In and around St James’ Park – sorry, the Sports Direct Arena – they’ve learned to brace themselves for owner Mike Ashley’s latest brainwave.
Whether it be appointing Dennis Wise director of football, putting his faith in TV pundit Alan Shearer to mount a survival battle, sacking Chris Hughton or selling off the family jewels in Andy Carroll, long-suffering Newcastle fans have learned to expect the worst.
This, they didn’t see coming.
Not after Alan Pardew had steered their side to third in the Premier League, undefeated after 11 games on a shoestring budget.
Morale among the Geordies hasn’t been so high since Bobby Robson was at the helm.
Even Ashley couldn’t ruin this one. Or could he?
In one fell swoop the Newcastle owner has wiped away nearly 120 years of history and risked disenfranchising one of the most loyal supporter bases in English football with the decision to rename the club’s iconic stadium.
It is his tackiest move yet.
Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias claims the decision could be worth as much as £10m a year, saying: “That would give us another player.”
Such words are cold comfort to fans still waiting to see the £35m Liverpool paid for Carroll to be sufficiently reinvested in the transfer market. It is a decision that will strike fear into the hearts of United supporters, who have long-feared a similar move from their controversial American owners.
Whenever speculation has arisen about renaming Old Trafford, it has been met with fierce opposition from fans already desperate to oust the Glaziers. And when City renamed their stadium in July, a United spokesman was insistent the Reds would not do likewise.
“We have no plans to change the name and have never received an approach to do so,” he said.
But while United’s owners have never publicly suggested selling the naming rights, given the enormous debt used as leverage to buy the club in 2005, stadium sponsorship has often been pointed to as a way of generating more income.
The Glazers may well monitor the happenings in Newcastle while back home in Florida – but to follow suit would be a PR disaster as far as their fractious relationship with fans is concerned.
There is an argument to suggest the Glazers simply don’t care they are so unpopular among a proportion of supporters of the club they own. But they are not stupid.
That’s why they sanctioned the record-breaking contract that kept Wayne Rooney at the club when he looked certain to leave little over 12 months ago.
That’s also why they would recognise that the renaming of the most famous stadium in English club football would be viewed as an unforgivable slight on its history and heritage. Old Trafford is not Eastlands.
History
City’s decision to rename their ground in the summer could hardly be considered as trampling over their history. Not when they only moved into it in 2003. Likewise, Arsenal’s decision to name their new home the Emirates Stadium.
Having decided to leave Highbury, their new ground was a blank canvas when it came to deciding what to call it.
Old Trafford is entirely different. It may be unrecognisable to its original incarnation that opened in 1910 – but more than 101 years on, it is a monument to United.
It is an icon, alongside the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu, of the global game.
A stadium that survived German bombs in the Second World War and has been home to footballing greats like Duncan Edwards, Bobby Charlton and George Best. Would the Glazers care about any of that if it earned them a pretty penny? Possibly not. But they would care if the public outcry was such that it had the opposite effect. The effect of tarnishing the brand that they hold so dear.
There would be no shortage of companies only too happy to have their name associated with United.
But how attractive would the prospect look if it caused such a rebellion from supporters? Newcastle and Ashley are about to find out.
The new name of St James’ Park is a temporary measure until Ashley can sell it on.
His hope is that potential buyers don’t baulk at the prospect of being associated with such an unpopular move.
Manchester United Supporters’ Trust chief executive Duncan Drasdo hopes such a threat will be enough to persuade the Glazers not to go down the same path as Ashley.
“I think there would be a lot of resentment from fans,” he said. “It wouldn’t make sense commercially.
“Given the resentment it would generate, what sponsor would want to be involved?
“Even if the money was promised to be spent in the transfer market, it would still be treated with suspicion and seen as selling our history.
“I’m amazed they’ve done it at Newcastle. It feels exploitative and as if they don’t care.
“I think the Glazers would recognise that. We just celebrated the centenary last year. Old Trafford is nothing like the original stadium but there is that emotional connection with the place.
“The longer it goes on, the more important that becomes.”
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Yeah mate the Glazers are fanatic Man utd fans about as much as the tories love nationalisation. All about the money................
