Is the ice beginning to thaw?

WHILE the ‘Ginger Mourinho’ chant is still packed away in storage for now, it seems Gary Megson is currently enjoying previously uncharted levels of goodwill from the Reebok faithful.

Much has been written about the manager’s relationship with his own club’s fans over the last two years, not least in Sir Alex Ferguson’s programme notes on Saturday, which were devoted almost exclusively to the subject.

Everyone seems to have a theory as to why he has never been able to win over vast swathes of the terrace patrons, or why they consider it unfair that he has failed to do so.

And that makes it all the more strange that after a slender defeat against Wanderers’ fierce local rivals that we should be reporting that the ice seems to be melting, in some quarters at least.

Manchester United rarely get bossed on their own turf, more rare still in the manner they were in the last 25 minutes of the second half on Saturday.

It’s true to say the Reds should have been out of sight by that point, and but for the brilliance of Jussi Jaaskelainen and a couple of well-timed challenges, they might well have been able to rest up for their midweek trip to Moscow.

But when Ferguson himself, albeit from a winning position, admits his side started to panic when Wanderers turned the screw, even Megson’s most ardent detractor must admit he got something right.

And well he might, because but for a questionable refereeing call, or a Gary Cahill header placed six inches either side of Edwin van der Sar’s considerable frame, then fans might well have been talking about a landmark result at Old Trafford.

As usual with the Whites there was a downside. Lax defending gave a Wayne Rooney-less United a two-goal lead to defend and some players failed to live up to the high standards they had set themselves in recent weeks.

Yet there was more to admire than to condemn from this game, just as long as you closed your eyes for the opening 10 minutes.

Perhaps stung by the criticism that came their way after the 2-2 draw against Sunderland, or buoyed by the fact that Chelsea had just lost at Villa, United threatened to wipe Wanderers out in the opening exchanges.

Just five minutes in, the Reds surged down the left, Patrice Evra crossed for Michael Owen, whose header bounced off Zat Knight’s thigh and dribbled past Jlloyd Samuel over the line.

Jonny Evans should have made it two less than 60 seconds later, forcing Jaaskelainen into a brilliant save to his right with a close range header.

And Dimitar Berbatov, who was in an irrepressible mood all afternoon, would have doubled the lead had his acrobatic volley not brushed Owen’s shoulder on its way toward goal.

Wanderers had started sluggishly but could have brought themselves back into it when Sam Ricketts put a deep ball in for the unmarked Kevin Davies, whose header unfortunately failed to match the quality of the cross.

Matt Taylor then pulled a shot narrowly wide, suggesting some shoots of recovery were starting to emerge — but they were quickly quashed when a classic counter-attack instigated by Ryan Giggs gave Antonio Valencia the chance to slam home United’s second on 33 minutes.

The onslaught continued into the second half as the fit-again Owen was twice levered through on goal by Berbatov, only to be denied by full-stretch tackles from Jlloyd Samuel and the improving Knight.

Jaaskelainen continued his defiance — saving from Valencia, Giggs and Berbatov inside 10 minutes but it was there that United’s attacking edge started to dull. Wanderers are nothing if not dogged, and they started to take charge of a midfield previously dominated by the home side.

Substitute Ivan Klasnic had a goal ruled out — hindsight has since proved, unfairly — when Ricardo Gardner was adjudged to have handled ‘Maradona-style’ in a challenge with Edwin van der Sar.

It was tough luck but the feeling soon subsided. Four minutes later, another replacement, Mark Davies, took hold of the ball in his own half and drove deep into Reds territory, passing wide for his namesake Kevin who at the second attempt found Taylor, who rose above Patrice Evra to head his third goal of the season.

That really put the frighteners on United. Wanderers were suddenly top dogs in every position on the park.

Captain Davies led the charge, complete with a new shirt numbered 50 after he was forced to abandon his regular kit, which had become splattered with blood.

And it was blood and thunder stuff too. Knight headed over the bar, Klasnic dragged a shot narrowly wide and most disappointing of all, Cahill headed straight at Van der Sar from six yards with virtually the last touch of the game.

The look on the young centre-half’s face said it all.

Often, after a narrow defeat, players will talk about “taking positives” and it’s often difficult to decide exactly who they are trying to convince.

That wasn’t the case after this one. With some rigorous tests to come over the next few weeks, it is obvious where the Whites will have to tighten up but for the first time in a while, they appear to be able to serve up football that can help mask their deficiencies.

The manager has insisted all along that results will ultimately decide his popularity on the terraces, so it is odd that such encouragement can be gained after a five-game unbeaten run came to an end. As usual, he demanded improvement, yet judging by the reaction from supporters at the final whistle, in the phone-in shows and on the message boards over the last 36 hours, many got everything they wanted . . . barring the result.

Could it be that things are finally changing for Megson here on Walton’s Mountain? The acid test might well come next Sunday afternoon with the visit of Everton to the Reebok.