I have never seen a worse Manchester United performance in my life than the 2-0 defeat to Olympiakos. Perhaps rivalling it, at least in recent years, in terms of abjectness was the defeat to Athletic Bilbao, but that one didn't 'matter' anywhere near as much. Not for Manchester United's season, not for their players, not for their manager, and not for their culture. The defeat to Olympiakos may well do.
The first three points here are easy to explain. Manchester United's season has just taken one step closer to being a trophyless one (I'm not counting the Community Shield). In terms of the players, this match may have been another helping hand to their inevitable exit from Old Trafford. Step up and walk out: Rio Ferdinand, maybe Antonio Valencia, maybe Robin van Persie. Incidentally, its no good asking Chris Smalling to step up and walk out; perhaps trying to step up, slip over (fifty times) and slide out would be more inappropriate. And then in terms of the manager, David Moyes finds himself under increasing strain, not only to do better in his job but also to survive the 'managerial chop'.
United's culture is possibly the most poignant issue under threat here though. Firstly in terms of their status. A club with the history of United is not simply going to disappear off the map of European football, but already the fear factor has gone. Next up will be the inevitable absence from top-level European competition, for perhaps many years. Slowly the history will become just that: history. United will be a great of years past, no longer the European footballing force they once were, and their status will be diminished.
Secondly United's, what I call 'purity', is under threat. The ever-commercialising machine that is the club is already disliked, to an extent, by many. But this is one thing when the club is successful and winning trophies. Its another thing when they're breaking transfer records, breaking wage records and even breaking 'number of sponsorships one club can have' records, but being successful. The worse United get in footballing terms combined with the better than get in commercial terms is only going to serve to disenfranchise even the most loyal of supporter. United are at risk of losing focus of what makes them special: the football.
Thirdly, the main threat to United's culture is the one most strenuously put forth by Sir Alex Ferguson: time. What if David Moyes is given the chop? A new manager may come in and do quite well for a while. But should they then go through a Ferguson-esque patch of 2003-2006 then who's to say they wouldn't then receive the sack? If Moyes goes now, or even anytime in the next six months, then United's values in terms of giving managers time go completely out the window. Once the club loses its culture of 'time', it lays itself at the mercy of the commercialisation machine it is and puts itself at risk of ever-fluctuating status. It ignores history and becomes the money-driven club looking for instant success, not sticking to values and history.
The Moyes era at Old Trafford so far has been, in many respects, dreadful. The defeat to Olympiakos is the latest and the most potent yet in raising questions about the club's season, players, manager, but also of the culture. If United as a club react in the wrong way to the 'Moyes era' failings, then going with him could be the club culture that so many love. But if Moyes remains, and with him does failure and disappointment, then the club culture may slowly start to ebb too.
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