Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s magical reign as Manchester United boss survived its biggest test to date at St James’ Park last night, his second- half substitute Romelu Lukaku scoring with his first touch of the game and helping to write his interim manager into the record books.

One of the earliest and most hard-earned lessons I learned in the playground as a young football neophyte was that there was no team called Manchester.

Every European Cup and Champions League Final is memorable, for good reasons or bad.

The family of an Irish sporting legend who died in the UK 13 years ago said they're delighted he's finally home after scattering his ashes on a famous Cork cricket ground. 

Manchester United stars past and present yesterday stood in silent solidarity at Old Trafford to mark the 60th anniversary of the Munich air disaster.

Cork City manager John Caulfield has been named as Personality of the Year at SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers’ Association of Ireland Awards.

Peter Jackson on the son of an Irish emigrant who guided Wales to the World Cup finals and was Matt Busby’s right-hand man at Manchester United.

John Giles discussed Ireland’s World Cup rescue mission with John Fallon

IS there such a thing as Second Season Syndrome, of some sort? Y’know, akin to the Second Album Syndrome, so beloved of pop geeks?

The ability of Chelsea as a football club to snatch ignominy from the jaws of victory can never be underestimated, although last night’s victory at the Hawthorns at least protects a memorable Premier League campaign with another title, their fifth of the Abramovich era, writes Allan Prosser.

In 2014 Dan Gordon was approached by a production company to direct a film-length documentary about George Best but the English director’s research had already begun inadvertently two years earlier.

Manchester United 2 West Brom 0: Critics of Louis van Gaal and his Old Trafford style lament that his team might win but ‘it’s not the Manchester United of old’.

Paul McGrath talks Fergie, Busby and explains why nothing will ever compare with Italia 90, writes Phil Campion

Gooners would have been better advised to park the ‘Boring boring Chelsea chants’ at the Emirates on Sunday – and not only because it might have made the watching George Graham fidget in his seat.

THERE is something about Roy. It’s nearly a decade since Roy Keane last kicked a ball in professional football. Still, he holds our attention.

The family of an Irish sporting legend said they are deeply moved after a walkway near his childhood home was named in his honour.

The business end of the Champions League has been less sweet 16 and more a knockout for England’s elite this week, another chastening trial for the self-styled ‘greatest league in the world’. 

Today marks the 57th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster. 23 people died in total that day, including eight journalists.

Paul Kelly writes that in 1964 Denis Law scored 50 goals in 51 matches, a staggering return that earned him the Ballon d’Or.

Personal reflections from Irish Examiner sports writers, with some 2015 wishes and predictions to boot.

After all the months hearing about them, reading about them and buying them, finally, over the last few days, we’re guessing you got round to actually reading some sports books.

An almost forgotten legend of Irish sport is to get formal recognition in his home city.

Last summer, when David Moyes was appointed manager of Manchester United, the talk was of a brave new dawn at the club, with the Scot continuing Alex Ferguson’s success long into the future.

Manchester United reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Juan Mata for a club record £37 million (€44m) late last night.

You don’t win trophies by being this open at the back

By strange coincidence, I stumbled across and became engrossed in a ‘Football Legends’ television show devoted to Eusebio late last Saturday, only to awake the following morning to the news the great man had passed away during the night.

Bill Foulkes, who has died aged 81, was a stalwart defender who became the first captain of Manchester United’s ’Busby Babes’ after surviving the Munich air disaster and helped the club to their first European Cup triumph.

There is one simple reason why David Moyes should never have got the manager’s job at Manchester United.

Ahoy, mateys.

Alex Ferguson believes it would be a “fantastic achievement” for David Moyes to win any trophy with Manchester United this season.

The 50th anniversary of George Best’s debut for Manchester United — as a 17-year-old against West Brom on September 14, 1963 — has been marked by the publication of yet another biography of the Belfast legend.

David Moyes felt it was crucial Manchester United showed the pain they suffered in Sunday's derby defeat to Manchester City in their performance against Liverpool last night.

David Moyes never thought replacing Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager was going to be easy and warned the transition may be a lengthy one.

In Kildare, he meant more than anywhere.

At 85-years of age, Frank O’Farrell is the oldest living player to have donned the claret and blue of West Ham United.

Rio Ferdinand insists everybody at Manchester United must prove themselves to new manager David Moyes – no matter who they are.

It’s a fascinatingly old fashioned approach from a club which has embraced modernity like no other

It’s August 1988 and, although discontent is starting to grow on the Old Trafford terraces, Alex Ferguson’s determination is only deepening.

Everton manager David Moyes was last night on the brink of being named successor to Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.

News of Alex Ferguson’s retirement received more than 1.4m mentions on Twitter in the first hour after the story broke yesterday morning, while the tweet from the club was re-tweeted or favourited more than 18,000 times.

Alex Ferguson's 26 and a half years at Old Trafford are littered with key moments and turning points that have helped forge the 71-year-old’s legacy.