"U-N-I-T-E-D, United are the team for me..."
The world always seems a better place after Manchester United have won. But even if we hadn’t beaten Burnley on Sunday it wouldn’t have changed how I feel about the club.
The reality, of course, was that the team had suffered a dip, a difficult moment. We’ve suffered them before and we’ll suffer them again. That is football. Besides, supporting United has never been simply about chasing success and silverware. Results may impact our mood but they don’t alter how we feel about our club.
United means something different, something personal, to every single fan. Maybe it’s about how you feel when you walk down Sir Matt Busby Way half an hour before kick-off. Or the bleary-eyed excitement that grips you when you wake up to watch the game in the middle of the night on the other side of the world. The buzz you felt when you received your first replica shirt for Christmas.
Perhaps it’s about being captivated by the perfection that was George Best effortlessly drifting past defenders. Delighting in the majesty of an Eric Cantona flick. David Beckham’s goal from the halfway line at Wimbledon, anyone? Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick against City. It’s the Nou Camp in 1999…
“And Solskjaer has won it!”
For me, it’s about tradition. Family tradition.
My dad passing on his love of the club to me, just as I will the nanosecond my kids are old enough to come to Old Trafford with me.
My first game was in 1983 and I can still remember the emotions I felt that day (if not the result or anything much that happened in the game – sorry, dad).
I can still picture the mass of people on Warwick Road, almost smell the onions on the hotdog stands, hear the clicking of the turnstiles, feel that prized programme in my hand. But it’s climbing the Stretford Paddock stairs and glimpsing the green turf of Old Trafford for the first time that will forever stay with me.
I’d never seen anything more colourful in my life – it was utterly captivating. Something grabbed me inside that day and hasn’t let go since.
Much has been written and plenty more said in recent weeks about the apparent demise of Manchester United, a picture our critics have delighted in painting. But on Sunday some 2,000 of our supporters gave their noisy response – something greatly appreciated by Jose Mourinho and his players.
That wasn’t simply the kicking in of a siege mentality, just United supporters doing what they do best: giving brilliant backing to their team. Reminding all of us that being a Red is a personal devotion that goes way beyond the team winning, drawing or losing football matches. United means so much more than that.
HAVE YOUR EARS BEEN BURNING?
They should have, because Jose Mourinho and the Reds have been paying tribute to your support over the last 10 days. Scroll down for their standout quotes...
“Normally when I win, I'm the first one to leave. But after a defeat at home, I have to go to the pitch to see the reaction and it could have gone both ways. It went to a way where I felt really humbled.”
“It’s difficult to find supporters like Manchester United fans, especially when we lose. They are always behind the team in every game. The atmosphere from them is always fantastic.”
“A big thank you goes to the fans for the way they supported us, even when we were down 3-0. It was amazing. At the final whistle, the way they clapped the team was really respectful.”
“We all know that, apart from Manchester United fans, the club and the players, everyone wants us to lose, which is good! That means they would all like to play for us and support a team as big as Manchester United.”
“When you're having a bad time, they're behind you and if you're having a good time, they don't get carried away. That's what's great about United fans."
During the international break, and beyond, we’ll be looking at what it means to be a fan of the greatest club in the world, through our campaign ‘U-N-I-T-E-D’.
Tales of devotion, our finest moments, iconic players, raucous atmospheres… we’ll be looking at everything that makes ours a club like no other.