Had things turned out slightly differently you’d be reading about the darts as you, ahem, read. After all, if social media is anything to go by – and occasionally it is – half the nation appeared to be glued to it over Christmas. More drama than a Shakespeare festival and all of that.

Abel Hernandez and local boy Josh Tymon struck second-half goals to give Hull's new head coach Marco Silva a winning start against Swansea in the third round of the FA Cup.

Hull have confirmed the appointment of Marco Silva as the club’s new head coach.

David Meyler has played down the prospect of a January move away from Hull City, despite admitting frustration at how his season has evolved.

Antonio Conte praised Chelsea's team ethic after they overcame a sluggish first half to end a run of two straight Premier League defeats against Hull at the KCOM Stadium.

Vice-captain James Milner believes Liverpool are a different team this year as their momentum begins to increase with improved consistency.

Spurs impressed with a win at the bet365 Stadium.

Managerless Hull handed champions Leicester a taste of their own medicine on the opening afternoon of the Premier League season, emerging from their chaotic summer to take all three points at the KCOM Stadium.

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has urged referees to protect Jamie Vardy as he is now a marked man. The England forward will lead the line for the defending Premier League champions when they start at Hull on Saturday after rejecting a move to Arsenal and signing a new Foxes deal in the summer.

The Football Association of Wales has rejected an approach from Hull to speak to national team manager Chris Coleman.

A 17-year-old boy arrested after police foiled a suspected bomb plot in Australia’s second-largest city has appeared in court charged with terror offences.

Police in Australia have arrested a 17-year-old boy suspected of plotting to detonate three home-made bombs in Melbourne.

Roy Keane’s one-time international teammate Jason McAteer believes the Corkman’s exit from Manchester United was down to a gradual breakdown of trust rather than any sudden fall-out with Alex Ferguson.

Hull’s players have anointed newly-arrived Mike Phelan as the Barclays Premier League’s first “assistant manager of the month”.

Here's the sporting year in [guff] quotes.

Robin van Persie insists he is back to his best and has denied suggestions he is over the hill.

Alex Ferguson insists it is “nonsense” to suggest the correct processes were not followed prior to the ill-fated appointment of David Moyes as his Manchester United successor.

Louis van Gaal will have money to spend in January if he still believes his Manchester United squad is not up to scratch.

Radamel Falcao is excited to be working with Louis van Gaal after completing his last-minute loan move to Manchester United.

Manchester United selling Danny Welbeck to Arsenal broke part of the Old Trafford club’s “identity”, according to former Red Devils assistant manager Mike Phelan.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has hailed Louis Van Gaal as a “nice guy” as he prepares to pit his wits against the veteran Dutchman in the Barclays Premier League next season.

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.

Roy Keane may find he is perfectly suited to being in the number two seat, according to his old enemy and international team-mate, Jason McAteer.

Roy Keane isn’t the only ex-Ireland captain to feel the force of Alex Ferguson’s acerbic tongue as Kevin Moran is described in the new autobiography by his former Manchester United boss as a “punch-drunk boxer”.

Arsenal may be looking to join the Premier League’s big spenders with a £40m bid to sign Luis Suarez but Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has already written off their title chances.

David Moyes will face the media for the first time as Manchester United manager today with his status reinforced by the addition of two very familiar faces to his coaching team.

Wayne Rooney put himself in the firing line by questioning his own Manchester United future last season, according to former assistant boss Mike Phelan.

David Moyes admits he is relishing the challenge of replacing Alex Ferguson as Manchester United boss.

David Moyes prepares himself for his first official day as Manchester United manager tomorrow with a fairly full in-tray to sort through.

Manchester United have confirmed the departure of first team coach Rene Meulensteen.

A certain pressure lifted, for sure, but might it just have felt a hint of loneliness this morning, our old friend The Fixtures Computer, as it prepared to spit out the first Premier League schedule of the post-Fergie era? Nobody took greater interest in its work than Fergie. Nobody was better able to detect malice in its algorithms or parse a conspiracy out of its sequences.

Edwin van der Sar believes new Manchester United boss David Moyes faces a virtually impossible task trying to fill the shoes of Sir Alex Ferguson.