Old Trafford revamp/could be torn down and rebuilt according to Glazer plans

What’s your preference for Old Trafford?

  • Rebuild

    Votes: 714 48.4%
  • Renovate

    Votes: 736 49.9%
  • Leave it as is

    Votes: 26 1.8%

  • Total voters
    1,476

NoLogo

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Can we even afford a new stadium given that our debt is close to half a billion £ and a new state-of-the-art stadium would probably cost us around a billion £. Feels like that would put us into Barca territory of debt levels, which probably wouldn't tank us completely but certainly impact our ability to compete for players?
 

sullydnl

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Not so sure. If you knock down OT then rename the new stadium with no reference to it, that is a big part of our history wiped out. Plenty would be upset by that.
In a situation where OT was levelled that history would already be fairly wiped out though. Would fans really be that much more upset by the new and entirely different stadium not being give the same name? They already know it's not OT.
 

clarkydaz

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Not so sure. If you knock down OT then rename the new stadium with no reference to it, that is a big part of our history wiped out. Plenty would be upset by that.
I think our owners would be happy with that. Our history currently they have to tiptoe around. I reckon they would trade our history if they control our future. Exactly like the superleague
 

Hughie77

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Need to sort out the playing side first, then the stadium, but as times have changed dramatically in recent years, the playing side comes 2nd. Money comes 1st and having American owners, who have used UTD as there cash cow , may well see the benefits of a new stadium. Whatever happens, its bound to end In a fecking mess.
 

stubie

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Need to sort out the playing side first, then the stadium, but as times have changed dramatically in recent years, the playing side comes 2nd. Money comes 1st and having American owners, who have used UTD as there cash cow , may well see the benefits of a new stadium. Whatever happens, its bound to end In a fecking mess.
Scary thing is we have spent in the last 9 years what a new stadium would cost and we’re still no better as a football team.
 

Wheato

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Would be funny if they built the new stadium on the freight terminal that we already own, then Gary Neville's hotel football would be left standing in massive car park. They could rename it 'Hotel Car park.'
 

UnitedSofa

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It’s not an either or.
OT needs a lot of improvement and updating, but we still need a brand new facility to take us forward over the next half century.

Realistically, a brand new stadium next door won’t be ready until around 2028-30 at the earliest.
OT can’t just be let to rot even further over the next 6 to 8 years or longer, so a lot of remedial work will still have to be carried out.

Rebuilding the existing stadium will have to be staged and done in a way that will allow games to be played and fans to be accommodated safely. All that will extend the timeline and add to the cost considerably.
Put the sizeable loss of match day revenue over several seasons, in to the mix and the case for a rebuild becomes increasing difficult.
A clean sheet design would be the best way to go, both practically and commercially.

It‘s not as if much of the old Old Trafford is left anyway.
Just the South Stand and even that has a more recent, replacement roof that’s only what, 35 or 40 years old?
The rest is less than 30 years old, that just happens to sit on the site of the original ground.
It’s not taking 8 years to build a stadium. No way. It took Spurs 2 years & it was delayed!
 

FlapR

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It's shite, knock it down and build something actually useable.
 

hp88

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Like the look of this, although it's only a 40K they managed to re-use parts of the old ground.

 

Utd7

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It would be class if we built a new stadium next door, and the new mini-stadium incorporated some of OT, as has been suggested. Keep the South Stand as the 'main' stand (fix the roof though!) and strip down the rest to smaller single tier stands. That way, the heritage of the stadium remains, instead of being totally demolished. Would be rather cool if the youth teams got to play at the OG Old Trafford.
This would be a great idea. Better yet, create a campus similar to City that includes a new training center. There's enough space to have modern Old Trafford, OG Old Trafford for youth/women's team and a training center.
 

simonhch

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If they are to rebuild the stadium it will likely only happen if they get a commitment of substantial public funds as part of an urban regeneration project. That’s the way most American owners are used to building new stadiums. As that will likely never happen, we will just get a revamp of existing facilities.
 

