With changes to the Old Trafford atmosphere, fans are beginning to discuss if improvements need to be made to build atmosphere before games.
Manchester United were knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton on Sunday, which leaves United with another trophyless season. Changes with staff have been made throughout the week, with Michael Carrick announced as United’s interim head coach.
INEOS have been working with fans to improve the Old Trafford match day experience. Senior Club officials and fan representatives discuss ticketing and match day information at the Fans Forum to bring change to the club.
Changes were made to the Old Trafford pre-match buildup in an attempt to improve the atmosphere earlier this season. This has included turning the music off before the game so that fans can begin to generate noise.
In December, changes were announced by The Communications Department to the post-match music, where: “Following strong recommendations from the atmosphere working group, the club will trial no music post-match for the next three home games which result in a win for the team.”
‘Absolute silence’ – Ogden slams pre-match atmosphere
Mark Ogden, senior writer at ESPN, spoke on Instagram about the Old Trafford atmosphere against Brighton. He said: “I was pitchside pre-match. One thing that was really noticeable to me was the fact that the players were warming up in absolute silence. They want the club to turn the music off so they can build up the atmosphere and they’re not building the atmosphere. It’s not good at all.”
Ogden went on to explain how this could affect the performances of the players, saying: “At United right now, the atmosphere is so quiet before the game that it must have an effect on the players.
“They’re going into the tunnel without any kind of adrenaline pumping through because there’s nothing going on. There’s no singing from the fans, there’s no music from the tannoy, so it’s like the worst of both worlds, really. There’s nothing there.”
With Old Trafford’s great reputation, Ogden felt that improvements need to be made. He spoke about how the club needs to change, saying: “So, I think the club should look at this scenario with the fans and say, ‘Look, you’re not really helping the situation. If you want no music before the games, make some noise. If you’re not going to make noise, we’re going to turn the music up.’
“Because you need the atmosphere, you need the players to kind of go off the pitch thinking, ‘Yeah, we’re pumped up, ready for the game’.”
Old Trafford’s special moments are still alive
With Manchester United being the biggest club in England and Old Trafford being one of the world’s most well-known stadiums, criticism is expected if the extremely high standards aren’t kept. However, it is hard to base the criticism on one Sunday cup game following Rúben Amorim’s sacking.
Old Trafford has been rocking this season following changes aimed at improving the atmosphere. This has included bringing tifos and flags to the Stretford End, which have been praised by both fans and players for increasing the atmosphere.
Old Trafford is extremely important to United fans, as shown by the atmosphere throughout the season. United fans will be sure to respond to the harsh criticism this Saturday against Manchester City, where the Old Trafford atmosphere is expected to be electric.
Carrick’s Reds will face a lot of pressure to secure a result against Man City, who, like United, have drawn their last three league games. United have also been handed a huge boost for the game with Amad and Bryan Mbeumo returning from AFCON.
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