And so they came... in their thousands... and they were legion...

Tales told during the day of huge Burnage pub car park turned into campsite being so over-full golf course had became overspill very funny. Visions of posh folks being miffed first fareway full of sleeping drunken Weegies all very amusing.

But I naively thought if I worked late the 100,000 Rangers supporters milling about Manchester would all be 'at the match' or watching in pubs.

No, they were still on the trains at 8pm. They were also less than happy to hear the news the screen had gone down at Piccadilly, about which their more punctual mates called to inform them.

Chaos ensued. 'There'll be a riot,' they solomnly predicted and asked each other if they knew where Albert Square was. Oddly they kept saying 'ask a Manc, ask a local' like we were all deaf or spoke a different language. As three of them were piled into the seat beside me (two standing, one perching - don't ask) I suggested they disembark with me at Oxford Road and I took them to Oxford Street and pointed them on their way.

I would like to point out that this was pretty big of me considering I do support the Hoops and could therefore qualify as being the 'Celtic fenian scum' they were later heard baying for the blood of.

Anyway, I obviously won the favour of the Gods with my generosity - and cannily not mentioning my love of Cetic at any point - by surviving to clamber aboard a 43 bus almost immediately.

News phoned in to bus to sundry students no longer so happy to 'soak up the atmosphere':
* there was indeed a riot going on in Piccadilly as screens went down
* telling crowd it is a problem at the ground will butter no parsnips when mates are phoning from Albert Sq and can see said match
* definitely ambulances
* techie van was immediately pinpointed for up-ending.

Most amusing moment was Rangers-shirted drunk moving to try to empty his bladder against the side of our bus - it was doing about 10mph at the time.

Anyway, home in one piece. Phew. Is city centre in one piece? Suspect not.

Oh, and apparently they lost 2-0. I'm saying nowt!