Isn't it time for a dazzling new stadium or major refit?

[vidic blood & sand]

The subject of completing the look of Old Trafford by upgrading the south stand comes up again and again, but isn't time to start from scratch and build an amazing new 100,000+ modern stadium that'll be the envy of Europe?
How do fans feel about old trafford in it's current form being torn down? Too many memories to allow this to happen?
I just think that if we don't do it soon we'll be left behind, and Old Trafford will end up a monument of past glories. It will look and feel like it belongs in the 90s.

 

[SirAF]

Agreed, but it will never happen.

 

[devilish]

Have we even repaired the roof of the current stadium? The club has seen better days. A functioning roof, a top quality midfield, RW and forward line....ah and a real manager

 

[vidic blood & sand]

What sort of money would we be talking about?

1 - 1.4 Billion?

 

[Ludens the Red]

The subject of completing the look of Old Trafford by upgrading the south stand comes up again and again, but isn't time to start from scratch and build an amazing new 100,000+ modern stadium that'll be the envy of Europe?
How do fans feel about old trafford in it's current form being torn down? Too many memories to allow this to happen?
I just think that if we don't do it soon we'll be left behind, and Old Trafford will end up a monument of past glories. It will look and feel like it belongs in the 90s.

Quick question, how exactly would we be ‘left behind’ because our ground isn’t new? due to having the biggest ground we’ll take in higher gate receipts than anyone.
By this reasoning Barcelona and Real Madrid need new grounds and are being left behind...

 

[tenpoless]

Yes, good idea. Let's spend our money worth of 10 transfer windows on a new stadium.

 

[Wumminator]

Old Trafford is class. Looks good, fantastic corporate facilities, good size, good history and I even like a United pie at half time.

Why do people seem to think it's horrible? It's a great stadium.

 

[Thiagoal]

Old Trafford is class. Looks good, fantastic corporate facilities, good size, good history and I even like a United pie at half time.

Why do people seem to think it's horrible? It's a great stadium.

Totally agree! The aura as you arrive at Old Trafford, the history and facilities make it my favourite stadium in the world! Why any fan would want to exchange all that for a soulless stadium (e.g the emptihad and Arsenals- whatever it’s called) is beyond me

 

[vidic blood & sand]

Quick question, how exactly would we be ‘left behind’ because our ground isn’t new? due to having the biggest ground we’ll take in higher gate receipts than anyone.
By this reasoning Barcelona and Real Madrid need new grounds and are being left behind...

Spoiler

 

[Fluctuation0161]

Old Trafford is class. Looks good, fantastic corporate facilities, good size, good history and I even like a United pie at half time.

Why do people seem to think it's horrible? It's a great stadium.

It is a bit dated.

I'm no advocate of tearing it down. But it needs a serious refresh. Have you been to many other modern grounds recently?

 

[SirAF]

It is a bit dated.

I'm no advocate of tearing it down. But it needs a serious refresh. Have you been to many other modern grounds recently?

Yeah, they don’t ABSOLUTELY have to build a brand new stadium but a serious upgrade and refresh is really needed.

 

[Sassy Colin]

Old Trafford is class. Looks good, fantastic corporate facilities, good size, good history and I even like a United pie at half time.

Why do people seem to think it's horrible? It's a great stadium.

Couldn't agree more, it just seems that, so called, United supporters hate the club so much they will take every opportunity possible to criticise.

 

[vidic blood & sand]

Couldn't agree more, it just seems that, so called, United supporters hate the club so much they will take every opportunity possible to criticise.

Hate the club for saying that the stadium is looking a bit tired compared to some of the other new stadiums popping up?

 

[fps]

100,000? Don't think the team can support that kind of attendance figure going forward.

 

[Wumminator]

Hate the club for saying that the stadium is looking a bit tired compared to some of the other new stadiums popping up?

I think some of these other stadiums look shite. Old Trafford looks class. Doesn’t need flashy lights or a fancy roof.

 

[wolvored]

They could build right next to it like Spurs did. They could upgrade and modernise what is already there. They could find a greenfield site and start afresh...but until something serious happens they wont do feck all

 

[Invictus]

Old Trafford is fine — just needs some repair/redevelopment work. No need to tear down and replace a venue that is iconic and steeped in history (like the Maracanã or Santiago Bernabéu or Camp Nou), only to replace it with a generic post-modern bowl. Think of it as Fenway Park — slightly dated but charming and quirky, and essentially a shrine for the club.

