You may remember, a couple of years ago, New York City courted the scorn of Football Men by handing out song sheets to generate a bit of noise at their new home stadium. (Granted, worse than the sheet was what was written on it - "You might have some history/But we don't give a crud/Your team will always be a joke until they have a cup").
The repertoire of songs that roll off the terraces at Old Trafford are far better, but a report in today's Times claims that United are considering emulating the MLS by dumping a songbook on each of Old Trafford's seats.
Club officials accept that the atmosphere is not good enough and they have asked fans to come up with ways to make Old Trafford noisier.
One suggestion, which the club are pondering, involves printing out the lyrics to United chants and handing them to supporters before they enter the ground. Another option is to have the lyrics to the songs printed in the match-day programme or posting them on the club’s website so that fans who attend fewer games know the words before they get to the stadium.
United plan to conduct a survey of supporters in the close season.
Jose Mourinho has complained about the lack of noise at Old Trafford this season, moaning that the ground was "quiet" after a 2-0 win against Huddersfield, saying that it's no Fratton Park.
It’s not Portsmouth.
I remember Portsmouth – such a small stadium, the atmosphere was absolutely incredible. In here, the atmosphere is a bit quiet.
This isn't new for Mourinho - he spent much of his time at Chelsea complaining of a perceived lack of atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, and talking in reverential tones about the noise at Anfield. Perhaps the songbook conceit will work, but if Mourinho really wants to ratchet up the noise at Old Trafford, perhaps he should consider attacking a bit more. After all, fans can only make so much noise before a game, and it ultimately becomes the responsibility of the players to give them something to shout about.
