If wasn’t already, Manchester United’s 3-0 sauntering at the hands of Tottenham at Old Trafford was probably a beginning of the end of Jose Mourinho’s time at a club that has had four managers ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club.

The manner in which Mourinho was seen applauding the fans at the end of the game with the United scarf tucked under his arm showed that he wants fans on his side and while the performance was not as good as the first half promised, the fans were cheering for their players till the final whistle. It was probably a sign- that Jose wants fans on his side in this fight against the club’s board and a fight against the Anti-Jose media.

There is a perhaps a slight pattern in Jose’s rein at United as well. While it is unclear that whether Mourinho has lost the dressing room or not, but he’s certainly lost the trust of the board, who hardly gave him the sanction to sign the players he needed in the summer. The way things are right now is not just because of Mourinho. Its down to how the board gave him a new contract before the end of last season and then backed away from backing him.

The atmosphere that currently lingers about at Old Trafford is not a new one for Jose. He’s been here before- three or four times in the past. And everytime it has happened, there has been only one way to end it and it is a well documented fact what transpires after that.

Mourinho has been going on about how he and the players are United and how fans are the best judge of football, especially after the hammering against Spurs. That is where a little difference lies. Apart from his experiences at Porto and Inter, Mourinho has fallen out with everyone, be it the players, his staff or the board. In the case of Real Madrid, he lost a host of fans as well. At United, the situation is slightly more favorable, but the influence of the media has nullified everything. There’s no wonder why Jose was ranting out at the media yesterday about how many titles he’s won.

The stature of the club he’s managing and the demands that exist on his shoulders make this more of a test than ever. This has been Mourinho’s dream job and that too adds to the burden. Because of that, he wants to make this work more than he ever wanted to at other clubs. While the fans and players may well be on his side, they can’t make a decision about whether he stays or not.

Mourinho has been taking subtle digs at the board in every second press conference and that isn’t helping it. While his complaints are well justified, he is bringing out issues that Manchester United need to address to become a better managed club in the future. And he should be thanked for that.

It is certainly pleasing to see that Jose hasn’t lost everyone associated with the club, but he won’t last beyond this season, if not beyond Christmas. The prominence of the club he’s in and the weight of expectations has made it bigger. It has been his dream job, but the lack of acceptance of his style at the club and contrasting traditions have piled on the pressure.