Probably on the wrong board, but...
A friend and I will be flying into Manchester on March 4 or 5. Most of the plans still need to be worked out, but right now we'll be attending the City-Villa game on the 5th, and then we'll gradually work our way south until we fly out of London the following weekend. Sure we'll do some sightseeing, but the goal is to watch as much football as possible.
-Best way to get tickets (for City as well as other matches)?
-What other matches should we target?
-Is BritRail a must?
-Good/cheap accommodations in/near Manchester?
Never been to England, so I don't have a clue...any and all suggestions will be appreciated.
Not sure why you mean by BritRail? If you mean travelling by British Rail, it doesn't really exist anymore since the privatisation in the 90s. The trains are now operated by various private operators.
If you're wanting to travel from Manchester to London though, you're only direct option is Virgin Trains (real name!) The sooner you book, the cheaper the ticket.
Avoid travelling on a Monday morning or any morning before 9.30 for that matter, and avoid Friday afternoons as well. These times are absolutely packed and you might struggle to get a seat, and the price goes up accordingly.
Decent cheap hotels, check out Ibis, Premier Inn and Travelodge. They are all clean and cheap, similar standard to a Motel 6 in the US. Not luxurious by any means, but if you want somewhere cheap that's not an absolute shit hole, you can't really go far wrong with those.
There are a few in Manchester right on the edge of the city centre, there's a Travelodge on Blackfriars St, and a Premier Inn on Quay St which are 2 minutes walk to Deansgate, which is pretty much the main street / area in the city close to bars, restaurants, shops etc.
When looking at hotels I'd say look close to Deansgate, for the nicest / safest area, or if you prefer more independent and quirky bars / restaurants, look close to an area called The Northern Quarter.
I wouldn't stray too far from those areas though, there are probably cheaper alternatives further out of the city but you could end up being in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do and as a tourist you probably don't want to be walking around aimlessly in some of those areas. There's a Travelodge right near The Etihad but if you're planning to stay a few days, there really is nothing else for you to do near there.
Those hotel brands also exist in London, but expect to pay at least double the price in London.
In Manchester there are plenty of decent bars, restaurants, clubs, whatever your taste. I'd be happy to recommend places for you if you PM me with the kinds of places you like. The city centre is small enough to walk around, and if you are in to shopping Manchester is great for having lots of shops and department stores very close to each other.
Tourist wise, again it depends on your taste, but if you've obviously got an interest in football the National Football Meseum in Manchester is something they don't have in London. Any other type of museum or gallery I'd say wait until you get to London as there is far bigger choice and better quality there.
Getting tickets I don't think you'll struggle for City vs Villa. The best way would be to join the club as a "Cityzen" on the website as this allows you to buy tickets online in advance. It's now possible to print off e-tickets yourself which would be ideal for you.
