each hour

- They take roughly 2 hours and 10 minutes

- Don’t leave after 16:55

- It should cost you £77.30 return if you buy on the day

- If you’re only going one way, leave after 11:35 for the cheapest one-way ticket. At the moment this is £26 one way.
- If you decide to come back the following day, trains leave Euston every 15 minutes after 09:35

By Tube

This takes 28 minutes.

The Tube is running normally on the day of the match.

If you have chosen to buy a return from Piccadilly to Euston then, at Euston, you will need to buy a one-day Travelcard for Zones 1-3, costing £8 (or a single ticket, depending on how and when you’re returning home).

Take the Victoria Line one stop northbound to Kings Cross. This takes two minutes.

Then take the Hammersmith and City Line 13 stops eastbound to Upton Park. This takes 26 minutes.

Upton Park Tube is a five-minute walk to the ground down Green Street.

Matchday coaches

The Betty Bus leaves Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester city centre at 12:45 and the Bishop’s Blaize pub in Chester Road, Trafford, at 13:00.
Places cost £30.

To book, email your name, required number of places and a contact telephone number to redsaway@hotmail.co.uk

The Champion Sport Tours coaches leave from outside the Bishop’s Blaize at 13:30. They are sold out.

On behalf of United, Thomas Cook Sport is running coaches from Old Trafford to the game.

They cost £37 per person and departure time will be confirmed on booking.

Click on the banner below to book.




Public coaches – £10

Megabus runs coaches between Shudehill Coach Station in Manchester city centre and Victoria Coach Station in London.

Getting there

Walk the short journey from Victoria Coach Station to Victoria Tube.

Turn onto Buckingham Palace Road, walk up and then turn left onto Eccleston Bridge (see map to the right).

When you get to Victoria Tube, get a one-day off-peak Travelcard covering zones 1-3. It will cost £8.

From Victoria, take the District Line 18 stops each to Upton Park. This takes 35 minutes.

Upton Park Tube is a five-minute walk to the ground down Green Street.

If you decide to go home by Megabus, we strongly recommend leaving the game five minutes early.

Getting back

National Express also runs coaches between Manchester and London, but they are the same price or more expensive than Megabus and take longer.

Plane

There are a few flights there – the cheapest is currently £69 one way – but none coming back after the game. Visit skyscanner.net for details.

Below is the email sent to season-ticket holders today about the away ticket distribution.

Following an extensive review over the last few months, the Fans’ Forum is proposing a number of improvements to the process of away ticket balloting.

We are asking for specific feedback on these proposals.

Responses should be sent to mailbox  by April 30.

The proposals are summarised in this note.

LOYALTY POT (LP) LONGER TERM

Both the forum and the club endorse the continuing principle of a loyalty scheme based on long-term attendance/application for domestic away games.

But it needs to be redesigned to make it more open and dynamic.

Currently, to qualify for the LP, a fan had to have applied for every away game during a particular period during the 2002/03 season.

We want to allow fans who have shown great loyalty since then to enjoy the benefits of the LP.

This degree of change is beyond the scope of what we initially agreed to look at so we can’t introduce a new scheme for next season as it needs more analysis and design, consultation and notice of change.

We should aim for it to be in place for 2014/15.

MEASURES FOR NEXT SEASON

1 Redistribution of Current Allocations

Ballot processes so far this season have reduced LP success rates by about 9% to around 78% (in part due to a run of lower allocation games).

This has resulted in a small benefit to ST applicants (now around 15% success rate).

Distribution will have to be reviewed further as part of the new loyalty scheme from 2014/15.

For 2013/14, we should keep LP success at 80% which equates to an average of 750 per game.

This percentage should be retained even if LP applicants fall further during next season.

2.  Qualifying Period for New Season Ticket Holders (STH)

From next season, no new STH will be able to apply for away games until they reach Silver level which has reduced from 5 years tenure to 3 years.

All existing Red ST holders will be able to continue to apply.

3 Application and allocation controls

We want to ensure that, as far as possible, tickets are allocated to and used by those who are actually applying – but we do not want to prevent informal exchange trading between regular applicants, or create unreasonable demands on applicants or the club.

Proposed measures could lead to fewer applications (increasing success rates for those applying genuinely), help to ‘audit’ the current applications base in advance of a new loyalty scheme, and tackle ticket touting (including all sources of premium price tickets).

Some or all of the following may be used during 2013/14:

1. Identity and match-going status of all current LP members to be re-validated (method may include some form of ID ticket collection for a few selected games, which may include presenting STs as proof of identity)

2. Club exercise due diligence with club allocated tickets (player, sponsors etc) on conditions of ticket use.

3. Discourage multiple and proxy applications in the ST pot – may include validating secondary applicants and/or tickets sent out separately to grouped applications.

4. Discourage Execs from applying on behalf of others as this impacts on success rates of fellow execs

5. Sustained club follow up on all premium ticket sale sources

4 Addressing reduced allocation issues

Actions to improve success rates of ST applicants will be wiped out by continued reduced allocations imposed by clubs or local safety advisory groups.

Incidents have occurred at several games this season.

Multiple incidents at Chelsea in the Capital One Cup (flare thrown on the pitch, bottle thrown on the pitch, pitch encroachment) led to a renewed reduction at Spurs.

There were further incidents at Swansea (flare thrown) and West Ham (seat thrown onto pitch).

Other matches have reported issues of major aisle encroachment and steward abuse.

The Forum recognises the efforts of club officials and of supporter groups in negotiating with clubs and authorities and encouraging appropriate behaviour.

This was particularly successful for the Anfield game following the Hillsborough report.

But, we need ideas and commitment to do more in the interest of the core away fan base.

MEASURES FOR CONSIDERATION BUT NOT FOR 2013/14

1 Possible Registration Scheme for Away Applicants

Club officials have suggested that a registration scheme could help to persuade clubs and authorities not to reduce allocations.

The suggested scheme would require both a ticket (not individually named) and personal photo ID card to enter a ground.

It might also discourage occasional applicants (eg for popular games).

But there would be costs for the club and applicants and some may have civil liberty concerns.

A compromise idea would be for ticket holders to show the STs of the supporter in whose name the away ticket was issued.

This would have the benefit of allowing genuine fans to swap tickets in the event that the original supporter cannot attend the game but with the proviso that the applicant has to give the fan attending the game something of value (ie his or her United Season Ticket) in order to prove they legitimately hold the ticket.

Neither the club nor fan members of the forum are committed at this stage but we agreed to seek initial views from fans on the concept and principles.

2 Possible Separate (limited) Allocation for Family Stand (FS) Applicants

There has been a suggestion that there should be a limited scheme to provide dedicated tickets (located together in appropriate seating) for Family Stand applicants – ie an adult accompanied by a junior.

Proposed 25-30 pairs (50-60 seats) per game.

For a few games this might be negotiable in the opposing team family area.

FS applicants would not be able to apply additionally in the ST pot.

Any net ‘loss’ to be borne by ST Pot (offsetting some gain from LP)

FEEDBACK REQUEST

Although we have sought earlier feedback that generated the ideas that now form the basis of our proposals, we would like your view on the final proposals and other key questions.

The Club is committed to an updated LP and the three-year qualification period, but we would like any views on the following:

1. Initial views on how the LP could be altered to incorporate the principle of ‘recent loyalty’

2. Proposal for limited Adult and Junior allocation

3. Other proposals to control applications and allocations

4. Further potential actions to address minority fan behaviour/reduced allocation issues

5. Views on the principles of a registration scheme and/ or the use of home STs to prove identity.

Final proposals will be confirmed at the May Fan’s Forum meeting.