The only place to be

Wenger? I suppose Moyes brought through Rooney....Rodwell....Barkley....Vaughn....Gosling

Having a coffee with a friend and we both had a moment of sadness....or something like that. A definite sense of loss, not of him in particular but simply an era of our lives. The guy's been manager of the behemoth that is Man United for most of my life and so many moments are tied up with him. That avatar of mine (<---) is one of my earliest highlights of supporting Chelsea. Getting one over that United team meant so much that season, and we did it twice. Then I had my first tears as a Chelsea supporter in the Cup Final the same year. Then there's all the other battles over the years, some great, some dreadful. I'm not going to be too deferent to him or eulogise him before his time, but he has been a constant presence in English football for almost three decades and it's going to be weird next season when he isn't around. All those little things you associate with him, whether you liked or loathed them, were at least predictable even going back to last Sunday when Luiz had his little laugh. Yes it was great to see, but you also wanted to see what Fergie's reaction to it would be. So whilst I'm glad he's off and United enter this period of transition, next season is going to feel like it's lacking something that it's had since I've been following football. Anyway, back to reading the United fans' reactions.

Or Phil Neville. He's been hanging around the England setup and is off in the summer, apparently to look at a coaching role. He could be the Robbie Di Matteo to Moyes's AVB. Also the use of the word 'amicably' in dealing with the new coach's club doesn't exactly sound like Florentino Perez. If Moyes goes then I guarantee he will go with Kenwright's blessing and if that is the case then his last game is against us.

Just deviating slightly from the panicking, but let's just go back to yesterday when the sun was shining, the birds were tweeting and Mourinho was coming back to the Bridge.... You've got to think he's secretly (or not so secretly) delighted that one of his main competitors is leaving. Sure he'll miss the battles but if he's looking to stay for the long-term and build something big, then what more could he ask for? There's going to be a massive whole in English football and he could dominate for as long as he wants. Now....I'm not saying anything is certain either way and I'm certainly not going to put the mockers on, but this could be as big a day for us as it is for United.

I was agreeing with you that Moyes seems to be the favourite.

Sky Sports News just said he was in pole position. Money was going on him before this story broke, then it shifted to Mourinho as the 'less-informed' punters got money down and now more money has gone on Moyes as his price drifted.

Mark Kleinman ‏@MarkKleinmanSky8m My #MUFC source also tells me club's board has been in talks with Fergie's successor for some time. Rules out neither Moyes nor Mourinho. Details Mark Kleinman ‏@MarkKleinmanSky19m Manchester United source tells me Sir Alex Ferguson's successor will be announced within days but has to resign from current role first... Details Moyes is out of contract at the end of the season so can resign without consequence - in fact he'd go with Kenwright's blessing and their season is over in a couple of weeks. Mourinho's contract situation is well-documented and there are millions of pounds at stake. He also has the Copa Del Ray final in 9 days against Atletico.

Personally I didn't like some of his comments where he seemed to take a bit of credit for our success last season, suggesting that we were in the competitions when he left so he must've been doing something right. He conveniently forgets we were 3-1 down after the first leg against Napoli and had to play a replay in the FA Cup.

Some people need to relax and not go full scouser (you never go full scouser). Money was going on Moyes before this news started - that's the smart money. Now everyone is putting two and two together and assuming it will be Jose. If it is then we finally get closure and we move on to something else. If he comes then we know he was being sincere about us. Whatever happens, this is going to be the dawn of something new where one of the powerhouses goes through one of the biggest transitions in English football history. And whatever happens, we're going to be pushing hard for the title next season which could herald a new force in English football dominating like United did.

Whatever happens, whoever we get in and whoever they get in this has to increase our chances of winning the title next year. We've been talking about a transition, but this is something else. The fact he's leaving when there are five teams pushing for the top four and even Liverpool are rebuilding means whoever comes in needs to hit the ground running.

I can remember what it was like when Jose left, and we all remember what it felt like when Robbie left (about this time of day too). United fans must feel sick. Yes. The decision to retire is one that I have thought a great deal about and one that I have not taken lightly. It is the right time. It was important to me to leave an organisation in the strongest possible shape and I believe I have done so. The quality of this league winning squad, and the balance of ages within it, bodes well for continued success at the highest level whilst the structure of the youth set-up will ensure that the long-term future of the club remains a bright one. Our training facilities are amongst the finest in global sport and our home Old Trafford is rightfully regarded as one of the leading venues in the world. Going forward, I am delighted to take on the roles of both Director and Ambassador for the club. With these activities, along with my many other interests, I am looking forward to the future. I must pay tribute to my family, their love and support has been essential. My wife Cathy has been the key figure throughout my career. – SIR ALEX FERGUSON

Not many things worth starting a new thread about, but if there is one it'd be this surely. (if not then merge it). Blimey. ManUtd_PressOffice ‏@ManUtd_PO6mSir Alex Ferguson retires. #thankyousiralex Details

I kinda agree. The one thing that probably sets Lewandowski apart (except for his age and comparative 'cheapness') is that he already plays in a similar system to the one we're employing. Stats don't tell the whole story, but if you look at where the goals come from in the team, then Atletico really do build everything around Falcao. Falcao has scored 26 goals in La Liga, but the next highest scorer only has 7 (Costa) whilst Garcia and Turan only have 5 and 4 respectively. Lewandowski has 23 goals, but Reus, Blaszczykowksi and Reus have 12, 11 and 10 goals respectively. To me the Dortmund side more closely resembles what we're trying to do with Mata, Hazard and Oscar (or Moses, De Bruyne and possibly Schurrle) expected to chip in with goals too. We've never really been a team who get all our goals from a striker, even when we had Drogba in the team and I don't expect us to start doing that next season.

