Many belived, including Mao that China will be ok without Mao or anyone. These people knew that the guys that Mao liked were not very capable. There were a lot of joke about them, and these people did not like Gang of Four, Chen Yonggui, Wu Guixian, Li Suwen, Hao Jianxiu, and Ni Zhifu as the leaders. That was part of the reason Mao had to choose Hua as a new leader. If all the people listened to Mao and Gang of Four, Mao could appoint Zhang or Jiang to be the new leader.
You just cannot fool all the people.