Also, a total replacement won't happen unless the city of Manchester hosts a major international sporting event — and a vanity project stadium is built and subsequently leased to United (like West Ham with the Olympic/London Stadium on a 99 year deal). An expenditure of at least ~£800 million cannot be justified when match day revenues have stagnated and are an increasingly smaller portion of the overall pie (down from 43% to 19% in a decade according to the club's official figures)...

https://ir.manutd.com/company-information/business-model.aspx

 

[Davìd Moyéz]

It's completely fine. I still get goosebumps when I walk out into the Stretford end.

 

[arthurka]

Wouldn't like a new stadium but to upgrade OT is very important. It's starting to look and feel very dated.

 

[elnorte]

Spoiler

Is the top picture Spurs?

Also what's the one above OT?

 

[red thru&thru]

We don't need a new stadium, we just need it to be revamped. Yes the stadium is good but it is not WOW anymore. The longer we leave it, the more we get left behind. We should be not only the biggest domestic stadium but we should also be the best and we're not.

 

[Class of 63]

If United were winning Premier Leagues/Champions Leagues nobody would give two shits about the stadium.

It's fine, leave Old Trafford alone.

 

[vidic blood & sand]

Old Trafford is fine — just needs some repair/redevelopment work. No need to tear down and replace a venue that is iconic and steeped in history (like the Maracanã or Santiago Bernabéu or Camp Nou), only to replace it with a generic post-modern bowl. Think of it as Fenway Park — slightly dated but charming and quirky, and essentially a shrine for the club.

Also, a total replacement won't happen unless the city of Manchester hosts a major international sporting event — and a vanity project stadium is built and subsequently leased to United (like West Ham with the Olympic/London Stadium on a 99 year deal). An expenditure of at least ~£800 million cannot be justified when match day revenues have stagnated and are an increasingly smaller portion of the overall pie (down from 43% to 19% in a decade according to the club's official figures)...

https://ir.manutd.com/company-information/business-model.aspx

I suppose it depends on whether a major revamp is possible on the current site. Barca and Real are going ahread with their £500M refits. The proposals look good.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Spoiler

You can't buy the aura of history with lights and shinny panels. All United need to do is build up the last section to match the rest of the stadium and update some facilities and it will be the best stadium in the world again.

 

[Class of 63]

Is the top picture Spurs?

Also what's the one above OT?

Nou Camp

 

[always_hoping]

No it isn't time and if the day arrives whereby Old Trafford has to be knocked down for some souless modern stadium it will be a sad day for the club..

 

[decorativeed]

Old Trafford is class. Looks good, fantastic corporate facilities, good size, good history and I even like a United pie at half time.

Why do people seem to think it's horrible? It's a great stadium.

It looks a mess. 10 years ago it looked decent, and we were continually rebuilding and improving it. That all stopped and it's nowhere near the level of the likes of Wembley, the Emirates or the new Spurs ground. We used to do everything we could to be the biggest and best and now we're seemingly just content to exist.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

Old Trafford is class. Looks good, fantastic corporate facilities, good size, good history and I even like a United pie at half time.

Why do people seem to think it's horrible? It's a great stadium.

1. Yes, Old Trafford is class.

2. The corporate facilities are not fantastic at all. City for example absolutely piss on us, as do Arsenal and now Spurs.

3. The pies are great.

4. It needs a refresh, a new roof is more important than anything and not because of some shitty leak that can happen to any roof anywhere and was repaired instantly, but because it's a cantilever sloped roof and it ruins the views from Tier 2 Row 20 and up. Roof design has come leaps and bounds since the 90's and Old Trafford desperately needs to look at this.

5. The skin/facade. East Stand is fine, but South, North and the Stretty need a new skin, no doubt about it.

6. Escalators, feck me, it's 2019 and we are still asking people in their 70's + to climb about a million steps to the top of tier 2 and worse for Tier 3.

7. Shopping, restaurants etc. The club missed a trick with Hotel Football and are making the same mistake by not enticing people to hang around after the match with varied shopping and restaurant options.

