It is very rare for supporters of the same club to be united in their opinions, and it is not often that they all agree on what is best for their club.
Sir Alex Ferguson won 13 league titles with Manchester United, two Champions League trophies, five FA Cups, four League Cups, the Cup Winners' Cup, the European Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the Club World Cup, yet still there were some supporters who would never forgive the former manager for the part he played in allowing the Glazer family to buy the club.
If footballing legends like Ferguson can leave a fan base divided, it's no surprise that current manager Louis van Gaal, after guiding the team to a fourth-placed finish, has split the camp.
The football over a period of four months of the season was dire, he spent a fortune in the transfer window, he makes bizarre substitutions, he's obsessed with keeping possession at the cost of exciting football, his loyalty to Robin van Persie robbed United of their best goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, playing up front, among many more complaints.
To counter that, he managed to get United to show up in the big games again, especially at Anfield, where the team put in a performance that hasn't been seen for years, away to Liverpool. He spent a fortune in the transfer window because he had to replace more than 10 players who left the club last summer and for the most part, that money was spent well. He secured Champions League football for the club again, the players want to play for him and if his performance at the player of the year awards didn't win you over, there's no hope for you.
The question that needs to be answered, though, is whether 2014-15 could be considered a success for the Dutchman? It's all about small margins, and had he not lost those games against Chelsea, Everton and West Brom in the final few weeks, managing to finish at least third in the table, we could probably look at the past season differently. But those games were lost and the momentum that United had after battering Manchester City at Old Trafford should have carried them through until the end of the season. But it didn't.
In fact, Van Gaal has only picked up six more points than David Moyes/Ryan Giggs did the season before, and that is with the benefit of spending close to £150 million in the transfer window. While it should be noted that Moyes inherited the champions and Van Gaal received a team that had just finished seventh, bereft of confidence and self-belief, surely the return from a world-class manager should be more than six points?
Making those sorts of comparisons is a tad unfair, though, as the difference in points between differing seasons doesn't give a true representation of how good a team is. Every season is different, either more or less competitive, and this is reflected by the number of points required to finish in the top four or to win the title.
For example, the current Chelsea side earned as many points as United did in the 2007-08 season. Would it be fair to suggest that Jose Mourinho's current team is as good as the United one that was crowned champions of England and Europe? You probably don't even need to remember that Chelsea were knocked out by the 10-men of PSG, at Stamford Bridge, in the round of 16, to work out that 2007-08 United side were far superior.
In 2010-11, United won the league with 80 points and were still nine points clear of their closest challengers, Chelsea. However, in 2013-14, three teams finished the season with a points tally greater than 80. Chelsea finished second with 71 points in 2010-11, but in 2013-14 that total would only have been good enough for a sixth-place finish.
So, if we're not going to judge Van Gaal on points, as that is largely meaningless, we can judge him on position. Finishing fourth isn't a successful season for United. He's met the minimum requirement and, thanks to Liverpool, he did that relatively easily in the end, finishing six points clear of Tottenham.
In 2012-13, Arsenal players posted pictures of themselves in the dressing room celebrating. There was no trophy in sight, though, as it had been eight years since they had won anything. They were celebrating the fact that they had finished fourth.
Thierry Henry, who was playing for New York Red Bulls at the time, was quick to criticise their behaviour.
"Yes, they finished in the top four. But there is only one champion: Manchester United," Henry told Sky Sports News. "I'm a competitor, so there is only one thing I can remember from 2013 -- and that is that United won the league. For me, as a fan and as a player at Arsenal, we should be in the top four as normal."
The presence of Giggs probably ensured that there would be no celebrations in United's dressing room after the top four finish was confirmed, at Liverpool's expense, which should come as a relief to United fans. Finishing fourth isn't anything for a club like United to get too excited about, even when their position there looked under threat at times.
Van Gaal echoed the sentiments of the supporters ahead of the draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
"Now, I know for a club of this stature that finishing fourth in the Premier League is not something to celebrate, but I hope you will agree that it is a step in the right direction to getting this club back to competing at the highest level, both domestically and in European competition."
Van Gaal's work has been adequate. Could another manager have done better in their first season at United in identical circumstances? It would be impossible to prove either way, and United did drop far too many points against teams they shouldn't have. All in all though, the season was satisfactory and it's got the club where it needs to be, playing Champions League football again.
The dream is that in a year or two from now, United will be winning the league, or other trophies, at home or on the continent, and 2014-15 will matter little. It was just a stepping-stone to get the club to where it had to be. If there isn't any silverware over the next few seasons, then it will be time to judge Van Gaal none too favourably. But for now, he's doing a job, and if he's supported well in the transfer market this summer, you would expect United will have a real reason to celebrate, sooner rather than later.