It was all going so well for Manchester based hospitality operators ahead of last night's UEFA Cup Final between Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg.
Pubs, hotels and restaurants anticipated a massive increase in turnover, with one eaterie hoping for a 300% boost in trade as fans mingled in the city centre ahead of the game at the City of Manchester Stadium.
It was predicted that the extra tourists - an estimated 100,000 were in the city - would boost the local economy by £20m.
At Harvey Nichols' bar and restaurant, a quartet of Zenit fans were seen peeling off £20 notes from a thick wad of cash. Their lunch, washed down by cognac, had cost £198. They estimated the trip was going to cost them £8,000.
Speaking on the afternoon of the game, Ilona Krohn, an economist at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said: "There seems to be a lot of high rollers and there is a lot of loose money around. Harvey Nichols has seen a dramatic increase in turnover and there is not a hotel room anywhere in Greater Manchester."
However, it all turned sour in the evening as mobs of ticketless and legless Rangers fans went on the rampage after a big screen in Piccadilly Gardens failed. More than 40 people were arrested.
One wonders if the pub industry will get blamed for this latest bout of binge drinking.
After all, it was nothing to do with supermarkets opening their doors at 7am in the morning...
