We all knew it was going to be a tough job for David Moyes to take over from Alex Ferguson after his remarkable reign at Old Trafford, but few could have imagined just how torrid the task would prove.

This season’s Premier League is one of the most exciting we have witnessed in many years.

On Monday evening last, I believe we witnessed the most impressive performance of the season so far, when Chelsea overcame formidable opposition in Manchester City, away from home and in some style.

After last week’s half-term report on Manchester United, it’s time to scrutinise their neighbours and bitter rivals Manchester City, the team most people believe will reclaim the title from the red side of town.

KEITH ANDREWS: Time to hold my hands up: I wrote a couple of months back that I felt Man United would turn things around and challenge for the title but I have been proven very wrong.

With the January transfer window in full flow and making headlines daily — whether it be the real deal or just a rumour — Shane Long’s move from West Brom to Hull for a reported fee of around seven million pounds has obviously been the story of most interest to followers of Irish football.

Last Saturday we faced Reading in the FA Cup third round. After a hectic festive fixture list which caused plenty of debate within the game, the cup generated an increasingly familiar controversy, even before a ball was kicked.

As we start another calendar year, we can look back on 2013 as 12 months which gave us so much to talk about in the world of football that it’s hard to know where to start.

Christmas is almost upon us and, as ever in football, the headlines are dominated by talk about the sack.

Watching Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira reeling in the years left many mourning the passing of the tough tackle.