They have arguably the most vocal away support in the Premier League, plus the biggest ground in the league. So why is the atmosphere inside Old Trafford so poor at times?
That is a question that has puzzled United’s executives and according to the Manchester Evening News, a sound specialist was at Old Trafford for January’s Premier League clash with Liverpool and will attend another before the season is out.
A United source told the newspaper:
‘There were supporters in the Stretford End who thought they had made a lot of noise only for friends in different parts of the ground to say they couldn’t hear them.’
The move, prompted by fans who pack the near 15,000-capacity Stretford End, is the latest by the club who want to bring the atmosphere in line with other major European clubs.
An earlier suggestion to move away fans as part of a wider plan to create a ‘singing section’, as is operated by ‘Red Action’ at Arsenal‘s Emirates Stadium, has since been scrapped due to safety and security fears.
The proposal saw Aston Villa fans rehoused away from the corner of the East Stand to the top tier of the newly-named Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, late last season. However, police deemed the move unsafe, drawing on Manchester City‘s infamous ‘Poznan’ celebration which they believed could cause the stand to ‘flex’.
The Manchester Evening News concluded that at a Fans Forum at the club’s Carrington training base, United said they
‘remain committed to moving away supporters from their current location’, while acknowledging it is a ‘difficult task to find a suitable area without inconveniencing United fans’.