Upgrading Embarrassing Old Trafford Will Be Hard For Manchester United

As Manchester United slumped to yet another embarrassing home defeat to bitter rivals Manchester City a drip started to fall from the Old Trafford roof.

It was the type of minor issue that occasionally happens when there’s a deluge at an old soccer stadium, but in the context of a dismal derby defeat, it was seized on by the traveling fans.

“Old Trafford is falling down” they sang gleefully at the home support in a not-so-subtle reference to the reputation the famous stadium now has for being dated.

The last time Manchester United upgraded its facilities was 2006 and the decline in the venue’s status since then has been remarkable.

One of the first clubs to really sink investment into its infrastructure, United were streets ahead of the rest of England’s top clubs for years.

Neighbours City might have moved into a brand new stadium back in 2003, but there was little doubt Old Trafford was still the superior venue.

The very same year Manchester City began playing at what was then the City of Manchester Stadium Old Trafford had the accolade of hosting the Champions League final.

But whilst the Red Devils rivals have continued to improve their arenas United has not.

Since the last Old Trafford upgrade, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United have both moved into brand new 60,000-seater homes, Liverpool has increased the capacity of Anfield to a similar level and improved facilities, whilst Manchester City has revamped its hospitality areas and boosted the arena to 53,000 seats.

Plans are already afoot for City to pass the 60,000 seater mark and enhance the offering even further in the coming years too.

The good news is that Manchester United has realized it can no longer rely on the fact Old Trafford remains the biggest capacity club venue anymore and plans to make improvements.

Part of the fresh impetus new stakeholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe has brought to the club has been his enthusiasm in kick-starting efforts to put Manchester United back on the vanguard of modern stadia. But he’ll quickly discover the concept of building a new home is a far cry from the actuality of delivering it.

‘The Wembley of the North’

As Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a quarter of Manchester United neared, a story appeared in English newspaper The Daily Telegraph claiming he had bold plans to upgrade the facilities.

“He feels the club needs an absolute state-of-the-art, knock-it-out-of-the-park, ‘wow’ stadium,” a source ‘close to Ratcliffe’ was quoted as saying, “and we feel there's a strong argument for the country having a top-class major venue in the North - a Wembley of the North.”

They suggested that an entirely new stadium could be constructed as long as it was in the land around Old Trafford, in a not dissimilar manner to the way Tottenham Hotspur built a new home on land that formed part of the previous stadium, White Hart Lane.

“The spiritual home is important,” the source added, “we think the fans would be quite happy to accept a brand new stadium if we stay where we are.”

There were of course already some plans in motion for the redevelopment with the club last year appointing architects Populous and management consultants Legends International to prepare some concepts.

An even bigger step forward in the realization of the project was the March announcement of a task force “to explore options for regenerating the Old Trafford area of Greater Manchester, with the development of a world-class football stadium at the heart of the project.”

Comprised of local leaders and national experts the stated goals of this group go way beyond improving the stadium.

They will attempt to see “how stadium development can support renewal of an area of the city with rich industrial history and huge potential for the future, and deliver social and economic benefits for the entire region.”

But barely has the process begun and there are already headwinds for Ratcliffe to face.

Fan group South Stand United immediately accused the club of “hypocrisy” in the taskforce’s expressed goals coming as they do with the club relocating supporters to make way for players' families and hospitality seats.

"South Stand United argues that the club's current dealings with fans paint a markedly different picture of its purported community values," the group said.

"The regeneration project is a glaring contradiction. On one hand, the club is parading its future vision for Old Trafford, boasting international games and a modernized stadium. On the other, it's alienating the very fanbase that fills those seats.

"The taskforce's ambition to deliver social and economic benefits to the region is lauded in principle but South Stand United questions whether these promises will extend to the fans who are currently feeling sidelined."

Building a new stadium is never an easy task, it is an almost universal truth that projects are delayed and unexpected challenges emerge, even in this era of huge finance and meticulous planning.

As Everton found out in its planning battles, obstacles to navigate emerge even before there’s a spade in the ground.

United’s new stadium will be the most ambitious redevelopment in England since Wembley Stadium in the early 2000s.

That project was delivered 2 years late and some £700 million over budget, two eventualities Manchester United will be hoping to avoid.

The mistake the Football Association made was being too optimistic in its estimates, so United would be advised to set an achievable date and realistic price-ideally one with plenty of wriggle room for unforeseen events.