Photo I took at Old Trafford in 1988
Since the start of the 1990’s, following the Taylor Report which banned terracing in the top 2 divisions in England and then the launch of the Premier League and Sky Sports, English football grounds have undergone a remarkable and most dramatic era of change in the last 2 decades. The majority of the stadiums have been radically redeveloped and nearly 30 of the 92 League clubs have left their stadiums, to move to new purpose built stadiums. For safety and commercial reasons these changes were inevitable, especially with the increasing popularity of English football being brought about with the increased television coverage led by Sky Sports. As a Manchester United supporter over this period of time, I have been able to witness this transformation first hand. Firstly, at Old Trafford – which has undergone a huge re-development. This really began with the demolition of the Stretford End in 1992 and its replacement – the West Stand. In 1995 – bigger changes followed with the huge North Stand being built. Following our Treble victory in 1999, East and West Stand tiers 2 were built and then in 2005 the Quadrants were built. The result is a magnificent 75,000+ stadium – one of the best in world football. As part of this, corporate hospitality was massively increased and that now forms a large part of the matchday revenue. The downside to this – with the huge price rises and loss of terraces, has meant that many supporters have been priced out of watching the team they love and it is also said that the atmosphere in the stadium isn’t the same anymore. United are not the only team to have suffered a similar loss in atmosphere . At many stadiums this has been far worse, especially with teams who have moved to new stadiums. (More …)
camutdfan is discussing. 
I have been a utd fan since the 80′s and have followed the changes with the stadium and the supporters. There was no atmosphere as good as the Stretford End when fans were able to stand, and sang their hearts out throughout the games, the nearest thing to them days now are the away matches where all fans become one big group representing the true spirit of the Utd Fans. The home matches are a different story altogether, So many day trippers are now taking over the seat as true fans have been priced out of the stadium. I have no grudge against day trippers as that was how I became a Utd Fan in the 80′s. I was taken to a match for the first time ever and was instantly hooked and became a member, following Utd to away games too. My only grudge with the day trippers is they cant sing, I feel like i should hand out song sheets to them, you get odd groups trying to get the trippers to join in but its hopeless and annoying when you can hear the away fans cheering on their team louder than the home fans. All the singing died when they dismantled the Stretford standing area and placed the fans in different sections of the ground. I was moved to the North Lower till they decided to build that up where I was then moved to L Stand (the away section now). Although back in the Stretford end top tier, the olden days of the Stretford End are gone.