Editor's letter

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Yes, Roberto Mancini’s sacking left a sour taste, but his departure wasn’t exactly a surprise

Manchester City must be cursing Sir Alex Ferguson. As they were readying the golden bullet to end Roberto Mancini’s tenure, across the way the self-styled ‘Scottish Beast’ stole a march.

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The national game faced a huge challenge to overcome an Olympic-sized hangover...

And so another football season comes to a close over the course of the next week and a bit, when plenty of dreams, with the odd nightmare thrown in, will come true.

This year was always going to be crucial for football.

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Let’s give the morons a beer or six and let them loose, eh? On second thoughts, let’s not

Sports Minister Hugh Robertson says it’s “a bit of an excuse” to blame last weekend’s FA Cup violence on the late kick-off, which gave fans the chance to spend all day drinking and taking drugs.

Well, maybe it is. Robertson is right to say that whatever the circumstances, that level of behaviour is wrong. It makes no odds whatsoever whether the protagonists were smashed out of their tiny minds.

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He’s leaving Everton, but to quote an old terrace chant: Neville, Neville – your future’s immense

The other Neville-inspired song , chanted by opposing supporters of teams visiting Old Trafford, went a little bit like this: “If the Nevilles play for England, so can I.” Over and over.

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Forget the rampant speculation – Rooney will still be plying his trade at Old Trafford next year

Wayne Rooney perhaps didn’t become the footballer that so many people hoped. It’s not so long ago he was bracketed alongside Ronaldo and Messi.

Indeed, when Ronaldo left Manchester United, plenty thought it a good thing, as it would free up Rooney to fulfil his potential, which many thought had been stifled.

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The Cheltenham Festival is one of the highlights of the year. Embrace it, people!

Now I fully appreciate that to many people, horse racing doesn’t constitute sport. They just don’t get it. To them, the Cheltenham Festival means nothing at all.