A tribute to Alex Ferguson the legend

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When Sir Alex Ferguson first arrived at Manchester United in 1986, it was a very different club, one tempered by low morale and struggling performances. Now, 13 English Premier League titles, two Champions League medals, five FA Cups and a host of iconic players later, the man known as Fergie is arguably one of the most successful managers in football history. On Wednesday, May 8, 2013, Ferguson shocked the football world and fans all around the world when he announced his retirement. Where do I even begin writing a tribute to a person who has been in charge for 26 years when I've been alive for 27? Fergie has always been compared to Sir Matt Busby - though many United fans will argue as to who was the better manager - and surely my vote will go to Fergie as I was not even born when Sir Matt started....

Manchester United finally get their trophy back

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Love them or hate them but one thing is certain - you cannot deny that this Manchester United team was cut above the rest and that they deserve the English Premier League title more than any other team. With four matches to go, United wrapped up the title following their 3-0 win against Aston Villa on Monday. All the power shift talk from the Red half of Manchester to the Blue appears to be once again premature. When Sergio Aguero broke the hearts of Man United and their supporters in the dying seconds of last season following a historic goal in 93.20 minutes to crown City the kings of England, the bragging rights shifted. All the talk was of how City would dominate English football for years to come and that United's and Alex Ferguson's hunger for trophies was over. If one had any doubts about the manager's....

English Premier League teams not in decline in Europe yet

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For the first time in 17 years there will be no English Premier League side involved in the Champions League quarter-finals following Arsenal's exit from the tournament on Wednesday. Does this imply that there has been a decline in domination of English clubs on Europe's biggest stage? This season and last, only one EPL team reached the quarters, with Chelsea miraculously going on to win the tournament last May. If we see the larger size of the picture then five of the last ten finalists have been from England, two from Spain, two from Germany and one from Italy. Above that, three of the last eight winners have been from England - Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. In comparison to others, three have been from Spain (all Barcelona) and two have been from Italy (AC Milan and Inter Milan). So if we go by these stats then for....

Manchester United's Busby Babes - Never forgotten

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February 6, 1958, 3:04 p.m. a day and time no Manchester United supporter or any football lover will forget. This was the day when Manchester United stopped being just another football club. Plane carrying them home from Belgrade after their Champions League clash against Red Star Belgrade crashed after a refuelling stop at Munich. Sir Matt Busby's young team, champions of England in 1956 and 1957, met with the ill-fate in Munich after their aircraft crashed on a third take-off attempt. 23 out of the 44 people on the flight passed away, including eight players and three staff members from Man United and eight journalists including former England and Manchester City goalkeeper Frank Swift in addition to the flight crew members and couple of other passengers. The young players who died were England international and club captain Roger Byrne, 28, Eddie Colman, 21, England's centre-forward Tommy Taylor,....

Stamford Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down

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The inevitable has happened again. What's common between Luiz Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas Boas and Roberto Di Matteo? The answer is that none of them were able to complete even 300 days as Chelsea manager. The big-budget club's and Roman Abramovich's madness continued on Wednesday when it was announced that Di Matteo, the man who helped them win the FA Cup and their first ever Champions League title last season, had been sacked. Winning Europe's elite club competition had been a burning desire for Abramovich since the Russian billionaire took over as the owner at Stamford Bridge in 2003. Though the Italian coach helped him win the 'Holy Grail' against all odds in May, Tuesday's defeat at the hands of Juventus at Turin has left Chelsea on the brink of Champions League elimination. Thus, Abramovich was prompted to terminate the reign of his eighth manager in less than nine....

Top January transfer targets for top clubs

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With the January transfer window soon approaching, clubs scouts have already started submitting their reports to various football managers across the world. With each passing day, top players are being linked to some of the biggest European clubs. Here are few players and rumours to watch out for over the January transfer window. Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid) to Chelsea or Manchester City: This could be the biggest signing of them all, with a fee worth 50 million pounds believed to be on offering from EPL giants Chelsea to Atletico Madrid. Falcao is quickly establishing himself as one of the top strikers in the game and Chelsea will be desperate to seal his signature ahead of Manchester City, seeing how they are fed up of with a struggling Fernando Torres. The biggest gainers on this one will surely be Atletico Madrid. Klass Jun Huntelaar (Schalke) to Liverpool:....

EPL: Top teams yet to hit top gear

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The English Premier League has just started, but the table is already beginning to have a unfamiliar look about it compared to last season, with the likes of Everton and West Brom starting this season in fine fashion. European champions Chelsea are leading the table with a one-point advantage over 19-time EPL winners Manchester United. Chelsea have 13 points from five matches and are still unbeaten but majority of their players look isolated in the park, especially the 50-million-pound striker Fernando Torres. The shining light for Chelsea has been their new recruit Eden Hazard, who has already produced four Man-of-the-Match performances. If Chelsea were to hold onto their top position this season after a horror show in the last, Hazard, along with new recruits Oscar, Marko Marin and Victor Mosses, has to be on top of their game throughout the season. Although last year's runners-up Man United....

Too early to compare Pujara to Dravid

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In times when most young Indian cricketers are busy hogging the limelight by playing in the Indian Premier League and making quick money, Cheteshwar Pujara's story is of a completely different kind. He is one of those rare Indian cricketers who is seen as a genuine Test prospect. When Pujara scored his maiden Test century on day one of the first Test against New Zealand in Hyderabad, cricket fans across India began comparing the 24-year-old to Rahul Dravid. Rather than touting Pujara as the next Dravid of VVS Laxman, people should be patient and let him settle in the international scene. By comparing him to the legendary Dravid, we are burdening him under pressure and expectations. Pujara came into the limelight after playing a match-winning knock on debut against Australia in October 2010 which earned him warm accolades. Injuries hampered his progress, but he made a....

It's van Purse(i), not van Persie

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Gear up for one of the most controversial summer transfers. Robin van Persie to Manchester United is the highest profile transfer in world football since Luis Figo left Barcelona for archrivals Real Madrid 12 years ago. And we all know what happened to Figo when he faced Barcelona in Barcelona. He was welcomed with all kinds of abuses and even was hit by a pig's head while taking a corner. The EPL has seen lots of high-profile transfers in the past. Fernando Torres' move from Liverpool to Chelsea and Samir Nasri leaving Arsenal for Manchester City are two of the biggest in recent times. But van Persie's transfer is not just about football. Arsenal, one of the best clubs to bring out special talents, sold their captain and last year's golden boot winner to their greatest rivals. The clubs' rivalry has mellowed, yes, but moving from Emirates....

The beautiful game is now all about money

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"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death; I'm very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that," said Bill Shankly, the most famous figure in Liverpool's illustrious history. Indeed, late 19th-century football was a beautiful game and players were passionate for the clubs they used to play for, until money came along. The likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG and Real Madrid have turned the beautiful game into a money game. In today's world players are being sold for ridiculous amounts of money. The latest example is Lucas Moura who almost joined Manchester United for 28 million pounds until PSG came in with an offer of a whopping 40 million pounds for a 19-year-old player with no experience of European football. And that's not all. If you go by media reports, the total....