The Red Army are the Manchester United fan group doing their utmost to help revolutionise the atmosphere at Old Trafford. In an exclusive interview for United In Focus, they discuss fan culture and explain the Reclaim the Stretford End campaign.
It’s been a challenging first year for Ruben Amorim at Manchester United, but the chants from the stands tell you everything you need to know about the Old Trafford faithful. They get behind the team, win, lose or draw.
Amorim is not the first United head coach to have his chant sung regularly during bleak times. The same applied to David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Erik ten Hag.
That is what makes United fans special. Sure, some of us grew up spoiled on success under Sir Alex Ferguson, but we are fully aware of the club’s history and how bouncing back from hard times is part of our DNA as a football club.
For the love, not the glory.
The Red Army shares thoughts on Old Trafford atmosphere
United fans will have noticed the increased number of flags in the Stretford End this season.
This campaign, titled ‘Reclaim the Stretford End’, is organised and funded by The Red Army (TRA) and has been backed by the club.
A spokesperson for TRA has agreed to speak with United In Focus about Reclaim the Stretford End and how they want to protect fan culture for the next generation.
We also discuss music played at games, such as This Is The One, inspired by Gary Neville, and the recently introduced Country Roads.
How did Reclaim the Stretford End come about initially? How were the club to deal with it, and what obstacles did you face?
“We had a few flags in the past, and as you know, it’s always been kind of our thoughts, really, TRA in general, that flags don’t make atmosphere.
“But what we didn’t want to do was fall into the trap that every other club seems to be doing at the moment, of having the same kind of generic-looking TIFOs that are clearly kind of done by the club marketing department, or they appear to be. They’re all the same.
“They’ve all got a couple of hundred identical waving flags and that sort of thing. So we decided if we’re going to do something, then we want to do it better and we want it to be Bigger. Because that’s what united is. Bigger and better. That’s what we think.
“So it was the 27th of May when I proposed the idea to TRA lads, and we started working on it. The first problem we had was, the Stretford End is so big. The first thing I should say, actually, is that I didn’t want it to be just in TRA section, if you like.
“So we’re a couple of thousand seats out of the 4,000. We’re about half that section. Now the club have their own thing going. So I didn’t want it just to be too small because in a stand that size, I knew it would look naff. The first problem we had was getting a large enough number of designs that are unique designs. Just so we could even say, okay, we’ve got enough designs to make it look half decent. So that was the first challenge.
“We went out and we asked people, we went out to our members, we went out on socials, and we used word of mouth to ask people to send in designs. And that worked to an extent. We probably got about 30 designs out of a fan base our size, which is quite ridiculous, really, but that’s not atypical apathy-wise and everything that we come across, so it quickly became apparent that we’re going to have to do most of the majority of designs ourselves.”
The feedback has been hugely positive and it’s had a fantastic visual and atmospheric effect. What needs to be done to supplement this regarding atmosphere, specifically around the music that’s played before and after games?
“What needs to be done is subjective, really. We think we’re probably best positioned to make those calls because we understand. Not just because we don’t think our opinions are best, but we have the best understanding of how the club works from a fan point of view, behind the scenes. So we know how to get things through. We know things that United will accept. We know things they won’t accept.
“They’re not going to let us have a s**tload of smokes in there or pyros. That’s just not happening legally, not without approval.
“But apart from that, I mean, our current thinking is that we want to stretch to the whole of the Stretford End, including tier two and tier one lower. So, the first stage of that is going to be getting more designs in, another 100 designs, I think.
“And get the whole of the lower, so in other words, where we are, and below us, we’re going to go left and right side and centre, filled with flags.
“And to do that, I think we also like to see some more movement in there, so maybe get, we’d like to get another 50 designs just for smaller wave of flags and get a couple of hundred of those, so maybe five of each in there or something like that, so there’s 250 wave of flags as well, just to create a bit of movement. So I think that’s the first stage.
“Then after that, there are lots of ideas, and we’re just going to play with a few and and some of them we’re just going to not announce and they’re just going to happen. Keep it interesting with people, really, you know? Everyone likes a surprise. It’s a pleasant surprise we’re thinking and we’re thinking outside the box.
“The club, to be fair to them, have been really good. with this. When we initially had the meeting, we kind of thought, here we go, it’s going to be the same old, same old.
“And we had a meeting from the fan engagement side, and we had the safety team on there. The stadium team on there, and to a man, they were all very supportive of us, and said, ‘we love it, crack on.’
“So that was a surprise. So that side’s been pleasant, it’s been good, it’s gone well, there’s been no real bumps, there’s been the odd little bump in the road, but nothing we’re not used to, so we’ve dealt with it okay.
