United’s creative plan to improve atmosphere at Old Trafford makes a lot of sense

Jose Mourinho's criticism didn't fall on deaf ears.

Manchester United have announced plans to improve the atmosphere at Old Trafford following Mourinho's claims that the home crowd has been "quiet" at stages of the season. Following a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield last month, the United manager suggested that the Old Trafford noise paled in comparison to that of Portsmouth's Fratton Park. Mourinho said: "It's not Portsmouth - I remember when I was in the Premier League and for such a small stadium, the atmosphere was incredible. "Here it is a bit quiet and is not very, very enthusiastic. But the players like to play at home." Certain Mourinho decisions in recent months were met with boos from the terraces at the Theatre of Dreams but it was the flatness that most concerned the Red Devils boss. And the club is seemingly making moves to remedy that issue as they've offered supporters the opportunity to move to the stadium's L Stand in the hope that they will "create a loud and vibrant atmosphere" for the upcoming FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton. Head of ticketing and membership Sam Kelleher wrote to season ticket holders in an email which was obtained by Manchester Evening News. The letter reads as follows: "As a direct result of ongoing talks between club officials and fan representatives, we have agreed to offer part of the usual away end (L Stand) for the Brighton and Hove Albion FA Cup quarter-final game, to fans that are considered to be amongst the most vocal elements of our support. "If you would like to be a part of this vocal area please contact us before 8pm tonight (Thursday March 1). It has been requested that you only consider moving into L-Stand for this game if you are prepared to contribute to the atmosphere and sing for the entire game - the purpose of this is to create a loud and vibrant atmosphere, and therefore, we will only be inviting supporters over the age of 13 to participate. "Please note, places in L Stand are extremely limited therefore seats will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis."