THE COUNTDOWN is on for the UEFA Cup Final in Manchester on May 14 and Rangers fans are hoping for one huge party.

Arrangements have been made to make it a day to remember for everyone in the city and we have the complete guide right here

Chief Superintendent Gerry Donnellan of Greater Manchester Police attended a press conference at Ibrox today along with Vicky Rosin, Assistant Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, Rangers Head of Security and Operations Kenny Scott, Rangers UEFA Cup Final Fans' Ambassador Mark Hateley and Rangers Assembly President Jim Templeton.

The Chief Superintendent dispelled rumours that Rangers supporters would not be welcome in Manchester next week as some press reports had alleged.

Indeed all supporters travelling to Manchester can expect a warm welcome and a wide range of facilities are being provided to ensure that our supporters enjoy the event whether in the City Centre or at the Stadium.The following information is provided for the guidance of supporters.

·All supporters are urged to visit the website of Manchester City Council where continual updates on a wide variety of supporter related issues will be provided from now until the match, please visit http://www.manchester.gov.uk.

·Supporters are travelling to Manchester on a variety of routes and using various modes of transport.Clearly with numbers up to 100,000 expected to travel there will be considerable pressure on the transport infrastructure.Supporters are advised to leave extra time for travel particularly those using the M6 and associated routes to travel south.

·Guidance on coach parking and car parking will be updated for supporters over this weekend and it is important that supporters refer to the above website.This site will advise supporters of routes to be followed to the Stadium and parking arrangements.Supporters wishing to park at the Stadium in coaches should register at the following site - harry.worgan@gmpte.gov.uk.

·In Manchester City Centre there are now 3 dedicated Fanzones which can accommodate a total of 23,000 supporters.These Fanzones are located as follows:

oAlbert Square in the City Centre of Manchester adjacent to the Town Hall, is the main Fanzone dedicated to Rangers Supporters and holds approx 10,000 people.

oCathedral Gardens is a smaller Fanzone also in the City Centre close to the Arndale Shopping Centre and is also dedicated to Rangers Supporters, this area can accommodate 5,000 people.

oPiccadilly Gardens is the third Fanzone and is primarily allocated to Zenit St Petersburg supporters and can hold around 8,000 people.

·Fanzones will open at 9 o'clock with alcohol being on sale from 10 o'clock onwards at Albert Square and 11 o'clock at Cathedral Gardens.

·It is important for supporters to recognise that the Fanzones themselves are accessible without tickets and are essentially freeflow areas.Despite the above information Rangers supporters and Russian supporters will be allowed to mix freely throughout the City including in the Fanzones.Effectively the whole City Centre has now been designated as one giant Fanzone with several main thoroughfares closed to traffic allowing supporters to move around freely.Alcohol will be sold at bars in all Fanzones although the closure time of these bars has not yet been decided by the Police.

·The Piccadilly Gardens Fanzone, although intended primarily for the Russian supporters will be available for use by Rangers supporters from kick off onwards due to the fact that most Russian supporters will have tickets for the match.The Police anticipate almost total use of this area by Rangers fans from this time onwards.

·One of the most important issues for supporters without tickets going to Manchester is the opportunity to view the match on giant screens in the Fanzones.It has now been announced that there will be 2 large screens in Albert Square, 2 large screens in Cathedral Gardens and 1 giant screen at Piccadilly Gardens.In addition it is estimated that around 21,000 people can be accommodated in the various licensed premises around the City Centre.

·On the subject of alcohol there is a by-law prohibiting public consumption effective in Manchester, this being said, Chief Superintendent Donnellan has publicly stated that the attitude of his officers will be relaxed in this regard.This means that drinking in the Fanzones and other public Squares will be allowed but Police will discourage people from consuming alcohol whilst moving between locations or walking along main streets.It should be appreciated that this concession by the Police depends on a responsible attitude from our supporters.

·A positive impression of our supporters has been portrayed to authorities in Manchester by the Club and by Strathclyde Police and this has undoubtedly resulted in the more relaxed approach which is now evident.However, supporters should be aware that the police policy is that where there is anti social behaviour only one warning will be given.

·The City of Manchester Stadium is situated close to Manchester City centre, taking approximately 30 mins to walk between the two.There is a specially designated walk route clearly signed in orange to guide Rangers supporters safely to and from the designated Fanzones to the Stadium.Details of these signs can be found in the fan information contained at www.manchester.gov.uk there will be a shuttle bus service running between the Fanzones and the Stadium which is free when showing your match ticket.Obviously this shuttle service will be extremely busy in the lead-up to kick off and supporters are encouraged wherever possible to walk to the Stadium on the designated route.Supporters parking in coaches at the Stadium on arrival can obviously use the shuttle service to access the City Centre.

·As stated above further information will be made available on Coach parking over the weekend.There are 420 coach parking spaces available at the stadium in two separate car parks and there is a second coach park for 400 coaches at Lancashire Cricket Club close to Old Trafford Stadium.Supporters wishing to use the coach parks at the Stadium should register following the instructions contained on the www.manchester.gov.uk website.

·Police have advised that a number of counterfeit tickets produced in the Liverpool area have been put on sale in Glasgow.These tickets will not allow access to the Stadium due to technical features only contained on valid tickets.Supporters are urged not to buy tickets from unofficial sources on any account.

·A map of the Stadium is attached for the information of supporters clearly outlining the seating block numbers. Click HERE

The Club have been immensely proud of our supporters conduct across Europe this season.The UEFA Cup Final is the pinnacle of all our efforts both on and off the field.We would ask supporters to continue to Follow with Pride in Manchester and ensure that the reputation we have built up this season during our European campaign is maintained.Whether you are going to Manchester simply to enjoy the atmosphere in the Fanzones or in the City Centre or whether you are going to the match itself, please remember you are all ambassadors for Rangers Football Club.Thank you for all your efforts so far.