Man United Blog, having brought you the complete history of Manchester United in its eleven part series, covering the period from the 1870s to 2000-onwards, feel that the playing history of the club would not be complete without also considering the history of its famous ground, Old Trafford. This could not be considered at a more pertinent time, when one reads a report from The Sun today saying that Old Trafford will be re-named under a possible sponsorship deal, after Vodafone prematurely ended its deal with the club. The Sun claimed the new sponsor could get its name not only on the players’ shirts but also as an addition to the title of the ground. So to the history…

As the The Sporting Chronicle stated on Saturday 19th February 1910:

“The most handsomest, the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed”

The above words were written on Old Trafford’s opening day in 1910. Manchester United had just moved from their old stadium of Bank Street, Clayton, to a new stadium in the Old Trafford area of west Manchester. Built in 1909, for the then huge sum of GBP60,000 it was terraced on three sides with a seated main stand undercover. The stadium was designed by famous Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, who also designed stands at Hampden Park, Ibrox Stadium and White Hart Lane. In 1911 and 1915 it held the FA Cup final and in 1920 it had its largest ever attendance of 70,504 for a league game against Aston Villa. The FA Cup Semi-Finals of 1939 of Portsmouth vs Grimsby would top that with 76,962. The stadium was heavily damaged in World War 2 and for a while United played at local rivals, Man City’s Maine Road stadium from 1946-1949. Old Trafford was a venue for the 1966 World Cup and also held the 1970 FA Cup Final replay between Chelsea and Leeds. Old Trafford became the first stadium to erect perimeter fencing in the 1970′s to combat crowd disturbances.

Roofed cover was later added to the other three sides of the stadium, however all these stands suffered from obstructed views because of old fashioned roof-post design. In the mid 1960s development of modern cantilever stands began on the north and east of the ground. The new design had terracing at the front and a large seated section behind. Gradually the entire ground was redeveloped in the 70s and 80s, culminating with the Stretford End in 1994. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, over 58,000 could pack into Old Trafford. However in the early 1990s after the Hillsbrough disaster, the Taylor Report required England’s top teams to become all-seater stadiums. The Old Trafford design master plan of the 1960′s was now complete and the stadium was a perfect bowl, but With United more popular than ever the reduced 44,000 capacity was just too small.

This led to further expansion in 1995-6 with the construction of the giant three-tiered North Stand, holding 26,000 and bringing capacity to nearly 56,000. The North Stand, reaching around 200 feet in height has four lift towers and the largest cantilever roof in Europe. This massive, brooding structure towers over the pitch, intimidating opposing teams. Costing GBP19 million to build it also houses the excellent United Museum (open on non-match days) and glittering trophy room (hopefully always full) as well as the Red Cafe restaurant and two layers of executive “Sky” boxes. The South stand is the main stand at Old Trafford, containing the managers bench area, the directors/ television/ police control boxes and luxury restaurants and executive suites. Here, the seating slopes at a different angle to the rest of the stadium, making it slightly lower than the other stands.

Interestingly, the first 20 or so rows of seats around all four sides of the ground are below street level. The South stand is rarely seen on television as it contains the TV gantry, which looks North. The players tunnel used to be at the centre of this stand but in 1993 it was moved to the South-west corner. The old tunnel still remains and is opened for special occasions and stadium tours. The East Stand is home to the diehard K-Stand United fans as well as the away fans enclosure in the South-East corner and disabled section. It was formerly known as the Scoreboard End, so called because of the large scoreboard that resided until the late 60s, when an electronic one was installed. This scoreboard was recently replaced by two modern electronic scoreboards in each corner of the North Stand. Further building redevelopment added a second tier at the east end in January 2000, making a 61,000 capacity. On the outside is a large tinted glass front, similar to a modern office block. Here stands the Sir Matt Busby Statue, Munich memorial plaque and the famous clock commemorating the Munich air crash on 6th February 1958. Its also the location of the huge Manchester United Megastore where every type of club merchandise is available.

The west side of the ground for many, will always be known as the legendary Stretford End. In the days before all-seater stadia the Stretford End was a heaving mass of almost 20,000 standing United fans who were amongst the loudest in Britain. It was once measured that the roar from the crowd was louder than a Jumbo Jet taking off. The old terrace was replaced in 1993 and in August 2000 a second tier of seating was added here, bringing a total capacity of 67,750. The West Stand holds the Family seating area and beneath the corner is the players dressing rooms/tunnel and lounge. It also has a statue of 60′s striker Denis Law in the upper concourse – Law was known as “The King of The Stretford End”.

