Some statistics can be misleading, such as the one that says Manchester United have lost only once in their last 17 matches.

To the casual football watcher, it’s a run of results that should hint at progress. So, too, should their position in the Barclays Premier League. United are fourth, only five points behind champions Manchester City.

But things are not always as they seem and anybody who has paid any attention to United’s play this season will know that any progress under Louis van Gaal has been hewn from organisation and sheer stubbornness rather than the progressive, fluent football for which the club have always claimed to be known.

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney cut a frustrated figure during Sunday's 1-1 draw with West Ham

Man United goalkeeper David de Gea (right) shouting in anger after West Ham took the lead at Upton Park

Louis van Gaal watches on as the Red Devils struggled to a late point against West Ham on Sunday afternoon

SHOCKING STATS CLICK HERE to read the stats that shame Louis van Gaal's stuttering Manchester United Advertisement

Last Friday — two days before the ill-deserved point taken from a game at West Ham on Sunday - Van Gaal poignantly referenced the spirit of Munich.

‘We look for flair and pace and passion to play the game the United way,’ said Van Gaal, borrowing a line from a poem written to commemorate the 1958 disaster.

Suffice to say that after another stilted United performance at Upton Park, that search goes on.

Daley Blind rescued Manchester United with a strike deep into injury-time on Sunday

Rooney and defender Phil Jones trudge off the Upton Park field after Van Gaal's side salvaged a late leveller

You have to wonder what former winger Ryan Giggs, now assistant manager, makes of the change at United

One qualified observer described Sunday’s United display as ‘joyless’. It seemed appropriate. More worrying for Van Gaal, though, is the fact that the coterie of ex-players and United legends still close to matters at Old Trafford are beginning to whisper their concerns, too.

This is one of the things about United. It is similar to Liverpool in that once you have played there you never quite let go. Once a red, always a red. As such, those with their ear to the ground are worth listening to and the consensus is that Van Gaal’s team simply cannot continue to play like this if they wish to be afforded the patience and understanding the coach has admitted the team still need.

‘They are just so boring to watch,’ said one former player last week. That is a generalisation but occasionally it is hard to disagree.

Man United striker Robin van Persie is crowded out as the Dutchman attempts to move forward with the ball

West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan celebrating on the line after the Hammers took the lead on 49 minutes

West Ham players congratulating goalscorer Cheikhou Kouyate (centre) after the midfielder found the net

The saving graces for United right now are clear but their hold on them is not. The fact United are in the Champions League places and ahead of Liverpool is important. They are fortunate to be fourth with the points tally that they have but, nevertheless, they do remain on course for achieving the principal objective given Van Gaal when he joined the club in the summer.

Whether they continue to play this way and remain in the top four remains to be seen. Comparisons have already been made with Van Gaal’s predecessor David Moyes but the up-to-date numbers are worth revealing - and they do not reflect well on this United team.

After 24 league games of a season that was ended by his dismissal last April, Moyes had taken four points fewer than Van Gaal. He had, however, won the same number of games – 12 - and his team had managed more shots on goal, on and off target, and forced more corners.

Louis van Gaal vs David Moyes after 24 Premier League games in charge First 24 Premier League matches in charge of Man United LVG Moyes Games Played 24 24 Games Won 12 12 Win percentage 50% 50% Goals 40 39 Goals per game 1.67 1.63 Total shots 229 249 Shots on target 110 116 Shots off target 119 133 Shot Conversion Rate 17.47 15.66 Shooting Accuracy 48.03 46.59 Possession 59.64 54.49 Corners 132 144 Passing Accuracy 84.77 83.58 Goals Conceded 23 29 Goals conceded per game 0.96 1.21 Clean Sheets 7 7 Shots on Target Faced 94 94 Errors Leading to Goals 1 7 Yellow cards 42 46 Red cards 4 2

This points to flaws in Van Gaal’s use of his players. Moyes’s team were hardly heralded as one welded fast to United’s best traditions yet it would appear that they spent more time threatening the opposition goal than the team we are watching this time round.

On social media on Sunday Van Gaal’s United were being criticised heavily by their own supporters.

Chief among the concerns were the manager’s continued belief in a three-man defence - though that seems to be wavering - his use of captain Wayne Rooney in midfield, the refusal to use Ander Herrera at all and the relatively lethargic recent performances of record signing Angel di Maria.

United skipper Rooney, playing in a midfield role, is challenged by Nolan as Alex Song watches on close by

United captain Rooney, pictured reacting next to Mark Clattenburg, struggled to ignite his team's play

All of these would appear to be part of the problem. United have no real pace, so do not counter-attack consistently well, something that has always been part of the DNA at Old Trafford.

Equally, United do not keep possession for long spells in the right areas, and so fail to build pressure as well as they might.

‘It’s not a question of playing with wingers or without or with three defenders or four defenders, it’s about the playing style,’ said Van Gaal on Friday. ‘Certainly, at the moment we could have done better in terms of ball possession.’

Striker Radamel Falcao (centre) struggled to impress up front for Manchester United against West Ham

Summer signing Angel di Maria (left) also struggled to make an impact in the Manchester United midfield

Long passes and long balls made by Premier League teams this season PREMIER LEAGUE 14-15 LONG PASSES PREMIER LEAGUE 14-15 Long Balls Burnley 1877 West Bromwich Albion 1039 MANCHESTER UNITED 1861 Burnley 957 Queens Park Rangers 1845 Hull City 811 West Bromwich Albion 1749 Crystal Palace 746 Leicester City 1720 Leicester City 746 Hull City 1698 West Ham United 746 Southampton 1696 Queens Park Rangers 745 Aston Villa 1661 Southampton 724 Crystal Palace 1658 Newcastle United 637 West Ham United 1625 Aston Villa 617 Everton 1575 Sunderland 557 Sunderland 1522 Tottenham Hotspur 537 Newcastle United 1514 MANCHESTER UNITED 502 Stoke City 1470 Everton 487 Tottenham Hotspur 1465 Stoke City 485 Chelsea 1407 Swansea City 446 Swansea City 1382 Chelsea 420 Liverpool 1377 Arsenal 376 Manchester City 1184 Liverpool 374 Arsenal 1098 Manchester City 339

Criticism of United’s use of Marouane Fellaini as a target man for long passes late on Sunday seems unfair. It worked, and was also a tactic Van Gaal used successfully to turn round Holland’s World Cup last-16 game against Mexico in Fortaleza last summer.

Comparisons with his Dutch team are interesting, though. They were a pragmatic bunch, too. After the exhilaration of an opening victory against Spain in Brazil, Holland’s football was short on flair but that squad did not have the attacking talent that this United side possess and it is tempting to wonder what Ryan Giggs makes of it all.

Under Moyes, he grew exasperated at what he saw as a refusal to play on the front foot. Moyes’s perceived failure to use wide players well also frustrated the most famous winger Old Trafford has ever seen, yet Giggs is now assistant to a man who in certain areas again views the game differently.

One of Giggs’s prime roles is to talk United’s players - and Van Gaal - through the strengths and weaknesses of the next opposition.

On Tuesday the opponents are Burnley and during his preparation, Van Gaal’s assistant will have noticed one thing: Burnley are the only Premier League side to have played more long passes than United this season.

Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj takes on defender Aaron Cresswell during a rare start this season