9 months ago
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe is believed to have big plans for a new Manchester United stadium, but not everybody is on board.
Reports emerged on Tuesday that Ratcliffe wants to build a ‘Wembley of the North’ - and could even ask the government for financial assistance.
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Old Trafford’s problems have been well documented and is in dire need of renovation.
A leaking roof, cramped concourses, inadequate legroom, crumbling concrete, flaking paintwork and a lack of space to expand are just some of the issues identified.
INEOS and Ratcliffe took over football operations of the Man United after purchasing a 25 per cent stake in the club.
Addressing the issue of the stadium would go a long way with fans to show he is serious in caring for the club.
It has been reported that Ratcliffe is opposed to relocating and a Wembley-style stadium could be built on the current site.
This is something Tottenham did with White Hart Lane and moved their home games to Wembley while construction took place.
However, not all Manchester United fans are thrilled with the idea of knocking Old Trafford down and replacing it.
Ben the United fan called talkSPORT Breakfast and pointed out how poor the atmosphere is at new stadiums that have been built.
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He said: “I think I speak on behalf of most Man United fans when I say this - You’ve seen it with the Emirates and with other teams who have revamped their stadiums, I really don’t think Man United should be knocking down Old Trafford because of the history it has."
Alan Brazil said: “So Highbury was a great ground with a great atmosphere, you had White Hart Lane and Goodison will eventually be knocked down.”
McCoist added: “I was at Goodison on Saturday and the atmosphere was fantastic, there was just something about it. I couldn’t help but wonder how the Everton fans felt about the new stadium, I bet they are caught in two minds.”
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Ben continued: “We are probably one of the only grounds who still has one wall standing from the war. There’s so much history that is around that club and around that stadium that it needs to be spent in the actual stadium rather than getting a new one.
“We don’t need a new 80,000, 90,000 or 100,000 stadium - we just need the current one to be looked after.
“Most Man United fans appreciate the roof needs doing, there’s so much TLC needed.”
It has been estimated that renovating the current stadium would cost at least £800million, while building a completely new stadium would be between £1.5bn and £2bn.
