Mad Red crowd at Rajamangala

[Lite Beer]

Mad Red crowd at Rajamangala
Lerpong Amsa-ngiam
The Nation on Sunday

Red Devils fans stand in a queue at the entrance of Rajamangala National Stadium for the friendly match between the Singha All Stars and Manchester United.

BANGKOK: -- No big stars but Man U fans turn up in thousands

Superstar Wayne Rooney has gone back and Robin van Persie was also absent, but that did not stop Red Devils' fans from turning out in massive numbers for the team's friendly against Singha All Stars - a sell-out at Rajamangala National Stadium yesterday, which can hold more than 60,000 people.

With Dutch striker Van Persie given an extra break and the team jolted by the sudden departure of the injured favourite Rooney, plus the absence of several players including Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and captain Nemanja Vidic, it looked like the first pre-season stop of Manchester United would be a dampener. But that was not the case yesterday.

The match caused a huge traffic snarl on Ramkhamhaeng Road by the Hua Mark Sports Complex. Announcements had been made on TV channels and radio stations for drivers to avoid the area due to the heavy traffic there.

The fans of the 20-time Premier League champions thronged to Hua Mark Sports Complex from the afternoon despite the gates not opening till 6pm. They showed up in the team's red jerseys, defying the torturous heat and humidity that prevailed in the city. Some were seen in the team's outfits that will be out in the upcoming season.

Strange but true, there were not many Caucasian fans. The foreigners who went to the game were mostly from Malaysia or Indonesia.

In fact this was no surprise, as recent statistics show more than 10 million people in Thailand are Manchester United supporters. That was, of course, unfortunate for the All Stars, as only a few fans dressed up to show their support for the local side.

As a result, vendors struggled to sell Thai national flags and related products. No matter how hard they tried to boost sales, few appeared interested.

Meanwhile, it was very busy at the Manchester United official merchandise booth as fans scrambled to buy items that were put up for sale.

More attention was drawn at sponsor booths with long queues of soccer enthusiasts lining up for their activities.

One of the most popular spots was the Boonrawd Brewery zone, where fans were allowed a chance to take and receive a free photo-print out with a Van Persie and Rooney cut-out, which was a welcome compensation given their absence yesterday.

On another stage, fans who showed their dancing talents were given souvenirs and T-shirts. Even a 60-year-old took the stage to win the free souvenirs. The TrueVisions tent also attracted huge attention as the cable TV operator set about promoting its newly released MUTV channel.

Meanwhile, Truemove users were told to send text messages, which could earn them a free trip to Old Trafford. Bank of Ayudhya also launched a new campaign of Manchester United debit cards, offering a chance to watch the Red Devils play in England.

As usual, scalpers were looking for easy prey amid rumours that tickets were sold out. They bumped up Bt1,000 and Bt2,500 tickets to Bt1,500 and Bt3,000 respectively. But officials insisted that a couple of thousand tickets were still available at 2pm - although they were expected to all be gone by kick-off. The Red Devils, who are making their fifth appearance in Thailand - and the first in 12 years, should leave the Kingdom feeling proud that they drew one of the biggest soccer crowds in Thai history.

For crazy fans the feast is still not over. July is a soccer month here with more exhibitions in the works - Chelsea on Wednesday, Liverpool on July 28, plus Barcelona on August 8.

Right after the match, Manchester United left for their second stop in Sydney. They will then head to Japan and finish their Asian trip in Hong Kong.

See you in the future Red Devils!

-- The Nation 2013-07-14

[chooka]

That's a lot of red shirts in one place.

[dahinni]

That's a lot of red shirts in one place.

AND THEY LOST EITHER

THAT'S WHY I'M BAYERN MUNICH FAN

[Chicog]

We love you Singha All Stars XI we do

We love you Singha All Stars XI we do

We love you Singha All Stars XI we do

Oh Singha All Stars XI we love you.

One Teeratep Winotha....

There's only one Teeratep Winotha...

One Teeratep Winooooooooooootha....

There's only one Teeratep Winotha...

So that's the start of Moyes losing streak then, the pressure's on. First tabloid headline: "How can Moyes stop the rot"?

(*** Subject to Arsenal beating an Indonesian XI this afternoon live on Al Jazeera Sport +1 at 13:45GMT)

[Chicog]

Looks like just another Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford doesn't it? You might be able to see a small minibus arriving from Braintree in the background.

[chooka]

Looks like just another Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford doesn't it? You might be able to see a small minibus arriving from Braintree in the background.

So who won the fight, reds or yellows?

[Chicog]

Hmmm you reckon Thaksin sneaked in?

[mikemac]

Did the stadium get burnt down ?

[dahinni]

Looks like just another Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford doesn't it? You might be able to see a small minibus arriving from Braintree in the background.

So who won the fight, reds or yellows?

sorry but BVB lost final against Bayern

[Chicog]

^ Er.... yeah OK mate.

[jbrain]

Red devil fans ?

I didn't know the Belgian national team had so many fans in Thailand.

[jpduggan]

''as recent statistics show more than 10 million people in Thailand are Manchester United supporters.'' Whats the betting that they all own at least 1 COPY jersey.

[rijit]

Did the stadium get burnt down ?

Nah but afterwards they all went bac up north

[rijit]

Did the stadium get burnt down ?

Nah but afterwards they all went bac up north

Unlike back in England where the majority head for? ,,,,, anywhere but the north!!!!!!