100 Years at Old Trafford - "The Theatre of Dreams"

TomClare

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100 Years at Old Trafford – “The Theatre of Dreams”

It is ironic that it was none other than Sir Bobby Charlton who christened Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium “the Theatre of Dreams.” Speaking back in 1978 when the club was celebrating its centenary year, Sir Bobby said;

“I’ll always have a great affection for this place. I suppose that I have put a lot of blood and tears into it. And to see the place as it is now as opposed to when I first arrived here, makes me fully realize that I did have a little part in all that change. I find that so rewarding. Look at it now – it must be the envy of every club in the country.

As for the man on the street, the guys on the terraces, they’re everything. They’re not a part of the backroom politics and all the in-fighting that goes on. They don’t really understand that side of it. What they do understand is that they have their team and their whole lives revolve around coming down here to Old Trafford.

They are a part of a never ending story. They are a Theatre of Dreams!”

The “Theatre of Dreams” statement wasn’t really picked up on by the media until the middle of the 1990’s, but having made that statement a little over thirty years ago now, I wonder just how Sir Bobby feels today, when he looks out from the director’s box at Old Trafford on match days, and surveys the wonderful stadium and scene before him?

I first set foot inside Old Trafford in the Autumn of 1950, some three years before Sir Bobby joined the club, but it is true to say that that what we both saw on our initial visits, was identical. The stadium had been badly damaged by the German Luftwaffe in World War II, and it had taken over four years to raise the necessary finance through government grants and private money for the rebuilding to take place. Consequently home fixtures were played at Manchester City’s Maine Road ground until the opening home game of the 1949/50 season which was against Bolton Wanderers and took place on August 24th 1949. But even then, the rebuilding was not complete as the roof over the main stand (now the South Stand) had not been effected. This did however, happen for the beginning of the 1950/51 season.

I first set foot inside Old Trafford for a reserve game in August 1950 when I was just five years old. Accompanied by my brother Peter, we traveled from our home in Chorlton-upon-Medlock and even though almost sixty years have elapsed since that day, I can still remember it well. I suppose that for United supporters, wherever they may hail from, your first visit to Old Trafford is something that sticks in your memory for the rest of your life! Whenever I return to Old Trafford today, I always take time to look around the magnificent arena that stands before me, and then reflect upon how grand it has become since those old days many years ago. Today’s magnificent showpiece bears no resemblance in any way, shape or form, to the old lady that once stood there and served the club so well. So let me take you on a trip down Memory Lane.


There was a lot of football played at Old Trafford back then from First Division league games, Reserve team games, youth team games, amateur representative games, and even schoolboy representative games and cup finals. So the pitch got a lot of wear and tear. Although it always seemed to be in pristine condition for the opening game of the season in August each year, I think that it is true to say that by December the pitch was certainly only ever on nodding terms with a thing called grass! January and February would see the pitch cut up badly and at times, especially if there was inclement weather, the players would be playing on a sea of mud after ten minutes play.

The first team match day experience was totally different in those days. Getting to the stadium would be either by bus (which most people preferred), electric train using the London Road – Altrincham line (it is now the Metro Link line), the steam train from London Road from which you could alight immediately outside United’s main stand, or by car.

If you were traveling by bus, Manchester Corporation Transport used to run “football specials” from Aytoun Street, and Piccadilly, in city centre Manchester, to Old Trafford, and they would return after the match. There used to be lots of double decker buses (ironically in Manchester United’s red colour) in line and the fans used to queue at the bus stop. A bus inspector would call the buses forward and load the buses to capacity before waving them off. Travelling on these buses was quite an experience. The lower deck seating was filled and then in the aisle between those seats there would be a lot of people jammed in standing up. The bus conductor would have go around taking fares and issuing the bus tickets from what was a clipboard attached to his belt which had different coloured tickets on it – the colours denoting different fare prices.

