J Stand

[Rood]

J Stand aka the Singing Section

Thought it was worth doing an update on the good work being done by some fans in J Stand to try and improve the matchgoing experience. Started end of last season with a push for more flags and organised marches to the ground to get the prematch atmosphere going.

This summer there has been a fan led crowdfunding to raise money for some artwork in the stadium concourse, a surfer flag etc.

There has also been a voting process to choose some legends for the art and murals around the J Stand concourse.

The top legends of recent times were decided as Bryan Robson (80s legend) and Eric Cantona (90s legend) so they will have their own bits of artwork going up in the next few weeks.

Then there will be a big mural featuring the following players who won the main vote (Best, Law and Charlton were excluded from the voting as they already have the statues):

In order of popularity
1.Scholes
1.Solskjaer
3.Giggs
4.Edwards
5.Whiteside
5.Keane

next 3 may be added if enough money raised:
7.Neville
8.Evra
9.Stiles

I was actually quite suprised by some of the voting, especially Ole being so high - anyway the mock ups of the mural are looking great and I will post the final version when its done.

 

[Rood]

so first bit of artwork to go up will be the Robson mural (I did already post this in the excellent Robbo thread), this will hopefully be ready for the West Ham match on Sunday.

for those who dont know this is based on the classic image from the epic 1984 comeback vs Barcelona - many fans still talk about this as the best ever atmosphere at Old Trafford

 

[Antisocial]

That looks amazing

Love the idea of Stiles being honoured by the fans given present circumstances - his contribution to the club deserves all the respect in the world

 

[Rood]

That looks amazing

Love the idea of Stiles being honoured by the fans given present circumstances - his contribution to the club deserves all the respect in the world

Yes would be good - I think there was a bit of a push to get some older legends recognised hence Whiteside and Stiles making the list

 

[Mockney]

Mural looks great. I'm also a bit surprised how high Ole is, but moreso Whiteside, though that probably says more about the age of those involved.

All great positive stuff though. Gwan J Stand.

 

[Rood]

Just been announced that Captain Marvel himself will be coming to J Stand prematch on Sunday to unveil his mural so anyone in J Stand should aim to get in the ground early.

Will also be a gathering and then a march to the ground to get some prematch atmosphere going - starting at The Tollgate from about noon. All welcome, not just J Standers - the more the merrier!

 

[ThomasEmil]

Can we have Mata waiving the flag?

 

[Token Sheet]

I'm in K Stand but can walk through to J.
Might use my drinks voucher there this Sunday just for this.
Thanks for letting us know about it Rood.

 

[Wumminator]

Whoa that's fecking amazing. I went there last year for the semis and it was class.

 

[Wumminator]

Evra being there is awesome as well.

 

[Jim Beam]

Brilliant mural and everything about this. Also pleasantly surprised by the votes and players in it... I'm glad that Ole is so high up.

 

[Rood]

Mural looks great. I'm also a bit surprised how high Ole is, but moreso Whiteside, though that probably says more about the age of those involved.

All great positive stuff though. Gwan J Stand.

Ye considering that Ole was mostly known as a sub and rarely a starter its a bit crazy for him to be top of this list - obviously THAT goal propels him to **** hero status, also think the way he was happy to just be part of the squad and do his bit when required without moaning plays a big part.

There was a push by those who organised this to get some recognition for players from past decades and also ones who were more **** heroes rather than just the best players - there was quite a long list of players put forward from all decades and I actually voted for the likes of Steve Bruce and Remi Moses !

 

[Rood]

I'm in K Stand but can walk through to J.
Might use my drinks voucher there this Sunday just for this.
Thanks for letting us know about it Rood.

are you sure you can walk through from K to J? I have a feeling you cant but might be wrong

But yes the only downside of this is having to get in the ground an hour early whereas my usual way is to get in just for kick off - not looked at my ST pack yet, are there BOGOF vouchers for beer that are valid for Sunday?

 

[Joga Bonito]

Great stuff.

 

[Token Sheet]

are you sure you can walk through from K to J? I have a feeling you cant but might be wrong

But yes the only downside of this is having to get in the ground an hour early whereas my usual way is to get in just for kick off - not looked at my ST pack yet, are there BOGOF vouchers for beer that are valid for Sunday?

Thought you could, because I walk from the Salford side of the ground and being lazy, I queue at E36 rather my turnstile E31 and as you get through there's a door to the left which is always open, linking J with K Stand.
Or is that not the case?

1st Voucher is valid Aug Sept and Oct so can be used on Sunday.

