In an interview with United In Focus, The Red Army explain what a new stadium could mean for Manchester United fans as Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to move the team from Old Trafford.
Manchester United have yet to buy the land nearby Old Trafford that they hope to use to build a new stadium, which means they still need to be granted planning permission.
It has been seven months since Sir Jim Ratcliffe announced new stadium plans, and many United fans feel uneasy about the prospect of leaving the Theatre of Dreams.
Old Trafford has been United’s home since 1910, but Ineos want a new state-of-the-art 100,000-seater venue built for multiple purposes.
It was initially suggested that United wanted to open the new stadium in 2030, although delays are inevitable unless the club purchases the land to build it on.
The Red Army oppose Manchester United’s new stadium plans
United fan group, The Red Army [TRA], are responsible for trying to revolutionise the atmosphere at Old Trafford.
TRA have led a brilliant initiative called Reclaim the Stretford End, which is noticeable before every home game with an increased number of flags.
Speaking to United In Focus, TRA explain their feelings towards a new stadium and what it could mean for Reclaim the Stretford End.
“A new stadium is going to happen. I think that’s obvious,” a spokesperson for TRA said.
“I saw an interview with Jim Ratcliffe as he joined, and he waxed lyrical about this new stadium before it was even really talked about anywhere else. So it’s happening, short of something catastrophic happening from their side.
“What’s been missed from it is any genuine discussion about the atmosphere. We had a couple of lads who were kind of brought in, and they talked to them about the atmosphere a little bit and stuff.
“I think people have this idea of, I’ve heard this touted around before, ‘oh, the red wall, like Dortmund’s yellow wall. The Stretford End will be a red wall.’ Well, no, it won’t. Not unless you, not unless you cultivate it properly and look at the things that actually make an atmosphere properly.
“It’ll just be a red wall of tourists or a silent red wall. You know, you might, the flags might be there, but that doesn’t make the atmosphere on its own. You need to have the right conditions.”
“And I don’t want to sound negative, but people don’t consider it, maybe. And I think, personally, one of the big things you need is a large section of away fans in close proximity to the Stretford End or the new Stretford End. Because that is the one thing that’s guaranteed to get the atmosphere going.
“I’ve seen things saying that they’re already talking about putting them in a corner quadrant. So these things have been discussed, but there’s been no consideration for the atmosphere. So I think that’s a conversation that has to happen. And if it does, if they are going to entertain that level of conversation with actual, genuine detail, then we’ll start thinking about a new stadium. But until then, no, nobody’s even thinking about it.
“We don’t want it. I think it’s the overall opinion.”
When asked for one request from TRA for the new stadium, the spokesperson in question reiterated a wish to see the away fans in a section close to the Stretford End.
“I think that having proximity to the away fans would make a massive difference. A massive difference.
“I think if you just isolate the atmosphere, the problem with Old Trafford is that the only atmosphere there at the moment is in the Stretford End.
“So the rest of the ground is isolated for the majority of games. It used to be you’d have Stretford End, K-Stand, Score Paddock. Before that, even – United Road – all generating atmosphere, but now it’s just one area, so I think the risk of having I think it’s almost like putting all your eggs in one basket and the marketing team.
“I can imagine them saying we’re going to create this big thing, the red wall, you know it’s going to be a booming cacophony and noise, although it’s not if you don’t get it right, but it runs the risk of being a completely dead soul stadium if they get it wrong. One of the big buzzwords about this new stadium is atmosphere. Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere.
“You see it all the time; they mention it. But they’ve not come to us and said, ‘what is it actually going to take?’ We’ve had superficial conversations about where we would like somewhere to put flags, and stuff like that. I think they just think, we’ll have a big section in the middle for them, for TRA. Well, that ain’t going to work. We’ll just be surrounded by people who aren’t interested.
“So that’s my take. I would personally like to see a big away allocation in Old Trafford. I think what way I’m going to angle that question when I’m writing it up is I’m going to say that I asked you, I suppose, something like one request, one main factor you want to see from a new stadium would be the away allocation closer to the Stretford End or whatever. Yeah, and it’s a controversial one.
“We’re about the next generation of Red. I’m in my 50s. This isn’t for me. Never has been. It’s about the next generation. And I remember saying, I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to try and fix it. And you’re going to have to upset some people doing that.
“But it’s always been about getting something down the club can’t f*** with for the next generation of fans, you know that’s there and they can, they can enjoy just a fraction of what we had in the 70s, 80s and 90s or whatever.
“We always fought and lobbied for L Stand that’s always been the thing we wanted. We didn’t want to go straight for the Stretford End, but now we’ve done that, we’ve made the most of it when they’re not changing the decision. And that’s what we did.
“We were always about L Stand because we know you have to be near the away fans to get an organic, a proper organic, lively atmosphere that isn’t just regurgitating the same stuff over and over again. Which is the risk you run, especially when football’s flat and you’ve just been s*** for a few years, if you hadn’t noticed. So when it’s like that, you don’t get that natural kind of, just a guttural roar and noise. It’s documented.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe promised to replicate Old Trafford atmosphere
Only time will tell if Ratcliffe will stick to his promise, but United’s co-owner stressed the importance of an intimidating atmosphere at the new stadium.
In an interview with club media in March, Ratcliffe was asked about the atmosphere because other clubs have moved stadiums and struggled to replicate the atmosphere they once had. He said he wanted an ‘intimidating’ design.
“Because that’s the sort of, in a sense, the number one objective in designing this ground,” Ratcliffe told ManUtd.com.
“I’ve had a long conversation here with people about it’s all about the atmosphere that we can generate in the stadium, the noise, the intimidation. You know, that rawness that you get in a great stadium and there’s absolutely no reason, in my view, why we can’t achieve that.
“If you look at West Ham, they play in a stadium where you’ve got a running track around the edge of the pitch, so you know, they’re 20 metres from the edge of the pitch.
“We want the fans to be, you know, five metres from the edge of the pitch. And then we want, within obviously the legal constraints of design, we want a stadium that’s relatively vertical and people are close in on the pitch. And I think, yeah, we will replicate the atmosphere that we’ve got at Old Trafford today. We will.”
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