Traveling on the upstairs of these buses, I can honestly say that you risked permanently damaging your health in doing so! Upstairs was for smokers and within minutes of the bus moving off, thick, acrid cigarette smoke would permeate the air, and half way through the journey to Old Trafford, you would smell it from downstairs. The poor bus conductor having had to go upstairs to collect the fares, would then descend when his job was done, eyes watering and more often than not, coughing his lungs clear. He would spend the rest of the journey stood on the bus platform trying to get as much clean air as possible as the bus meandered along on the rest of the journey to its final destination.



Football “Specials” lined up in Warwick Road after depositing fans there for a United match. They would wait there until after the match was over and would return fans back to the city centre.


Travelling by train, either the electric or steam mode, was far more sedate and comfortable. The electric train used to fill up, but this was also a scheduled service that ran from London Road through to Altrincham and return. It also catered for the everyday traveler who wasn’t going to a match, and on the occasion of the “bigger” match, you would often find people standing in the carriages once the seating was full. The train would arrive at the Old Trafford station and the fans would disembark and make their way down Warwick Road like an army of ants on the move. Past the Cricket ground, over Talbot Road, past Stretford Town Hall, over Chester Road, and down Warwick Road to the ground.

Today, the Metro service has replaced what used to be the electric service, and the line has been expanded out eastwards to Bury. However, upon arrival at Old Trafford station, the scene back in those days was very different from the colourful scene that greets today’s fan. Back then there was never any ticket touts waiting to greet you as you made your way out from the station. There were no vendor’s stalls at all along the whole of the walk down Warwick Road to the stadium. It wasn’t until the late 1950’s that hot dog/burger men in their white coats and their box wheeled trollies were seen at matches, but again, they were nothing like the giant mobile eateries that you see around the stadium today.

As you crossed over Chester Road the shop on the corner of Warwick Road on the left hand side, with the clock tower, used to be just a newsagents – there were no chip shops on that frontage at all. Over the other side of the road was Quick’s motor dealership, and their premises used to run down almost to the railway bridge just before the stadium. As you made your way down to the stadium, just before the bridge on the left hand side was the “United Café” and on match days this place was always overflowing with people.



United fans making their way down Warwick Road to the stadium. The “United Café” is the building in mid-picture behind the Pepsi-Cola sign. Glover’s Cables factory with its two tall imposing chimneys can be seen in the background.

One of the most memorable match day scenes on that bridge was the band of buskers who played there for probably 20 years or more. The accordionist on many occasions was a man named Terry Foy who originated from Dundee in Scotland and was a good friend of my father’s. Certainly, I can remember them still playing there in the early 1970’s and maybe even later.

Fans who traveled to the ground from London Road on the steam train, alighted right outside the main stand (South Stand today) and had not very far to walk upon their arrival. The forecourt of the ground at the Scoreboard End was what we used to commonly call a “croft”. On the rebuilding of the ground after the war, the forecourt was originally all cinders and over the years these cinders became trodden down making a hard surface. On match days, both first team and reserve, fans traveling by car would park their vehicles on the forecourt until it was full up. There was no charge, and no stewards organizing the parking! No vendors around that area, only newspaper boys from the Manchester Evening News, and Manchester Evening Chronicle, selling their latest editions.

On the ground where the car park is today opposite the Megastore, there used to be a mineral water firm named “Aerowater.” Mineral used to be the common name back then for what is now termed pop! Going past the “Aerowater” company’s premises you came to the Canal bridge and immediately across that was the large black castleated building and tower that was the Kilvert’s Lard company. This was a landmark that was there for years and years and years and was so instantly recognizable.