Nothing would surprise me with the Glazers. They wouldnt give a damn if it meant they could get more money out of the club, without alienating the fans even more. 2 years ago there was a poll on the radio, and no one phoned in to say the Glazers were a good thing for Utd. The sooner they sell on the better.
Why was Drasdo asked his opinion? He and his mates have been completely discredited and can't speak for United fans.
Of course United will never rename Old Trafford. End of story.
The Geordies have a sense of humour to them it will always be ST james .The new idenity would be made such a mockery of , that the investors would wish they had not bothered !
Old Trafford well you can never say never ,but it would be the last straw for the faithful .
i am normally all for tradition but for the life of me i cannot see a problem with naming rights
the pepsi cola arena at old trafford for eg i don't have a problem with. if city can get 100m then ours is worth 500m ( pay off the debt)
many of our overseas poster already use the theatre of dreams. proper fans will always call it OLD TRAFFORD just like we are MANCHESTER UNITED not MANU
Manchester United will never sell the Old Trafford name, and anyone who thinks we will are fools. Old Trafford is the greatest stadium in the world, it is the Theatre of Dreams adn will forever be known by the name the "Theatre of Dreams" Old Trafford. I dont care what people think of the Glazers, even they know what Old Trafford means to the glorious history of Manchester United. We wil never sell our sell like City, Newcastle, Arsenal and like Chelsea are trying to. We are Manchester United, the worlds greatest football club and Old Trafford will always be known as Old Trafford.
There's no story here, so why such a wordy and dull article?
Are you sure that your concerns are about the right Old Trafford? It won't be long before the desperados at Lancashire Cricket sell out the OT name to the highest bidder.
I thought it had already been renamed "Old Toilet" ?
The Montreal Forum is gone (but the Canadiens are still the Canadiens doesn't really matter what you call the arena/park), Maple Leafs Gardens is gone, Candlestick is gone. Yankee Stadium and Fenway endure for now.
You have to be a realist. If some bank wants to give some silly amount of money so they can hang a logo on your building who cares!
How about "The Royal Bank Theater of Dreams at Old Trafford". (Awesome).
Would that work if $500m (Bobbyd's number from earlier) was attached to it. Seems a no brainer to me.
Enjoy your Remembrance Day everyone and be grateful.
Stay calm,
r7
ps I really really really hate these dumb international breaks. What am I going to do tomorrow???
We already turnover 300 million plus so really cant compare us with Newcastle and furthermore if the Glazers were not pulling 50-60 million per annum (indeed 110m in last accounts) to service their debts we would never have to even discuss money or the threat of city, our manager love him or hate him has been responsible for success the Glazers are slowly relinquishing our spot at the top of English football, season by season and I attribute very little of our success to them they took over the squad that was littered with world class players which meant success continued but I worry a lot about the direction they are taking us this strategy of relying on youth and trying to pick up lower price gems is not what I wanted to see in the face of what City are doing and then what standard there is in CL would need to be very lucky to keep up
It will not happen trust me,true utd fans would just never turn up at the club ever again,but i say this alone im a old red and i would never ever show the support that i once had when edwards owned it all and the club was a plc,its been fading away ever since those two irish gonks got all upset with fergie and sold to the higest bidder this was the biggest dagger utd and its true old fans have ever had,i speak for my self but i bet that there are other ex stretford end my self and utd road paddock old supporters,were getting pushed out.
Ill say that city for a fact have genuine old faithful ,i know mates that still go and that i know,i even worked at old trafford 1997-98 season as security and it was full of differnt peoples at that time,football is getting a big horrible business and im becoming less of the huge fan that i was,the way that its going is down the pan,if you look at real madrid or barca they wouldnt ever sell there soules as utd have,never.
If things get worse ill end up just watching my other team that is not at risk thats salford city reds.
Does'nt make one iota of difference what a stadium is named. Its what happens on the grass and the level of support in those seats
David Beckham plays at the 'Pizza Hut Stadium' what's wrong with that?
man utd is known as theatre of dream and old trafford,and should not be swap simplly becouse of depts. as 4 city they are still small club in england and the globe.plz man utd supporters should stick with glazer family they are great owners i can't remember how many trophies we ve won under their ownership. moreover they ve not harmper any fergie transfer plans.
Thought they'd already named it the Paxo Stadium cos they enjoy a good stuffing! Boom Boom!