OLD TRAFFORD: Song sheets and continental-style ‘cheerleaders’ with megaphones are among the ideas being discussed in an effort to improve the atmosphere at Manchester United’s home games.
Manager Jose Mourinho has previously said that Old Trafford is too quiet.
The club were asked at a recent fans’ forum if song sheets could be distributed at the turnstiles.
United said they would look into the idea, although it is highly unlikely to be implemented.
Meanwhile, the Premier League club will provide fans with a “full update” in May on the potential for having a women’s team.
United have received intense criticism for their failure to field an adult women’s side, at a time when local rivals Manchester City, plus Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, all have teams at the top end of the Women’s Super League.
The Old Trafford club say the idea remains “under review at a high level of the club”.
At the fans’ forum, United said a women’s team “isn’t something that can happen overnight”. They cite staffing and facilities as specific issues.
However, it is understood a women’s side is part of the discussion around potential development of United’s training site at the Cliff in Salford.
Megaphones? Instruments?
Fans’ groups are apparently looking into whether it would be possible to replicate the atmosphere at grounds in countries such as Germany and Italy, where crowd involvement is ‘conducted’ by supporters with megaphones, backed by other fans with instruments.
United did introduce a singing section in the north-east corner of the ground but it has not made a significant improvement.
Both the club and fans’ groups felt the situation was far better on Saturday, when the singing section was moved to the south-east corner of the stadium for the FA Cup quarter-final with Brighton.
However, this is the area normally reserved for away supporters and it is felt moving that section for league games is impractical given the number of season ticket holders in other parts of the ground.
