Manchester United officials looking at plans to expand Old Trafford capacity to 88,000 | Scrapped?

But will be.....

It's not even so much as rumoured anywhere online and I refuse to believe Bleacher Report have some inside scoop that no UK based site or newspaper has!

I'd say they've just come across one of those vague, maybe articles from early October and run it as news.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...adium-tired-old-trafford-now-showing-age/amp/

Thats a terrible article. His point about the railway line is as outdated as those mince pies he's crying about

I agree with the article, unfortunately OT has been neglected for over decade and is now an old, tired stadium and definitely needs an upgrade in soo many different areas.

The stadium was and still is fantastic, a few modern lifeless new bowl stadiums with good wifi isn't going to change that!

For what it's worth, I think an expansion will happen sooner rather than later. Not least because the new disabled seating regulations will come at the cost of 2500+ seats.

Plus, United have huge demand for greater hospitality options, let alone on the concourses. Woodward and Co know that they're leaving money on the table at present.

Exactly. None of those teams have academy graduates in the first team (well Christensen is getting some games this season). We've had Rashford and Lingard play plenty of games for us. Before then we had Welbeck and Evans and Fletcher, before that we had Brown and O'Shea, and lets not forget Pogba, the Da Silva brothers, Pique, Gibson. Then there is a massive list of youth team products who have had top careers elsewhere.

Media love in of City continues I see.

Unless he's talking about facilities?

The stadium is definitely in need of big time renovation, it's hardly a controversial statement.

Even Crystal Palace are planning to spend £100m on the redevelopment of their stadium... Although I like OT, it's starting to look really outdated. But before expanding OT, please update that goddamn awful corporate looking website...

We need to choose the right moment to invest in the stadium. Barcelona are improving their stadium and their fans are crying out for players to be bought. We need a stable squad that will carry us for a few seasons. Alternatively, what's £200m over a few years? Expand it now.

Why not both?

Is Jim White that numpty from Sky Sports News?

I don't think the stadium looks outdated at all. Facilities might need updating but I really don't get this love for modern stadia. Designs we fiddle with ourselves over now might look as big an eyesore as 70s tower blocks do today, in 20 years time. We've a stadium that, whilst modernised over the years, is still part of our history. Honestly hate to lose that just to build a brand new stadium barely distinguishable from 20 others across Europe.

Bayern's stadium is a classic example. Looks great from the outside, from the inside it's a grey bowl and fairly nondescript. I like the fact our stadium has character and history. Even if it is lopsided. From the inside it's instantly recognisable as Old Trafford even if you removed all branding. Be a shame to lose that.

That 'Tunnel club' is fecking hilarious. Blokes with pints sit behind a glass window trying to get as close as possible to the players. Is it a one-way window or can the players see in? Why not wait with all the kids after the game, at least they'd get an autograph out of it.

As much as I dislike City I actually think that is bloody cool.

I think from the being caught up line there ought to be an expansion and modernise. There is a lot of land they own around OT, and could possibly move further away from the railway line. This obviously would mean knocking down and starting with a new build, but you cant see that happening.

No way the Glazers would ever stump up for a new stadium. They will also know that even if they were prepared to spend the money they would be met with a wall of resistance from the fans. As long as we are still getting the highest attendances in the league i'm happy. Would much prefer we get out of debt before we embark on any extension plans.

No. I know he wrote a book when United when United won the league for the first time under Fergie. He is a United fan I think who is a journo as well. I like him. He is right OT is getting a bit tired looking and needs some TLC.

We are still 15k ahead of the closest PL stadium, I'm not sure I get the urgent need to expand. It would be nice sure, but it's hardly a disaster.

Surely it isn't about cramming more people in, it should be about people being able to watch a game safely, with good facilities and in comfort.

The leg room is already fecking appalling.

Imagine if they just crammed in another 15k.

It might depend if safe standing comes into play as well. They might be waiting to see where that goes, rather than do loads of changes, to then have to undo half of them.

Yeah it's a one way window apparently. City fan in work was raving about it, costs a small fortune

Idea stolen from Spurs' new stadium though right? Fits in with corporate 2017 for sure.

Honestly when I visited OT for the first time last year I didn't view it as "outdated." I actually love the nostalgia and mystique of the place. This coming from a Yankees fan who wasn't in favor of moving into a new stadium that cost 2 billion dollars from the classic "House that Ruth Built."

We do need to expand the Sir Bobby stand in due time though, no doubt about that.

If we spend a bundle on refurbishment then we will have less on transfers and salaries.

The website still looks like it did when I was in primary school.
I'm 26 now.

Same. It still feels like a proper football ground to me. I've been to the Etihad and the Emirates, and they don't feel the same. They feel odd and sterile. Just these mini-(new)Wembley clones where even if you're near the front, you still feel far away from the pitch. But it's personal preference. I personally prefer the more square football stadia like OT, Anfield, St James Park. I think the square grounds lend themselves to being closer to the pitch more than the bowl shaped grounds. I think that creates a better atmosphere and a harder atmosphere to play against, when the fans are right on the touchline.

Expand the Sir Bobby stand. Refurbish the toilets and that. It'll be fine. Some safe standing would be great too, but that's some way away, I suspect.

aye

Yeah when you’re sat in the heavens, when you actually have to sit and you’re 6ft or over, you leave the game with a limp!

I only go if I can get the ‘premium seats’ or something behind the goal now, purely due to comfort.

Wrong.

There's money available for both.

The likes of Madrid and Barca are having drastic revamps being done on their stadiums whilst ours is stuck in the 90’s.

Every big club has had a new stadium or has plans to go under a huge overhaul, or already has done except us - it’s pretty shocking to be honest, all the club seem to pump effort into is global revenue.

Top 15 most valuable clubs, as of June 2017)

1. Manchester United (expansion 2005)
2. Barcelona (renovation 2017 - 2021)
3. Real Madrid (renovation 2018 - 2021)
4. Bayern Munich (new stadium)
5. Man City (new stadium)
6. Arsenal (new stadium)
7. Chelsea (renovation 2019 - 2022)
8. Liverpool (renovated 2014 - 2017)
9. Juventus (new stadium)
10. Tottenham (new stadium)
11. PSG (renovated 2013 - 2016)
12. Dortmund (renovated 2006, updated 2016)
13. Milan (renovation planned - date TBC)
14. Atletico (new stadium)
15. West Ham (new stadium)

The sooner the better.

There's a lot to OT that the average fan does not see. The private boxes are about the only places that get regularly updated, although the toilet facilities for those are worse than in your average supermarket. The concourses need massive improvement, the likes of the international suite are where they host the higher-end corporate clients that can't get boxes and it looks like a 1980s community center.

Obviously that kind of stuff doesn't bother me or most on here, but it does not create a great impression that the club wants to be on top of the game. It doesn't matter in football terms, obviously but lack of thought, innovation and investment in visible areas like this shows the club as a whole are complacent and have given up as leaders on this kind of thing, happy to see the money continue to roll in.

Glazers wont spend a nickel on improvements. In the US its the cities that build/upkeep the NFL stadia the Glazers would laugh in Ed's face if he brought up stadium improvements.