Jose Mourinho raised an interesting issue on Saturday.
Following Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Huddersfield, the manager was critical of the lack of noise inside Old Trafford.
During his post-match press conference, Mourinho claimed that his players felt ‘comfortable’ playing in front of their home supporters despite what he believes is an underwhelming atmosphere.
“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.”
He’s right. Fratton Park, Portsmouth’s stadium, always provided a colourful and invigorating atmosphere. With a capacity of around 20,000, it’s tiny in comparison to a grand sporting theatre like Old Trafford but, when it comes to stadia, bigger does not necessarily mean louder. Fratton Park, with those unmistakable Pompey Chimes pounding your eardrums, was an intoxicating and enchanting place to watch football and, sadly they are a dying breed in the Premier League.
Of course, places like Dean Court and Selhurst Park can really crank up the volume, while an evening game at Anfield under the floodlights remains an assault on the senses, but Old Trafford has strangely remained a quiet kingdom under Mourinho’s rule.
Over the years, United supporters have been treated to a feast of attacking football. In the 90s, visiting teams would tremble at the prospect of playing at Old Trafford but, in the years following Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United’s fortress hasn’t quite boasted the decibels which soundtracked the club’s dominance in the Premier League’s formative years.
The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust have made a statement in response to #MUFC boss José Mourinho’s comments about the Old Trafford atmosphere against Huddersfield pic.twitter.com/COuNqRCC3v
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) February 4, 2018
No, Old Trafford is a different place. In response to Mourinho, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust released a statement.
“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.”
They’re right – it’s not limited to Old Trafford. The Emirates Stadium isn’t quite the beating heart of Arsenal like Highbury, while Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium has fallen foul of expectant crowds in recent times, a product of supporters being spoiled with Pep Guardiola’s brand of football.
It’s similar enough to United but, while the first thought may be to blame the style of football under Mourinho, the issue runs much deeper than merely the manager’s philosophy. The anti-Glazer protests in 2005 led to the formation of FC United of Manchester, thus taking away a reasonable chunk of hardened United fans, while the issue of safe standing remains a pertinent one. Increased season ticket prices have also not helped a growing disconnect between the supporters and the club.
United are open to the idea of introducing safe standing at Old Trafford but it’s not quite that simple. The law currently states that clubs that have been in the top two tiers of English football for three consecutive seasons must have all-seater stadiums. With no imminent change to the law in sight, safe standing remains a pipe dream for several romantic fans.
'It's not Portsmouth… It's such a small stadium and the atmosphere was incredible.' Mourinho on the 'quiet' and 'unenthusiastic' Old Trafford #mufc pic.twitter.com/7V44dVVna8
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) February 5, 2018
The atmosphere at Old Trafford has often been a point of concern for the club in recent years. The introduction of a singing section was ridiculed when it was first unveiled in April 2014. However, by all accounts, they could be heard loud and clear during the Huddersfield game while thousands sat in relative silence.
The dream for a club of United’s stature in the global game would be to have the raucous, spine-tingling atmosphere that has made Borussia Dortmund such hipster darlings in recent years. The reality, however, is that football on the continent is a different beast. Clubs like Dortmund have thrived thanks to fan ownership and a robust, passionate supporters culture, so it’s unrealistic to expect United fans to ever replicate anything as awe-inspired as the Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park.
Old Trafford is far from a library, though. J Stand houses a vocal group of supporters but it’s not enough to fill an 80,000-seater stadium. Sadly, dramatic improvements are not forthcoming. Not yet, anyway. Until safe standing laws change and the club manages to establish a stronger connection to the supporters, Old Trafford, like many of its Premier League counterparts, will continue to perturb Mourinho on the touchline.
