Seat Counters - 2023/24

[philiph20]

it was definitely restrictions. See my post above.

I think we were restricted for the derby the following year the 3-3, the no-mans land in the Kippax was huge.

 

[M18CTID]

I think we were restricted for the derby the following year the 3-3, the no-mans land in the Kippax was huge.

We were, and you're right - there was a huge no mans land on the Kippax. Attendance was around 36,000 when the year before it was 43,000

 

[M18CTID]

Capacity for the Brightwell Derby was 58k

Old Trafford's capacity was slashed after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, as was the capacity at every other ground. It might've been 58k before then (I had around 56k in mind) but it wasn't afterwards. On top of that, I definitely remember restrictions being put in place on the capacity for that February 1990 derby because of the trouble at Maine Road the previous September.

 

[Jam Tomorrow]

Old Trafford's capacity was slashed after the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, as was the capacity at every other ground. It might've been 58k before then (I had around 56k in mind) but it wasn't afterwards. On top of that, I definitely remember restrictions being put in place on the capacity for that February 1990 derby because of the trouble at Maine Road the previous September.

United’s highest attendance 89-90 was 47,245 the opening game against Arsenal and Michael Knighton’s ball juggling ! Hence I guess that was capacity. They had quite a few league games with attendance in the mid 30,000s that season.

 

[Stephen230]

There were two derbies at Old Trafford, one where we had 200 tickets. Think it was the Keane/ Haaland game.

And another where our allocation was zero. 1-0 early United goal before I’d even got there. Scholes maybe.

I’m guessing they were the two lowest capacities in recent times. Unless there was another reason for those allocations, that I’ve forgotten about.

 

[M18CTID]

That Brightwell derby I was outside and there were hundred of mainly blues looking for tickets and the touts had none. I can't remember what the restrictions on selling them were but you're dead right. I remember another similar derby at out place which wasn't full - the 1-1 McCarthy one. Similar situations - big restrictions on advance ticket sales.

I don't remember a single blue or red making anything of it at all. Attendences fluctuated and that was that.

A couple of mates were outside in that lot and they said they got in with about 10 minutes to go when they opened the entrances to let fans out. Unfortunately for them, they ended up in K Stand but made their way to the front and got helped down onto the Scoreboard Paddock by the blues below!

Yeah, so little was made back then of games that weren't full to capacity. I think the McCarthy derby attendance was purely down to it being live on TV though. Back in those days, attendances were hugely affected by live TV coverage. There were instances of games being selected for live TV that would have attendances that were 15,000-20,000 below the corresponding fixture the season before that wasn't on TV.

 

[M18CTID]

There were two derbies at Old Trafford, one where we had 200 tickets. Think it was the Keane/ Haaland game.

And another where our allocation was zero. 1-0 early United goal before I’d even got there. Scholes maybe.

I’m guessing they were the two lowest capacities in recent times. Unless there was another reason for those allocations, that I’ve forgotten about.

The 200 tickets game was 1992/93 and the Scholes 1-0 defeat zero tickets game was 1995/96. Keane/Haaland game was 2000/01 with a full allocation of City fans

 

[feedmpenzaandhewillscore]

United’s highest attendance 89-90 was 47,245 the opening game against Arsenal and Michael Knighton’s ball juggling ! Hence I guess that was capacity. They had quite a few league games with attendance in the mid 30,000s that season.

Sure they had a game against Wimbledon where they managed to get around 29,000 for a league game in 1990. When the poor mites had enough of Taggert and wanted him gone.

 

[M18CTID]

Sure they had a game against Wimbledon where they managed to get around 29,000 for a league game in 1990. When the poor mites had enough of Taggert and wanted him gone.

It was May 1989 and it was around 23,000. It's thought that that was the first instance where a club counted non-attending season ticket holders and tickets sold as the attendance rather than turnstile clicks. I've seen it mentioned - by United fans themselves - that there were only around 15,000 there.

A little over 24 hours earlier, we got over 33,000 at Maine Road for a match against Crystal Palace in the division below. Granted, it was a bank holiday Monday whereas their game was a Tuesday night (not many Ryanair flights midweek back in those days!), plus we and Palace were both going for promotion and United's season was over but even so, United fans don't like to be reminded of it. And of course, that was a Peter Swales 33,000. It was probably thousands more!

 

[Didsbury Dave]

A couple of mates were outside in that lot and they said they got in with about 10 minutes to go when they opened the entrances to let fans out. Unfortunately for them, they ended up in K Stand but made their way to the front and got helped down onto the Scoreboard Paddock by the blues below!

Yeah, so little was made back then of games that weren't full to capacity. I think the McCarthy derby attendance was purely down to it being live on TV though. Back in those days, attendances were hugely affected by live TV coverage. There were instances of games being selected for live TV that would have attendances that were 15,000-20,000 below the corresponding fixture the season before that wasn't on TV.

I ended up in the car waiting for my mates who had tickets, stuck in a car park. When Brightwell scored I was going mad and I looked around and there were a couple of blues jumped out of the very next car celebrating. We all jumped around together and then got back in the car to listen to the end of the game.