The sight of opposition players running towards the southeast corner of Old Trafford has become a depressingly familiar one to Manchester United fans.
It's that section of Old Trafford that seems to be having all the fun these days and long after everyone else had left around 3,000 Atletico Madrid fans were still jumping up and down on Tuesday night, waving their Spanish flags in the air and toasting a famous success for the team.
Just how iconic winning at Old Trafford is these days should be up for debate, however. United have exited all three cup competitions this season by losing in front of their own fans and the only group of players who fear playing there at the moment are the United ones who are being jeered and ridiculed.
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Harry Maguire was the latest to get the sarcastic cheers when his number flashed up on Tuesday, joining a club already occupied by Fred and Marcus Rashford this season. Some 'fans' waited at least an hour after the final whistle to film themselves abusing Rashford as he left the stadium and then had the temerity to cry wolf when he gave them some back.
United fans have long prided themselves on not turning against their manager, but it seems the players have become fair game this season. The frustration with a group of underperforming stars is obvious and understandable but the last thing the club needs if they're to rekindle those glory days at any point soon is a civil war breaking out.
It should be said that the atmosphere at Old Trafford has generally been excellent this season, with the Red Army section making a difference, and the noise in the first half against Atletico Madrid was impressive, but when things start going wrong it can turn quickly.
When Maguire was taken off and the sarcastic cheers went up there were also plenty of fans, including a significant number behind the dugout, who got to their feet to try and show some appreciation instead. Maguire was average against Atletico but he is blamed for everything at the moment and a good deal of his hesitancy in possession came from the fact the movement in front of him was non-existent.
Nobody in that squad had the confidence to try and demand the ball and get United back in the game and that should say a lot about their morale and how they feel about playing at Old Trafford. United have won 11 of their 22 home games this season, losing to West Ham, Middlesbrough and now Atletico to exit all three cup competitions they entered.
Last season they won 15 of 30 games at home and while that poor record was blamed on the absence of fans, their return hasn't altered a record of winning just half of their last 52 games at Old Trafford. The blame for that has to lie with the players who have so consistently underperformed this season and the managers and coaching staff who have been unable to get a coherent tune out of them.
After a strong summer transfer window United looked well set for a serious title challenge at last, now those supporters who have had to put up with some grim fare over the last nine years are contemplating another rebuild to the playing squad and another long-term plan.
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Frustration at a club that simply can't get itself pointing in the right direction is understandable, but Old Trafford has never been known as a ground where the fans will turn on their own team and it would be a shame if that was to start now.
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