Fans of Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg flocked to the city's bars and open spaces determined to soak up the big match build up.
Thousands of Rangers fans were pitching tents in makeshift camps across the region as cup final fever took hold. Others without accommodation said it didn't matter because they had `no plans to sleep' after tonight's match.
In the city centre it was the vast numbers of Glaswegians who clearly outnumbered the Russians. Hundreds were gathered in Piccadilly Gardens and Albert Square in soaring temperatures.
Over 300 noisy Rangers fans converged on Sinclair's Oyster Bar in Cathedral Gardens. Most sported their club's red, white and blue colours - and were intent on making the most of their trip to the city.
Jon Doc, 29, from Bearsden, near Glasgow,said: "Thisis the biggest match of our lives. We're here to have a party and we'll be well behaved - don't worry about that."
Many were still desperately searching for match tickets while others swapped tales of mammoth accommodation prices. Some had paid as much as £400 for a room for tonight in city centre hotels.
Others spoke of paying over £1,000 for a match ticket.
Notoriously patriotic, songs such as the National Anthem and Rule Britannia rang out from the colourful crowds as bemused shoppers walked by. Most Rangers fans seemed confident that the trophy would be heading back to Scotland with them.
Duncan Miller, 34, from Broxburn, said: "It'll be 0-0 and we'll win on penalties!"
But fans of their Russian opponents sent out a warning.
Andrei Krechmar, 41, his wife Olga, 43, and daughter Anastasia, 11, had arrived on an early morning flight from St Petersburg.
"It is our trophy and it comes back with us," said Andrei.
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He added: "Manchester seems like a beautiful place, although not as beautiful as St Petersburg. The people are very friendly and we are here for a good time."
Up to 5,000 Scottish supporters were expected to pitch their tents at Burnage Rugby Club which has transformed its nine-hole golf course into a campsite for 48 hours.
The club, in Heaton Mersey, has ordered a six-week supply of beer for its guests who are paying £25 for the two-night stay or £15 for one night.
Club manager Andy Green was approached by events company Bear Camp, which specialises in arranging football tours for fans, after it became clear that thousands would be left without hotel or bed and breakfast accommodation. He said: "We've never opened as a camp site before and this has only swung into action since Friday.
"We're expecting a mix of people - groups of lads as well as families. The majority of them don't have tickets but we have a big screen here, a fully stocked bar and we're putting on barbecues."
Lifelong Rangers fans John Harvey and Robert Downie were the first to pitch their tents. John said: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, we've no tickets for the match but we couldn't miss being a part of it."
Other Rangers fans without hotel rooms were expected to spend the night in their cars, camper vans or hunt for rooms. Many said they did not plan to sleep at all.
One family, including 87-year-old Rangers-mad gran, Matti Jordan, were setting up camp at a relative's house in Salford, with five of them staying in a tent in the back garden because the house is full up.
Manchester city council said it also expected to fans to pitch tents in the city's park areas such as Sackville Gardens, in the city centre, and Philip's Park, near the stadium.
Some fans were disappointed to find the special fan villages were not open yesterday.
Publican Ian Phillips, 51, from Glasgow, said that the city had `clearly missed a trick' by not setting up the zones until match day.
He said: "I'll tell you now I'd be selling beer if this was Glasgow - they must be missing out on a small fortune."
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This will end in tears!
Bars open from 10am....we who work right in piccadilly gardens will be inhaling the fumes of the alcohol!!!!
Makes a change from the polluting bus station!
was with a few rangers fans this afternoon on the way home from work and the atmosphere was brilliant , completely different to when england games are on the big screen .
Yes, really great. Female staff of mine getting unpleasant comments, drunks rolling in the steets, anti English songs everywhere.
I went to Glasgow once and what a rough place it was.
They say that it isn't the buildings that make a place rough it is the people.
I have had a wander around town today and, well, I have my thoughts.
Audenshaw Bob, when was it you were last in Glasgow ? Come again soon (we're four hours' drive up the road) and tell us again of your impressions.
'Anti-English' stuff ? Hello ? I have my doubts given the Unionist traditions of our club. Supporters do tend to swop scarves and tops, you're sure it wasn't Zenit fans ?
If you meet the Ross brothers - they're my cousins. Look after them please !!
Tipsy Jocks and boozy Ruskies with only a well spoken Manc to translate.
It's got headlines written all over it this one.
i feel really sorry for the people of manchester!! i am not surprised people are getting abused as they are nothing more than animals Rangers fans!! they do not represent the rest of Scotland!! for a couple of days at least we will be free from them!!
Why isn't this match being played at Old Trafford instead of the mini stadium? More fans would have been able to watch the game and the clubs would have earned more money. Oh yes.There would have been more sense of occasion,much more to see in the museum and fewer fans put at risk due to the W of the Wireworks.
There is no reason,why this should be an unpleasnt invasion.I have friends who are Celtic season ticket holders and Rangers season ticket holders..not the same people of course.They are generally civilised,in a hard drinking way.Except,that is when they play each other..and the how shall we say.."strongly held, different histories,and differing perspectives" are very evident amongst some sections of each set of supporters.Even then ,this antipatht is sometimes more of a match day thing .Thank God,though that it's not an old firm uefa final.
Also I see that Ranger's have some very attractive females amongst their fans,to add to the hot Manc women..what could be better!Ding dong!
Hello Manchester,
Today is just the aperitif. Just wait for tomorrow. Most of us will not be on the road until early in the morning, arriving with you from around mid-day.
We're going to enjoy ourselves, and warmly invite all Mancunians to join us for the party of a lifetime.
This is the Friendly Final, and we are the best supporters in the world. Don't be a stranger--get down to the city centre tomorrow.
