Morecambe v Manchester United Monday 1st August 2011 745pm

[ockers]

The Shrimps are delighted to announce a prestigious pre-season friendly against Manchester United.
The Red Devils will travel to the Globe Arena for a game on Monday, August 1, 2011, with a 7.45pm kick off.
Club Secretary Neil Marsdin was pleased to announce the news saying: "We are delighted to be welcoming Manchester United for their first ever visit to the Globe Arena.
" It is a tremendous attraction for the club as Manchester United are inundated with requests for pre season fixtures.
" We contact a great many clubs during January and February to try to establish other clubs plans for the forthcoming pre-season. This season we are fortunate Manchester United's plans are such that they had a free date that coincided with ours. And whilst it is a Manchester United XI, you always remain hopeful that the side they send will contain names that the large United support in this area can identify with.
"I am sure that , if interest is anything similar to the last time we played them pre-season, back in 1996-97, when nearly 4,000 attended, we can expect a bumper attendance. ''
Ticketing and pricing will be announced at a later date.

[LA1Shrimp]

Told you you wouldnt be dissapointed

[bill ding]

Told you you wouldnt be dissapointed

But as it says its a "Man Utd 11" made up probably of players you have never heard of !

[steve mfc]

That should beat the the best attendance at the Globe so far, 5003 against Burnley.

There will be a lot of people checking their holiday plans now

[Duffman]

Told you you wouldnt be dissapointed

But as it says its a "Man Utd 11" made up probably of players you have never heard of !

Oxford played a Man Utd XI at the start of this season at this was the team that played:

Man Utd XI: Johnstone, Wootton, Fryers (Stewart HT), Chester, Gill, Possebon, Ajose, Morrison (Tunnicliffe 84), King (Norwood 68), Eiksem (Lingard 78), Brady (Dudgeon HT). Subs not used: Devlin, Cathcart.

[Gnasher]

Last, but not least, Manchester United will complete their United States preseason tour with a mouthwatering game against Barcelona on July 30 in Washington D.C. After the game, Manchester United will return to England to finalize preparation for the 2011-2012 Premier League season.

[Joel Ninety]

Ravel Morrison is probably worth the entrance fee alone if he's included in the Manchester United XI squad.

[LA1Shrimp]

Jesus some people are never happy, we have got a friendly against Manchester United, arguably one of the 3 biggest names in world football.

[Mighty Red]

Inverness Caledonian Thistle is a bigger name!

[Gnasher]

One of the biggest teams, in great demand so it only took about 10 seconds to find details of their US tour. It's all about setting the right expectations. Get it right and it's a massive, repeatable success. Get it wrong and the club's reputation takes a knock.

[morecambegeek]

The entire first team squad will be in the US. The club need to be incredibly careful marketing this - selling this as anything other than a reserve team match, which it is, will be very damaging to the club.

Personally, I don't think this is a prestigious friendly at all. Man Utd XIs play up and down the country at various non league grounds every summer (I went to see Altrincham play one last summer in the hope Twiss played), with various 16, 17 and 18 years olds. To present this as some sort of coup for the club is embarrassing.

[ockers]

as neil says it is a tremendous attraction for the club as Manchester United are inundated with requests for pre season fixtures. Neil goe son to say that they contact a great many clubs during January and February to try to establish other clubs plans for the forthcoming pre-season. This season we are fortunate Manchester United's plans are such that they had a free date that coincided with ours. And whilst it is a Manchester United XI, you always remain hopeful that the side they send will contain names that the large United support in this area can identify with.

as a liverpool fan i was hoping for the reds but this is a great coup for the club well done to all concerned it should be a fantastic evening
it just seems whatever the club do there will always be some people will never be happy

I say embrace it and tell all your friends to get themselves a ticket
some of these lads will be stars of the future and whats to say there wont be a few first teamers we all know needing a run out?..........bring it on
its manchester united
arguably the biggest club in the world(difficult for me to say that)

[morecambegeek]

Utd's reserves used to play at Christie Park every season when Blackburn reserves played there. It's no more glamorous than that.

[Gnasher]

Utd's reserves used to play at Christie Park every season when Blackburn reserves played there. It's no more glamorous than that.

And we had 3,000 at the first of those.

[LA1Shrimp]

Dont come then Morecambegeek, thats the simple answer.

Personally I think its great, I can see it being a bumper crowd and hopefully full of kids who will then be swayed to come and watch us the following season, becoming Morecambe fans of the future.