Old Trafford was a Euro 96 venue and is now an annual host for the FA Cup Semi-final. Many claim the atmosphere at Old Trafford is not as good as it once was, ironically it is the legend of the Old Trafford atmosphere that has brought the tourists yet they are partly responsible for its decline. Sir Alex Ferguson has often complained about the lack of singing and low noise levels, therefore the new upper West Stand tier has designated singing areas to try and recreate the days of old. The long-term plan for the stadium is to rebuild the South stand in a similar style to the North and fill in the corners to make a whopping 90,000. Possible hindrances to further enlargement are the nearby Bridgewater Canal and railway track which restrict space around the stadium. There are currently no plans for any more expansion work in the immediate future.

Old Trafford is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most famous sporting arena’s in the world. In an era where many clubs are moving from their traditional homes and although down the years it has changed beyond all recognition, the magic of Old Trafford will always remain. On a big match day or European night the atmosphere is as good as any venue in world football. The Theatre of Dreams (as Bobby Charlton named it) is the biggest club ground in Britain and a fitting home for the world’s most famous football club.

The history and development of this infamous football ground is covered in some excellent books which you can find at The Ji Sung-Park Online Shop. You can also buy some wonderful Old Trafford memorabilia through one of our sponsors: Kitbag

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With Manchester United’s impressive 5 – 0 win over Portsmouth, Sir Alex Ferguson is reiterating his admiration for his team and their chances for a record fourth consecutive Premier League championship.

The key to the Red Devils’ impressive win was the impressive performances of many of its players. Wayne Rooney scored his 23rd goal for the season, which ties his personal best. Nani has also been reinvigorated and looks like to be on a roll — and Berbatov, Carrick and Wilson are putting in their share of the burden.

Fergie said that a big key to the Red Devils’ success is the team’s patience. Despite the pressure that the team faces in their matches, everyone takes their time and wait for opportunities to arrive — and then they explode.

With their next match against Aston Villa, expect the team to put their best foot forward in order to solidify their position in the league table.

Tags:   Manchester united · Sir Alex Ferguson

With Manchester United strongly in the running for winning the Premiere League Championship once again this year, Man Utd fans are becoming increasingly stoked about the team’s prospects even with strong competition facing them in the coming months.

But the enthusiasm is not being relegated to fans. Even the members of the team are becoming increasingly optimistic about their chances for a record fourth consecutive championship. And no one is more optimistic than Manchester United Captain Gary Neville, who has been quoted as saying “It is in our hands now and it has not been like that for a while.”

Key to the Red Devils’ success if Wayne Rooney’s amazing run this season. Rooney has been on fire and is ably replacing the void that Cristiano Ronaldo has left. the striker has already scored his 23rd goal this season, which already equals his career best.

Neville wants the Red Devils to maintain their winning form, which is needed now more than ever as they prepare to play AC Milan in the Champions League.

All eyes are now on Nani, who has been playing extremely well in their last few games. If Nani gets his groove, he’ll be a perfect partner to Rooney.

Tags:   Gary Neville · Manchester united · wayne rooney

Footie fans should earmark the upcoming Manchester United – Arsenal clash because Sir Alex Ferguson has declared that it is their “biggest game of the season.”

While the Red Devils secured a finals slot in the Carling Cup last Wednesday against Manchester City, back at the PRemier League, Chelsea was able to wrest the top position from the Reds and with still another match slated. This means that Manchester United sees the Arsenal clash as a must-win at this point. Especially since Sir Alex sees Arsenal as a big obstacle in getting a record fourth consecutive title.

A win is important since with two matches, Chelsea could potentially get four points ahead of the Red Devils, and Sir Alex doesn’t want to play catch up with a relatively big margin. And with Arsenal potentially in the running as well, they will do all they can to thwart ManU — the ingredients of an epic battle.

Tags:   Arsenal · Chelsea · Manchester united

Edwin van der Sar may not be having a very stellar season right now but Sir Alex Ferguson still has a lot of confidence in him and has gone so far as to declare Van der Sar as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Van der Sar has been going through a rough patch this year because of different woes. For example, he broke two fingers during a pre season game against Bayern Munich. The injury forced him to the sidelines for two long months. He then suffered another injury when he collided with Tim Cahill of Everton last November, which put him out of action for five weeks. He was already nearing his eventual return from injury but his wife suffered a stroke, which has forced him to go on indefinite leave from the team.

Van der Sar finally made a return last January 16 in the match against Burnley, and proving how good of a goalkeeper he is Manchester United has yet to concede a goal and he has been instrumental in the Reds getting throug the Carling Cup Final.

Sir Alex said that it’s a combination of his talent, his composure under pressure and his adeptness with the football. With that kind of warm praise from Sir Alex, I’m pretty sure that Edwin van der Sar is feeling quite invincible right now. Hopefully, that feeling of invincibility will be sustained until next week because of the tough match against Arsenal.