 

[MkPaul]

Looks great. Hopefully the Ole pic will be this:

 

[mitchmouse]

J Stand aka the Singing Section

Thought it was worth doing an update on the good work being done by some fans in J Stand to try and improve the matchgoing experience. Started end of last season with a push for more flags and organised marches to the ground to get the prematch atmosphere going.

This summer there has been a fan led crowdfunding to raise money for some artwork in the stadium concourse, a surfer flag etc.

There has also been a voting process to choose some legends for the art and murals around the J Stand concourse.

The top legends of recent times were decided as Bryan Robson (80s legend) and Eric Cantona (90s legend) so they will have their own bits of artwork going up in the next few weeks.

Then there will be a big mural featuring the following players who won the main vote (Best, Law and Charlton were excluded from the voting as they already have the statues):

In order of popularity
1.Scholes
1.Solskjaer
3.Giggs
4.Edwards
5.Whiteside
5.Keane

next 3 may be added if enough money raised:
7.Neville
8.Evra
9.Stiles

I was actually quite suprised by some of the voting, especially Ole being so high - anyway the mock ups of the mural are looking great and I will post the final version when its done.

Phil Neville, obviously!!

 

[Mockney]

Ye considering that Ole was mostly known as a sub and rarely a starter its a bit crazy for him to be top of this list - obviously THAT goal propels him to **** hero status, also think the way he was happy to just be part of the squad and do his bit when required without moaning plays a big part.

There was a push by those who organised this to get some recognition for players from past decades and also ones who were more **** heroes rather than just the best players - there was quite a long list of players put forward from all decades and I actually voted for the likes of Steve Bruce and Remi Moses !

Makes complete sense. I'm too young to remember Whiteside, but I'm aware he was a pretty big **** figure, but he always seemed like a kinda middling one, mostly due to his unfulfilled potential. Bruce is a good choice. I feel he often gets criminally underappreciated in these kind of things. His goals against Wednesday were just as huge as Whiteside's FA Cup winner, if not more so (and he basically scored the opener in the CWC win, too). Plus he was the Captain of one of our greatest sides!

Hughes should be there too. I wonder if hanging around the game, managing other clubs has unfairly tarnished their legacy. Sparky managing City probably has. And what about Schmeichel?...But I digress. We could probably argue this all day.

 

[Rood]

Thought you could, because I walk from the Salford side of the ground and being lazy, I queue at E36 rather my turnstile E31 and as you get through there's a door to the left which is always open, linking J with K Stand.
Or is that not the case?

1st Voucher is valid Aug Sept and Oct so can be used on Sunday.

It might link you to the lower section (N1401) but the bit where the murals are going is seperate to that in the next tier N2401 and N2402 (it is only these 2 stands that form the reborn J Stand/singing section) - I dont think you can get in there from K, its a small concourse area which is not linked to any other as far as I remember but I suppose you can check on Sunday

Looks great. Hopefully the Ole pic will be this:

It is !

Makes complete sense. I'm too young to remember Whiteside, but I'm aware he was a pretty big **** figure, but he always seemed like a kinda middling one, mostly due to his unfulfilled potential. Bruce is a good choice. I feel he often gets criminally underappreciated in these kind of things. His goals against Wednesday were just as huge as Whiteside's FA Cup winner, if not more so (and he basically scored the opener in the CWC win, too). Plus he was the Captain of one of our greatest sides!

Hughes should be there too. I wonder if hanging around the game, managing other clubs has unfairly tarnished their legacy. Sparky managing City probably has. And what about Schmeichel?...But I digress. We could probably argue this all day.

Totally agree on Bruce, he was the captain of our first PL victory and scored all those vital goals, scored 19 one season from centre back which is unheard of nowadays even if it was penalties! I think hes generally still pretty well regarded by United fans but just gets a bit forgotten about unfortunately.

Hughes and Schmeichel on the otherhand have both tarnished their legacy with some fans due to comments after leaving and City etc - not for me personally though and I did also vote for Hughes as he was my first proper hero when I started going to OT, along with Lee Sharpe!

This was the result of the second round of voting (there were a few other names further down the list as well), there was a first round that Scholes/Ole/Giggs were selected from:

 

[RedMist99]

 

[Enigma_87]

Excellent. That Robbo mural looks fantastic.