“The music is a massive one for us. I mean, it took us seven years, or six best part seven years to get the music turned off, and some people don’t really get why it’s so important. For us, before the game, you know, seven minutes for the game, that’s when the atmosphere needs to start to build naturally, and after the game, when you want to support the players to come off the pitch, win, lose or draw.
“You want them to know you’ve got their backs. If you’ve won, you want them to hear that. That’s the proper atmosphere. And we did, at one stage, we had a written agreement with United. It’s called a match day agreement.
“And it’s explicitly said there would be no music 15 minutes before the game, no music after the game or at halftime – until all players and members of the playing staff had left the pitch. And they agreed to that.
“They signed up for it and loved it. And the benefits were there to see. Like anything, a changing culture like that doesn’t happen overnight. And they knew they had to be patient for it to catch on, for the atmosphere to build. And then suddenly they introduced what they call their anthem, you know, Country Roads.
“So that kind of, that was a bit of a slap in the face, because it came from nowhere. There was no consultation; they didn’t ask us. They knew we’d object to it, and we did object to it. But, to be fair, if that’s the only time that 99% of the ground gets up its a*** and has a sing-song for two or three minutes, fair play.
“It’s hard to argue against it. Even if we don’t like it, it doesn’t matter. I think overall it’s a positive, United Road.”
Do you think it was a PR spin that Bruno Fernandes pushed for Country Roads to be played before games?
“100%. I do, yeah. I mean, we had three or four different stories before that one was the one that settled.
“Whether it’s true or not, I mean, you know, let’s just say it is true. It doesn’t matter who the player is, how much you love him, or what his influence is. No player or member of staff should have an influence over fan culture. And that is a massive influence on fan culture. Whether it works out or not, it shouldn’t happen.
“They’re transient. Staff are transient, players are transient; they come and they go. Those fans were there for decades, for a lifetime. So the concept that we should listen to players, what they want on this sort of thing, to us was completely alien and just ridiculous, quite frankly.
“But it’s happened, whether it’s true or not, and we’ve embraced the United girl thing, because we’ve had to, because it’s not a battle worth fighting, because we get so much pushback from people who aren’t really invested in the atmosphere, but just enjoy that. So, you know, it’s fair enough.
“But what was a real disappointment was Glory, Glory, Man United being played at the end of the games, because there’s no reason for it. We’ve never had a reason for it if we’ve asked.
“We’ve been told various things that didn’t make any sense, but we never had a solid reason. And in a way, that’s a lot worse, because that’s when the atmosphere should be really cracking after a win.
“Like, United’s opinion, they’ll only play after a win. It’s like, but they told us they wanted to drown out the away fans, so it makes no sense.
“I think you’ve got to look at it in a wider context of the Americanization of what’s happening in the sport. All this, I think, is for TV audiences.
“The anthem at the beginning, the anthem at the end. All that stuff is for the American… It’s for the TV audience, I think. You have to look at it like that. There’s no other set of goggles that, when you wear them and look for them, make any sense to me. But, you know, I don’t know. That’s just our opinion.”
How much work is involved in getting the flags out and back in again? What size team of volunteers are involved, and how can people support this or get involved directly if they want to?
“I’m not entirely sure of the exact size of the team, but it’s a team of volunteers. Now we’re looking at the whole Stretford End.
“We’ve sent a message out requesting people from every block in the Stretford End to come and help us because we think we need about half a dozen people per block. So that involves getting the flags laid out before the kick-off, well in advance of kick-off. So sometimes these guys are in there the day before.
“It’s nice and empty, it’s always a bit of a buzz. So they go in beforehand, lay the flags out, and then they collect them at half-time, as things stand, or sometimes at full-time.
“The reason for the collection at half-time was mainly because we were concerned about flags getting nicked.
“That’s happened once or twice. So what we’d like to do is maybe half a dozen people per block. So, we just need people to step up. And a big part of this as well, I always wanted, this is why we’ve done it under the guise of Reclaim The Stretford End as well, we claim the strength and not just TRA, because people, rightly or wrongly, might have their opinion of TRA, but I want the atmosphere, we want the atmosphere to have ownership.
“We want people going into the Stretford End and feeling like it’s them doing it and them being a part of it. And it’s not just a small group of lads doing it, you know. So we need people to get involved. Step up and help us.”
Man Utd stars approve of flags in the Stretford End
The flags in the Stretford End have been admired by fans since the beginning of the season, but the campaign has also been a hit in the dressing room with players.
According to the Daily Mail, TRA’s attempts with Reclaim the Stretford End have been well received by United’s first-team players.
The report claims the players appreciate the effort that has gone into improving the atmosphere.
They likely feel the presence of a 12th man, which proves that fans play a significant role in each match. TRA deserve lots of credit for consistently pushing to boost the atmosphere at Old Trafford.
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