How's your year going?

It is hard to imagine anyone in sport making a worse start to the new calendar year than David Moyes. After six straight wins at the back end of December, Manchester United began 2014 with three consecutive 2-1 losses.

United had not lost this many in succession since the end of the 2000-01 campaign, when the league title was secured.

Other records have been broken in the six months since Sir Alex Ferguson retired from football. Unfortunately for Moyes, however, they are not favourable ones.

Another 12 match unbeaten streak, engulfing the whole of October and November and which saw United beat league leaders Arsenal and thump Bayer Leverkusen 0-5, was abruptly ended by consecutive home losses to Everton and Newcastle.

That run was preceded by a struggling West Brom side outplaying United at Old Trafford and securing their first win there since 1978. Newcastle, similarly, had not won at Old Trafford since 1972 until this season. Swansea had visited Old Trafford 10 times and never won, but knocked United out of the FA Cup at their first hurdle, something that only happened once in Ferguson's 26 years in the competition.

But perhaps the most hurtful loss for Moyes - of five home ones already this season - was the 0-1 to former club Everton. Moyes' successor, Roberto Martinez, accomplished what he failed to do in 11 years: win at Old Trafford. In 45 away matches against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, Everton were winless under Moyes, drawing 18 and losing 27. Martinez managed it at the first attempt.

'The Chosen One' Moyes has shown glimpses of promise while at times cutting a poor fit for one of the biggest jobs in world football. Winning runs have been established and shattered by losses to teams that in the past had been swatted aside. It is an amazing spectacle that is unfolding week after week at United from a neutral's perspective.

For David Moyes, it is a dream that is quickly turning into a nightmare.

Never say die United - the embodiment of Ferguson's psyche

On a final day when only one position was left to fight for, Sir Alex Ferguson bowed out from football management with a hand in another record of sorts. For once, it was one of entertainment not achievement: the Premier League's first ever 5-5 draw. The manager who brought 38 trophies in 26 years to a single club could set new landmarks without meaning to.

It was fitting for Ferguson's final season that one of Manchester United's greatest traits under his stewardship – their never-say-die spirit – was evident on so many occasions. The number of late winning goals they scored was startling.

In their third match of the campaign, two Robin van Persie goals at 87 and 90 minutes transformed a loss into a win against Southampton. Two games later, a van Persie penalty at 81 minutes against Liverpool secured another victory. Having struck a lateish winner against Chelsea, Javier Hernandez did it again versus Villa, 87 minutes in. Van Persie's free-kick in stoppage time away to Manchester City opened up a six-point lead over their rivals and Hernandez came off the bench to score in the very last minute against Newcastle on Boxing Day.

And all these came in the first half of the season.

The amount of points United gained from losing positions would have been shattering for their opponents. Leading teams often faced in the latter stages of a match a hungry United gunning for them, hunting them down and displaying a deeply ingrained will to win. Inevitably it would end only one way: with United wrestling the points from their possession at the last gasp. United recovered to win 29 points from losing positions this season, the second highest total in the league's history.

Last year's title winners Manchester City threatened, but failed to find their highest gear. They moved to top of the table on November 17 when they thrashed Aston Villa 5-0, and were unbeaten until their 16^th match.

But their loss to United in the dying seconds of the game, inflicted by the player Roberto Mancini craved, was an almighty blow from which City could not recover.

United proved that last season's collapse of form, where they surrendered an eight point lead in April, was an anomaly. Indeed, finishing a campaign strongly has been another characteristic of United under Ferguson. The ability to front-run, combined with a hatred of being behind, made United the ultimate psychologically tough side.

In 2013, Ferguson ensured there would be no repeat of last year's failure, and United marched unflappably to an elusive 20^th league title.