Ten Reasons David Moyez Failed in Manchester United

With the news that the David Moyes era at Manchester United will end after just one season, the post-mortem begins into where it went wrong for the manager dubbed the 'Chosen One' when he replaced Sir Alex Ferguson last summer.

When Moyes arrived at United's Carrington training complex to begin work on July 1 last year, he would never have imagined his tenure would be so brief and disappointing.

But after failing to land his primary transfer targets last summer, Moyes has overseen a disastrous campaign both at home and abroad. 

So David Moyes got the boot and United fans get the boo...

Anyway, while they sort out the mess at Old Trafford, Pulse Students brings the list of the 14 records Moyes broke in his short stint as Manchester United manager.

1.     United are guaranteed to finish the season with their lowest ever Premier League points tally

2.     United fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1995

3.     United's worst home league form for over a decade

4.     Suffered three defeats in a row for the first time since 2001 this season

5.     Eliminated in the FA Cup third round - something which happened just once under Ferguson

6.     First ever home defeat to Swansea this term

7.     First home defeat to Newcastle since 1972

8.     First home defeat to West Brom since 1978

9.     First league defeat to Stoke since 1984

10.   First time United conceded a first-minute goal in the Premier League - Dzeko for City

11.  First time Man City & Liverpool have beaten United home & away since Premier League's inception

12. First time Everton, Man City & Liverpool have beaten United home & away since Premier League's inception

13. First time Everton have beaten United home and away since 1969-70

14. First time Everton & Liverpool have ever done a league double over United in the same season

Scroll down for Moyes' ten reasons he failed

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Time's up: David Moyes is set to be sacked as Manchester United manager following a disappointing first season in charge at Old Trafford

Searching for inspiration: Moyes has found it impossible to maintain the high standards set by predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson

United had a championship-winning team last season but are currently seventh in the standings, having also crashed out of the FA Cup to Swansea, the Capital One Cup to Sunderland and the Champions League to Bayern Munich.

Here are 10 moments during the last 10 months where it all went wrong for Moyes.

1.     INDECISION IN THE TRANSFER MARKET

As Premier League champions, Manchester United remained an attractive proposition to the most talented players across Europe even without the aura and authority of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Yet United's pursuit of their summer transfer shortlist was a complete failure.

Too much time was spent trying to entice the likes of Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara, Everton's Leighton Baines and Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera to Old Trafford. There was even talk of a mega money return for Cristiano Ronaldo.5

Grand plans: Moyes was full of optimism when he started at United on July 1 but soon found himself up against it in the transfer market

Flop: Marouane Fellaini cost £27.5m when he arrived on deadline day but has failed to perform to the standards expected25

Drawn out: United pursued Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas all summer but failed to persuade him to leave

Moyes and new chief executive Ed Woodward had plenty of money to spend but negotiations became protracted and ultimately fruitless. Neither had the experience or nous to land the big names.

Moyes started work at United's Carrington training ground as early as July 1, but the time flew past and, in the end, United fans had to be satisfied by the hurried deadline day signing of Marouane Fellaini from his old club Everton for a massively inflated fee of £27.5m.

Though a team of champions, the many weaknesses in United's squad were quickly and ruthlessly exposed as a result of their failure to strengthen in the summer window.

2.     GETTING RID OF FERGUSON'S BACK-ROOM TEAM

When Moyes arrived, it did seem wise to make a clean break with the Ferguson regime by clearing out the back room team and bringing in trusted lieutenants from Everton.

So Mike Phelan, Rene Meulensteen and Eric Steele were shown the door, with Steve Round, Phil Neville, Jimmy Lumsden and Chris Woods coming in. 25

Clean slate: Ferguson's trusted right-hand man Mike Phelan was one of the backroom staff cleared out by Moyes

Replacement: Moyes brought in his staff from Everton, including former United player Phil Neville

Though well known to Moyes, they did not, with the exception of Neville, have comparable experience of winning titles or inspiring players through those season-defining games.

The decision to dispense so readily with Ferguson's loyal team irked the former boss.

Ferguson's presence in the stands and his metaphorical presence at the club have cast a shadow over Moyes.

3.     TOUGH START

There was no easing in for Moyes. The fixture list threw up the toughest fixtures from the outset and United struggled to cope.

A goalless draw with Chelsea in Moyes's first home match was acceptable, but September's losses at Liverpool and Manchester City suggested retaining the title would be a tall order.25

First defeat: Some of United's frailties were exposed by Liverpool in a 1-0 defeat at Anfield in early September

Winner: Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge celebrates with Martin Skrtel after giving his side the lead after just three minutes

It brutally showed up the sluggishness in the transfer market - United had gone backwards while their two rivals had shrewdly added to their squads and evolved.

Moyes made matters worse by complaining about the tricky start to the season, suggesting he wasn't fully prepared for the challenge of managing United.

In the humiliating 4-1 loss at City the scale of the task hit home for Moyes, as his midfield was completely outplayed and his creaking defence outpaced and outmaneuvered.

United had finished 11 points clear of City in the table just four months earlier, now it looked as though the pendulum had swung completely the other way.

