92 Clubs – Day 20 – Liverpool, Macclesfield, Manchester City, Manchester United, Middlesbrough, Millwall
Not quite the Magnificent Seven, but I’ll take six after a total of nine trains, four buses, three trams, two taxis, one Underground train and quite a bit of walking, it was a long day well done.
I started very early in the morning by taking the 05:27 direct to Liverpool. I got another friendly taxi-driver, who took me to the ground for a discount and took my picture in front of the Anfield Gates.
Outside the Anfield Gates
I was all very quick and I was on a train to Macclesfield just after nine. I changed at Stockport for Macclesfield and as there was no information at all at the station, it was another taxi.
Macclesfield Town's Ground
I got the impression the driver couldn’t use a camera, so this is the best picture I took of the ground.
To get to Manchester I took one of Virgin’s Pendolinos, which as I had the right ticket was OK. However, it could be possible that you end up with a cheaper and incorrect ticket at Macclesfield, that is not valid on Virgin. So if you do buy a ticket there, check you have the right one for the train you are catching.
Piccadilly station at Manchester, is an information desert, so don’t do what I did and go there without total preparation. You’d think that directions to the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City play would be displayed prominently. But you would be very wrong! Eventually, someone from Virgin, who I suspect was a City fan, suggested I walk to Picadilly Gardens, as any of the buses to Ashton would get me there. But there would be staff there, who I could ask! There was and I got a bus that passed the stadium.
One of the problems of buses in the provinces is that few announce the stops, as all London buses do. So it was try and peer out the dirty window on a typical rainy Manchester morning and see the stadium. In the end, I felt that I might have gone far enough, so I pressed the bell and got off a couple of stops early, so I could get wet in the drizzle.
If Manchester thinks it is an important city, it could spent a few pence on getting more information and maps for the buses and making them more user friendly. But then only the elderly, the unemployed and losers use buses. I suppose, I’m in at least two of those categories.
The stadium is impressive, but there wasn’t anybody to take a picture, which probably shows how unwelcoming and sterile many grounds have become these days.
Manchester City's Etihad Stsdium
At least I had no problem finding the bus to get me back to the city centre, although crossing the road, you were just a target for speeding motorists.
Again though, I found it difficult to find the right tram in Piccadilly Gardens, as they don’t believe in telling the punters what they need to know. There does seem to be this belief up north that public transport is for the locals and they don’t need information, as they know where they are going.
I did pass the other Old Trafford on the way to Manchester United ‘s ground.
Old Trafford on Brian Statham Way
The walk to Manchester United ‘s ground from the tram stop at Old Trafford is easy, but it does pass Trafford Town Hall.
Trafford Town Hall
And this street of healthy eating establishments.
Healthy Eating By Manchester United's Ground
Note one appears to be taking Lou Macari‘s name. But then he comes from the Land of the Deep-Fried Mars Bar. Something that is definitely not gluten-free.
Manchester United's Stadium
I did pass the stadium and took this photograph. Obviously, I didn’t want to be photographed outside, but if I had, there were lots of people about, many who seemed to be from the more eastern parts of Asia. They would probably know how to use a camera better than some I have asked on my journey.
I carried walking past the ground aiming for a Metrolink station called Pomona. However, it wasn’t signposted. I eventually found another station with the aim of getting back to Piccadilly.
Information on the Manchester Metrolink
Note the non-functioning information system, which sums up Manchester well. Eventually, I got back to Piccadilly for a train to Middlesbrough.Finding trains at Piccadilly isn’t the easiest as this board isn’t the best.
Information Board at Manchester Piccadilly
Why can’t they use the system they have at Leeds or London Bridge, which is a list of all the places served by all of the trains? This would appear to be doing something similar, but it doesn’t show all of the stations all of the time and they move about from place to place. Quite frankly, it’s one of the worst and most useless information displays I’ve seen, except for some in places like Egypt, all in Arabic.
Eventually, I arrived at Middlesbrough and walked to the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium
It is another one of those modern stadia, that are surrounded by fast roads, with no crossings for pedestrians. But at least in the only match, I’ve seen there, Ipswich won.
I walked easily to and from the stadium from the station, although I wouldn’t do it in the dark with all the fast traffic about.
I got the late train back to London from Darlington and then it was off to London Bridge to catch a train to South Bermondsey for Millwall. It was dark by now and this is the best of the pictures I took.
The New Den's Behind the Bars
I couldn’t get any closer without climbing the unfriendly fence. But I suppose it is Millwall and there might be lions loose inside.
I was in bed just after midnight, after a friendly and talkable 141 bus from London Bridge.
92 Clubs – Day 19 – Leeds, Leicester, Leyton Orient
I took the early 5:50 train out of Kings Cross an got to Leeds on time. But that was the start of my problems, as i couldn’t find anybody to ask about a buss to the Leeds ground at Elland Road and then when I found out how, I couldn’t use my free bus pass until 9:30. So that is what Welcome to Yorkshire means.
So I had breakfast in Carluccio’s and finally got to the stadium at Leeds about eleven.
Outside Elland Road, Leeds
It was another bus back to the centre and then on my way to Leicester.
Leicester had little information at the station, but I as it was a nice afternoon, I was able to walk to the ground on a signposted route, that seemed to rather go missing after the Rugby stadium. But I did find it.
Leicester City's Stadium
Despite there being a match later, it was all surprisingly deserted, as the picture shows. I had hoped to get a bus back to the station, but the stop I found had virtually no route information, so I used the most reliable transport I had to hand; my legs.
I arrived at St. Pancras and after coming home it was on to Leyton Orient.
Brisbane Road Stadium
Leyton Orient must be one of the more unusual grounds, in that it has blocks of flats at the four corners of the ground.
It is not a bad place to watch football either. Friendly too!
92 Clubs – Day 18 – Ipswich
Just one today, but it was as Wellington would have said a close run thing, as the trains were as crowded as I’d seen them on the trip to Ipswich, due to massive overhead line problems.
By Sir Alf at Ipswich
This picture shows me with the statue of Sir Alf Ramsey before the match.
At least I got home easily after the one-nil win against Portsmouth.
The Anonymous Widower 