As you walked past the Scoreboard End and went to the left, you came upon United Road and walked down by what was termed then, the “Popular Stand”. On the right hand side was a large wall and behind that wall was the Glover’s Cables factory with its huge imposing buildings and two tall chimneys that soared into the air like two tall guardsmen on sentry duty at Buckingham Palace. United Road came to a dead end as you got towards the Stretford End of the stadium. The Glovers wall finished at a gate which enabled employees and visitors into the works areas, and also into their sports ground which was immediately at the back of the Stretford End. The Glovers wall carried on around there until you reached the rail line. Again, the area between the back wall of the Stretford End and the Glover’s wall was cinder, and was trodden down. It was in this area that the players used to play “killer ball’ during training and kick hell out of each other. Jimmy Murphy used to cast a watching eye over a lot of those sessions because as he used to say, he learned a lot about the character and qualities of a lot of the young players who were coming through.



The late Tommy Taylor with the “Popular Side” stand in the background.


Around the ground there was probably 20 – 25 entrances that allowed the fans to enter the stadium, and going through them was by means of passing through the rickety turnstile. Exit from the stadium was by means of large wooden gates and there were two each at both the Scoreboard, and Stretford Ends, three along the United Road, and four smaller ones along the Main Stand. The only seating area in the stadium in those days was in the main stand. It wasn’t until the Stretford End was modernized in 1959 that a further 1500 seats were installed, and then the original Cantilever Stand built in 1965/66 for the World Cup really opened up the stadium to seating. There were two Paddocks; the Old Trafford Paddock and the Stretford Paddock. The main stand and the two paddocks were covered from the elements. Both the Stretford and Scorebaord Ends were uncovered. Down along the “Popular Sde” there was a covered area that ran from approximately 18 yards line to 18 yards line.



The entrances to the turnstiles that allowed you access to the stadium on match days. 3/6d would amount to 18 pence in today’s currency! Central league matches referred to reserve team games.

Once you had gained entrance to the stadium through the turnstiles, normally the first person you saw were the men selling the official match programmes. There were plenty of them and they were only on sale inside the ground. When I went to my first senior game in September 1954, the cost of a programe was four pence (two pence in today’s currency). In the areas immediately inside the ground, at various intervals were small wooden huts/sheds that sold refreshments. Mostly it was Oxo/Bovril, or tea, minerals, crisps, sweets etc. I can’t honestly recall if pies were sold then but I can say that I did start seeing them on sale around the 1960 time. Oxo/Bovril which was a hot drink with a beef base, and was always welcome on those cold winter Saturdays throughout the football season.
 

TomClare

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Entrance into the actual stadium once you had gained access to the ground was by various avenues. There were three small tunnels which you could walk through – one each at both the Scoreboard, and Stretford End, and one in the middle of the “Popular Side.” As you cleared these tunnels, the stadium would open up in front of you in all of its glory. There was also a large number of stairways that went up to the top of the various terraced areas around the ground, and fans preferring a higher perched view of the arena would climb these stairways and enter the stadium that way. Separating the stands from the running track and the actual playing pitch was a picket fence that went the whole way around the ground – some seasons it was painted white, and others red. Where each stairway was located, you would see a metal stanchion about six feet tall and at the top of the stanchion would be a metal circle with the number of that particular stairway painted upon it. These stanchions would be taken down by the ball boys and placed on the running track alongside the picket fence, just before the game began.

The Stretford, and Scoreboard Ends back in those days were just very small terraced areas. The Scoreboard End’s main feature was the large Scoreboard at the top of the teraace. It was made of brick, wood and corrugated sheeting and was coloured for some reason, black and yellow. There were 26 boxes marked with a letter of the alphabet. Below each individual letter was a door that opened and had the facility for two cards to be inserted, one in the top half, and one in the bottom half. In the match programme on the back page would be the day’s football fixture and each game would have a letter of the Alphabet adjoining it. These letters would be matched to the letters on the scoreboard and at half time, when the doors of the boxes on the scoreboard were opened and the cards inserted, the top number would show the home team’s score and the bottom number would show the away team’s score. At full time, the process would be repeated and fans would know the results of most matches that were played that day.




