Sir Alex
Ferguson insists David Moyes' failure at Manchester United was not his
fault and that the slow style of play his successor introduced was alien
to his players.
The
legendary United manager, writing in updated chapters of his
autobiography, rejects suggestions Moyes inherited an ageing team and an
'antiquated' club already in decline.
Ferguson,
who retired in May 2013 after 26-and-a-half highly successful years at
Old Trafford, also distances himself from the widely-held belief that he
was solely responsible for appointing his fellow Scot.
Sir Alex Ferguson (left) handed over the reins at Manchester United to David Moyes (right)
Moyes found Ferguson's standards impossible to live up to and was sacked in April 2014
United fans displayed a banner at Old Trafford hailing Moyes as 'The Chosen One' throughout most of his reign
But some fans later vented their fury with a 'Wrong One - Moyes out' banner, which was flown over the ground
Ferguson retired from management after leading United to the Premier League title in May 2013
The front cover of Ferguson's
autobiography, which will be released on Thursday after being updated to
include chapters on his life after retirement from management. Price:
£8.99
The
72-year-old Scot believes that the former Everton manager did not
appreciate just how big United were as a club and had found it 'a
massive jump' from Goodison Park to Old Trafford.
Ferguson
adds in the new edition, extracts of which were published on Tuesday,
that Moyes went against United's traditions by adopting a more
conservative style of playing.
'The
reason for playing at speed was that United players had been accustomed
to operating that way,' Ferguson writes. 'If the tempo slowed for any
reason, I would be into them at half-time.
'"This
is not us," I would say. Playing with speed never hindered our results.
It was our way: energy and determination in the last third of the
pitch.'
Ferguson also reveals in the latest version of My Autobiography -
officially released on Thursday but leaked on Tuesday afternoon - that
he was not involved in the process to sack Moyes or the decision to
appoint Louis van Gaal, who he describes as 'formidable', last summer.
Despite
this, Ferguson stops short of admitting that he chose the wrong man in
Moyes, saying it was a democratic decision following a thorough
assessment of the candidates.
He
writes: 'There appears to be an accepted view out there that there was
no process. Nonsense. We feel we did everything the right way: quietly,
thoroughly, professionally.'
Samir Nasri celebrates a goal in United's 4-1 Manchester derby defeat under Moyes last September
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Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck reflect on their humiliation at the Etihad Stadium
United were humbled by defeats against a string of smaller clubs under Moyes, including West Brom
United's squad react to their Champions League quarter-final exit at Bayern Munich
More from Ferguson's updated autobiography...
* I spoke to Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra about their Manchester United futures... but dressing-room was out of bounds
* I tried to convince David Moyes to keep Mike Phelan as Manchester United assistant manager
Ferguson
won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two
European Cups and the European Cup-Winners' Cup during his tenure at
United.
He
announced his retirement in May 2013, shortly before leading United to
another title. The first edition of his autobiography was released in
October 2013.
Moyes
was revealed as his successor on May 9, signing a six-year contract. He
lasted just 10 months and was sacked following a string of poor results
on April 22 this year.
Ferguson also rails against suggestions that the set-up he left at United was 'antiquated'.
He
writes: 'Antiquated was a bizarre description of the structure I left
behind at Manchester United. Have you seen our new training ground?'
Ferguson played a big role in choosing Moyes as his successor after 26-and-a-half years in charge at United
Ferguson and Moyes arrive together at the annual League Managers Association awards in 2013
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Rio Ferdinand was one of several players highlighted after Ferguson's retirement for being past his best
Ferguson also reveals for the first time how the Old Trafford hierarchy made the decision to sack Moyes without consulting him.
He
was first made aware that Moyes was on the verge of losing his job when
he saw a newspaper report while flying back to Manchester from Aberdeen
on the Monday after United's 2-0 defeat at Everton.
Ferguson
immediately contacted executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward when he
touched down and was told that a final decision had been made without
his knowledge. His recommendation for who should succeed Moyes was not
asked for
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