Manchester has long been a city famed for its craft and industriousness.
From the cotton trade and the Busby Babes, to Factory Records, Tony Wilson and Mike Garry's totemic 'honest Northern blagger'.
If anyone thought this Mancunian spirit had been lost to wine bars, rahs and the Old Trafford Prawn Sandwich Brigade, think again.
It's alive and well.
One Red Devil has reportedly been charging eager Old Trafford tourists the princely sum of £20 to take them to a local pub, according to the
Manchester Evening News.
https://twitter.com/MrStephenHowson/status/652094461082791936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Day-trippers flocking to the famous old ground from across the globe were apparently also being offered everything from stadium tours range to a £20 trip round the city's Football Museum (which you can actually get in for free).
The
MEN report supporter Stephen Howson promising "We'll go to the pub pre-game and sing songs and also show you where we go after a match, too," on the
Partner Fan website.
But Stephen posted a
long message on his Twitter page, saying Partner Fan was more like AirBnB, Uber, or
Rent-a-Guide.com - a service people were happy to pay for.
He said: "Tourists are coming to the game and standing around taking photos because they don’t know what else to do.
"They’re happy to pay someone for their time to show them around while they’re here, it makes their trip better.
"No one is forced to take on what’s being offered so no one is being taken advantage of. If someone wants to be taken to the museum, even a free one like the National Football museum, they’re paying for me (and others) to leave work and go meet them, give them a more personal experience and take on stuff.
"I’m not charging people entry to a free museum. Just for my time. If you don’t want that, fine. But some do.
You can get similar services at
Spurs,
Arsenal and
Barcelona.
We're thinking of setting one up at Accrington Stanley. Anyone want to invest? Anyone? No?
