AMONG those who placed flowers at the scene of the fatal crash in Limerick yesterday were Patrick and Eileen O’Donovan, whose daughter Trish is married to Richard Feury.

HOW many managers must have chuckled to hear Roberto Mancini lamenting his injury problems and pleading for time after seeing his Manchester City side’s title prospects exposed for what they are?

DARREN FLETCHER accepts Manchester United have lessons to learn about their away performances so far this season if they are to avoid serious damage to their Premier League title challenge.

THANKS to the intrusion of international commitments, the new Premier League season has been a while ‘kick-starting’ but it came fully alive for me at Goodison Park on Saturday with a wonderful game between Everton and Manchester United.

NEMANJA VIDIC has signed a four-year contract extension with Manchester United.

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger maintains Paul Scholes remains “one of the greatest footballers in England” – but is not a fan of the Manchester United midfielder’s “darker side”.

EVEN the hype which always attends the early days of the new season can’t mask the fact that English football is going through another of its periodic bouts of soul-searching and self-flagellation.

ARSENAL last night failed with a second bid to sign Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and were warned by Sevilla that France international Sebastien Squillaci will not come cheap.

EVEN if he does leaves the club in four years when he reaches 65, Arsene Wenger’s legacy at Arsenal may continue for decades to come.

LIAM BRADY has backed Giovanni Trapattoni to live long and prosper in football, saying that there’s more than a hint of the legendary ‘Shanks’ about ‘Il Trap’.

TOP man, top player, top manager — Old Trafford legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has given his former team-mate Roy Keane a ringing endorsement.

MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini claims his club have finished their incredible spending spree after the arrival of England midfielder James Milner from Aston Villa was finally confirmed yesterday.

ALEX FERGUSON has launched the first volley of fire across Manchester City’s bows by condemning the “kamikaze” spending in the transfer market.

REAL MADRID have landed their second Germany international of the summer with the signing of Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen.

NICOLAS ANELKA’S France career could be at an end after he was yesterday hit with an 18-match suspension by the French Football Federation.

THERE’S a moment every summer holiday when the brain snaps off and, like Tennyson’s Lotos Eaters, leaves you isolated in “a land in which it always seems afternoon... where all things always seem the same.”

DIMITAR BERBATOV continued to outshine Wayne Rooney for Manchester United last night as he began by promising “to create beautiful things on the pitch” and stayed true to his word by inspiring his side to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Newcastle United in a game in which magical team-mate Paul Scholes was the real artist.

MONAGHAN UNITED fly the flag for the First Division in the EA Sports Cup last four this evening when they host local rivals Dundalk at Gortakeegan (kick-off 8pm).

THE question takes Stephen Kelly by surprise but the answer is delivered honestly.

MANCHESTER United skipper Rio Ferdinand put himself in contention for a Premier League comeback against Everton on Saturday week (September 11) after ending his 89-day knee injury lay-off with an outing for the club’s reserves last night.