Legend or loser? If Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo isn’t sure about the fine line between the two ‘L' words of sport, former manager Avram Grant will be only too happy to remind him.

Sir Alex Ferguson joked that Queens Park Rangers would have a better chance of getting something out of their final game of the season at Manchester City if Mark Hughes was playing for the London club instead of coaching them. That was more a commentary on the current QPR squad than a criticism of the 48-year-old's managerial abilities.

The doomsayers will point to his recent failure at Liverpool as a reason not to put Roy Hodgson in the England hot seat. But the lasting benefits of his three seasons at Fulham are a better indication of Hodgson’s qualities as a manager.

How much more confident would Manchester United feel about their chances at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night if two of their stalwarts from last season were in the line-up?

“I fear death, not football.” The words came from Italy striker Antonio Di Natale when asked if he were afraid to test himself at a big club after refusing a transfer from Udinese to Juventus in 2010.

“Thursday nights, Channel Five” taunted the away fans during Tottenham’s most recent home defeat, clearly unimpressed by their ambitions to play in next season’s Champions League.

Talking to Ajax manager Frank de Boer, you’d swear that Jan Vertonghen’s move to Arsenal next season was already a done-deal. What isn’t so certain is if the former Netherlands captain will ever join the tall Belgian in the English Premier League.
 

In terms of pure results, all the hype and outrageous personal demands aren’t translating into success. Yet Harry Kewell’s return home probably saved Australia’s fragile A-League from a further downward spiral.

Fortunately there seems to be more encouraging news from the London Chest Hospital where Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba is making a strong recovery after collapsing during last weekend’s English FA Cup tie at Tottenham Hotspur.

If Sir Alex Ferguson is able to guide Manchester United to their 20th English league title this season, it will surely be the Scotsman’s greatest domestic trophy.

They’re a Premier League club with a realistic chance of playing in Europe next season, whose sometimes-stubborn manager has overcome the odds with some shrewd signings. And, in an era of excessive spending, they’re in decent financial shape.

If you put your trust in someone, just leave them alone to let them do their job. Whether it’s in business or in the English Premier League or the Malaysian Super League, micromanagement rarely gets the best out of anyone.

With their club returning to a Wembley final for the first time in 16 years, Liverpool fans are automatically reminded of the infamous 'white suits' FA Cup decider when the Merseyside club lost to an Eric Cantona-inspired Manchester United in 1996.
 

For a player so synonymous with injury, Louis Saha seemed indestructible a year ago when he drove his Ferrari 458 Italia into a fencepost off a busy road in Cheshire

We know for sure that England will have a new manager for June’s European Championship. What we don’t know is if he will select John Terry or opt to leave the former captain behind.

In the build-up to Sunday’s Premier League match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, big spending Chelsea raised eyebrows by signing their third Red Devil in just over six months.

As a new Lunar Year begins, the English Premier League’s most famous Water Dragon has every reason to feel optimistic about the months ahead.

John Barnes lives a life on the move. After taking care of fatherly duties with his 13-month old son at his Merseyside home this week, the former Liverpool winger hit the road to appear as a studio expert on British television coverage of the FA Cup.

Things are likely to get worse before they get better as new manager Mark Hughes tries to turn around Asian-owned Queens Park Rangers.

“He had me at ‘hello’,” was one of the wittier headlines as Arsene Wenger announced his intention to bring Thierry Henry back to the Emirates Stadium on a two-month loan deal.