Too easy: Man City and Sergio Aguero crushed United 4-1 at the Etihad back in September5

Nightmare: Moyes can't bear to look during the heavy Manchester City defeat

4.     CRUMBLING OF THE OLD TRAFFORD FORTRESS

United had lost just three league games at home in the previous three seasons but, all of a sudden, the fear factor of visiting Old Trafford had evaporated.

Teams that would once have meekly surrendered now arrived brimming with confidence and were dictating the game.

At the end of September, West Bromwich, who last won on the ground in 1978, came and recorded a 2-1 win, continuing United's worst start to a season since 1989-1990.

This campaign has also seen United's first ever home defeat to Swansea and their first home defeat to Newcastle since 1972. 

Re-writing history: West Bromwich won at Old Trafford for the first time since 1978

Unexpected: Yohan Cabaye scored the winner as Newcastle United won at Old Trafford for the first time since 1972

Oh dear: Moyes walks back to the tunnel after United's defeat to Newcastle

5.     FALLING AT THE FIRST HURDLE IN THE CUP

While all United fans expected a transitional season that might mean a lower finish in the league, they might have hoped for Cup success to keep the trophy cabinet stocked.

Under Ferguson, United were only knocked out in the third round of the FA Cup once, but 10-man United were beaten 2-1 at home by an out-of-form Swansea team.

Despite it being clear United would struggle to keep the pace in the league, Moyes fielded a weakened side in this Cup tie and it backfired spectacularly when Wilfried Bony headed home in the last minute.

United progressed a little further in the Capital One Cup, but were dumped out on penalties by Sunderland in the semi-finals in a bizarre shoot-out that saw seven or 10 spot-kicks missed.

6.     A NEW LOW IN EUROPE

United's unbeaten group stage in the Champions League - in which they had beaten Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 at home and 5-0 away - had been a real source of encouragement for Moyes.

But the tipping point came in late February when an atrocious United team were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Olympiacos in Athens.

United were daunted by the febrile atmosphere and outplayed by the weakest team in the last 16 draw, despite the team boasting years of European experience.

It was after this night that fans started to turn against Moyes, even though a Robin van Persie hat-trick turned the tie around in the second leg at Old Trafford.

New low: Joel Campbell, an Arsenal loanee, scores the second for Olympiacos in their Champions League last 16, first leg tie in Athens

Lost: The Olympiacos defeat represented a fresh low for Moyes

7.     HOME HUMILIATIONS TO LIVERPOOL AND MAN CITY

Either side of the Olympiacos fightback were two of the most miserable nights witnessed at Old Trafford in years.

Liverpool, who had finished seventh the previous season, underlined their new-found championship credentials with a resounding 3-0 win in which the defence lost their composure to concede three penalties and Nemanja Vidic was sent off.

And when Manchester City won by the same scoreline a week later, having taken the lead inside the first minute, the writing was really on the wall. 

Guarded: Stewards protect the 'Chosen one' banner on the Stretford End at the end of the City defeat5

Anger: A fan remonstrates with Moyes during the 3-0 home defeat by Manchester City

Ill-discipline: Nemanja Vidic saw red against Liverpool in a 3-0 defeat in whcih United conceded three penalties

Moyes was confronted by one fan as he sat in the dug-out and stewards had to guard the 'Chosen One' banner on the Stretford End to stop frustrated fans tearing it down.

Outclassed United left the field to a chorus of jeers.

It was the first time both City and Liverpool had beaten United home and away since the start of the Premier League era. 

8.     SAYING THE WRONG THINGS

One thing that really riled United fans is the fact Moyes often viewed them as the underdog in his comments as though he had not quite appreciated the difference in stature between Everton and his new club.

After the City match, Moyes said United needed to 'aspire' to be like their Manchester rivals, completely forgetting that his team had beaten them into a distant second place the season before and had won many more trophies over time.

He also suggested that even Ferguson would have struggled to motivate this 'aging' team this season, despite guiding them to the title just 12 months earlier. 

Wrong attitude: Moyes has been criticized for not grasping the sense of expectation at United

9.     MAN MANAGEMENT

There have been many occasions this season when Moyes has undermined the unity of the team by making decisions that Ferguson wouldn't have done.

He evidently didn't rate Fergie's last signing Wilfried Zaha and after leaving him festering on the bench for half the season, finally shipped him out to Cardiff.

Likewise with Shinji Kagawa, who was benched for large parts of the season and only able to prove himself in the last few weeks.+25

Not wanted: Wilfried Zaha was consigned to the bench before being sent out on loan to Cardiff

Frustrated: Shinji Kagawa was also frozen out by Moyes

There were rumours that Moyes fell out with Robin van Persie earlier in the season, with the Dutch striker underwhelmed by Ferguson's successor.

And the news that Nemanja Vidic was to leave for Inter Milan in the summer came out months in advance of the move. 

10.            THE FINAL STRAW

United's owners finally lost patience after Sunday's dismal defeat at Everton.

A spectator dressed as the grim reaper was sat behind Moyes on the away dug-out at Goodison Park and his presence proved prescient.

Despite turning in one of their most pathetic displays of the season, Moyes praised the performance afterwards and urged fans to keep the faith.

It illustrated one final time the gulf in standards between manager and club.