Kasper Schmeichel Tells Man Utd Fans Protests Just Do Not Help Players

• Kasper Schmeichel says protests against Manchester United’s owners and executives do not help the players, per Mirror.
• United came from two goals down to beat AS Roma in the Champions League on Tuesday.
• Schmeichel wants supporters to back the team against Aston Villa and Liverpool next.

The Son of a United Great Asks Old Trafford to Switch From Protest to Support

Kasper Schmeichel understands why Manchester United supporters are angry. He still says the protests do not help the team. The former Leicester City and Celtic goalkeeper, whose father Peter kept goal for United, sympathises with the demonstrations against the club’s hierarchy but told 5 Live the frustration is not helping the players on the pitch. His comments followed a Champions League win at Old Trafford in which Michael Carrick’s side recovered from two goals down against AS Roma, with Bruno Fernandes and Matheus Cunha (2) driving the second-half fightback.

Tennis Balls, Chants and Boos Before the Comeback

United needed the result, as Kobbie Mainoo’s call for one win showed, and the first half did little to deliver it. The team was booed off after a tepid opening 45 minutes. Tennis balls were thrown on to the pitch before the game and again in the match, and derogatory chants aimed at director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s owners rang out from the stands. The Stretford End protested against the ownership.

Then the second half changed the mood. Fernandes and Cunha, who scored twice, turned the game round, and the supporters who had jeered at the interval stayed to see it.

What Schmeichel Told the Fans

Speaking on 5 Live, Schmeichel began with a warning about expectations. He said: “I’d still be very tentative, particularly considering your next two games are Aston Villa and Liverpool.”

He then explained what he thinks fans can do about it: “That’s a tough ask even if you’re on a good run. If you want to force a change, you have to a little bit get on the bandwagon to promote the positivity.”

He praised the crowd for staying put: “I like that the fans, they stayed. They could have gone at half time and been frustrated and missed the traffic, but I like the fact that they stayed.”

On the atmosphere, Schmeichel said: “And once the first goal went in, that was enough to create the atmosphere. Now the fans have their chance to influence what’s going on on the pitch for the next game. Now they have the chance to go and back it up.”

His central point came next: “I completely get wanting to protest and all of that, but like I say, for the players, it just doesn’t help. So now, if you want your team to do well – which I very much believe they do, nobody wants to come and watch their team lose – now it’s about doing exactly what they did second half. Backing the team the same way.”

He added a plea for patience when matches turn: “When things go wrong, let’s not get negative straight away. Put things into context sometimes. For example, you are coming up against a very good Aston Villa side.”

Schmeichel finished by handing responsibility to the players: “So things can go wrong in games, but it’s about the reaction. Then, most of all, it’s the players’ responsibility to give the fans something. Give them something to cheer about and they will respond.”

The Pressure Behind the Protests

The anger reaches well beyond the dugout. Carrick, 45, is under pressure after failing to replicate the form that earned him the permanent post at Old Trafford. He has kept his place through defeats to Como, Bournemouth and Chelsea, and Fernandes put the tactics on Carrick after the Como game.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and Wilcox are the recent targets for criticism, while supporters are still furious with the ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family. Joel Glazer’s last Old Trafford visit is part of that story. Fans believe the club has been mismanaged at senior level, and they point to the struggles that have followed Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure 13 years ago.

Calls are growing for figures such as Wilcox and Berrada to answer publicly. Wilcox’s only media appearance came on club channels after a three-match unbeaten run. Carrick was tight-lipped when asked about it in October. He said: “I don’t think that’s for me to say. I’ve got no problem with how it is for me sitting here and talking to you guys.”

Villa and Liverpool Are the Test

United’s next two games are against Aston Villa and Liverpool, the fixtures Schmeichel had in mind when he urged caution. Villa visit Old Trafford on Sunday. Schmeichel pointed to the Roma crowd as proof of what the stadium can do once a goal goes in, and he wants supporters to bring the same backing to those two matches.