Jericholyte2

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I’d be fine with Old Trafford v2 being built whilst still playing at Old Trafford. But they should try to base v2 on OT as much as they can, just with the expanded capacity and modernised facilities.
 

choccy77

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In a situation where OT was levelled that history would already be fairly wiped out though. Would fans really be that much more upset by the new and entirely different stadium not being give the same name? They already know it's not OT.
Just rename it The Theatre of Dreams and have Dreams sponsor us for £20billion :lol:
 

choccy77

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Isn't completely ripping it down and rebuilding a "worst case scenario"? So seems unlikely then
TBH, I wouldn't say it's worse case.

A brand new stadium would have a lot of advantages a refurbishment couldn't provide.

But this is the Glazers and I'll be amazed if we even get a coat of paint.
 

choccy77

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I’d be fine with Old Trafford v2 being built whilst still playing at Old Trafford. But they should try to base v2 on OT as much as they can, just with the expanded capacity and modernised facilities.
Nah, I want that lovely America Stadium with the brickwork look.... would be best stadium in Europe.
 

Cloud7

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If we do end up building a new one, I'd thieve the Indianapolis Colts' stadium design. Not much says Manchester more than a massive fecking red brick warehouse. :lol:


This is one of the coolest looking stadiums I've ever seen
 

Gazza

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I think our owners would be happy with that. Our history currently they have to tiptoe around. I reckon they would trade our history if they control our future. Exactly like the superleague
I think the opposite. United's history is a huge part of its brand, even more so than remaining successful in the present (unfortunately), and the Glazers must love the fact that an old stadium with minimal investment is still full every week.
 

Dante

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I wouldn't care about selling the naming rights. It really doesn't matter imo.

I'm sure there'll be some sort of contractual obligation so that TV and newspapers reporter have to quote the sponsor name in their articles in order to get press access. But how many regular matchgoers are going to call it the Tesco Stadium? None of them. Every man and his dog will carry on calling it Old Trafford.

This isn't like moving across town from Highbury or White Hart Lane. The ground would effectively be in the same place, in the same area of Greater Manchester (Old Trafford), accessible by the same buses and trams, and on the same roads.

Naming rights are going to be irrelevant to the regular punter. Even the most ambitious plans are going to keep us on the same Old Trafford site. That's what it will continue to be called. United's history and force of habit will trump corporate interests. Sky and The Sun can call it whatever they like.
 

Banana Republic

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It’s not taking 8 years to build a stadium. No way. It took Spurs 2 years & it was delayed!
They’re only at the start of the process.
The article says they are looking for partners to launch the project, then there will be discussions on financial arrangements between them.
The project itself will need to be financed, plus the process of selecting architects and the lead contractor.
All that could take us into next year.
That’s before anything is designed, never mind the various layers of planning process, approvals etc, etc., which could all take a couple of years to complete.

Then there’s the relocation of part of the freight terminal and it’s facilities.
All that will need to be planned, approval sought and completed before site access will become available.

Unless the whole project has already got some momentum behind it and they can turbo charge various stages, no spades are going into the ground before 2025 at the very earliest.
Construction will take the shortest time and that’ll be 2 to 3 years.

Tottenham’s new stadium was first conceived in 2007 and announced in 2008, but the plan was revised several times.
Actual construction of the stadium did not commence until 2015. The stadium subsequently opened on 3 April 2019.
11 years from being formally announced and it took nearly 4 years to build.


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Last edited:

Devil_forever

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Yes. Sportify are paying Barca 280meuros for a three year sponsorship of the new Camp Nou. They can take the piss.
No they're not, that includes shirt sponsorship, training kit deal and 4 years worth of naming rights. Arsenal get peanuts from emirates for their naming rights, the bulk of their deal is for the shirt sponsorship.

Spurs are struggling to get someone to even pay them £20m per year for their stadium. The naming rights aren't going to be anywhere near enough to even dent what a stadium would cost the club.

Spanish soccer giants Barcelona have confirmed audio streaming platform Spotify as their new main partner, inking a four-year sponsorship deal beginning from the 2022/23 season.

