As Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement after a mammoth 26-and-a-half-years in charge of Manchester United, many will remember him as the heart ...

It would be difficult to imagine that any other club should have such a long, unbroken run of live TV coverage in their FA Cup ties. On Saturday, they will figure in their 38th consecutive such event. This will be a home tie against Fulham - hardly a game bursting with giant-killing potential.

After calling Newcastle United a 'wee club in the north east' during the aftermath of a thrilling encounter between the Red Devils and Toon Army, Sir Alex Ferguson recently began to backtrack. Renowned for the mind-games he enters with rival managers, Ferguson responded to comments made by Alan Pardew regarding refereeing decisions in the game at Old Trafford on Boxing Day.

Abramovich, like many others, has been fooled by the word of the week: 'philosophy.'

His all-round knowledge of the game and impartial (almost) analysis is without doubt the best available to UK viewers. He mixes his down-to-earth persona with a wide array of facts and analysis to a joyous affect and - compared to his peers - makes the break in live action all the more bearable.

Bebe never should have found himself at Man United, maybe not even a Premier League team let alone one of the world's biggest and best sides. You

Ferdinand's fragile body is susceptible to injury and for that reason he almost certainly won't last as long as Giggs, Scholes or any of the age-defying centre backs of the last 10 years. But when fit, he remains a valuable asset for United.

Arguably, the biggest challenge that faces a footballer is knowing when to stop. In some cases, the decision is made for them but it's more common for the player to make that call.

Manchester United have unveiled Nick Powell as their second signing of the summer. Powell has signed on a four year contract for an undisclosed fee...

"Just enjoy watching them, most won't be here in a few years" - words said by Ian, a long-time United Reserves/Academy watcher, to me. The FA Youth Cup winning 2010/11 team got people excited not just because they won the competition but because they were, by some distance, the best young side in the country.

For nearly a year I've been harangued on Twitter by an account dedicated to attempting to point out and prove that Carrick is sh*t. It's been an amusing journey and experience, for I think, and always have thought, that Carrick is a very reliable and good footballer. Needless to say, that a year after its creation the account has a very low follower count.

It's all too easy for a football fan to be dismissive of their club's Reserves team - after all, the perception that fans have today about young players is something along the lines of 'if they're 18/19 and not in the first team then they can't be any good'.

No transfer has ever had more of the Glazers about it than Owen to United (unless you know of and believe the intricacies and reasoning behind the Bebe deal). It seems absurd that I'm even contemplating this but signing Owen on for another year may well be important for the club's future strikers and seems likely to happen.

The assumption with Rooney is that he has to do something special to remind people of his talent - the overhead kick against City or a hat-trick at Bolton for example. Has he truly fulfilled the potential he once showed? Potentially, but not necessarily in the way people expected.

United, for all their criticism, have a rather complete and strong squad. So much so, that if every team in the league had to field a fully changed, 'second XI', United's would almost certainly represent the strongest (I'm sure City fans would debate that).