The Manchester United Season Ticket Holders Who Still Love Jose Mourinho

There has been little respite for Jose Mourinho since he stood clapping Manchester United supporters after the whistle blew on their 3-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.

It was the worst home defeat he has suffered in management, and a tetchy press conference later in the evening—when he snapped at reporters and defended his standing as an elite coach—seemed to leave his fate as manager in the balance.

The tabloids took their chance to write him off. "Mourinho on the brink," screamed the back page of The Sun. "You're getting sacked in the morning," read the Mirror. "Moura woe for Mourinho," the Daily Express jabbed.

Mourinho had told the press how he had more titles than the rest of the top-flight bosses combined and also made it clear the supporters of United had good judgment of his side's performance and effort as they had stayed behind to show their appreciation.

But the gist of every report afterwards was similar, and The Sun's Neil Ashton captured the general feeling:

"Mourinho, spoiling for an argument at every turn now, is deluded if he thinks he retains the majority of Manchester United's support. It is impossible to measure how many people were left when referee Craig Pawson blew the final whistle, but it is tough to imagine there were any more than 10,000 — and 3,000 of them were from Spurs."

He's right. Despite Mourinho's plea for people to understand that true United fans were behind him and the team, there were not many in the stands to back up his point.

But there is something to be said about those who did stand in solidarity with Mourinho at full-time on Monday night.

They were in the Stretford End. They are United through and through. And they do believe Mourinho is still the man.

Andy Longmuir is a season ticket holder in the Stretford End, goes to most away games and was one of those clapping Mourinho after the Spurs defeat.

"The day-trippers and tourists need instant gratification when they visit Old Trafford for what is a once-a-year or once-in-a-lifetime visit," he told Bleacher Report. "They don't know the songs, don't know the culture and are always the first to show their discontent to the team.

"The upper tier of the Stretford End is mainly diehard support. We go home and away, through the good and bad. We appreciate the bigger picture and what Jose tried to do on Monday night. The first-half performance was the best I've seen United play for a while. We showed intent and the desire to go forward.

"The show of support on Monday was for both the intent of the team and what they tried to do and also for Jose for taking a stand. When he came over to us at the end of the game, it did feel like a pivotal and genuine moment—it was quite emotional between the fans and manager. A connection."

Ryan Nield, a season ticket holder for the past 12 years, stayed behind too and feels it will be remembered as a special moment in Mourinho's reign.

"It felt like a proud moment," he explained to B/R. "The atmosphere had felt dull towards the end of that game—when you knew that we'd be unable to even get a goal, never mind a result. For Mourinho to stand in front of the fans like that at the end of the game was a little thing, but it meant a lot to the fans. And you could tell it meant a lot to him for the fans to stay behind and give him that support after a tough game.

"Supporting United means everything to me and my family—every week, we are there. I've held my season ticket since I was five years old. We'll always stand by United. It's what everyone true United fan knows and applies. We've been through good times and bad times, but together we support through our love of the club.

"I do think people are harsh towards Jose. He has his arrogant ways towards media, but I think that's because they treat him differently to any other manager. Everyone would surely agree Jose has it harder than any other manager in the world, especially with a lot of expectation, as he is managing one of the best clubs in the world."

The momentum behind the notion Mourinho will lose his job imminently has extended to polls about who will replace him as manager at United and debates on television and radio stations across England over whether Mauricio Pochettino or Zinedine Zidane would be a better fit for the role.

There have also been reports, such as this one by Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, that Mourinho has one match to save his job: Burnley on Sunday.

Spokesperson for the Manchester United Supporters Trust Sean Bones recently made a public statement on the Mourinho situation, saying:

"He's obviously under a lot of pressure, but he's got to find the solutions and figure out what he needs to do and get the whole team behind him like [Sir Alex] Ferguson did.

"You have the siege mentality, and you get everybody behind you. You're playing for Manchester United. You give 100 per cent. You start winning one or two games, and the confidence levels rise and you put a run together. As a supporter myself, I get behind the team. And I get behind the manager.

"In a season, you get good spells and bad spells. This might be the bad spell at the beginning of the season, and we might put a long run together. In football, no team has the divine right to win. And what's defined Manchester United over the years when we've had difficult times or adversity [is] we have worked hard and we've played the Manchester United way."

This time last season, his style of football was winning over even the most harsh of United fans. The side were playing fluid football and racking up big wins. But that seems a distant memory, and two defeats from the opening three matches leaves the Reds trailing Manchester City by six points.

Danny Gossels was another of the United diehards who stayed until well after the end of the Spurs game, and he hopes the club can find some unity in their situation.

"The mentality needed is not to lose our heads but to stay calm," he told B/R. "We need to back the manager, back the club and, hopefully, the players start scoring from these amazing chances. If we were doing that, then the table would look a lot different. I mean, we would be top four.

"I'm with Mourinho through and through, especially lately because of how he speaks of the club and acts. It's amazing. No one since Fergie has done that."

PAUL ELLIS/Getty Images

The Stretford End is United's heartbeat. In the past, it was the stadium's main standing area. And since top-flight stadiums have become all-seater, many of those fans have remained in the stand—which holds almost 15,000 people.

On Monday, it became a focal point because of Mourinho's post-match gesture. But they had been by the team throughout the defeat and will continue to support them. The club's defensive failures were predicted by Mourinho in pre-season, and the failure to adequately bolster the squad is reflecting more negatively on the board than the boss.

Neil Coulson-Bence never misses a home game and told Bleacher Report: "The Stretford End was buzzing, and there was a real desire from a majority of fans to sing songs about Jose. I think that stems from an underlying frustration with the Glazers and the fact that people can't stand [executive vice-chairman] Ed Woodward.

"I think we've suffered from three different philosophies since Fergie retired [in 2013], and ultimately the structure behind the scenes is inconsistent—so right now I say we've given a man a contract, so let's support him.

"While Jose's had a lot of money, something tells me he's not had the players he wants, and the past two games—defensively—have proved that he was right to chase the defensive and wide targets he wanted in the summer. I also think there is this real desire to see him back as the man he was when he first came to England, but I do wonder whether being shacked up in a hotel away from everyone can't help the mindset. It must be a lonely place at present with no family around.

"But he is the boss, and I'll back him. I have more frustration with a team not scoring goals with the kind of stats we produced in the first half. We knew the person he was when we employed him. It's no good to start moaning now."

Mourinho's bad moods and confrontational style of management should come as no surprise. Earlier in August, B/R looked at why Mourinho's United reign was doomed to fail, and even those sticking by him realise he is not perfect.

Longmuir added: "Don't get me wrong—Jose has made mistakes. His inconsistent team selection, falling out with key players. And his own signings haven't really stepped up. However, there is a lot of game-playing at the club currently between manager, players and board, and this is affecting the team."

Another United season-ticket holder, Archie Craig, said: "I am continuing to support Mourinho because of how early in the season it is and how he has won the league with every club he has been at. I still believe he can do so at Manchester Untied. I would say the end of this season would be a fair time to judge him."

On Sunday, United travel to Burnley, and the camera lenses will be pointed in Mourinho's direction once again. There are plenty hoping that he slips up and finds himself out of a job—but you can expect the United away section to show its support.

"We will be there again on Sunday—and win, lose or draw, the United end will be heard and support for Jose will continue," Longmuir insists. "Why? Because we see the bigger picture and back him for calling out the board."