 

[Pronewbie]

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

Makes complete sense. I'm too young to remember Whiteside, but I'm aware he was a pretty big **** figure, but he always seemed like a kinda middling one, mostly due to his unfulfilled potential. Bruce is a good choice. I feel he often gets criminally underappreciated in these kind of things. His goals against Wednesday were just as huge as Whiteside's FA Cup winner, if not more so (and he basically scored the opener in the CWC win, too). Plus he was the Captain of one of our greatest sides!

Hughes should be there too. I wonder if hanging around the game, managing other clubs has unfairly tarnished their legacy. Sparky managing City probably has. And what about Schmeichel?...But I digress. We could probably argue this all day.

Whiteside was not only a very good player, he was cultish, partly because of his age in breaking through (despite being built like a brick outhouse), partly because he clearly loved football/the club but also because he scored memorable/important goals (a lot of similarities to Hughes) mainly cup ones. He gets rightly remembered for the 85 FACup Final goal but in 83, scored a great goal v Arsenal in the semi and scored in both Cup finals (one replay).... think only player to do so.

If he'd been injury free, I could have seen him being all time top.20 for United. Loved him.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

Sylvester Stallone in Escape to Victory saving a shot with his face?

(or Fellaini).

 

[Rood]

great article here from Andy Mitten about all this:

Manchester United fans look to raise the roof to improve Old Trafford noise
http://www.espn.co.uk/football/club...-raise-the-roof-to-improve-old-trafford-noise

Spoiler: Full Article

Legendary Manchester United skipper Bryan Robson will head under the stands before Sunday's Premier League opener against West Ham at Old Trafford to see a new mural unveiled that has been paid for by fans.

The smart artwork, depicting Robson being carried off the pitch by delighted supporters after the 3-0 victory in Barcelona in 1984, fills one of the walls beneath J Stand where many of United's most vocal fans watch their team.

Despite the cost of trips to Stockholm and season-ticket renewals, £3,000 has been raised so the areas beneath the stands can be decorated. The club have been happy to take a back seat and let the fans do their thing.

Older fans remember that night in '84 when United came from a 2-0 deficit in the first leg to beat Diego Maradona's Barca 3-0 in a Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinal tie, as one of the greatest atmospheres at Old Trafford -- if not the greatest.

"That night was easily the best atmosphere I've experienced," Frank Stapleton told ESPN FC.

"Officially it was 58,000, but I'm convinced there were thousands more in the ground that night. We just knew we were going to win, and the Barca players knew it too; you could see how nervous they were. Their goalkeeper fumbled a weak shot from Ray Wilkins and Robbo followed up to knock in the first goal."

Old Trafford has long struggled to recreate such nights. There have been many notable great atmospheres at the old ground, with the victorious Champions League semifinal second leg win over Barca in 2008 the best so far this century, but in common with every big British ground, the atmosphere has slipped.

All-seater stadia, a changing demographic and expensive tickets are three of the reasons -- that and English fans aren't as well-organised as their counterparts on the Continent. Once the standard bearers of fan culture admired by the rest, English fans may be loyal in the number of games they travel to -- Manchester United had 10 times more travelling fans than Real Madrid in Skopje on Tuesday -- but they often arrive late at stadiums, where their vocal efforts can be drowned out by public address systems so loud they hurt the ears.

Yet those fans could do better, especially when they see how impressive others can be. St Etienne supporters were magnificent in both legs of the Europa League match against United last season. Even the loudest public address system would not have stood a chance against those in green. United won the tie but St Etienne support won easily in the stands.

It hurts writing that because United fans are more loyal and more numerous than any club they played last season. There are those who want to improve things. Regulars in J Stand have made some smart flags and songs in recent seasons. The flags are unveiled before most matches, while songs like "Ole, Ole, Ander Herrera" have taken off.

Fans who stand together have been meeting in pubs like the Tollgate close to Old Trafford and walking towards the ground together before the game, singing and waving their flags.

A small group have had informal talks with the club about improving things. United's officials have struggled to understand the nuances of fan culture in the past. Fans don't want cheesy sounding fan zones, nor to be told what to sing. The culture has to be organic; it has to grow and come from within. Most of the influential United fans at Old Trafford had made their name by the age of 20, yet a lack of affordable tickets for youngsters makes it hard for them to travel to games in groups.

Those who popped their head above the parapet to try to improve the atmosphere were immediately shot at by cynics who either hated the commercial beast that United had become or felt that contrived terms like "singing sections" shouldn't be needed. Of course they shouldn't, but the atmosphere had become that bad.

