Fans' Views: Manchester United and Chelsea Fans Talk About Jose Mourinho

Manchester United and Chelsea head into their meeting on Sunday separated by two points in the Premier League. Both teams know the encounter is likely to be one of their tougher tests of the season.

But none of that will get too much attention in the hours preceding the game. The focus will be on one man who is well used to being the centre of attention. Jose Mourinho is the United manager now, but Chelsea is the English club with which he is most associated.

Bleacher Report spoke to fans of both teams to see how they were feeling about the whole thing.

Keir Beales is a Chelsea supporter. He had this to say: "I was dreading this game when Mourinho was confirmed as United manager, my main fear being that having had a bit of time off, he would be back to his best and United would be strong again. At this stage, though, it is looking like more of the same with both United and Mourinho following on from last season.

"Having said that, it will still be a very odd experience. Unlike his visit with Inter Milan, when he was welcomed as a returning hero, this time the reaction will be very mixed. Of course there are Chelsea fans who feel he can do no wrong and that the players got him sacked, and they will give him that hero's welcome again. Personally, I can't wait for the game to start so we can forget him and the fact he has returned."

Paul Gunning, a United fan shared a common view: "It's still odd seeing Mourinho as Manchester United manager.

"This might be in part because he's not Sir Alex Ferguson, but we've had three years to get used to that. Mostly, though, it's his long association with Chelsea that causes the occasional double take.

"Mourinho was a thorn in Ferguson's side during his first spell at Stamford Bridge, the only rival to ever manage to really bully the Scot in a footballing sense. Indeed, had his relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich not fallen apart, you could easily have imagined him continuing to win that tussle.

"I always quite liked him, however, and felt that he would eventually end up at Old Trafford. It felt like his destiny, and had he fulfilled it three years ago, perhaps United wouldn't have spent that time in the wilderness.

"Mourinho was always a loose cannon, but he is now our loose cannon. It takes some getting used to, but given time—and success—we'll take him to our hearts just as Chelsea's fans took him to theirs."

The notion that Mourinho was always somehow destined for the United job is often expressed by fans of the Red Devils. Here's Sir Alex Ferguson Stand season-ticket holder Lewis Amer: "Albeit it seems like the United job is one he’s had his eye on not so subtly for a while, I feel like his desire to attain the managerial position was one born of vocational aspiration as opposed to a personal yearning to manage United, and that’s my only issue with him as manager.

"Mourinho cemented himself as an unequivocally world-class manager at Chelsea and spent seasons endearing himself to Chelsea faithful, and it looked like he grew to adore them equally.

"Even during the latter stages of his time at Stamford Bridge, it was clear to see the love he still had for the fans and the club—one need only recall the famous title charge-dismantling victory at Anfield in 2014, when Mourinho strutted down the touchline, vehemently thumping the Chelsea crest in a gesture toward the away fans.

"It’s early days at United, so naturally we’ve seen none of that yet.

"I cant help but feel that kind of fervent passion would only come about during either monumental personal victories for Mourinho or moments of intense love and or pride for his club—bear in mind that aforementioned Liverpool game was essentially meaningless to Chelsea."

"To me, it almost feels like we’ve got Mourinho on loan. You know he’ll never truly be yours or consider United his home, but I don’t care. He’s a pathological winner with immense pride and an awful lot to prove after the way his last Chelsea stint ended. I’m adamant that whatever his feelings are regarding Chelsea and United, he's more determined than ever."

Neal Underwood, a Chelsea fan said of Mourihno: "I still think he's Chelsea's best-ever manager, and the facts bear that out. We won the league—for the first time in 50 years—in his first season, then retained it the next.

"It was a huge mistake to sack him in September 2007, as it felt he could have gone on to build a dynasty a la Ferguson at Man United.

"When he was reappointed in 2013, I was delighted. We won the league in his second season back, and the signs were that this time it would be a long and successful stay. Maybe he'd even win the Champions League with us—the one trophy that eluded him during his time at Stamford Bridge.

"However, last season there were signs that he started losing the plot a little. The situation with then-Chelsea doctor Eva Carneiro, who was suspended after a row with Mourinho, could have been handled so much better. There were suggestions he had lost the dressing room.

"When he was sacked in December 2015, we were in a precarious position in the league, but I still thought we should have stuck with him. With hindsight, though, perhaps it was the right thing to do.

"Watching on from the outside with him at United, it seems he sometimes believes too much in his own press. I thought I would feel something, not betrayal but maybe a tinge of jealousy when they appointed him—but I don't really feel anything.

"The way he set up against Liverpool on Monday—to play for a draw—has echoes of the way we played at times, but of course, as loyal fans we defended him. I wish him luck, but I don't think he's quite the manager he was. I'm certainly over him, and I suspect many Chelsea fans feel the same way."

United fan Liz Moore draws a distinction between her feelings toward Mourinho in his first and second spells at Chelsea: "The manager I used to passionately hate is now in charge of the club I love.

"During the glory years, I enjoyed how much our rivals detested Ferguson and the success he brought. When Mourinho first joined Chelsea in 2004 and won successive titles, I loathed him, not just because of the arrogance but because he was the biggest threat to more trophies at United.

"Despite this, I would have hired him immediately post-Ferguson because he knew how to win at all costs. During his second stint at Chelsea, I disliked him rather than detested him but mostly found him baffling and amusing!

"Now times have changed, and after the last few turbulent seasons, United needed a winner in charge.

"It’s like watching Game of Thrones; characters you once hated become characters you root for. But I still fondly look back on singing 'Mourinho are you listening?'"

That was the first line of a chant United fans sang during the title run during the 2006/07, urging Mourinho to keep the Premier League trophy "glistening" as United would "be back in May to take it away."

Streford Ender Stephen McDonough likens the managerial situation to a relationship: "Jose’s time at Chelsea is like your partner's time with their ex. While you might not be fully happy they were with someone before you, you know it has helped them in the long run.

"All those little things that he does now, he learned and refined with a lesser person.

"Jose was made for English football, but I think his time at Chelsea helped prep him for the move to United and a whole other level of scrutiny and challenge. He appears more equipped mentally, tactically and for the job of building a new United legacy. If he had arrived straight from FC Porto, it would likely have been much tougher for him to impose himself."

Chelsea fan Amrik Virk, though, has a warning for United fans basking in the glow of their new manager: "It's been like a break up from a relationship that you knew deep down wouldn't last. Your mum was telling you 'he's not marriage material,' but you couldn't resist his charm. But now he's managing another team, and you have got over the pain of his departure. You realise it was for the best he's gone, and you want to warn his new fans how things can go after the honeymoon is over."

Quotations obtained firsthand.