EXCLUSIVE: Blame Fergie! United chiefs believe Sir Alex left cupboard bare for beleaguered Moyes

Manchester United's patience with David Moyes derives from misgivings over Sir Alex Ferguson's legacy

United fans are growing disillusioned with new boss

But the club's board are willing to stick by their man



Sportsmail understands Ed Woodward believes the set-up Moyes inherited wasn't fit for purpose



Manchester United's patience with manager David Moyes is being driven by an increasing belief that he was handed a questionable behind-the-scenes legacy by his predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson.



One club source said post-Ferguson, ‘it was like looking behind the curtain of the Wizard of Oz and seeing there was nothing there to work with’.



United fans have grown increasingly disillusioned with Moyes in recent days as a disappointing season got a lot worse with 3-0 home defeats by Liverpool and Manchester City.



VIDEO Scroll down to watch David Moyes reacting after each of United's PL losses



Blame Fergie! Manchester United sources claim Sir Alex Ferguson left the cupboard bare for the new boss

Smiling... but for how long? David Moyes has come under severe pressure after a string of bad results

Tense times: Supporters have started to turn on their manager after a dismal first year in charge

The United board and in particular the owners the Glazer family will only stand so many dreadful performances on the field and next week’s daunting Champions League tie against Bayern Munich may prove decisive in terms of Moyes’s future.



However, Sportsmail understands that one reason why chief executive Ed Woodward and fellow board members are giving Moyes so much time and patience is that they feel he inherited a set-up from Ferguson that was not fit for purpose at Barclays Premier League level.

Nobody at the club wants publicly to sully Ferguson’s legacy, given that his 27-year reign lifted United from oblivion to the summit of European football. He also left Moyes a squad that had just won the league by 11 points.



But it has since emerged that he ran United’s football operation in such a closed-off way that the board believe the task of restructuring required to bring it up to speed with the rest of Europe’s top clubs is much harder than expected.

Boiling point: A fan attempts to confront Moyes during the awful 3-0 defeat against Manchester City

Grounds for concern: A plane will fly over Old Trafford on Saturday to show discontent towards Moyes

Differences of opinion: The derided 'Chosen One' banner will stay up at Old Trafford for now

Contrast: Moyes (left) holds his head in his hands as the Manchester City bench go wild in the derby

Patience pays: Ed Wooward is willing to afford the beleaguered Moyes more time to turn things around

Moyes has begun the process — especially in terms of scouting and recruitment — but Woodward believes the job of doing this has influenced the dismal events on the field. This is why the club wants — if at all possible — to give Moyes the summer to put his own plans into action and recruit his own players.

United know this strategy is not without risk and further bad results may force their hand. They plan to spend up to £200million on new players and nobody can blame recent bad performances on anyone but the man in charge.

Nevertheless, the United source said: ‘Sir Alex had such a hold on the club that he was left to get on with it. His methods worked for him.



‘It was always known that David would have things to address behind the scenes but there has been much, much more and it has taken longer than was anticipated.’

Not happy: Ferguson has frequently seen his old side get beaten, particularly at home, this season

When will it end? Moyes has presided over United's worst ever Premier League campaign this season

Looking ahead: Moyes had a three-hour meeting with Woodward last week as they plan for next year

Not around much longer: Moyes expects Rio Ferdinand (left) to retire and Nemanja Vidic is off to Inter Milan

Moyes had a three-hour meeting with Woodward last week, the day after United beat Olympiacos 3-0 in the Champions League to set up next week’s clash with old foes Bayern.



A sign of growing divisions among supporters is that one group have raised £840 to fly a plane over Old Trafford during the match with Aston Villa tomorrow with the banner: ‘Wrong One — Moyes Out’.



This is a direct challenge to the Stretford End Flags group, who have refused to take down their ‘Chosen One’ banner inside the ground.



If Moyes survives the turbulent days ahead, he has a list of players he wishes to move out of the club. These include midfielders Anderson, Nani and Wilfried Zaha and defender Alexander Buttner.



Moyes will also listen to good offers for Darren Fletcher, Tom Cleverley, Shinji Kagawa and Javier Hernandez. Meanwhile, Nemanja Vidic is leaving for Inter Milan and Moyes expects to lose Patrice Evra to Serie A and Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs to retirement.