There are signs that things could change among younger fans. Ticket prices are no longer rising and the issue of atmosphere, so long brushed under the carpet as a byword for hooliganism by clubs, is no longer tainted. The rail seating at Celtic Park in Glasgow has been a success.

United, who are not against safe standing either, can help. Cheaper beers in the bars beneath the stands would encourage people to get inside Old Trafford earlier and build the atmosphere. Sympathetic, clued up stewarding helps. As does dimming the noise in the minutes leading up to kick-off, which will help those who want to fire the atmosphere up around the ground, from the Stretford End to J Stand. This will encourage like-minded vocal fans who want to watch the game together. That's where the atmosphere comes from, with groups starting songs, creating their own culture, friendships and bonds which go far beyond a 90-minute game of football.
Manchester is a creative city, famed for its football and music. The two should go hand in hand at the match and United's brilliant songs are often copied elsewhere. The raffish, raucous away support is envied and respected even by those with no time for the club, but home is where things are lacking.

With the team far from complete, support is needed. In recent years as form has declined, United fans at Old Trafford have been far more supportive. David Moyes and Louis van Gaal were genuinely surprised. Jose Mourinho told me last season he remembered his first visit to Old Trafford as a manager being "hell" because of the atmosphere.

"In our culture when you score in minute 88, the opponent is dead, the stadium is dead," he said after his Porto team had scored a killer goal in a 2004 Champions League tie.

"Instead, we had five minutes where the goalkeeper made an amazing save, where the rebound comes, where my left-back was on the post. We thought it was over. Old Trafford did not think it was over."

Old Trafford's famous old atmosphere isn't over either, but it needs more to join those who are already doing their bit.

 

[Rood]

As well as the Robbo mural, a Cantona mosaic (made by a United fan) is complete and will also be unveiled in J Stand on Sunday - I think its probably too much to expect Eric to turn up as well !

 

[#07]

All this is top notch lads.

 

[Jim Beam]

As good as it gets.

Ye considering that Ole was mostly known as a sub and rarely a starter its a bit crazy for him to be top of this list - obviously THAT goal propels him to **** hero status, also think the way he was happy to just be part of the squad and do his bit when required without moaning plays a big part.

It's the whole story about him, a **** hero as you say. Loyalty, class on and off the pitch and that goal was just a crown on the whole thing. Best thing is the fact that we had a deal with Spurs in 1998 for £5 million and in the last minute he went to Ferguson office and said he wanted to stay despite being a practically 4th option (Cole, Yorke, Sheringham) and fight for his place so Fergie stopped the deal. Talk about history books being different.

Pure legend.

 

[Rood]

Official anouncement from the club - although I dont think it was proof read, 'decelerated' ?!:

We are thrilled to announce that before our first Premier League game of the season against West Ham United, decelerated Manchester United veteran, Bryan Robson, will be paying a special visit to the 'Barcelona 84' Mural.


Commissioned and paid for by Season Ticket Holders in J stand, the mural commemorates Manchester United's triumph in the second leg of their European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final clash in March 1984 against Barcelona, which saw Robson score twice in a thrilling 3-0 victory.


Robson will be visiting J Stand at 2.45pm this afternoon to visit the mural, and pay thanks to those dedicated fans who conceived the idea to bring the commemoration to life.


Please click the 'Information' button below to visit the dedicated Facebook page for details about J Stand Reps, the mural and information about how you can get involved: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Jstand/​

 

[Al-jose Mourin-son]

Fantastic!!

 

[Sultan]

Fantastic work all those involved. Thanks @Rood for bringing this to our attention.

 

[The Taurean]

Those are fantastic.

 

[Globule]

These are great. I'm glad so much work is going into this. I think it's only a matter of time until we get safe standing, so it's good that we're working to cultivate this atmosphere before then.

 

[Bosws87]

Currently at the pub with the rest of jstand can't wait to see this later! Great work all round

 

[robinzx]

Wonderful to see. Really like the images posted for Robbo and Eric.

Official anouncement from the club - although I dont think it was proof read, 'decelerated' ?!:

We are thrilled to announce that before our first Premier League game of the season against West Ham United, decelerated Manchester United veteran, Bryan Robson, will be paying a special visit to the 'Barcelona 84' Mural.


Commissioned and paid for by Season Ticket Holders in J stand, the mural commemorates Manchester United's triumph in the second leg of their European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final clash in March 1984 against Barcelona, which saw Robson score twice in a thrilling 3-0 victory.


Robson will be visiting J Stand at 2.45pm this afternoon to visit the mural, and pay thanks to those dedicated fans who conceived the idea to bring the commemoration to life.


