Man United fans left in lurch over ticket and scheduling fiasco ahead of Chelsea clash

Manchester United’s away following is loud, proud and sells out for every league game. Many of those who travel are from Manchester, as can be seen by the origins of the coaches parked outside away grounds. But many come from further afield.

John Finnegan, 58, travels to watch United home and away from Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. A former semi-professional footballer himself, Finnegan plans trips as far in advance as possible. By booking early, he gets flights and hotels at a better price. He’s as dedicated to his football team as he is to his family and returned from Cyprus - after United came from behind to win 3-2 - at 8pm on Friday.

On Sunday, he flew to Manchester at lunch time ahead of the next game against Everton. A train to Liverpool followed, then he returned to Manchester at midnight where he stayed near Piccadilly train station, slept for a few hours and took a 6am train to Manchester airport. When The National spoke to him on Monday morning, he was clearing security at Dublin airport and going straight to work.

Cyprus and Everton were all planned in advance though a 7pm kick off on a Sunday night at Everton was hardly ideal. All the flights had left by the time the game finished so it meant another night away.

There are hundreds of Manchester United fans like him who go to all the games. It requires money, sacrifices, dedication and a considerable degree of planning. United fans have a song which goes: “If the Reds should play, in Rome or Mandalay, we’ll be there, we’ll be there …” And so they are.

Usually, fans know what’s coming next, but not this month. Manchester United are travelling to Chelsea. The Premier League and London’s Metropolitan Police have known that they could fix a date and time for the