CHRISTMAS 2007 NEWSLETTER

* ‘Tis the SEASON to be Jolly!... *

I am delighted to say that, thanks to all your help, we have had a great first half to the season. I sent a list of 149 One United numbers to Old Trafford in July and we ended up with 139 confirmed One United members. This means that we can apply for up to 15 match tickets for each Premier League home game.

Those extra 5 tickets are crucial and this is one of the main reasons why we have not “lost” on any game so far this season. Fantastic! There is now no doubt that we will continue to travel to all Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League home games until the end of season and beyond...as long as you want to go!

Champions League and FA Cup Travel

The question of European and FA Cup travel was brought up at the AGM in July and I am pleased to say that we were able to run a mini bus to the last two home Champions League group games.

Interest was very limited however, so we only used the club’s season tickets, which means that we will not be able to apply for any match tickets for the latter stages of that competition. This does not stop us from sourcing tickets through other channels however, as long as there is interest from you.

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League will be made at 11am on Friday December 21st, however bookings for this game will be taken from MIDDAY on Saturday 29th December. Should United get there, “who plays who” in the quarter finals and beyond will be decided at the same time on March 14th. As for the FA Cup, our 3rd round opponents will be known during the first weekend of December.

If you are interested in going to these games, then please call me and I will happily take bookings from the above highlighted dates. Please be aware however that priority for Champions League matches will be given to those who have travelled to the games in the group stages. We will endeavour to take a coach rather than a mini bus to these matches, but again this depends on the demand for the game

Premier League Ticket Availability

As it stands, there are tickets available for the Premier League games against Birmingham on New Years day, Portsmouth on Wednesday January 30th, Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 8th March, and Aston Villa on Saturday 29th March.

So if you haven’t booked on any of those matches yet and would like a trip to Old Trafford, please feel free to contact me. Alternatively, for up to date ticket information please visit www.muscnorthdevon.com.

CLICK HERE FOR THE MUSC NORTHDEVON WEBSITE

Overnight Stay

Because of the uncertainty the club was in at the time, it was decided at the start of the season not to go to a game and stay overnight this term. We have had a few enquires however, and providing those members would still like to go, we would like to run it again next season, so watch this space!

Munich Social Night

As you may have noticed, we have not had any social nights this season. The committee have discussed this and we would like to run one on Wednesday February 6th 2008 to honour the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. It will be held at the Ebberley Arms at 7.30pm and will include a quiz, a raffle, and much more. A donation from the evening will be made to a local charity, so please come and support the cause, and of course remember the tragic loss of the Busby Babes.

Missing Members

Time for a moan I’m afraid! So far, fifteen members have failed to turn up on the day of a game without letting me know or have pulled out the night before a match. This is both very disappointing and potentially damaging to the club, as we not only lose the coach fare but it is virtually impossible to sell tickets on the day of the match.

I would like to bring your attention to the branch rule that states “any member who misses the coach is liable for both the cost of the ticket and the coach fare.” I am very pleased to say that three members have paid the full cost of the ticket and coach, but twelve have not, which has cost the club over £550. :-(

Because of this, the committee have decided that from now on all future bookings WILL be cancelled if a member misses the coach without good reason and full payment is not received. I apologise if this seems harsh, but we want to ensure the future of the branch for seasons to come, and this will help to do this.

Old Trafford update

As normal, it has been a turbulent first half to the season. After a seemingly endless run of nail biting 1-0’s at the start of the campaign, Wazza, Carlos and Co eventually hit top gear against Wigan and have not looked back since.

The highlight has to be the home match against Chelsea. It was a true team performance which was reflected in the man of match result on the coach, where every single player picked at least one vote. Well done lads.

In saying that however, perhaps the most satisfying performances this season have been the European away games, Kiev inparticular, as unlike previous seasons, we are at last playing well and picking up vital points along the way.

There could be many reasons why, but I believe that is it because we are playing a straight forward 4-4-2, rather than a target man up front, which the players seem to relate to a lot better. Long may this continue. As the chant goes: “follow follow follow cos United are going to Moscow”...we can only dream I guess?

Back to the bread and butter, and at the time of writing we are right on the coat tails of “the Arse” in the League. It looks like being yet another intense battle between the two most successful clubs in Premier League history for the title and let’s just hope that the team bring home “our trophy” in May.

Lastly, and most importantly, I would like to wish all of you…

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Tolly