Rohan Sengupta
The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) have issued a statement following Jose Mourinho’s comments about the Old Trafford atmosphere in the game against Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Mourinho made a passing comment in his post-match interview when asked about Alexis Sanchez’s home debut against Huddersfield Town on Saturday, that Old Trafford was a “quiet stadium”.
“He played only three (matches since joining from Arsenal) and the first at Old Trafford, and I think Old Trafford, in spite of being a quiet stadium, the pitch is big, the grass is nice and obviously the players feel very comfortable playing here,” Mourinho explained.
“It’s not Portsmouth. I remember Portsmouth – such a small stadium, the atmosphere was absolutely incredible.
“In here, the atmosphere is a bit quiet and there is not very (much enthusiasm). But the players like to play at home.”
This isn’t the first time the United manager has complained about Old Trafford lacking the buzz. He spoke after the 2-0 win over Leicester in August, citing that the United supporters were “very quiet”.
However, the MUST have issued a statement accepting the manager’s thoughts and pointing out how it can be improved.
The statement read: “We note our manager’s further comments regarding the poor atmosphere within Old Trafford following the Huddersfield home game.
“The decline in atmosphere is by no means limited to Old Trafford, it’s an issue affecting clubs throughout the country.
“And it’s certainly not an issue specific to Manchester United supporters – our away support is widely acknowledged, by fair minded fans, as the best in the country.
“We believe that atmosphere is primarily dependent on the perceived relationship between fans and club – including the degree of supporter ownership and engagement. In the absence of any imminent changes in the former, we therefore concentrate on other areas where we can have an impact in the short to medium term.
“To that end, last week we met with Directors (both Board and Venue) to explore what can be done. We will be reporting on that meeting in the coming days.”
It is a really good open letter from the MUST, who will have to now ensure that there is raucous support at the Theatre of Dreams which makes it very difficult for the opposition to play.
Down the years, the support at Old Trafford has acted as a 12th man and Mourinho would exactly hope for the same when we host Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal in the next couple of months.
