"Lads, it’s Tottenham," Sir Alex Ferguson famously said before a Manchester United game.
United were facing Tottenham at Old Trafford and Ferguson intelligently used just those three words in the dressing room before the game to tap into the minds of his players.
That phrase has been used to mock Tottenham for their losing DNA and 'Spursy' tendencies ever since. Spurs don't have a winning culture and have been huge underachievers, but they now have something to be proud of, something that is the best in the country: their stadium.
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Tottenham's stadium is the best in the Premier League and it was rebuilt 170 yards away from where White Hart Lane stood, which means the club's feeling hasn't been lost.
Spurs' ground cost around £1billion and their fans were delighted with their new home, which is atmospheric and has leading facilities that create a brilliant matchday experience.
Furthermore, their stadium was the first purpose-built NFL venue outside of the US and Spurs have a deal to host a minimum of two games per year over 10 years, which is an extra revenue stream. Tottenham played home games at Wembley for almost two years.
United intend to submit plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium by the end of the year. The task force agree with Sir Jim Ratcliffe that a new build is the logical proposal to regenerate Old Trafford and its surrounding area.
The earliest date work could begin might be the summer of 2025 and that would also be seen as moving fast considering Ratcliffe only became co-owner of the club in February.
Early estimations suggest a new rebuild would cost around £2billion with roughly three years needed to complete the project, so 2028 would be the earliest completion date.
Tottenham left White Hart Lane in 2016, spent nearly three seasons at Wembley, and moved to their new 61,000-seater venue in 2019, which shows it can be done in that timeframe.
Ratcliffe will celebrate his 75th birthday in 2028 and there's a feeling he's been keen to address the future of Old Trafford to leave a legacy behind in Manchester.
However, although Tottenham have done what some other Premier League clubs have failed to do by moving to a stadium that is loved by their fans - West Ham botched their move from Upton Park in 2016 - they have been forced to increase season ticket prices.
The cheapest adult season ticket at Tottenham costs £856, which equates to £45 per game, and only Arsenal's cheapest season ticket (£1073) costs more in the Premier League. Chelsea charge the third highest price (£810), Liverpool are next (£713) and Newcastle follow (£662) after that.
The most expensive season ticket at Tottenham costs £2,147 and they are the most expensive seats of any in the league, so although their stadium is world-class, Spurs fans have been asked to stump up more cash for tickets and that's a cautionary tale for United fans.
Moving to a new 100,000-seater stadium may see a rise in season ticket prices and that's something fans might have to lobby against when the project gradually develops.
A club source once told the MEN "our tickets are among the most competitive in the top tier of English football," and they were right. The football hasn't always been great since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement but United's ticket prices are objectively good value in the Premier League.
Season ticket prices at Old Trafford were increased for the first time in 11 years - they had been frozen during that period - last season but they remained well priced.
“Ticket prices at Old Trafford – along with matchday food and beverage prices – will remain among the most affordable in the Premier League and we are committed to continuing that approach,” United said.
“However, with the cost of delivering matches up by 40 per cent in the past five years, and 11 per cent in the past 12 months alone, the modest increase in price for the 2023/24 season is necessary to allow the club to operate on a sustainable basis.
“We understand that our fans are also facing pressure from increased living costs and that is why we have kept price increases well below the current rate of inflation.”
The cost of a United season ticket for this season (2024/25) rose again from £551 to £579 and that represented a five per cent rise, which the club felt was necessary due to inflation.
The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) reacted and said: "We felt there were good arguments for another freeze this season and so we did argue against the increase but ultimately it is a club decision and we do recognise that this is roughly in line with inflation."
But even with that increase, nine clubs still charge more than United's cheapest season ticket and the club are proud to continue to offer fans a fair deal for attending games.
United fans want a world-class stadium like Tottenham's but don't want similar ticket prices.
Manchester is a working-class city and the club must tread carefully when deciding prices in the future.