So to sum up, yes it's still a top stadium, and the location on the canal is brilliant. It's doesn't need tearing down, just a big revamp which in the long run will be worth it for the club.

 

[JPRouve]

Old Trafford is fine — just needs some repair/redevelopment work. No need to tear down and replace a venue that is iconic and steeped in history (like the Maracanã or Santiago Bernabéu or Camp Nou), only to replace it with a generic post-modern bowl. Think of it as Fenway Park — slightly dated but charming and quirky, and essentially a shrine for the club.

Also, a total replacement won't happen unless the city of Manchester hosts a major international sporting event — and a vanity project stadium is built and subsequently leased to United (like West Ham with the Olympic/London Stadium on a 99 year deal). An expenditure of at least ~£800 million cannot be justified when match day revenues have stagnated and are an increasingly smaller portion of the overall pie (down from 43% to 19% in a decade according to the club's official figures)...

https://ir.manutd.com/company-information/business-model.aspx

Exactly. The only thing that in my mind would justify a new stadium is when Old Trafford becomes structurely unsound, outside of that Old Trafford's style should be preserved and as you said repaired and refurbished when it's needed.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

I don't think I like the idea of a new stadium. All these new stadiums look good, but also a bit soulless. No character or class. Just one big flashy light show.

 

[Adisa]

The club have frozen ticket prices for nearly a decade. If people want shiny new facilities, something has to give.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

No.

 

[MDFC Manager]

If the team was in better shape (ie not requiring huge investments every window), we may well have seen plans for upgrades/retrofits.

 

[redshaw]

We need a new roof for sure.

If we did build a new stadium I'd hope it wouldn't be a modern toilet bowl. Not only do these stadiums look poor in person but they look crap on the TV. Old Trafford looks great and unique as does Nou Camp and Bernabeu.

The new stadium should retain the close stands to the pitch and should be steep and intimidating.

The people who decided on the continuing the sloping roof and quadrant designs are at fault. St James Park did it right in the late 90s

It's false to say you can't have rounded corners and an elevated roof on old stadiums.

When we decided to add tiers to both ends of the ground we should've replaced the roof on the North Stand with an elevated one and then continued that around the ground at both ends and also should've done the quadrants while doing both ends. Many of the poor recent developments have left us with an outdated roof around the ground and poor looking quadrants. I also think the Stretford End should've been slightly bigger when we had the chance to perhaps match the height of the north stand.

 

[dbryan]

Not for me Clive. I love Old Trafford, so much history in that place, so many good memories. I would be pissed if they build a new stadium.

 

[BlueHaze]

Oh absolutely a big fat no from me. Expand it and revamp it yes but to tear a stadium like Old Trafford down should be sentenced with lifetime imprisonment.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

Couldn't agree more, it just seems that, so called, United supporters hate the club so much they will take every opportunity possible to criticise.

What are you on about? If you do an unbiased assessment of Old Trafford versus modern stadiums at other top clubs then the outcome is obvious.

 

[big_jeffstar]

I recently went to Old Trafford with my mate (a Barnsley supporter) just for a look round at night, these were his thoughts
: it looks like a museum from the 90's
: why aren't the bulbs working?, you're one of the richest clubs in the world, why not just have LED signage?
: thought it would have more modern features

it's worth noting that he was excited about going, but was ultimately dissapointed by the look of the place and said city were making us look like we're living on past glories, which i suppose is exactly where we are right now, as much as i love the memories of the 90's, maybe it's time for a full makeover?, i don't think it would be too difficult to improve the current ground to make it look more modern, install LED video walls on the front and play videos of current players or highlights from past games, you could even advertise on it..
probably time for a new club badge tbh too, starting to feel a bit dated now

 

[el3mel]

Looks a good idea. The team is in a phenomenal state and dominating league and CL every season. We don't need to spend money on transfers now. Let's splash it on a new stadium.

 

[Fluctuation0161]

We don't need a new stadium, we just need it to be revamped. Yes the stadium is good but it is not WOW anymore. The longer we leave it, the more we get left behind. We should be not only the biggest domestic stadium but we should also be the best and we're not.

Exactly. You cant just stand still and expect to remain as the best. It is a very complacent mentality.

We've seen the effect this mentality has had on our league position! How long will it take for all fans to realise the effect it will have on our stadium over the long term?