Mourinho gets a lifeline from die-hard Man United fans, but will it be enough?

[Nergal]

 

Manchester United have made it to the two-week international break, a natural time to take stock of a tumultuous two-week spell. They'll need to make the most of the rest, too: Chelsea away, where United have a stinking record, is next, followed by a Champions League date with Juventus at home, two very difficult games against superior teams. They're not just far superior to Wolves, Derby, West Ham and Newcastle, the four sides who made life so difficult for Jose Mourinho's men in the past two weeks, but superior to Manchester United, too.

Mourinho, who was in a foul mood around the club last week, can gather his thoughts and composure. He, along with many United fans, are convinced that the media are out to get him the sack. They think they're hounding him with sensationalist headlines and twisting his imperfect English, yet Mourinho has found allies among a significant number of match-going fans -- including away supporters. They have been vocal in their support of him at matches, and this situation suits the United manager. Not for the first time, he's in a preferred "us against the world" habitat; the only surprise is that it took him so long to get there since arriving in Manchester.

That vocal support, which was prevalent Saturday as the team roared back from 0-2 down to win 3-2 at Old Trafford, in turn divides United fans. Online polls actually show little support for Mourinho, but it's at the matches themselves where the support matters most. Social media fury is easily discarded and less credible than opinions expressed at games, where officials and players can be directly affected by their environment. Encouraged by Gary Neville's Friday night rant, for example, Saturday saw the first significant chants against the United board in the form of "Jose's right, the board are s----."

Naturally, fans are more predisposed to back a football man over a perceived "suit" like Ed Woodward. Those chants echoing around Old Trafford will unnerve United's owners far more than the continual whining on Twitter, too. Few pay attention even when the online moaners have a valid point, as they do now about the style of play, Mourinho's public criticism of players, the lack of goals, the number of goals conceded (16 this season) and many poor individual performances. But there are no "Three years of excuses, Ta-Ra" flags in J Stand as there were for Sir Alex Ferguson. Those banners and songs expressed support for the under-fire manager instead.

The disarray at United is nuanced and complex, with many factors and no single person responsible for the club's five-year drift, but Saturday's victory really had a feeling of giving Mourinho a lifeline, even if the club claimed his position was never going to be decided at the weekend, as a Friday night report in the Daily Mirror claimed. They had less reason to decide it after a win, but what would have happened if United had lost or even drawn, making it only one win from six home games?

After all, that's what looked likely after an awful first-half performance meant the team ran toward the dressing room 2-0 down at the break. Yet even as they ran -- well, all bar the ever-languid Nemanja Matic -- there were only a few boos around Old Trafford. For better or worse, fans are incredibly patient and supportive even if it means hiding their true feelings.

After the match, I asked Mourinho about his reaction to the atmosphere.