I have just looked long and hard at the Premier League table. And whichever way I look at it, Manchester United in ninth position takes some getting used to.

It doesn’t look good. Transition period or not, nobody expects this from one of the three biggest football clubs in the world, especially given that David Moyes inherited a team that had just won the Premier League, not a team of no hopers. It could be going much, much better for him.

Before talking about United, I must credit Everton, who on Wednesday won for the first time at Old Trafford since 1992. I had doubts about Roberto Martinez’s appointment when he replaced David Moyes, but he’s doing very well. His team plays excellent passing football and I had to rub my eyes during the recent Merseyside derby at Everton’s total football approach. They were excellent at Old Trafford, too.

No team has a divine right to success, but United haven’t finished outside the top three for over 20 years. Fans have come to expect nothing less. The club is geared toward reaching the Champions League season after season, and it is not unreasonable for United fans to expect a title challenge. Look at the other big clubs around the world. Would fans of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid or Barcelona be happy with ninth?

That said, the league is more wide open this season than any in memory. Who could have envisioned Everton having lost fewer games than any other team by December? United will need to start motoring to finish in the top four. The Christmas period, with all those league games, is vital.

United have not been playing well enough, not closing games out and not scoring enough goals. They have been conceding late goals to set pieces, drawing and losing too many matches. The league table does not lie.

If it is a shock for fans, it will be shock for players who are used to winning, too. That same team won the league at a canter last season and now they’re 12 points behind the leaders. The players can help that situation. The reputations of great players are not much at stake. They’ve done enough to be called legends and have trophies to prove it, but they will be damaged.

Those players have found strength from the criticism. They will need to do it again, because there will be times when they feel like it is them against the world.

There’s another problem for United. Rival teams sense that they are a wounded animal.

They feel more confident of victory than at any time in memory, that it is clearly the best time to beat United, not only because other teams are winning, but because Sir Alex Ferguson was a big part of the team’s perceived invincibility.

His presence was felt by officials and rival players. His desire to win, inculcated into his own men, was worth 10 points a season.

I feel for Moyes. He is a good manager and a good man. He will be granted time to do his job, but he has replaced the greatest manager ever, and whoever did that was going to have every move scrutinised.

United sell themselves, but players moved to United to play for Ferguson, and because they knew they would win trophies with him. I did. Money was secondary.

I do not think United need to make big changes, just a new player or two. That is all Ferguson did once he had established a winning formula, but players will be holding back to see how United fare. No top player wants to join a club who won’t be playing in the Champions League.

Failing to qualify means attracting the best players becomes far, far harder. The top players have a choice and they can afford to compare teams. Not being in the Champions League will be a major negative.

There’s a long way to go this season and before the recent bad run of results, some momentum was building at United. That has been lost, though the form in Europe has been excellent and the performance in Germany against Leverkusen was the best of the season.

United have a chance to spend in January, but I am not a fan of January signings. Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra both signed in January and proved successful, but it strikes me as a panic measure from clubs who have not done the right business in the close season.

Clubs overpay for players in January because selling clubs sense desperation.

Moyes will have to have the tools – the talent, facilities and the money – to do his job well. I believe he will get it right.

But it has not been easy for him, and it will never be easy, especially when expectations are so high.

Andrew Cole’s column is written with the assistance on European football correspondent Andy Mitten

sport@thenational.ae