Tranmere Rovers Viking Page

Tranmere is very proud of the fact it is the only team in the English Football League with a Norwegian Viking name.

Den velkjente fotballklubben Tranmere i Wirral har et nordisk navn

The township of Tranmere was founded sometime around 902AD when Norwegian Vikings landed and settled in Wirral. The name Tranmere comes from the Old Norse Trani-melr meaning “cranebird (or heron) sandbank” and in modern Scandinavia Trane (Norway and Denmark) or Trana (Sweden) is still used for these birds.

WirralGlobe_6Mar07_back

Left: Picture by Serge Nicolle of Cranes near a sandbank. Courtesy of EEC Environment Nature Directive. Right: courtesy of the Wirral Globe

SUPPORT TRANMERE – AND ITS UNIQUE NORSE/VIKING HERITAGE

Are there ways Tranmere’s unique heritage can be promoted – for example a heron or Viking ship in the new badge?, or a mascot? or merchandise?

Read this article here and email Steve Harding if you would like this taken further.

Collingwood 34_Yatesey ship

LINKS:

· Official Tranmere Rovers site, Directions to the Tranmere Stadium - Wirral, BBC match reports, news and fixtures, Tranmæl - Tronderlag Norway, Panoramic view of the ground, Tranmere jingle (17 seconds).

· Read this famous article by Patrick Barclay (Independent, 29 April 1989) about the great potential of Tranmere: “The club may once have drawn support from shipyards and dockyards, but the wider Wirral hinterland has a population as great as Liverpool’s and more prosperous. They are being wooed by half-page advertisements in the local papers”.

· Cowsheds: Tranmere supporters forum.

· Tranmere Rovers Supporters Norway

· Sandbank Cranebirds Song

· Queries about Tranmere: Email here for Information/ how to get there/Tickets (no advance purchases are normally required) or telephone 0044 870 460 3333 (outside UK) or 0870 460 3333 (UK).

· Latest fixtures are given in the Events Section above and also here. Our team doesn't always win, but the excitement is electric!

· For those coming from outside the UK, the Tranmere stadium is within easy reach (bus/rail) from Liverpool John Lennon airport and is approximately 90 minutes away by bus/merseyrail: catch the express bus (number 500 or 80) which runs every 20 minutes to Liverpool Lime Street. Then catch the Merseyrail train (Wirral line) to Hamilton Square where a soccer bus runs from. We suggest you arrive at the airport 2 hours before the game starts. Then spend the rest of the weekend in Wirral visiting some of our wonderful Viking sites.

· Scandinavian supporters coming from Oslo Torp to Liverpool John Lennon please see the link to Ryan air. (Flights leave Torp, 21.50 weekdays arrive 22.45, return leaves 14.30, arrives Torp 22.45. Sunday flight leaves Torp 22.15, arrives 23.10; return leaves 14.55, arrives Torp 17.45).

· May 1987. Tranmael 1 Exeter 0. This win kept Tranmere in the Football League. See also this brief report in the “Today” paper.

· May 1990. Tranmael 2 Bristol Rovers 1. LDV Vans Trophy win at Wembley Stadium in front of 60,000 fans.

· June 1991. Tranmael 1 Bolton 0. (Play-off Final, Wembley Stadium). This win promoted Tranmere to what is now the Championship, in which they stayed for 10 years, reaching 3 play-off semi-finals for the Premiership (1993, 1994 and 1995), 2 FA Cup Quarter Finals (2000, 2001) and the Worthington (League Cup) final in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley in 2000, finally losing to Leicester 1-2 after playing for most of the game with 10 men. In the semi-final they had beaten Bolton 4-0 on aggregate, including this goal by Nick Henry. After relegation in 2001 (but after beating Everton 3-0 in front of 40,000 fans at Goodison Park in the FA Cup 4^th Round) they have been fighting to get back to the Championship, with a further FA Cup Quarter Final appearance (and replay) in 2004. With a population of 400,000 on Wirral (nearly 2ce that of Iceland) the potential is marvellous.

· Ticket information

Order from Tranmere Club Shop (£7.95) or amazon.co.uk

Map of Viking Wirral with Tranmere as Tranmelr

Tranny the Heron spotted here at Richmond Bridge!