This picture was taken at Easter in 1957 during the United v Burnley game. It looks towards the Scoreboard End and you can see the old Scoreboard atop of the terracing. Behind that you can see the Kilvert’s Pure Lard factory.


The Stretford End was nondescript back then, just a small standing terrace. However what did used to happen was that if you stood at the top of the Stretford End terracing, you could look down, and over, into the Glover’s cables sports ground. You could see the whole of their football pitch. Hundreds of fans used to stand at the top watching the Glover’s works team play whilst waiting for kick off time in the United game. You would see and hear them all stood up there and whenever a goal was cored in the Glover’s match, a roar would go up.



The late Tommy Taylor trains alone in a deserted Old Trafford back in 1957. In the background is the Stretford End, a far cry from what it was to become!

Back then United’s gates fluctuated depending upon who they were playing. The end that the away team defended would always be packed with spectators. At half time it used to be funny to watch people moving from behind one goal to the other at the opposite end of the ground. Again it was like an army of ants marching towards its prey!

The players used to emerge from a tunnel in the centre of the Main Stand. On either side of the tunnel were concrete dugouts for the home and away team staff (there was no substitutes in those days) and normally United’s would be occupied by Tom Curry, and Bert Whalley. Behind the dug out was a small flight of stairs that led up to the seats in the Main Stand. Sir Matt and Jimmy Murphy had two seats on the front row where they would watch the game from. It was a better vantage point than watching from the dugout as that was quite low and you didn’t get a wider view of the game.




The late David Pegg poses with a ball before a match in August 1957. Behind him in the background is the Main Stand and Stretford Paddock.


After a game we youngsters would hang around outside the Old Trafford main entrance. Unlike today there were never any autocratic commissionaires or security men policing the door, and often we would go inside. The area immediately inside those solid wooden doors was quite open, and led to the stairway that went up to the directors’ box and to the posh seats in the main stand. If you turned left once you were inside those main doors, there was the sliding door which led to the dressing rooms – Mecca for us, young starry eyed kids. Immediately inside the main door and facing it just 10 yards or more away, was the players’ tunnel, a surprisingly steep and narrow concrete ramp that led down and out into the stadium and then onto the pitch. The number of times that I ran down that tunnel as a young boy, imagining that I was carrying the ball and leading out my heroes to a full house – Oh! What a dream that used to be. We kids would fight to be first in the line to run down that tunnel, followed by the rest of the ‘Ragged Arsed Rangers’! It must have been so funny for the ground staff, who after a game would be tending to the playing surface, replacing divots and forking areas around the goalmouths, to watch this assembly of scruffy street urchins emerging from that old tunnel. They never chastised us or interfered with our innocent play; usually they would just smile, or make a few witty remarks. The kids would wait for the players in the area immediately outside the dressing rooms. If you waited long enough you could even travel home on the same bus with your hero. In those days there was a very close bond between the players and the fans, the community and the club.

So that’s how the old lady of a stadium used to be. Far, far, different than the magnificent arena that stands there today. However, the old stadium holds so many, many wonderful memories for people who saw it as it used to be. So much history was made there. Next February celebrates the centenary of Old Trafford being opened and I get a little teary when I remember that my Grandfather was present on February 19, 1910 when the first ever match was played there.
 

Moriarty

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My old primary school used to get free tickets for Central League games. We would pick one up on Friday afternoon if the first team were playing away. They didn't always have all of the ground open for reserve matches. Sometimes they'd close the Stretford End or the Scoreboard.

I must admit though that I don't care much for this "Theatre of Dreams" stuff. I didn't know that Bobby Charlton coined the phrase though and always thought it was made up by the marketing department.
 

decorativeed

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Thanks for that, Tom. A fantastic read.

