Manchester United Thread 25/26 - Teamtalk/Transfers/Gossip Mod Note in OP 26.09.24

FourFourRED

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253272#Comment_123253272

The stadium would add massive value to the club, which the Glazer’s are the majority owners of and really shouldn’t benefit financially from it. So is it possible that this is something that will only happen if/when they’re gone? Or will it be done so that the stadium is owned by INEOS and then leased to the club or something? I’ve no idea how it would work, just thinking out loud really. Like surely there’s no way the Glazers benefit massively from this. There must be some plans to buy them out if this is going ahead.

Iseedeadpixels

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253302#Comment_123253302

I must have missed the Qatar dig, what did he say?

jayo44

I love all the comments "it looks like a toilet bowl" or "it looks like a circus tent" do you think anyone around the sofi stadium cares it is a tent? Would it be better if they built a new stadium and made it look like a large red brick terraced council house?

It's modern and different and will take some getting used too but the benifits of it will be huge for the area and the club. I love old Trafford as it is and will miss it but I can see why it doesn't work.

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253261#Comment_123253261

From the bits I heard Ratcliffe taking about it, he was pretty much saying that the stadium would be somewhat of an national stadium for the North of England. I took it from that they were angling / looking for funding from the UK government for part of the stadium itself.

It may pay for itself relatively quickly but I'm struggling to see how we go from a scenario where the club was going to run out of money very soon, to one where we're the most profitable club in the world in 3 years... whilst also undertaking such a huge investment in a stadium during that time. The stadium debt on top of the Galzers debt...

It all just seems a bit far fetched / unrealistic to me.

FourFourRED

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253328#Comment_123253328

It’s only a bit of fun.

paulbok

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253246#Comment_123253246

If he's predicting being the mist profitable in three years, you would have to assume he's planning on full ownership by then? If he does manage that and the parasites are still there, they'll be looking for big dividends again and we'll never be rid of them.

SteM

They could have gone for another 'bowl' design, this definitely is not that.

Has a look of something you'd see in the UAE, have to admit that I quite like it. The short piece with the architect that @Delboy5 posted was interesting too, shows the covering isn't just aesthetic.

crushproof

Do United own all that land or what's the story?

The Big Easy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253325#Comment_123253325

He said something like: "if I didn't think I could do it (bring the club back to its best) I'd sell it to the Qataris".

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253325#Comment_123253325

This…

"I really like Manchester United. They're my boyhood club, and I believe that we can sort it out.

But if I didn't believe it, I wouldn't do it, would I? I'd sell it to the Qataris or something..."

jayo44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253355#Comment_123253355

They don't own the rail yard but they own the large carpark between stadium and rail yard and have multiple car parks on opposite side of canal. They will need soem deal done on the rail yard it looks like new stadium will be covering large portion of that land.

DrPhilG

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253330#Comment_123253330

Clearing out the crazier wages like Rashford, Sancho, Casemiro, etc and replacing them with players on high but sensible wages is probably worth about £40-50m a year in savings. Ditch Casemiro's apparent £350k a week and look at Ugarte on (allegedly) £120k and you've saved £12m a year just on that one player. Repeat that kind of wage adjustment across Rashford (£300k), Sancho (£250k) and the figure is huge.

Also squad players and crocks, Shaw (£150k), Lindelof (£120k), Mount (£250k), Eriksen (£150k). Madness.

secman

I love it, it's not just a stadium, it brought a few tears when i looked at the video, the roof incorporates rain water harvesting, being Manchester we should be able to sell water, also solar power built in, and the design will enhance the stadium acoustics. The surrounding areas look amazingly good too. Hopefully get to see it, I'll be 68 this year, it would be a dream 🙏

secman

Parlance......you're old fashioned

There You go 😀

And I'm nearer to 70 than you I'd imagine

Mitch Connor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253375#Comment_123253375

I've seen imagery, from years ago, that we do own the frieght yard - and I previously found reports from about 2011/2013 saying we had purchased it or the leashold on it.

additionally there was talk last month about the frieght opperating looking to or agreeing to move to a different site.

jayo44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253330#Comment_123253330

He has said several times that they do not want government funding for the stadium they want them to invest in the infrastructure around the stadium and to take on the regeneration of that area of Manchester.

United own alot of land around the stadium it's well known. If the government start the regeneration that land is hugely increased in value but if you build a couple tower blocks on it then it increases even more. Now united ain't going to build tower blocks but they will be getting investmnet partners in that will invest in the project to build them and in return this will pay for the stadium.

I don't know if that investment is worth 2 billion but you would imagine naming rights of the finished project be worth alot of money as would other aspects.

I'm not expert on the financial but you would have to trust a man and company that build mega projects on a yearly basis know what they doing on that side.

