David Moyes would be out of his job in other major club in Europe

Had David Moyes been manager of any other major club in Europe, there is every chance he would be out of his job now.

The powerhouses, from Chelsea to Real Madrid to Bayern Munich, do not suffer the kind of season Manchester United have endured without taking ruthless action, and defeat like the one against Olympiacos would have been the end for Moyes anywhere else.

Chelsea, remember, sacked Andre Villas-Boas after a dreadful 3-1 defeat against Napoli at the same stage of the Champions League two years ago.

United, however, are different. Like Liverpool and Arsenal, they do things in what I believe to be the right way. History shows they do not panic or make kneejerk reactions: even Tommy Docherty was not sacked when United were relegated to the old second division in 1974.

But just because United have not panicked doesn’t mean they won’t be anxious and nobody knows what the Glazer family are thinking. Moyes deserves until Christmas to show he can be a success but, as a wise football man, he will be aware losing makes positions become untenable. 

Watching United labour against Olympiacos brought back memories of the situation Roy Hodgson experienced in his brief stay at Liverpool in 2010; the shock home defeats, the unexpected cup exits and certain players letting the manager down badly.  

The way Robin van Persie, for instance, is playing reminds me of the way Fernando Torres was with Hodgson. His goal record might be good, as was Torres’ for Hodgson, but the quotes that he has made and the stories surrounding him make it feel like Van Persie isn’t behind Moyes.

He didn’t miss a game last season in the Barclays Premier League but this year he has been in and out – is he thinking about the World Cup? – while his demeanour has served only to increase the perception there are problems. Torres did exactly the same.

If a manager loses his players, there is often no way back and an issue Moyes has to contend with at the moment is the fact he is the focus of the criticism; United’s players will know this and can hide behind that, rather than looking at their own shortcomings. Again, that happened with Hodgson.

To see Moyes now, he looks shell-shocked. The Moyes I knew at Everton would never have been so amenable in television interviews after seeing his side perform as badly as United did in Greece.

When he was at Everton, you would see the anger in his face and his answers would be short. You knew he felt let down by his team but, equally, you knew he would drag a response out of his team.