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If there’s still any doubt that Wayne Rooney can ably fill the big shoes left by Cristiano Ronaldo, it was erased with the stunning 4 – 0 routing of Manchester United against Hull. Rooney scored all four goals against Hull and this has resulted in the Red Devils speeding up the ranking tables and becoming the top team in the Premiership League.

Rooney scored the first goal a mere seven minutes into the game, with a hit on a rebound after Paul Scholes’ long range shot was saved. He would then explode with three goals that he would fire off within the span of less than ten minutes late in the game. The three goals, which came in at the 83rd, 86th and 90th minutes were astonishing and brought the Manchester United faithful to its feet. Rooney’s four goals in the game, his first ever, brings his season total to 20 goals. Rooney’s consistency has brought the Red Devils two points clear at the top of the Premiership League table.

Hopefully, Rooney’s amazing performance this season and the Red Devils enjoying the top spot will be enough to ease the tension in Old Trafford because of the debts the team is suffering from — to the tune of 700 million pounds at present.

Tags:   Hull · Premiership League · wayne rooney

Manchester United may be swooping up to the top of the Premiership League despite being plagued by injuries this season. Another player to be officially added to the growing list of injured players is John O’Shea. It has been announced that O’Shea will be missing the rest of the season because of complications that happened after he suffered a dead leg and it looks like it is far more severe than initially thought.

Sir Alex Ferguson has said that the injury itself is unusual because a dead leg usually lasts for just three or four days. He further revealed that the blood clot that is one of the causes of the problem has become knotted and this has caused calcification. He said that treating this will take a long process and this is the reason he will be unfit to play for the rest of the season. Sir Alex further revealed that it’s a really big blow for O’Shea given that he would’ve been a sure starter this season because of the Manchester United defense has been reduced because of injuries. O’Shea is known for being very versatile at the back and he can even play midfield, which really makes it a bigger disappointment that he’ll be gone for the season.

With the Red Devils beset by all these injuries it’s a big accomplishment for the team that it has soared to the top of the Premiership League again. Will O’Shea’s injury stop this momentum or is the team just too hot right now that one less player would hardly matter at this point? Personally, I’m hoping for the latter.

O’Shea will also miss Ireland’s friendly with Brazil at the Emirates Stadium on March 2 and a scheduled end-of-season training camp.

Ferguson says the upcoming friendly date is one that club managers could do without.

He added: “I don’t even think the international managers think they’re all that important now. They never play their full team and there’s always drop outs.”

Tags:   injury. · John O'Shea

Rumors that Gary Neville is planning to retire at the end of the season were immediately quashed by Sir Alex Ferguson.

Neville will be celebrating his 35th birthday soon. Though he’s getting long in the tooth, he’s still not considered within retirement age. But time has not been kind to him. He has been suffering from numerous injuries over the last three seasons. Add to that his sub par performance during the absolutely devastating defeat against Leeds United, which has led to the third round exit of the Red Devils in the FA Cup and you’ll realize why the retirement rumors are so strong.

Everything will be determined this summer though. Both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have already extended their stay at Old Trafford for an additional year. We’ll find out what Neville’s decision is in a few months.

Personally, I think Neville still has a lot of years to offer Manchester United. Everything really depends on his injury situation. Hopefully, his injury problems will end this season and this will prompt him to renew his contract.

Tags:   Gary Neville

Manchester United’s defensive woes continue to haunt it as defender Nemanja Vidic has been sidelined for at least ten days following an injury he suffered in his leg.

Vidic is one of the most consistent defenders in the team and his injury comes at a very bad time for the Red Devils. Vidic suffered his injury during the warm-up for the FA Cup third round match versus Leed United. The Red Devils will go on and lose 1-0 and handing Sir Alex Ferguson his first ever third round defeat in the FA Cup every since becoming United’s team manager.

Because of the injury, Vidic will definitely miss the match against Birmingham this weekend and the game against Burnley next weekend.

Vidic’s injury is just one of the many injuries the Red Devils’ defensive side has suffered this season. Vidic’s partner, Rio Ferdinand, has been sidelined for months because of his own injury problems.

We’ll see how Vidic’s problems get resolved especially since there are also rumors that he is unhappy at Old Trafford and would like to move to another team, preferably Real Madrid.

Tags:   injury. · Nemanja Vidic

Manchester United’s goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has been announced to have been given an indefinite compassionate leave after her suffered a personal crisis. Van der Sar’s wife suffered a brain hemorrhage.

Van de Sar has not played since Manchester United’s win over Everton because of a knee injury. Because of the unfortunate medical emergency, he was allowed to go back immediately to Holland. He will just receive treatment for his knee from a Holland-based team doctor.

There is no news yet on the condition of Van der Sar’s wife. Annemarie van Kesteren is 36 years old. She is being examined to find out the cause of the problem.

Our well wishes for the speedy recovery of Annemarie.

Tags:   Edwin Van der Sar