Mitch Connor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253330#Comment_123253330

He specifically said they would look for no government funding and needed no government funding for the stadium. But that the government were needed for regeneration of the wider area

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253330#Comment_123253330

It all just seems a bit far fetched / unrealistic to me.

The numbers being talked about here are pure fluff.

The idea of a national stadium in the north of England is pie in the sky, what do they need that for? Who would use it?

I would be certain that the plans will be drastically scaled down before anything happens here.

PARlance

Loud and clear guys. Apologies, I hadn't heard him say that, or just forgot he said it. It goes from potential pipe dream dependant on government backing to something they must have a concrete plan for so in my head.

Sand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253324#Comment_123253324

As you say, the issues with funding would be simpler (but no smaller) if the ownership was either one group, or at least on the same page in term of ambition. It doesn't make a lot of sense for INEOS to be generous when they are minority owners. Ideally, INEOS would buy out the Glazers, but if it was as simple as that they would have done it initially - the Glazers see possible future revenues being much higher if every aspect of the club can be fully milked for cash. They're too incompetent to achieve those gains themselves but they are greedy enough to want to be paid out in full now for those gains the new owner might get. Hence the 6-10 billion valuations they were throwing around. INEOS wasn't able to bridge the gap between Glazer greed and reality before, just gets harder when there is talk of a great new stadium with its revenue generation coming in 5-10 years.

I think the most likely route to funding remains the club borrowing immense sums to do it, which will add to the ongoing interest bills that need to be paid first before any money is freed up for signing players. There could be some very lean years coming up.

jayo44

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253416#Comment_123253416

Nah I'm nearly certain we do not own the freight yard and it's guaranteed that they will be moving it's part of the regeneration plan, maybe you haven't paid much attention to what was said but Jim even mentioned it about he expects the land around old Trafford to be rezoned and the rail yard to be moved as part of the commitment to regeneration.

That's what United own, I've seen similar images over past two years I haven't seen rail yard included. Part of the land united down own used to be freight storage and may still be but it's not the railyard so maybe that's what you confused it with. It's nearly all coach parking and flat land from what I've seen.

stesaurus

Everyone always gives out about the rain so stick a big umbrella over the whole thing! It's a great idea actually especially when you think of the shopping, eating and drinking in the surrounding concourse
Neville narrating that video though, ugh his voice just irritates at this point!

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253403#Comment_123253403

Yip, on both counts Secman. Old fashioned and more than an Ineos % stake away from 70.

I get the excitement about a new stadium. I just guess I thought there would be more attachment to Old Trafford. Or that there may be a few nods to Old Trafford in the new design.

sjb25

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253272#Comment_123253272

The uk gov will indirectly pay some anyway as they will buy land man utd own to redevelop the area and that money will go toward the staduim build

nullzero

Colourful curtain wall stadium exteriors are out and enormous hyberbolic parabloids are in.

The maintenance on that external structure alone would be mind bendingly expensive.

paulbok

Not sure I like the 3 masts but otherwise I love the design. Go big or go home eh?

It's a completely different look for a stadium, but I guess that's the point, it's going to be more than a stadium, bringing in fans/ tourists on non match days.

Sad that Old Trafford isn't going to be retained in any aspect, and that they aren't having any women's/academy pitch nearby. There looks to be another pitch on the development sketch ups, but with no seating, so it's likes a community pitch.

SteM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253431#Comment_123253431

I agree that it'll probably be scaled back due to costs but it isn't just about having a stadium for football in the north of England. Spurs could have looked at their new stadium and said that London doesn't need another big venue with Wembley being there, but they went ahead with a 62000 seater and they're making huge profits on concerts and other sporting events. This is where a new stadium in the north will be pitched. When people say 'wembley of the north' I don't think they're saying international games will be held there - that's not in the FA's interest, they're talking about the size and scale of the place.

Kieran Maguire always says football stadiums are actually a very uneconomic use of land, they only really make money when they're in use for the 19 premier league games of the season. Get the stadium in use for other events and you're making money that can be used towards PSR purposes.

Mitch Connor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253455#Comment_123253455

This is from years ago.

Maybe they have since sold the land the freight is on, or the image was wrong to begin with.

But there was ABSOLUTLY a purchase of some kind of that in around 2011 .

I do wonder if there is confusion around what United own and what is termed the stadium district.

This talks about the land united own and includes it.
https://x.com/InvisibleMapper/status/1639909325413011456

cosatron

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253486#Comment_123253486

it looks like a great venue for concerts with the sheltered concourse. It's a great piece of architecture, huge fan of Norman Foster's work, who is also a united fan.

Toranaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123253396#Comment_123253396

Thanks for posting that.

Restores a bit of faith after my cynicism has grown the last few years of following the club.