Football
Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC 7y

How the David Moyes 'Chosen One' banner ended up in a secret location

It became one of the defining images of David Moyes' brief reign as Manchester United manager, a constant reminder of the Scot's battle to establish himself as Sir Alex Ferguson's successor. Yet the infamous "Chosen One" banner is now hidden away in a secret location as its subject prepares to return to the Old Trafford dugout for the first time since being sacked in April 2014.

Having been announced as Ferguson's handpicked replacement in May 2013 -- subsequent revelations by those involved in the appointment have since suggested Moyes was not the first choice -- the former Everton manager was heralded as the "Chosen One" due to his predecessor's involvement in his appointment. As a result, the fans' group, Stretford End Flags (SEF), raised £450 from donations to produce the banner bearing Moyes' image, positioning it in the middle of the Stretford End during Moyes' 10-month spell in charge.

Disgruntled supporters attempted to tear the banner down following a 3-0 defeat at home to Manchester City in March 2014, with stewards forced to step in to prevent it from being ripped from its position during the protest.

A month later, a plane was flown over Old Trafford prior to a home game against Aston Villa carrying a banner that read "Wrong One: Moyes Out" as supporters' frustrations with Moyes (and the banner) began to boil over.

Since being moved by United following Moyes' dismissal, the banner has been locked away, with attempts to buy it turned down by its owners.

Having initially been dumped in a storage room at Old Trafford, SEF were eventually asked to remove it by United in December 2014. Since then, a Kuwait-based United supporter has tried and failed to buy the banner, offering £2,000 for it, with the Manchester-based National Football Museum also expressing an interest in loaning for exhibitions.

Plans to auction it to raise funds for charity have so far failed to materialise, and with the owners concerned over potential buyers misusing the banner, it has now been moved to a secret storage location.

"The banner had been in somebody's loft for a while, but it's not there anymore," one member of SEF told ESPN FC.

"I don't know what will happen with it. People have tried to buy it, but we don't want it to suddenly appear at a game as some kind of stunt, so it's probably best left out of the way."

Moyes ultimately conceded that he was uncomfortable with the premise of the banner, growing to regard it as an unnecessary burden as his team struggled to live up to expectations prior to his dismissal in the final weeks of the 2013-14 season.

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