Manchester United and a bright red vision of the future lacking in detail

The 1995-96 season was a significant moment for football in Manchester. United won the Double as their hapless neighbours, City, were relegated in fittingly farcical circumstances. Off the field (or adjacent to it, at least), United were gold-plating their dominance with the completion of a new North Stand that made Old Trafford the biggest club stadium in England. And in what must have felt like a footnote at the time, Manchester was awarded the 2002 Commonwealth Games, with a bid based around a new, purpose-built stadium on a brownfield site. Fast-forward three decades, and the Etihad is now home to English football’s dominant force, an all-conquering team who play in sky blue. It’s been a journey that would take some explaining to a tracksuited, gum-chewing Alex Ferguson if you were to time-travel back to the mid-90s in search of affordable Oasis tickets. Old Trafford’s North Stand is now the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, but not much else has changed at United’s once-palatial home since their glory days. The last major upgrade works were in 2006 and the stadium has entered a post-industrial decline that dovetails with the team’s waning fortunes. One architect looking into United’s proposed regeneration plans had this to say about the former Theatre of Dreams: “Wiring, electrical installation ... everything is approaching the end of its useful life.”

So, about this regeneration. An idea mothballed under the Glazers’ full ownership sprang back to life almost as soon as Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe strutted into reception and told several hundred orderlies to clear their desks. The new minority owner’s vision is big and bold – “The Wembley of the North” – but lacking granular detail, such as: 1) whether it includes a new stadium, 2) what said stadium might look like, and 3) who is going to pay for it. We got some answers on Monday: 1) probably, 2) a giant throat lozenge, and 3) not us, obviously, but not you guys either, we promise. At a low-key opening pitch in (you’ll like this) Liverpool, the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, and United’s official decline documenter, Gary Neville, unveiled the kind of 3D city-planning map once seen in your local library, with the bright red ‘Strepsil End’ plonked in the middle of it. An accompanying video offered a few more glimpses of a gaudy red facade, plastered with a club crest visible from space – but the focus was on the surrounding area, montages of dark satanic mills reborn into Pret-laden plazas as words like COMMERCIAL and REGENERATION floated in the ether. One word conspicuous by its absence: FOOTBALL.

Maybe in the circumstances, that’s for the best. After all, the most memorable visions for new stadiums are those that leave reality far behind. Who could forget Portsmouth’s floating gold toilet, a CGI symbol of the ruinous largesse that would soon flush the club down to League Two? Then there’s Chelsea, who have toyed with steampunk fantasies at both Battersea Power Station and a new brick-clad Stamford Bridge. By 2030, Nicolas Jackson will only have three years left on his contract and the World Cup final could be played in a giant Center Parcs! All of which makes Monday’s sizzling chat about urban regeneration and freight rail relocation, and even the plan to keep Old Trafford as a scaled-down living museum, seem faintly sensible. At the end of the day, Ratcliffe is flexible – he just wants a big, modern football stadium that he doesn’t have to pay for. And just a couple of miles up the road from Monday’s big unveiling, there’s a reminder that quirky new grounds are fun until you actually have to build them.

Follow all the goals in Tuesday’s third-round Milk Cup ties with Scott Murray at 7.45pm (BST).

“Disgruntled fans broke the glass, it’s unpleasant. I came with Band-Aids to the press conference, but there’s no reason to make a theatre. There was nothing more, no fight, no physical conflict. It’s no drama” – Partizan Belgrade coach Aleksandar Stanojevic does his best to somehow downplay fans vandalising the team’s dressing room and leaving him with a head injury after the 4-0 defeat to rivals Red Star Belgrade. “It’s my fault how we lost,” he added. “It’s a shame for all of us. And for me, the biggest.”

Noble Francis’s exposition on playing out from the back (yesterday’s Football Daily letters) reminded me that it can also be done from set-pieces … although no one seemed to have explained to Hibs’ Nectarios Triantis, back in March, how it should be done. Quickly including two of his teammates in this manoeuvre wasn’t – we assume – quite what was intended” – Ken Muir.

The photo of the waterlogged pitch in yesterday’s Memory Lane (full email edition) brought to mind the iconic ‘Splash’ photo of Tom Finney (and a very well-hidden Wally Bellett) at Stamford Bridge in 1965. It was considered so defining an image that the statue of Sir Tom outside Deepdale is based on the same picture. Beloved as he is, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing a bronze immortalisation of an aquaplaning Nobby Solano outside St James’s any time soon” – Mike Slattery.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Ken Muir. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

David Squires is back, baby! Here’s his take on a paranoia-laden battle at the Etihad.

Chaos in the Box, the new David Squires book, is coming soon. You can order it now through our bookshop and get a 20% discount.

It’s that time of year again folks. Yes, assorted Bayern players have been clad in lederhosen and dragged out to Oktoberfest where they are doing their bit for the Bavarian tourist board. It’s an annual tradition in which Die Roten’s best are handed hefty beer steins, pretzels, bockwürst and whatever else club executives thrust upon them. It’s then their job to pose for the cameras and give fans the impression they are about to embark upon a sensational bender like ordinary 20-somethings when we’re guessing they’re actually sent home soon after for an ice bath and plenty of water in case any scent of Tin was actually consumed. This year Harry Kane looked much more at home than he did in his first season.

But, by the looks of it, Michael Olise might need convincing that dressing up in traditional German threads and hanging out at the Wiesn is the best way to spend an afternoon. Ah well.

Rodri sustained an ACL injury in Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, initial tests have indicated, and may miss the rest of the season.

The Confederation of African Football’s general secretary, Véron Mosengo-Omba, could be suspended after he was accused of “whitewashing” an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct against him.

Mikel Arteta reckons Martin Ødegaard will be back “in a matter of weeks” though he also issued a hands-off warning to Norway by saying “it’s unlikely he’ll be back before the international break”.

We’re not sure how he is going about it but Arne Slot is trying to improve Trent Alexander-Arnold’s concentration to make him a better defender. “Can his concentration rate constantly be in 100% focus? This is what we talk about a lot,” soothed Liverpool’s manager.

AFC Wimbledon fans have started a crowdfunding page to help fix the sinkhole on their pitch – and it has already raised the £50,000 target. Thanks in significant part to Newcastle, who were supposed to play the Dons on Tuesday in the Worthington Cup, putting £15k in the pot. The football family can be a force for good!

And Erik ten Hag might want to tone down his language when encouraging his Manchester United players to be more ruthless. “We are capable of scoring many goals, but it’s a part of the game we have to improve – and kill in the box,” he roared, while thumping his chest and scaring hacks.

Jonathan Liew on fixing the broken football calendar, an article which includes a 1960s picture of Jimmy Hill sporting some groovy facial hair.

Things are getting very exciting at Barrow as they prepare to take on Chelsea. Jamie Jackson meets some of the League Two table-toppers as they prep for the Fizzy Cup tie.

Barney Ronay on the fallout from Manchester City v Arsenal, and why we should all take pleasure in the beauty of the Gunners shutting up shop.

And those of a certain vintage will remember Rubén Baraja the player. Now the former midfielder is in the dugout, back at Valencia. Sid Lowe has more.

To April 1965 and a star-studded lineup for Stanley Matthews’ testimonial at Stoke City’s Victoria Ground. Captured here alongside the England legend in his team are Jimmy Greaves, Bryan Douglas and Alan Gilzean, and they took on an International XI that included the likes of Ferenc Puskás, Lev Yashin and Alfredo Di Stéfano. Puskás scored twice in a 6-4 win before helping Yashin carry Matthews off at full-time.