To add insult to injury following a fourth defeat in seven games this Premier League season (five in all competitions), footage of the Old Trafford roof leaking onto supporters’ seats mid-match has gone viral as fans are labelling it a symbol of the Glazers’ much-maligned ownership.
The clip in question was taken on Saturday, 30 September during Manchester United‘s 1-0 home loss to Crystal Palace — the same side they had beaten 3-0 in their previous Carabao Cup fixture — and shows fans sitting in the Stretford End having to grin and bear it as water drips all over them.
Old Trafford has received some renovations over the past couple of seasons, but they were mainly related to the installation of the digital ticket system, replacing doors after the infamous fan protests saw them invade the stadium, and updating the scoreboard with live added time — which pretty much every other team has also been given this season.
However, despite the stadium’s leaking roof having already been raised as an issue by fans in recent years, it would appear that there have been little to no repairs made, as these lot unfortunately found out first-hand.
A member of The Manc office also sits around this section of the stadium and often has to tend with occasional rainwater falling on him.
As you can imagine, social media was filled with Reds clearly disappointed but by no means surprised, commenting, “Scandalous this… The Glazers are using this club as their personal bank but no funds being spent on maintaining the roof”, “this is a disgrace”; “How embarrassing! Yet our club is somehow worth multiple billions. Pathetic”, and countless other replies to a similar effect.
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Many have also noted that they had or are still experiencing similar in various other areas around the ground: “had the same in K stand last season, “same in the South stand”; one person even shared a video of a leak from inside the concourse (not the first time such footage has been shared).
Another went so far as to remark: “Unbelievable, all that success under Fergie and they seem to be light years away from being a modern club. When you compare to [Real] Madrid you have to question why [Man United] have seemingly been left behind to rot. I can see ‘the rise and fall of utd’ coming to cinemas soon.”
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While safe-standing in the ground was increased back in July ahead of the new campaign, a large chunk of those seats were installed in the away end, so most fans elsewhere in the ground will likely never see the benefit and those who attend week in, week out know all too well how outdated the stadium is.
Although the prospective United takeover has been stalled for months now after neither Qatari bidders nor Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s offers met the Glazer family’s asking price, both bidders cited redeveloping the stadium as one of their main priorities.
Tickets go live as opening date is announced for Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience
Emily Sergeant
Tickets to visit Manchester City’s new ‘immersive’ museum experience have officially gone live ahead of the grand opening.
Set to open in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus next month, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces – with visitors invited to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans will also be able to take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“The Museum Experience has been designed as a destination that goes beyond just the pitch,” commented Jeremy Maxton, who is the Director of Visitor Attractions at Manchester City Football Club.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“Whether you’re a lifelong supporter, visiting Manchester for a weekend, or simply looking for a unique day out, we’ve created an experience that offers something for everyone.
“From the recreated environments and original memorabilia to the interactive elements, there are different ways into the Club’s history throughout the Museum.
“We’ve also built in space for new stories to be added over time, so the experience can continue to evolve. It’s been a huge project to bring together and we’re looking forward to people seeing it for themselves later this year.”
The Manchester City Museum Experience officially opens on 14 December, and you can now book tickets to visit from that date here.
Featured Image – Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Danny Jones -
2nd October 2023 