Great photos, too - especially the one of Tommy Taylor. Any idea what game the photo of David Pegg was taken at?
 

ralphie88

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Think a few of us will be popping down to OT on Friday for a bit of a birthday bash, Tom! :cool:
 

Bread

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Brilliant read tom and i love the photos. The second one down is weird for me to look at cos ive got an artists version of exactly that side as my desktop background but this is the first time ive seen it in a photo, the artist got it spot on looking at it!

and on another point where exactly is it those buses are waiting? like whats there now?
 

Bread

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Oh and i actually find it unbeliveable how quickly all the evidence of industrial britain has gone, there is far more evidence of the romans still standing in its original state than history that ended only 50 years ago! when you see OT there surronded by factories just shows how it has changed.
 

Crerand Legend

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Brilliant read tom and i love the photos. The second one down is weird for me to look at cos ive got an artists version of exactly that side as my desktop background but this is the first time ive seen it in a photo, the artist got it spot on looking at it!

and on another point where exactly is it those buses are waiting? like whats there now?
I am sure you have walked down that road often, it is road directly opposite Sir Matt Busby Way which takes you down to Old Trafford tram station
 

Bread

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I am sure you have walked down that road often, it is road directly opposite Sir Matt Busby Way which takes you down to Old Trafford tram station
Yer i know which road it is, sorry what meant was if anyone knows specifically where that picture is taken on the street, looks like the building in the distance is the trafford.
 

TomClare

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Brilliant read tom and i love the photos. The second one down is weird for me to look at cos ive got an artists version of exactly that side as my desktop background but this is the first time ive seen it in a photo, the artist got it spot on looking at it!

and on another point where exactly is it those buses are waiting? like whats there now?
They are waiting just up Warwick Road as you have crossed Chester Road just past The Trafford Pub, walking towards Stretford Town Hall and the Lancashire Cricket Ground, and the Metro Station. Where all those trees are on the right hand side of the picture, I believe they are now town home flats.
 

decorativeed

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Cheers Tom. I have only seen photos of the players in those shorts in European games and with the white change kits. Sorry to derail the thread, by the way!
 

Bread

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Is it just me or does there seem to be a hell of a lot of space around there then, assuming this picture is taken around where the bridge is?
 

TomClare

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Is it just me or does there seem to be a hell of a lot of space around there then, assuming this picture is taken around where the bridge is?
Yes that pic is taken just before the bridge... but you have to remeber people were a little more sedate in those days... notice, no vendors, hawkers, hor dog/burger vans etc... plus that pic was taken probably an hour or so before kick off as people used to enter the ground a hell of a lot earlier than today. Everybody had their "favourite spot."
 

Bread

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Yes that pic is taken just before the bridge... but you have to remeber people were a little more sedate in those days... notice, no vendors, hawkers, hor dog/burger vans etc... plus that pic was taken probably an hour or so before kick off as people used to enter the ground a hell of a lot earlier than today. Everybody had their "favourite spot."
Yer, im assuming those coke stalls are where the program stalls are now, hadnt thought about the lack of touts etc... though!
 

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Seems to be every single post Tom makes should straight away go into the classics section! Brilliant as always.
 

Bread

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Tom, you say the ticket was around 18 pence of today's money, just so i can really get a feel for the price difference what else could you have bought with that sort of money at the time?
 

TomClare

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Tom, you say the ticket was around 18 pence of today's money, just so i can really get a feel for the price difference what else could you have bought with that sort of money at the time?
Well, if you look at my very first team game at Old Trafford on September 1st 1954, I had the pricely sum of 2 shillings and 4 pence in my pocket when I set out to go to the game - 12 pence in today's currency.

It's amazing to reflect that out of my original 2/4d, I spent 3d (1.5 pence today) on bus fares, 6d (3 pence today) on fish and chips, 7d (3 pence today) on entrance, and 4d (2 pence today) on a programme – a total of one shilling and eight pence – a total of around 9.5 pence in today’s currency! Oh that I wish the kids of today had that opportunity!

