Match Day - Manchester Day 3

Need I say more?  Most likely not.  Match day was the ultimate.

We all woke with butterflies and the Things with a case of ants in the pants. Really.  They just could not contain themselves.  Thing 1 and Thing 2 joined me in walking to the city centre of  Manchester.  We finished up some last minute shopping needs there and enjoyed seeing the city.  It looked like something out of a story book.  Quaint cottage style architecture, surrounded by large buildings filled with all the finest shopping.

Thing 3 and Thing 4 accompanied Husband Jared to the Museum of Science and Industry.  Five buildings of FREE entertainment for children and adults alike.  They visited aircraft replicas, had some hands on experiences and enjoyed some Dad time.

We all met back at the hotel and donned our United gear proudly as we walked to the corner pub for lunch and beverages before the match.  The six of us were once again the "monkeys".  Dressed head to toe in black and red, we looked like our own firm.  Could have been too. 

 After lunch we caught a taxi and headed to Old Trafford confident that the Red Devils would provide us with a good showing.  Our seats were quite close to the opposing team's section.  A sea of West Brom fans taunted us and sang loudly.  They quieted when only minutes in Thing 1's favorite, Chicharito, put one in the back of the net.  We were on our feet and singing, "Glory, Glory, Man United" with the rest of the crowd.  I had to pinch myself.  As I looked down our row and saw the Things smiles from ear to ear I couldn't help but smile myself.

We cheered, we sighed in frustration and looked on in disbelief when our seasoned goalkeeper made a rookie mistake.  Oh well, it happens to the best of them, right?  West Brom ended up with two goals in the second half to even up the score.  And although there were attacks they were not enough to pull off a "W" on this day.  Husband Jared saw his favorite, Rooney, take the field.  Not a great appearance, but seeing him live and in person was alright for him.  The whistle was blown and the mass of Red Devil fans sadly exited the stadium while listening to the celebrations of the West Brom fans.  The Things were dissappointed in the result of the match.  Husband Jared was upset.  Ultimately we all decided watching a draw in person was a fantastic experience no matter the outcome.  Don't get me wrong, we would have loved to see Utd. win, but nevertheless we were there.

Our highlights do not end there though.  After leaving our seats we followed dedicated fans to the players' exit.  The spot where chosen security guards bring the players' cars to them, where their family and friends walk with them and where they sign autographs.  We were positioned opposite the exit and behind the coach for West Brom.  Although we didn't have a clear view of the player's faces when they exited we knew who was coming from the chants of the fans.  First to leave, Nani.  No, not our Nani, Cheryl.  The Nani.  And his vehicle of choice, a white lamborghini that made Thing 4's eyes pop out of his head.  Wow.  Next up, Macheda.  The young, Italian super sub as we call him.  No PT for him at this match, but his "entourage" was right beside him.  He waved and we watched as he walked to his car.  Then there was Vidic, and
Van der Sar and Berbatov.  They signed a few autographs and we clapped and watched slack jawed at our proximity to these athletes.  Scholes left and then the young twin, Rafael and then Rio Ferdinand.  Captain of the England squad and otustanding defensive player.  He signed a wealth of autographs.   And then Thing 3 spotted him coming to our side and she ran to greet him.  Guess what?  He signed her program!  Oh the excitement.  The smile on her face, priceless.  Husband Jared and I were sure that the Things enthusiasm would be waning at this point but no they wanted to see Rooney and Giggs.  I can't blame them, I did too.  Rooney did leave, his vehicle right near the doors and his wife and baby with him.  We waved.  I think he waved back.  We are still fans.  After nearly an hour of standing and waiting Giggs was the last to leave.  He did not sign any autographs, just waved and drove away.  That was good enough for us and worth the wait.

After the player's show we left Old Trafford, still in awe at the day we just experienced.  All four Things still telling stories of chants, and revisiting the plays on the field that should have gone a different way.  Talking about the way "their" players did this or that, the way they moved or didn't and then the goals.  Oh the goals!  Always exciting.

We decided to walk to dinner near the City Centre.  Not a good choice with four Things on a Saturday night at 7:30pm.  Three restaurants all had near an hours wait so we ended up dining at Subway.  Good enough for the Things.  The Subway here in Turkey is not quite the same.  High's and low's of the day were shared and all six of us decided the low for the day was definitely the outcome of the match.  On our walk back to the hotel after dinner we stopped for dessert at a corner market.  Our basket was loaded with all the candy we don't have access to in Turkey, M&M's, Oreos, Dr. Pepper and Skittles.  Just some of our favorites.  The trek to the hotel was chilly and once back in our room we threw our jammies on and snuggled in bed watching Nanny McPhee 2. 

A perfect ending to a nearly perfect day.

* please excuse the quality of the photos, they were all taken with Husband Jared's phone