The Theatre of Dreams had become the home of nightmares over the last few years under both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, the decline on the pitch has gone hand in hand with the decline in the atmosphere.
Its had its moments though, the newly installed singing section in 2014 injected an initial flourish, but performances on the pitch soon put a dampener on that, as even the hardcore began to lose faith. The big games don't need any billing and the atmosphere for those is amongst the best in the league, Liverpool, Manchester City or a big European night and Old Trafford really does live up to its billing. The crowd plays a big part in creating the vibe and acting as the proverbial 12th man, players respond to the rallying cries from the faithful, the songs from the Stretford and Scoreboard End's inspire those out on the hallowed turf.
The fans lift the players, but the players and performances can often dictate the atmosphere with the frustration on the terraces leading to a spiraling effect. Calls for "attack, attack, attack" have been common, as fans demand a certain tempo. Boos have been aired in frustration at results and often aimed at the latest scapegoat to be wearing the red shirt. Its not helped anyone.
Amongst the 76,000 at Old Trafford its often the small corner of the ground that houses the away fans which can be heard the most, located in an acoustically friendly area of Old Trafford. Set against the back drop of the prawn sandwich munching South Stand, its often easy to stand out. Away fans up and down the country out sing the home support most weeks. The away support is different, made up of the hardcore fan, who've often made the most of their day out with a few drinks and mates for company. United's away support is amongst the best in the country, regular groups of travellers who are well versed in the extensive song book of United songs, they out-sing the home support wherever they go.
Nobody knows more about the importance of the support on the team than Jose Mourinho. He's sat in the opposition dug out at Old Trafford as his Porto, Chelsea and Real Madrid teams have silenced the Old Trafford crowd. He's experienced the 3,000 away supporters making the noise from that corner, knowing the motivation it adds to those on the pitch. Ahead of his first competitive game in the Old Trafford dug out, Jose sounded a rallying cry to United's support, calling on the fans to raise the volume and spelling out the importance it can have on influencing results and decisions.
The atmosphere and mood had already been lifted by Jose's arrival, a convincing win at Bournemouth and the arrival of Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had the Reds excited. In the hours before kick off on a barmy Manchester evening, the atmosphere was more fitting to a big European game than it was for a Friday night Premier League match against Southampton. The belief amongst the fans was back.
The excitement of seeing Pogba in a Red shirt again was clear, one of the world's best midfielders had been signed. The fear factor was back. As kick off approached the songs from the nearby pubs hadn't stopped as fans made their way up Sir Matt Busby Way and into their seats. As the teams lined up in the tunnel, Old Trafford was rocking. A surfer flag with an image of a celebrating Jose was draped across the Stretford End with the wording "This is THE ONE", after three years of mediocrity he certainly was The One we've waited for.
The fans excitement was clear and you could tell from the faces on the United players that they knew the gloom had been lifted. Jose had got his message across and the fans responded. Whilst Pogba took all the pre game plaudits there was only one man on the lips of the red army come the end of the 90 minutes, Old Trafford had found a new hero and Zlatan was at home on his new throne as his name echoed around the ground.
The Theatre of Dreams had returned.
Andrew is the co-founder of Stretford End Flags, an independent fans group set up to improve the atmosphere and colour within Old Trafford. SEF provide the famous Stretford End banners. Visit stretfordendflags.com for more information - and to get involved.
Follow Stretford End Flags on Twitter: @sef_Mufc