David Moyes's reign at Manchester United was ended after senior players went running to Sir Alex Ferguson pushing for a change



David Moyes sacked as Manchester United manager

United players are believed to have visited former manager Sir Alex Ferguson pushing for a change after an abysmal season



Ferguson played a major part in appointing Moyes his successor

Moyes lost the trust of several senior United players



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As David Moyes’s reign unravelled on Monday, tales emerged of senior Manchester United players beating a path to the door of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Cheshire home to urge their old manager to push for change.

The message was clear: they no longer stood by Moyes and neither should United if the empire Ferguson built was not going to continue crumbling, brick by brick.

There was no more staunch a supporter of Moyes than his fellow Scot. After all, it was Ferguson who had called the Everton manager away from a shopping trip with his wife, Pamela, to that same address in Wilmslow to offer him the job last May when the ill-fated legend of ‘The Chosen One’ was born.

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‘To be honest, it was done when Alex said but it was good for me to meet David and hear his ideas and plans,’ claimed United chief Ed Woodward in an interview last October, in what could now be seen as an attempt to distance himself from the appointment as the storm clouds gathered. ‘Without the recommendation of Alex there may have been a different process.’

Moyes reminded us of that episode last Friday, at what proved to be his final pre-match press conference, as he revisited the story of his departure from Everton.

It was never going to be an easy transition. When Ferguson stood on the Old Trafford turf as United boss for the last time on that May day and urged supporters to back the new manager through good times and bad — even before his successor had been confirmed — he could see trouble ahead.



It is a sign of just how much Ferguson is revered that the fans obeyed him through the most wretched of seasons, even when the banner dedicated to Moyes in the Stretford End became a focal point of contention and then embarrassment and rebel planes started circling overhead.

Great expectations: Fergie addressed Old Trafford on his final game urging them to get behind the new man Back in the day: Man United players want to see a return to the glory days they enjoyed under Ferguson BACKING BEFORE THE SACKING

SIR ALEX FERGUSON, MAY 2013

‘We’ve had bad times here. The club stood by me. All my staff stood by me. The players stood by me. So your job now is to stand by our new manager.’

SIR BOBBY CHARLTON, MAY 2013

‘We have secured a man who is committed to the long term and will build teams for the future as well as now.’

SIR ALEX FERGUSON, OCT 2013

‘David Moyes was at Everton for 10 years. There’s evidence that sticking with a manager does help.’

ED WOODWARD, OCT 2013

‘We don’t want the manager to be a hired gun for the next two or three years. We want the next generation to enjoy having him there creating his own legacy.’

DAVID BECKHAM, FEB 2014

‘I think David Moyes is a great manager, but it takes time. There’s a transitional period.’

ROY KEANE, MARCH 2014

‘I think David Moyes will get plenty of time. The man deserves it.’

They never forgot how Ferguson survived and then thrived in the early Nineties and hoped Moyes would somehow follow a similar road to redemption. Without their patience and understanding, he would have been toast some time ago.

But when Ferguson himself became the target for their anger in recent weeks, when Moyes openly questioned the squad that he had inherited, and Ferguson’s final act as manager was suddenly threatening to taint all that had gone before, enough was enough.

As if an increasingly bleak future under Moyes wasn’t bad enough, the whole mess was in danger of casting a cloud over their glorious past.

The comparisons with Sir Matt Busby and Wilf McGuinness 44 years ago have become quite uncanny.

Moyes is a good man, a proud man, and someone who hasn’t turned into a bad coach overnight. But Ferguson cast a long shadow and it was one he never came close to escaping.



As much as Moyes benefited from his predecessor’s support, there is no doubt Ferguson’s achievements became a weight around his neck, his presence a distraction.

Selection policy: Moyes was coined 'The Chosen One' after his appointment headed by Ferguson

Sign of the times: Fans vented their frustration with a fly-by protest proclaiming Moyes the 'Wrong One'

Moyes insisted Ferguson was an occasional presence, always helpful but never intrusive; that his aura around the club was not a problem. He may think differently in hindsight.

At least McGuinness didn’t have to sit through every match at Old Trafford facing a stand bearing the name of the legend he had replaced, while modern television has enabled cameras to zoom in on Ferguson’s expression every time Moyes suffered a setback — and there were far too many of those for comfort

Every time another black mark appeared on his record, it was compared unfavourably with the man he replaced.

Is it over yet? Fergie's visits to Old Trafford became less comfortable, with some fans even turning on him

A post-mortem into United’s failings this season was never complete without mention of how Moyes had done away with Ferguson’s entire backroom team last summer.



Ryan Giggs joined the coaching staff, a nod to the Ferguson dynasty, but his opinion was rarely sought and barely valued.

Troubled times: Manchester United's 2-0 loss to Everton at the weekend was their 11th defeat of the season

Bad to worse: David Moyes has failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford and has paid the price



Giggs became an increasingly despondent figure and when two of Fergie’s ‘Class of 92’, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, criticised Moyes’s team and signings on television last month it was a sign the old guard were in rebellion. Stalwarts of the Ferguson era, such as Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, had long since lost faith in Moyes.

Robin van Persie made it clear from the outset he was unhappy with the change. Danny Welbeck, one of the bright young things Ferguson left behind, now wants out. Others simply lost direction and heart.

Singing from a different sheet? Ryan Giggs joined the coaching staff but was rarely asked for input

Sir Alex was aware of the unrest. His players made sure of that when they took the issue to his front door.

Having been so instrumental in Moyes’s appointment, it is unclear what part Ferguson played in the decision to call time or how hard he fought to save him when the Glazer family and Woodward lost patience.