The expansive agreement will see Spotify take over from Japanese ecommerce firm Rakuten as Barca’s front of shirt sponsor for the club’s men’s and women’s teams. The Swedish company will also sponsor Barca’s training shirts for the next three seasons.
https://www.sportspromedia.com/news...ming-rights-laliga/?blocktaxonomy=sponsorship
 

UnitedSofa

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They’re only at the start of the process.
The article says they are looking for partners to launch the project, then there will be discussions on financial arrangements between them.
The project itself will need to be financed, plus the process of selecting architects and the lead contractor.
All that could take us into next year.
That’s before anything is designed, never mind the various layers of planning process, approvals etc, etc., which could all take a couple of years to complete.

Then there’s the relocation of part of the freight terminal and it’s facilities.
All that will need to be planned, approval sought and completed before site access will become available.

Unless the whole project has already got some momentum behind it and they can turbo charge various stages, no spades are going into the ground before 2025 at the very earliest.
Construction will take the shortest time and that’ll be 2 to 3 years.

Tottenham’s new stadium was first conceived in 2007 and announced in 2008, but the plan was revised several times.
Actual construction of the stadium did not commence until 2015. The stadium subsequently opened on 3 April 2019.
11 years from being formally announced and it took nearly 4 years to build.


.
Well that’s me told
 

simonhch

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Yes. Sportify are paying Barca 280meuros for a three year sponsorship of the new Camp Nou. They can take the piss.
No they aren't. They are paying them 280M Euros for a four year sponsorship of the shirt and the stadium. It's mainly a shirt deal.
 

Jericholyte2

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Absolutely, Old Trafford as it is is incredibly limited and a ‘new’ Old Trafford with unparalleled facilities and 100,000 capacity is doable at the same site and would help to restore the image of us as the pinnacle of English football.
 

Chairman Steve

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I’d just refurb the place and possibly extend the South Stand.

Old Trafford is hardly Goodison Park or Fratton Park in terms of being clearly antequated or a shithole of a stadium.
 

rimaldo

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it’s easier to just build a new stadium in hertfordshire, where the majority of our fans are imo.

either way 1.5/2bn is chump change for a stadium for owners in and around the nfl.
 

Carl

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Absolutely, Old Trafford as it is is incredibly limited and a ‘new’ Old Trafford with unparalleled facilities and 100,000 capacity is doable at the same site and would help to restore the image of us as the pinnacle of English football.
"Pinnacle of English football" we've not been near it for nearly a decade.
 

Jericholyte2

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"Pinnacle of English football" we've not been near it for nearly a decade.
I’m aware of that, but if we can build a new home that is the envy of the world, it’s (a) a start of rehabilitating our image, as it’s currently mirroring the stadium and (b) would naturally be a draw for players.
 

Carl

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I’m aware of that, but if we can build a new home that is the envy of the world, it’s (a) a start of rehabilitating our image, as it’s currently mirroring the stadium and (b) would naturally be a draw for players.
Players aren't bothered about playing in the best stadium in the world if the team is finishing between 7th-4th every year.

Arsenal built an incredible new stadium. Have been shit ever since.
 

edcunited1878

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Glazer Family don't have that kind of cash on hand. They would need private investment and another huge loan to finance it. Bad timing as interest rates are jumping up from historic lows the past 12 months. This is more lip service by the Family and until they have a sound capital plan that they make public and align with a bank/financiers, then they're just blowing smoke.

Spurs Stadium took 3 years at more than a billion quid. Don't think that land was as restrictive as OT is with the railway on one end and Bridgewater Way on the opposite end kind of pinning OT at it's current location.

If possible, they should tear everything down, except the original player's tunnel which is where the dugouts are located. That's what must be kept and everything built around. Whether people like it or not, Old Trafford is a historic, romantic ground and that living link to WWI and the early days of the club is essential to the soul of the club. West Ham, City, Spurs...their grounds don't have that mystique or real bond with the fans. At least Brentford's new stadium (2nd year in operation, first with fans iirc) coincided with their arrival to the Premier League.