As the faithful and the unfaithful look to the skies above Old Trafford today, it’s sobering to think that Martin O’Neill could have been ‘The Chosen One’, the man to manage Manchester United when Alex Ferguson retired.

They say the measure of you as a coach or manager is what your players honestly think of you as a man 10 years after they’ve played for you.

As Alan Kelly was preparing to walk towards the touchline to speak to the media at Gannon Park yesterday, he remarked to team doctor Alan Byrne that it was fantastic that he would be able to report a clean bill of health to the waiting reporters.

On a visit to Brazil this week Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness jointly opened a George Best exhibition in Sao Paolo.

It was Roberto Mancini who called it a “crazy season”, so crazy that, after all the madness which had preceded the dawning of the final day in the Premier League last time around, Alex Ferguson was left with not unreasonable grounds for hoping the noisy neighbours would do “something stupid”, maybe even a “Devon Loch”, at the death.

Rafael Benitez has advised Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini to forget about trying to win any mind games in the battle for the Premier League title.

It’s Old Firm day tomorrow. Or maybe that should be infirm day.

“Yeah, we seem to be the bogey team for managers at the moment,” says Shane Long as he reflects on a run of great results for West Brom which has also spelt managerial doom for Mick McCarthy and Andre Villas-Boas.

Rio Ferdinand will return to the Manchester United starting line-up for tomorrow night’s Champions League clash with Otelul Galati at Old Trafford.

ARSENE WENGER’S desire to protect Van Persie is perfectly understandable.

Andre Villas-Boas today revealed he had complained to referees’ chief Mike Riley about the performance of the officials in Chelsea’s Barclays Premier League defeat at Manchester United.

LOOK, I know you must all be aquiver with excitement at the prospect of Man U v Otelul Galati.

DAVID BECKHAM is fully focused on helping AC Milan beat Manchester United tonight, even though he admits it will not be easy to put his own emotions to one side.

ON the second day of Christmas, Portsmouth gave to West Ham three vital points, for the second year in succession.

LIAM Mackey is off in sunny Spain so regular substitute ALLAN PROSSER has done his stretching exercises on the touchline, stripped off the tracksuit and is charging into the fray to mediate your opinions for the first time this season.

OUR football correspondent LIAM MACKEY is back in top form, just like he’s never been away.

SKY SPORTS yesterday confirmed the first 35 of its 92 live Barclays Premier League games for the 2008/09 season while Setanta Sports confirmed the first batch of its 79 games.

I DIDN’T see the man from the Manchester Evening News in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s defeat of Barcelona.

Arsenal defender Kolo Toure snatched a point with an 86th-minute equaliser against Middlesbrough and despite conceding top spot to Manchester United he stressed the Gunners still believed they would win the Premier League.

ROBIN VAN PERSIE insists Manchester United are the biggest threat to Arsenal’s hopes of regaining the Premier League title this season.

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has another three points – but only on his driving licence after West Ham’s Robert Green stirred the England goalkeeping debate by saving a stoppage-time penalty from Benjani Mwaruwari.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it and he gives prizes away for the best of them.

The Examiner’s football correspondent Liam Mackey likes a good argument when he hears it, and he’s got strong views of his own.

FOOTBALL may well be the universal language but sometimes things can get lost in translation.

LIKE Martin Luther King, I too have a dream, although I’ll grant you that mine is perhaps a little more modest than racial integration, civil rights for all and the dawn of a shining new era for humanity.

Southend hero Freddy Eastwood had no regrets about sending Manchester United, the club he supports, crashing out of the Carling Cup.

MANCHESTER United’s 14-year reign on the London stock market ended without fanfare yesterday as US tycoon Malcolm Glazer had the soccer club de-listed.

MANCHESTER United fans were recently showing symptoms of post takeover traumatic disorder.

IT’S thirty-two years since Limerick won a hurling All-Ireland. Another title would be like the Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle and Two Mile Chase all rolled into one for their most benevolent supporter, JP McManus.

The National Football League have admitted Manchester United’s plans to build a casino next to Old Trafford is a “potential issue” for new owner Malcolm Glazer.

FRENETIC trading in Manchester United shares continued yesterday with US billionaire Malcolm Glazer raising his share in the club to just over 16%.

Rangers manager Alex McLeish believes Nuno Capucho’s late winner at Kilmarnock could turn out to be one of the most significant strikes of the season.

AS a Man U fan I confess to taking pleasure in the achievements of David Beckham on the football field and I regret the decision to sell him.

AS an Irish supporter of Man Utd since the air crash in 1958, I would like to express my disgust at the way MU plc and its manager, Alex Ferguson, have insulted all the Irish people who have contributed to the success of Man U over the years either on the field or at the turnstiles.

A last minute Robert Pires goal has kept Arsenal in control at the top of the Premiership in a win against Fulham, while Manchester United comfortably beat Southampton at St Mary's.

Man Utd have been on top in the early exchanges of this eagerly-anticipated clash between the current Premier champions and table-topping Leeds Utd.

In today's Premiership there were wins for Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd.

At half-time Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd are all ahead.

Manchester United are planning to launch Chinese and Malay-language websites.