It cannot be easy to play at the top level of English soccer for more than six decades. But the great Roy Race is still going strong.

The English Championship is to the Premier League what Puma is to adidas. Well regarded in its own right — at last count the third most-watched league in Europe — it will always exist in the shadow of its bigger brother, writes Brendan O'Brien.

Petr Cech will bring the curtain down on his glittering career at the end of the season.

It was probably not the best idea to put a keyboard in front of me at this precise moment in time as we have just given up one of the proudest records in top-flight football.

There was a time in my career when even as a Tottenham fan I felt that Arsene Wenger was a bit special. Today I feel, probably like Wenger feels, that he is oh so close from putting it all together. The trouble is that he just can’t find the right formula, writes The Secret Footballer.

In a fixture stepped in history, at a ground where legends watch not just from the stands but from the walls and the heavens, Liverpool’s latest hero stepped forward and put his mark on the occasion.

In Ireland’s time of need, Paul McGrath firmly believes Seán Maguire can arrest the worrying firepower deficit.

Mauricio Pochettino would not swap the progress made at Tottenham over the last three years for Arsenal’s two FA Cups.

Liverpool fans yearn for the success enjoyed by the club in the 1980s, writes Brendan O’Brien.

FA Cup fifth round

To borrow a famous line from a GAA match report printed in this paper, Bayern Munich appear to have driven the final nail in Arsene Wenger’s coffin of hope, writes Larry Ryan.

Emmanuel Petit thinks it’s time for a change at the top at Arsenal — though, out of admiration for his former manager, he stops short of saying that Arsene Wenger’s time at the club is finally up.

Manchester United 3 Stoke 0: Manchester United showed their neighbours and manager-in-waiting Pep Guardiola that they are not ready to go away just yet with one of their finest performances under Louis van Gaal to secure a morale-boosting win over Stoke City.

Jack Wilshere has apologised if his anti-Tottenham chants during the FA Cup victory parade on Sunday caused any offence.

If fate has any sense of justice then Steven Gerrard will say goodbye to Liverpool by lifting the FA Cup in his last ever game at Wembley on his 35th birthday; but right now he is in danger of leaving with a nagging feeling of regret, writes Chris Hatherall.

Chelsea captain John Terry has signed a one-year contract extension, the Premier League club have announced.

Ryan Giggs produced the defining moment of Manchester United’s greatest season, 15 years later he finds himself tasked with lifting the Red Devils from their lowest ebb for a generation.

Paul Scholes got one thing wrong. In most respects, his savage takedown of Arsenal on his Sky Sports punditry debut was as measured as one of those never-learned-how-to-tackle-ho-ho-ho ankle crunchers he liked to leave on the likes of Jose Reyes.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez accepts his side’s FA Cup sixth-round tie at Arsenal will provide a real test of whether they can win the competition.

Manchester City 4 Watford 2

Alex Ferguson managed some of the best players in world football during his time at Manchester United but insists unsung hero Denis Irwin would be the first name on his greatest team line-up.

It has been more than eight years since Arsenal last won a trophy - a drought Theo Walcott believes the current squad can bring to an end this season.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has been signed — lining out this time for an Irish charity.

When Steven Gerrard made his league debut in November, 1998, Liverpool were a club in transition, trying to recapture the glory days of two decades ruling English and European football.

Just as in 2004, Jose Mourinho walked into a packed room of expectant journalists at Stamford Bridge; and although this time there were twice as many to greet him and the atmosphere was more of excitement than suspicion, it didn’t look like an awful lot had changed — at least on the surface.

Alex Ferguson has made some incredible signings during his reign at Old Trafford.

They circled him like sharks, occasionally breaking ranks to dart forward and nip him, just to see what he would do.

England left-back Ashley Cole has signed a one-year contract extension at Chelsea, the Barclays Premier League side have confirmed.

Ashley Cole has agreed to sign a new contract at Chelsea, it is understood.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes his players answered their critics on the pitch as they steamrollered Premier League strugglers Reading.

The French Football Federation paid tribute to former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord, who has announced his retirement.

Chelsea’s Champions League hero Petr Cech has signed a new four-year contract.

For Jackie Ablett, wife of the late Liverpool and Everton player Gary, today’s FA Cup semi-final Merseyside derby at Wembley will be an occasion of deep emotion.

THE KOP has always been good at coming up with amusing little ditties.

Chelsea 7 Ipswich 0

GERARD HOULLIER believes new signing Robert Pires can have a major influence on Aston Villa’s cluster of rising young talent.

A WEEK into his reign, new Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is confident of persuading captain Steven Gerrard and striker Fernando Torres they can have successful futures at the club.

If Alex Ferguson needed any reminding of the fickle nature of football supporters, he would have got it by tuning into MUTV immediate after Manchester United’s stunning FA Cup demise yesterday.

AVRAM GRANT hopes to enjoy the romance of the FA Cup as Portsmouth take a break from their relegation dogfight for today’s third-round tie against Coventry – declaring “one game can change everything”.

Phil Thompson, the last of the Shankly boys, has led the tributes to the Anfield legend in the week that marks the 50th anniversary of the Scot’s appointment as Liverpool manager.

ARSENE WENGER will join one of football’s elite clubs today when he turns 60. It should be called the 60-is-the-new-40 club.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has no intention of following Cristiano Ronaldo to Spain or moving anywhere else as he targets Champions League glory with the Gunners.

BRAZILIAN superstar Robinho has been declared fit for Manchester City’s latest European voyage — with manager Mark Hughes no doubt hoping the £32.5m striker will be galvanised by the stinging attack of FC Copenhagen coach Stale Solbakken.

Manchester United have revealed it is ’too early to say’ whether they will accept an invite to play in Tel Aviv as part of Israel’s 60th anniversary celebrations.

ALEX FERGUSON has targeted at least one more Champions League triumph before he eventually quits as Manchester United manager.