The statistics this morning read; Manchester United joint top but still second in the table due to an inferior goal difference compared to that of Manchester City. Our neighbours lost thanks to a goal by an ex-Red Devil, the most recent one to move to the blue half of Liverpool, Darron Gibson. Ironically, his departure might have brought about some cheers among United fans all over the world and what is more ironic, is that perhaps his goal in the blue of Everton must have been cheered loudest by United fans; louder than any that he has scored while wearing the red of Manchester United. Read the full story

Sir Alex Ferguson has spent 25 years as the manager of Manchester United and he has won the Premier League 12 times, FA Cup 5 times, League Cup 4 times, the Champions League twice, 10 Community/Charity Shields and one each of the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA World Club Cup and UEFA Super Cup. In his time, he has build and rebuilt at least 4 teams that have contributed in a large part to the trophies he has won and the legacy he has built at Old Trafford. The biggest and the highlight of all his achievements would undoubtedly be the Treble of 1999.  Hours away from our big FA Cup tie against our neighbours and current Premier League leaders, Manchester City, let’s look back to understand how special the Treble triumph was. What better way to do that then by assessing the trophies that we missed out on, on a couple of occasions as one of Sir Alex’s great teams went close to winning the Treble before and after 1999. Read the full story

The final whistle is blown at the Etihad Stadium and it is safe and fair to say that Manchester United fans the world over breathed a huge collective sigh of relief. Pre kickoff, we had the shock news of Paul Scholes coming out of retirement to contend with. One way or another, United fans would in general be left wondering on why the sudden change of heart from the normally resolute Englishman and how will the quiet maestro do on his return which depended on him coming on in the game as he was named on the bench. Like many, I was shocked at his change in heart but certainly didn’t look at it as a step forward rather I looked at it as a step backward maybe a step in desperation. Read the full story

The announcement by veteran Manchester United striker Michael Owen that he’s seriously considering hanging up his boots at the end of this season adds another name to the likely exodus from Old Trafford. It will force manager Sir Alex Ferguson to give his squad an almighty shake up not seen for many years. Owen says if he does quit, he would love to do it by winning either the Champions or the Premier League “It would not only round off my career, but put it to bed.” he said.

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What does a manager look for in a keeper? Is it maturity and experience which includes domestic and European honors together with a World Cup winning medal? It cannot be easy to find someone who has all those qualifications yet still be capable of offering five, six or more years of service. But one man who can do just that is Juventus and Italy international Gigi Buffon who is reported to be on the radar of Manchester United goalkeeper coach Eric Steele.

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It’s difficult to say with absolute certainly how many great sides Sir Alex Ferguson has built in his near quarter century at Old Trafford because one has often tended to morph into another but it’s becoming clear that he is now well on the way towards creating his final team before handing over the reins to his successor. Another piece of the jigsaw is being prepared as Ferguson looks towards securing a long term replacement for his 40 year old goalkeeper with 19 year old Spaniard David De Gea, nicknamed Van der Gea by his team mates at Atletico Madrid for his similarity to Manchester United’s Edwin van der Sar, both for his appearance and goalkeeping style.

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