I know how much hard work goes into getting friendlies these days, with pretty much every prem club going on money spinning foreign tours its very hard to get a big name, whether its an XI or not its says Morecambe vs Manchester United on the ticket.

[Seasider9601]

Personally I think its great, I can see it being a bumper crowd and hopefully full of kids who will then be swayed to come and watch us the following season, becoming Morecambe fans of the future.

Nail hit on head completely there, LA1.

Full house guaranteed no matter who is playing for The Red Devils.

[morecambegeek]

thats the simple answer.

It's not the simple answer, it's the lazy answer. We had the thread about this wonderful friendly that we were going to have, and how amazing everything was going to be, and it turns out it's going to be some spotty teenagers coming to the Globe. Yet people on here continue to hype it and pat each other on the back.

Maybe I'd have been more impressed had the club made the announcement this morning, but the leak last week, and your repeated assertations that everyone would be amazed will leave people disappointed. It isn't what we were sold.

[Seasider9601]

It's not the simple answer, it's the lazy answer. We had the thread about this wonderful friendly that we were going to have, and how amazing everything was going to be, and it turns out it's going to be some spotty teenagers coming to the Globe. Yet people on here continue to hype it and pat each other on the back.

Maybe I'd have been more impressed had the club made the announcement this morning, but the leak last week, and your repeated assertations that everyone would be amazed will leave people disappointed. It isn't what we were sold.

Altogether now .........

Are you Pobble is disguise ?? Are you Pobble in disguise.

[LA1Shrimp]

It is a fantastic friendly, its against Manchester United, we are Morecambe, a fairly new League 2 football club - believe it or not we aren't top of any elite clubs list to play in a friendly. We don't have anyones reserves playing here so aren't a shoe in for games like a lot of clubs, to attract a top top name like Manchester United is a coup, that they would even send a reserve team is something to look forward too.

Its not like we will give them a test is it, I watched Blackburn Rovers under 18's beat us 3-0 without breaking sweat last year, what do prem teams have to gain from friendlies like this other than goodwill towards lower league teams.

[hoooti]

When you publicise Manchester United you think of their first team and what a great event that would be.

But if you publicise the real event of a Manchester united XI or Manchester United Reserves it doesnt sound that good to me. I would rather have seen a Lower End Premership Team (even Blackpool) come with more First teamers in the squad than what Man U are going to send.

Lets hope some Man U first Teamers remain at home and want a run out prior to the season starting.

[marky No.1]

Many people grumble over the years that we play against Barrow, Lancaster, Southport every pre season and why can't we have someone more flash. After last season's pre season disaster we should be happy

Even if a less high profile Premier Team was coming to town they still wouldn't bring many household names with them. At the end of the day our players will/should be over the moon. If we were going to play against the likes of Giggs, Scholes, Berbatov, Rooney, Ferdinand, Vidic and Chicarito we would be 15.0 down at half time

As has been said though, we don't want people's expectaions too high who think they are going to see all the above. I would hope they can manage 2 or 3 "names" though.

I have got tickets for Carlisle Races/Alexandra Burke that night so I am now in a quandary!

[LA1Shrimp]

Lower end prem teams would only send an XI though, pretty much every prem team goes on a tour now and returns at the end of July, they each usually have a 'showpiece' home game before the season starts. I think some people need to be realistic about their expectations.

The club prob should have worked a bit harder and demanded the United first team or not even bother announcing it, I guarantee there would be the usual culprits on here claiming a PR disaster or the club miss another trick.

I have got tickets for Carlisle Races/Alexandra Burke that night

what are her odds like

[DTSJim]

This thread sums up the people on this forum. The club couldn't announce a bigger club team for a friendly (realistically) and after 2 minutes their being criticised for promoting it.

Who's going to benefit from the club being quiet and reserved about this announcement? There's a risk that Man U will bring an under strength squad but we're not going to go out of our way to promote that are we.

We've announced probably the highest profile friendly we could have today, we'll gain revenue from it, expose the club to a wider and younger audience, and there's a chance we'll even get to witness a top quality game but instead of talking about that, people are argueing about whether it's even a good announcement.

The mind boggles.

[marky No.1]

what are her odds like

Quite long I suspect,

alexandra.jpg

but it's a question of ballskills

Nemanja.jpg

[Joel Ninety]

Has nobody seen this as a good opportunity for the management and fans to have a look at some of the talent in United's 2nd/3rd XIs that we could potentially sign on loan?

I'd rather see some of their upcoming players stuff us 5-0 than some journeymen and an "Aaron Taylor-alike" from Barrow.