Manchester prepares for Scottish invasion » Communities » 24dash.com

Manchester was today making final preparations to welcome a friendly invasion of 100,000 Scots as the countdown to the Uefa Cup Final begins.

Rangers fans began pouring over the border from first light and as Glasgow and the west of Scotland emptied, Manchester was putting the finishing touches, ready to host the big game on Wednesday night.

The Gers army of fans have only been given 13,000 tickets - an equal share with their Russian opponents, Zenit St Petersburg, in the 44,000 capacity City of Manchester Stadium.

The rest of the tickets, around 18,000, have been swallowed up by Uefa.

But an estimated 100,000 Rangers supporters are expected to head south, determined to get as close to the action as possible.

Every hotel room in the city and for up to 20 miles beyond - around 16,000 rooms - has now been booked up, with Manchester officially full.

Tourist organisation, Visit Manchester, say 45,000 hotel beds in Greater Manchester are at full capacity with every room - from GBP500-a-night top hotels to budget accommodation - snapped up.

Paul Simpson, managing director of Visit Manchester, said: "The hotels, restaurants and bars across Greater Manchester will be extremely busy and it will be a great atmosphere."

As the first blue-shirted Rangers fans began appearing on the city's streets, workmen were busily erecting huge screens at the three 'Fan Zones' in the city centre, at Albert Square, Piccadilly Gardens and Cathedral Gardens.

Overnight, road closures have been put in place, temporary fencing put up around monuments and along shop fronts and 400 portable toilets brought in.

Beer tents are being put up - selling alcohol in plastic cups and fans are being asked not to bring glass containers and bottles and council street cleaners will be working throughout the day.

Off-licences, supermarkets and shops will be "monitored" by officials, the council said.

Bylaws prohibit drinking alcohol on the street, but police are expected to take a relaxed approach in the city centre - though not elsewhere in Manchester.

Fans lucky enough to have a ticket will get bussed from the city centre to the stadium as kick-off approaches.

Chief Superintendent Gerry Donnellan, match commander for Greater Manchester Police, said: "One of the key messages is that temperatures are expected to be very high tomorrow and we want to ensure that the heat doesn't spoil people's enjoyment of the game.

 "We are advising people to drink plenty of water throughout the day and, while we acknowledge that people will be drinking alcohol, we are asking that they drink sensibly.

 "There will be plenty of opportunities for people to drink alcohol within the open spaces of the fan zones. However, supporters are asked not to drink alcohol out in the street in other parts of the city."

 "We are receiving reports there may be forged tickets in circulation.
People with those forged tickets will not be able to overcome the strict security checks. Our advice is to only purchase tickets from authorised sources.

"We want people to come to Manchester, enjoy the atmosphere and ensure they play a part on a fantastic occasion."

Pat Karney, councillor for Manchester City Council, said, "We are renowned for our friendly Manchester welcome and we are a major sporting capital. The eyes of the world will be on our city and our visitors.

 "This will be an incredibly busy day for everyone in Manchester so be prepared to enjoy the atmosphere. Everyone needs to allow extra time for journeys, to expect changes in car parking and to consider using public transport.

 "We want our visitors to enjoy themselves, to be good ambassadors for their city and their football club and to return home safely after an entertaining world-class football match."

Major transport plans are also in place to ensure fans travelling to Manchester in coaches, minibuses and cars are directed to parking areas.

With all the Russian fans flying in and most Scots making the four-hour road journey along the M6, the Highways Agency have drafted in extra patrols to keep traffic moving.

Jamie Carr, from the Agency, said, "Large numbers of Rangers fans who do have tickets will be using the motorway network to get to Wednesday's big game.

"Obviously we do not know how many other fans will be travelling but we have had to plan for a significant increase in traffic over the build up to the game and after, as people return to Scotland.

"We will be doing our bit to keep fans on the move smoothly and safely and we hope all the supporters will enjoy their special occasion on Wednesday night."

The Highways Agency has rescheduled its planned maintenance works to keep the motorways as free flowing as possible.