Please click the 'Information' button below to visit the dedicated Facebook page for details about J Stand Reps, the mural and information about how you can get involved: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Jstand/​

I'm sure he's decelerated a bit since 1984.

 

[ThanksBoss26]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Superb.

 

[Phil Jones Face]

Looks brilliant

 

[Rood]

Manchester United Fans Dedicate Mural To Bryan Robson As Matic And Pogba Deliver Performances Worthy Of ‘Captain Marvel.’
https://www.thesportsman.com/articl...deliver-performances-worthy-of-captain-marvel

Ninety minutes before kick-off at Old Trafford on Sunday, former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson could be found on the concourse beneath the ground’s old “J Stand” – the north-east corner of the stadium which is home to some of United’s most vocal supporters.

“Robbo” was there to unveil a mural depicting one of the most iconic moments of his own career and one of Old Trafford’s most infamous nights. On 21 March 1984, Robson captained United to a 3-0 European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final victory over Barcelona, overturning a 0-2 deficit from the first leg.

After scoring twice against a Catalan side which included Bernd Schuster and Diego Maradona, United’s “Captain Marvel” was hoisted into the air and carried off the field by ecstatic supporters, many of whom still insist that that night saw the best Old Trafford atmosphere in history.

“One Bryan Robson! There’s only one Bryan Robson!” chanted the J Standers who have raised over £3,000 of their own money to commission and pay for decorations on the concourse beneath their seats, before Robson himself led the fans in a chant of “United! United! United!”

“We want to make J Stand and the concourse feel a bit more like home,” said one supporter who was sat in the south stand on that famous night and is now one of the fans heading up a range of initiatives in J Stand.

“We started gathering ideas for murals of players. We asked members of the section what players they wanted to see and why and put it to a vote. We’ve started off with Robson and Eric Cantona. There are several others who are going to be on the large wall as you walk in.”

The idea for a “J Stand”, was originally born in the 2013-14 season and was first trialled in the regular away end in a Champions League fixture vs Real Sociedad. Despite a successful trial, the section ultimately took shape in opposite corner but has enjoyed mixed fortunes since.

“The original intention was to improve the atmosphere all around Old Trafford,” The Sportsman heard. “So far after three, four years it’s not quite done that. The block should have been for 1,600 singers but you still get people here that you’d find in any other part of the ground.

“However, there is a core group of lads, many of whom go home and away, who know what it is to be United. They know the culture and they want to improve things. And it’s not just about J Stand; it’s about Old Trafford and how bad it’s been for so long. This is a microcosm of what we would want the whole of Old Trafford to be like. It starts here and then it spreads.”

In an age of social media profiles where every individual fan possesses his or her own platform to express their views, achieving a consensus on supporter issues is difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, supporters in J Stand limit decision-making to a private Facebook group of around 350 fans who have season tickets in the section and who have contributed to the fund.

“The problem with Twitter is that it invites all sorts of opinion – which is some ways is good but we'd rather show results than just talk about what we're doing and we need to maintain some form of control.” Explain the J Standers, who prefer to remain anonymous to help “engender more togetherness” in the section. “If you pay towards the fund, you get a vote, that’s how it works. It’s as democratic as we think it can be.”

The fact that Robson was selected as the subject of the first J Stand mural is no coincidence – a player who embodied everything United fans want to see in a captain. A tireless, combative leader who combined a physical tenacity with the exceptional ability to make the difference at the highest level. And so, following the unveiling, it was fitting that Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba took centre-stage against West Ham.

Matic radiated authority, controlling the midfield with an authority reminiscent of Robson at his zenith. In the build-up to Romelu Lukaku’s first-half opener, it was Matic who pounced on a loose Pedro Obiang pass and fed Marcus Rashford. The Serbian’s forward run then distracted the West Ham defence enough to allow the young Mancunian to play in the Belgian striker.

Pogba, liberated to roam further forward, conducted United’s attacking play with an astonishing range of touches and passes and was rewarded for his efforts with a late fourth goal.

“United, United, top of the league!” sang the delirious J Standers after Pogba’s injury-time finish capped off a near-perfect performance. For United’s hardcore, things are slowly starting to look up both on and off the pitch. And based on Sunday’s performance, it won’t be long before the J Standers are raising money for more murals of their midfield maestros.

 

[The No.10!]

This is just so delightful!!

Something other clubs like City or Chelsea will never have.

 

[RedDevil@84]

Fantastic!!!