Ahead of Thursday's League Cup clash with Aston Villa, it came as no surprise to hear Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag talk about his hopes of repairing the relationship between the club and its long-suffering supporters.
Frustration remains the overriding feeling among the fans who have seen their side suffer a dramatic decline since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
Progress is undoubtedly being made under Ten Hag, who took over during the summer, after United's worst-ever Premier League finish.
But there's no denying that United have played only in fits and starts this season.
A four-game winning streak that included the scalps of Liverpool and Arsenal was ended when they were thrashed 6-3 in the Manchester derby, and morale-boosting victories over Everton and Tottenham were followed up with disappointing draws against Newcastle and Chelsea.
The players showed plenty of grit in the subsequent 1-0 win over West Ham only to then turn in a dreadful performance in last weekend's loss at Aston Villa that Ten Hag admitted was "not acceptable".
It's clear, then, that ruthless decisions must be made if United are to achieve their twin objectives for the current campaign: ending their five-year trophy drought, and securing a return to the Champions League.
GOAL runs through their five main problems below...