We are the people.
Rule Britannia
"I went to Glasgow once and what a rough place it was. "
So you spent an afternoon there long ago.
What a mature and reasonable man you are.
I spend time in Manchester and Glasgow very often due to work commitments... they are very similar cities in many ways.
There are parts of Manchester I wouldn't want to find myself alone in after dark — so what's your point?
"I have had a wander around town today and, well, I have my thoughts."
Well please share them with us Bob... I await them with baited breath...
(Yes, really great. Female staff of mine getting unpleasant comments, drunks rolling in the steets, anti English songs everywhere.)
You must be drinking to much, Rangers fans singing anti english songs!!!! you could not get a more royalist team, they sing god save the queen, rule brittania etc every game, so if you want to stir it get your facts right.
The Scots anti English? I worked for years for a Scottish company and they looked after you when you went up there. At the other English offices, you were left on your own. When the Scots talk anti English, they are referring to Londoners, and what do we think about cockneys? The Scots are alright. Have a bit of banter and giggle at a deep fried mars bar.
Audenshaw Bob, I find these comments way of the mark, Glasgow is a great city! I was born in Manchester and have spent my time back and forth between both great citys, need I remind you that while Glasgow Rangers have played over 18 games in Europe the season there hasnt been one arrest for ANY offences at away games, wish I could say the same about your own fans. Bet this comment doesnt get printed. Scots are just the same as you,human beings...Chris
I just got off a bus in the city centre. Albert Square and the road around it is closed off and the traffic is gridlocked. No Police anywhere to get the traffic flowing, just people jumoing red lights and complete chaos.
Nice to see the Rangers fans freely drinking from beer cans at 7.50am too.
I predict carngage by noon.
Drinking at 7.50am hmmmmm .....must have been the late shift. Drinking at 7.30am on Market St and Tesco Metro was doing a roaring trade in beer sales. Funny that, I thought retailers could'nt sell alcohol before 8am. Does anyone know what the green and yellow tardis like cubicles are, just off Piccadilly Gardens? Can't be toilets can they? Why then are 'fans' urinating in doorways on sidestreets off Market St?
Carnage by noon.......possibly an overestimate!
Really looking forward to crossing town on my journey home from MY days work!
"We are the people!" What does that mean? It;'s just another meaningless phrase, intended to confer a sense of importance to a crowd of lager-swilling football supporters. "The people" have arrived in Manchester, and how do we - who live in this city, and who pay its rates - benefit? Well, for a start, we can see the rules and regulations which apply to us for 364 days of the year being tossed aside: if we set up tents in Manchester's parks, we'd be rousted: if we drank a can of lager on the street, we'd be busted; and when was the last time the pubs opened their doors for us at ten o'clock in the morning? That's right, they don't - not even on Bank Holidays. (That said, who - apart from hardened alcoholics - needs to start drinking at ten o'clock in the morning? Who even really needs to get lashed to have a good time?) So here we are - the big day - and Glasgow's finest - by eight o'clock this morning - have stripped the supermarket shelves of beer, and are parading through our streets in various stages of drunkenness, "singing" enthusiastically and tunelessly. Not so much a friendly invasion, as an ill-mannered invasion, of scruffs and drunks...and tomorrow morning, we can all turn out and pay for the city to be cleaned up behind them.
Kurt, using doorways and shop windows happened when Celtic played here. I pointed five fans doing this to a Policeman and he said that they were to turn a blind eye because they didn't want to cause unrest. A few days later these fans were being praised for their behaviour and no arrests!
I walked down Deansgate with a can of special brew a few weeks ago and had it confiscated. Last night I saw loads of Rangers fans openly drinking and guess what? Nowt happened.
I wish you guys would all get off your high horses! I travelled to work today and Piccadilly Gardens has a real party atmosphere.
It's the moaning people like you lot that give Manchester a bad name, I'll be joining the Rangers fans after work today to soak up the atmosphere and have a laugh with their fans. Maybe you guys should all get off your backsides and come join in, or are you scared you may actually enjoy your experience and have nothing more to moan about on here. For one night only, I'm a Rangers fan and I welcome you all to the city!
In the words of Frank Gallagher, "LETS AV A PARTY!!!"
poc, get off my high horse? I'll stand outside your high with 50 mates swilling beer at 8am and will relieve myslef against your door. Will you be on your high horse? I bet you will.
As a test I will walk down Deansgate at 8am on Saturday morning with my City top on 'singing' and openly drinking and we'll see what happens shall we.
All I can hear in the city centre now is cars blaring their horns. This is dangerous. What is after six hours of horn blaring someone goes to cross the road and thinks it is a reveller and steps out when in gact it was a warning beep.
I am not a United fan, far from it. But why don't they put up screens for them in town on the Champions Final?
I'll have a wander round at lunchtime and will report back.
Im with poc on this one. I work in the city centre and have to travel past COMS to get home and for one day in the year I welcome the tartan invasion and hope they enjoy our city. I travelled through Piccadilly this morning and the atmosphere was excellent. I too will be joining them this evening. Additionally
Audenshaw Bob, you need to havea meeting wi yersel. The English football fans travel abroad and cause havoc...Scottish fans are renowned around the world for enjoying the atmosphere and mingling with the locals and rival supporters. I think you are a wee bit upset that we are in the final and you are an avergae mob, not even the best team in your town.
Cheer up pal....We are the People!!!
Fantastic atmosphere, no trouble to be seen, they are our guests so let them do as they wish (within reason!).
Did anybody else hear the Rangers fans singing their "We are up to our necks in fenian blood" song in Market Street last night?
Sorry, but they can take their sectarian 'party atmospehere' elsewhere. At least Chorlton seems free of them.