The king is here..... This match always bring back memories of one of my all-time favourite games. And for those who don't know, Mal Donaghy was like an early-90s version of Eden Hazard....and yes that is some form of badger on his head. Watching that back I have no fucking idea how Kharine wasn't red-carded for the second pen.

Wow.....very honoured. Thanks guys. And rmpr - I actually will take that on board. Not even the fact that I've won this in the same month that Rafa won Manager of the Month can temper my happiness.... All in all, a good week. I will probably fashion some kind of badge to wear to the Spurs game, or maybe a banner of some kind so that people know to genuflect accordingly. MIght even get MOTM 4/13 printed on the back of my shirt, although I'm already realising that's an awful idea. But right now with the sun out and this remarkable honour I'm smiling like Rafael has just kicked me from behind.

Exactly. Yes there's a sentimentality associated with Jose coming back, but he's also a world-class coach who could walk into most jobs. He left and went on to the greatest of successes. Dalglish did well at Blackburn, but comparing him to Keegan is laughable. Mourinho ain't a cheerleader lacking bottle.

That's not far off what I was thinking. The real danger is from that 20-30 yards out where Bale has got winners against teams like Southampton, West Ham and even United. Maybe we need a Ramires-Luiz double-pivot who will work their bollocks off and track his runs, because I think we can rely on a centre-back pairing of two from JT, Cahill and Ivanovic. Hopefully Hazard is back too because we really missed his direct running against United. If Dembele is out then that's a massive boost for us and should afford Mata and Oscar more space in front of Spurs's defence. Always buzzing for games against Spurs but this is probably our biggest home league match in a few years. Win this and we can finally start enjoying being in a European final.

Seems to be people don't mind if he goes down and pretends to be hurt, but laughing at the fans who are barracking him is wrong? Did he break the suspension of disbelief? Do we need him to commit more to the role of 'injured player' when he playacts? Players milk bad tackles all the time. They feign injury in order to draw attention to things that would otherwise have been missed. His actions in this case didn't actually have any effect in my opinion because Rafael kicked him right in front of the assistant ref. All he's done is make Chelsea fans love him even more and given opposing fans a spurious reason to dislike him. Big fucking deal.

O'Shea and Park weren't picked just because of what they could do with a football - they were picked because they were dependable, hard-working pros who could be relied upon to put in a shift. I don't hate Mikel. I just find him to be the most frustrating player we're ever had because he has EVERYTHING. He's got the physical tools to dominate. He's got a great eye for a pass. He's good in the air. He's actually got a really good shot on him. He isn't Jody Morris in blackface. There's a reason the two best teams in England were fighting over him. It's the intangibles I still have doubts about. The same thing is starting to crop up about Josh too. You can have all the skill in the world but it's the intangibles, the player's personality which determines how much of that talent ends up on the pitch. I'm hoping that he'll show us all tomorrow if he starts. United have played to his strengths in our last couple of games so it's set up for him.

Oh the old 'you don't understand what Mikel does' bullshit. Was Makelele flashy? And since when does Cech not get praised? He's considered by most to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world - what more could you want? It's massively insulting for you to imply that Chelsea supporters who turn up week-in and week-out aren't capable of understanding the role Mikel plays and his effectiveness in it. He's been a constant presence under all these managers who were fired for under-performing? Well woop-de-fucking-do. John O'Shea had about 300 appearances for Man United. Park Ji Sung had 200. Bosingwa started (and won) a Champions League Final. Just being present isn't a sure sign of one's ability or level of performance.

You're literally the only person I've ever heard suggest that. You say some interesting things elsewhere but when it comes to Mikel, you're so far out on your own that it's amazing. You would like this guy captaining this club....following in the footsteps of so many greats, so many legends, so many men. Wow. Every manager who picked him consistently has been sacked haven't they? It'd be great if he did go down a legend, but for that to happen he's really going to have to up his performances and become a leader in that position because players like Chalobah are coming up and they have all his talent, plus heart. I know plenty of him. I've watched him since he came to this club and I've heard plenty of things about him. I grew up watching players in his position act like men and lift this team - he's a fucking passenger at best.

Would you want Mikel to be captain of Chelsea Football Club when JT leaves? If not, how is it possible that a person who has played 300 games in a position that requires more responsibility than almost any other on the pitch isn't one of the first names that pops up?

Amazing to see how involved he was when he was pushed forward too. He looked almost Toure-esque at times. Such a special player.

2-1 Leeds.

Full time. The ref was already running off the pitch when he blew the whistle at the end.