English Premier League - Features

Ferguson, who has an interest in around 20 racehorses both on the flat and over the jumps including the useful Epsom Derby hope Telescope, also found his fame did not make him a target for over-zealous racegoers.

Alex Ferguson has come out with plenty of snappy remarks during his time as manager of Manchester United, whether as part of his celebrated 'mind games' or as an unscripted reaction to many of the memorable incidents that have littered his trophy-laden career.

Alex Ferguson's successor as Manchester United manager will be reminded of the gargantuan size of the task facing him every time he looks across the Old Trafford pitch at the giant stand that bears the venerable Scot's name.

Just how do you replace the irreplaceable?

That was the question facing Manchester United on Wednesday after Alex Ferguson announced his decision to retire as manager at the end of the season.

Manchester United has produced several stellar players through the course of its illustrious history of 138 years. One man - a coach - has however been the most iconic for the club and has taken it through unscaled heights of footballing excellence.

The ten biggest movers and shakers in the English Premier League over the past month during the January transfer window.

Chelsea's crop of exciting young players is helping repair the club's damaged image, says the club's chief executive Ron Gourlay. The Champions League winner has struggled to win friends during public disputes fueled by racism allegations, while talismanic captain John Terry and big-spending owner Roman Abramovich have long been polarizing personalities in English football.

South African Steven Pienaar and Ivorian Cheick Tiote were red carded and Senegalese Demba Ba conceded an own goal in the English Premier League at the weekend.

John Terry quit international football on Sunday, fewer than 24 hours before a Football Association hearing into allegations he racially abused Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand. Here is the factfile of Terry:

Liverpool host Manchester United on Sunday in the 186th installment of a bitter rivalry that has brought out the worst in some of the sport's biggest stars. Here we look at five of the most notorious flashpoints in England's premier grudge match: