Jose Mourinho was absolutely right to criticise the Man United fans after the Tottenham game.
Nowadays, fans think they have a lot of power over what goes on in football, largely because of social media. I’m not saying that they shouldn’t be allowed a point of view – but the fact of the matter is that none of them are managing a Premier League team.
When Romelu Lukaku came to Manchester United, and he was bagging goals for fun, no one was saying a thing. Not one United fan was moaning.
Now, he hasn’t scored in a few games and suddenly loads of supporters are on his back. They need to get real.
We’re talking about someone who has scored 11 goals for United already, and we’re only at the start of November!
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So, when I see that Mourinho has had a dig at the fans for booing, I literally couldn’t agree with him any more for doing that. Those fans needed telling.
When I was playing, even when things were going badly wrong, fans would support their team. They’re called supporters for a reason. And I think there’s a huge difference between ‘fans’ and ‘supporters’ nowadays.
When you look at Huddersfield fans, they are what you would call a traditional supporter. They stick by their team whether things are going right or wrong. I was at Anfield for the game last week, and they didn’t stop singing, even when they were three goals down.
Then you look to some United fans, whose side are second in the table, but they were booing their top goalscorer. It’s mental!
If you’re a proper fan, you can’t just support someone only when they’re playing well. The proper Man United fans will be backing Lukaku whether he’s doing well, or whether he’s having a rough patch.
Fans should keep their thoughts to themselves
As much as football clubs need fans, when it comes to actually making the decisions and tactics, there’s a reason that they’re not football managers and Jose Mourinho is. And he’s the best at it. Fans should keep their thoughts to themselves.
To actually boo a player – especially your star man and top goalscorer – it’s crazy.
Mourinho was completely right to call United fans out for it in the media. He’s spot on – those fans need to wake up. Lukaku’s not going to score every single week, but who are those fans to boo him and not support him? Well done Mourinho for calling them out.
When Harry Kane doesn’t score in August for Tottenham, are Spurs fans booing him? No, they’re not. So what gives Man United fans the right to have a go at Lukaku for not scoring in a few games? Where would they be without his goals this season?
When Mourinho makes a change, he’s doing it for the right reasons, and because he’s one of the best in the world.
The fact is, he knows better than the Man United fans. And it’s time they understood that.
He’s proven all over Europe, not just last season at United, but at Inter Milan, Chelsea and Real Madrid too. This is what I think fans struggle to understand, he knows so much better than they ever will.
Mourinho shouldn’t have to explain anything to Man United fans about the decision he makes. He’s the manager.
I’m not saying this is every United fan, but you’re talking about a man, who compared to Louis van Gaal and David Moyes’ recent seasons, has completely turned that team around.
They were back to winning ways last year, and the team is so much better now, so why are they criticising him? He’s second in the league and top of their Champions League group.
Ultimately, Jose Mourinho is one of the greatest managers of all time. He knows what he’s doing. So when I see people start to question him, I don’t like it, and it’s stupid.
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