3/6d (18 pence today) could have gotten you a lot of things.... 3 pints of bitter for a start! 4 if you drank mild! The daily neswpapers were around a penny ha'penny then, bus travel was inexpensive, rent for our house at that time was 11 shillings a week - 55 pence in today's currency. The house I lived in was a 2 up 2 down terraced monstrosity and only had gas, and putting 2 pence ( a penny today) in the metre would give a supply of gas lighting in house for about 5 hours. Food stuffs were on ration still back then, but were reasonably cheap. I remember the very first mini car coming out in late 1959, and that was priced at just 500 pounds then. Houses, say a three bedroom semi - detached would cost between 3000 - 5000 pounds depending upon which area they were located. But you have to remember, that back then, especially in the early to mid 50's, the average working man's pay was probably only around 5 -7 quid a week before stoppages.
 

Bread

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Well, if you look at my very first team game at Old Trafford on September 1st 1954, I had the pricely sum of 2 shillings and 4 pence in my pocket when I set out to go to the game - 12 pence in today's currency.

It's amazing to reflect that out of my original 2/4d, I spent 3d (1.5 pence today) on bus fares, 6d (3 pence today) on fish and chips, 7d (3 pence today) on entrance, and 4d (2 pence today) on a programme – a total of one shilling and eight pence – a total of around 9.5 pence in today’s currency! Oh that I wish the kids of today had that opportunity!

3/6d (18 pence today) could have gotten you a lot of things.... 3 pints of bitter for a start! 4 if you drank mild! The daily neswpapers were around a penny ha'penny then, bus travel was inexpensive, rent for our house at that time was 11 shillings a week - 55 pence in today's currency. The house I lived in was a 2 up 2 down terraced monstrosity and only had gas, and putting 2 pence ( a penny today) in the metre would give a supply of gas lighting in house for about 5 hours. Food stuffs were on ration still back then, but were reasonably cheap. I remember the very first mini car coming out in late 1959, and that was priced at just 500 pounds then. Houses, say a three bedroom semi - detached would cost between 3000 - 5000 pounds depending upon which area they were located. But you have to remember, that back then, especially in the early to mid 50's, the average working man's pay was probably only around 5 -7 quid a week before stoppages.
Cheers tom, exactly what i was after!
so to be it into todays money if we use the three pints of bitter as the example assuming they are £2.50 in most pubs in manchester means that an OT ticket would be £7.50 if it had just got with inflation, insane!
 

Crerand Legend

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Was reading Toms blog on Eddie Coleman last night and how the statue on his grave has been vandalised. It would have been nice if the club could have arranged to have it repaired, we owe those lads big time
 

Bread

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Was reading Toms blog on Eddie Coleman last night and how the statue on his grave has been vandalised. It would have been nice if the club could have arranged to have it repaired, we owe those lads big time
Where is it? the blog and the statue?

didnt realise it had been!

Theres a salford university accomodation block named after him, which tbh it would probably be better if it wasnt because its absolutely shit! but thats for another time.
 

Crerand Legend

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Great blog, and yes the club should pay for it to be fixed!

what kind of knobhead destories a families memorial to thier son, disgusting behaviour.
Unthinkable. Another piece of fine writing by our resident historian isnt it?
 

Mockney

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Fantastic post, with extra kudos for the detailed explanation of costs in reply to Bread's post...just all very nicely done
 

TomClare

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Are you a proffessional writer tom or just a hobby your obviously very good at?
I'm a fan who likes to write to be honest, although there has been a few of those articles published in a few magazines. I write regulalry for Red News, and wrote the book "Forever a Babe". Currently working on two more, and helping another a guy with another one. I retire in 9 weeks time, and want to devote more time to writing. I think it's is important that we record our memories, even if it's only for family.
 

Shimo

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What a great read/history lesson. I am going to have to buy you a beer in Houston on of these days. Do you go to any pubs to watch the games here?