Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a bigger issue to fix before he gets to Man Utd's stadium
According to reliable sources, a billionaire Monaco tax exile - soon to take part-ownership of the club alongside a family of American tycoons - is thinking of asking for help from British taxpayers to turn Old Trafford into a ‘Wembley of the North’.
Good luck with that, Sir Jim.
Surely even this shameless government would not take money from its hard-up loyal citizens to give to a bloke in Monte Carlo worth £30billion in order to help ease the financial burden of a vanity project. If Ratcliffe, presumably with the blessing of the Glazers, wants to rebuild Old Trafford - or knock it down and build a new stadium - then it is not too rich to suggest he uses his own and Manchester United’s cash.
The suggestion is that Ratcliffe might try and explore the possibility of a grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - a typically wishy-washy talking shop that does very little. How about levelling up on the pitch first?
Hands up, having never been a paying punter at Old Trafford, I have no firm grasp of how outdated the old stadium has become.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
I know how shocking the logistics of getting to and from the place are, and, from the testimony of many United-supporting friends, I know the catering leaves a lot to be desired, the access to seats is not great and the loos are out of date.
But Old Trafford remains an iconic arena, with the sort of storied history that few can rival, here or abroad. And let’s face it, we all know what really makes a great stadium … and it’s not craft ale outlets, escalators, high-speed wifi, gourmet food, Beyonce concerts and extra legroom.
It is a great team.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe made his first Old Trafford appearance against Tottenham (Getty Images)If this was a majestic United vintage, playing front-foot football, blowing opponents away as they once did, we would not hear of the leaky roof or the dodgy burgers. The noise about the infrastructure would be drowned out by the euphoria of 70,000 delirious supporters.
Yes, every business - including and, perhaps, especially sporting businesses - has to move with the times and age takes its toll on any building.
But renovation of one of world football’s most celebrated landmarks is surely the way forward, as it was for Liverpool and Anfield.
Even to the untrained eye, Old Trafford does not look beyond renovation and improvement in the same way that, say, Goodison Park most clearly does.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe of INEOS meets Manager Erik Ten Hag (Manchester United via Getty Imag)And, of course, the renovation and improvement that is more urgently needed when Monaco Jim officially gets his slice of the club is to a squad that has lost nine of its 23 Premier League games this season, has a negative goal difference and left European competition at the earliest possible moment.
By all means, address the obvious issues that a stadium and its surroundings will face after so many years of existence.
But build a team that would be fit to grace a so-called ‘Wembley of the North’ before building the thing itself.
Man Utd deadline day live updates as Sabitzer completes loan move
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
