Jose subject of new chant from United fans

"I don't know if it was passion or the cold, or both, but they were absolutely magnificent."

That’s how Jose Mourinho perfectly described the Manchester United fans in attendance at the KCOM Stadium on Thursday and the boss was correct to reference the inclement weather, because it was a painfully harsh evening when even the toughest, hardest Yorkshiremen wore long-johns and thermals.

Indeed, it was a barren night when supporters railed against the power of winter in the North East, when the spillage of hot tea onto the skin was a blessing rather than medical emergency, and when this writer stuck two fingers to fashion by wearing five layers, two scarves and a questionable hat in a press box that was unfortunately located in an otherwise empty top tier.

So punishing was the weather, it jogged memories of a European journalist who once took his place in the Old Trafford press box for a Champions League fixture and raised eyebrows by plugging in a pair of heated trousers. He was openly mocked back then, of course, yet in Hull he suddenly appeared shrewd.

As Jose observed in his post-match interview with MUTV, such bracing conditions only contributed to the communal feel that underpins the away-end experience with United. Our lads were all in it together and they were audible from start to finish in this EFL Cup semi-final second leg.

Exactly 4,179 Reds made the journey to Humberside and it’s not unfair to say it isn’t the easiest or most picturesque route on offer this season. In this instance, on a bleak January night, the 103-mile trip from Manchester was an unpleasant cocktail of heavy traffic, dense fog and emerging black ice.

Just as radio signals crackled in and out of frequency on the M62 - which a road sign reliably informed me to be the highest stretch of motorway in the UK - an unfortunate car accident on the A63 then provided another hurdle to jump, forcing a small section of fans to arrive late to the game.

Not that it made a difference to morale. The United fans were housed in the north-east corner of the stadium, which brought back happy memories of Marcus Rashford scoring and celebrating his late winner in this season’s Premier League game back in August. The Academy graduate was duly applauded early on, before Zlatan Ibrahimovic heard his familiar song boom out, yet the players did not dominate the agenda on this occasion: it was Mourinho, on the evening of his 54th birthday, who was serenaded in song. 

The manager is the subject of a new chant which goes to the tune of Something Good by Herman’s Hermits and has rapidly become a viral hit among supporters. Its popularity is increasing from game to game, and you can expect to hear it at Old Trafford during Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Warren Joyce’s Wigan Athletic. Fan footage will no doubt have already appeared in your social media timelines by then, and it is definitely only like a matter of time before rival fans adapt it to suit their own clubs.

In case you aren’t up to speed, and feel free to sing these out loud wherever you are, the lyrics to the Mourinho chant are as follows: "Woke up this morning feeling fine, got Man United on my mind, Jose's got us playing the way United should, oh yeah. Something tells me I'm into something good!"

The irony is that many of those fans in the away end will not have woken up "feeling fine" on Friday morning. They probably had heavy colds and several fingers or toes only just returning to natural colours. 

They will also admit the action on the pitch was not the best we’ve seen this season, with United suffering a disappointing 2-1 second-leg defeat, but everyone in attendance will no doubt feel a sense of satisfaction and relief from watching the Reds progress to a first League Cup final since 2010. Reaching Wembley is not easy, of course, which Liverpool found out during their own last-four defeat to Southampton. 

As for Mourinho, the subject of our new terrace anthem, he was simply grateful to work for such dedicated fans. "They were the best," he said. "I have no words for that incredible support."

The views expressed in this article are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United FC.