It appears that the All Blacks have lost another key player - this time to French rugby. Hosea Gear will join Toulouse after the completion of the Super Rugby season in another big money move by the Frogs, meaning the All Blacks' outside backs stocks have taken another hit - consider that Cory Jane is already out for the season and Julian Savea still has an assault charge still to be decided at court, a worst-case scenario of at least two total newbies on the wings (Charles Piutau, Frank Halai, Alaptai Leiua) is quite possible even if it is potentially exciting.
Mind you, like Ali Williams, it is quite probable that Gear has been told that he has not quite made the All Blacks for the June internationals so has decided to call time on his career himself rather than be forced by the national selectors.
The younger of the Gear brothers, Hosea was once hailed as the best winger in New Zealand rugby by Graham Henry. However, in recent times, Hosea has been overshadowed by the rise of Julian Savea although he would have been useful on the other wing too. Hosea's form in Super Rugby also has been somewhat affected by the Highlanders' miserable form this season and with changes certain after the disaster that has been this season, Gear must have thought it best to make his third move in as many seasons (he moved from the Hurricanes to the Highlanders shortly after Mark Hammett's appointment in 2011).
Hosea Gear is no doubt a great player but one whose talents have been rarely on show even if they have somewhat fortuitously earned him accolades - he has a Rugby World Cup winners medal despite not playing a single game having come in as a last minute replacement for the injured Mils Mulai'ina.
Nevertheless, he will be definitely missed by New Zealand rugby although with the chance to play for a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics looming, I imagine Gear won't be away for too long.
The European football season ended on a great note on Saturday with Wembley hosting one of the better Champions League Finals, if not one of the best.
While the scoreline and drama may not have quite matched the likes of Liverpool's come from 3-nil down to beat AC Milan Final, or Man Utd's injury time turnaround against Bayern, the quality of football played was definitely one of the best we had witnessed in a Final of this calibre for some time.
Recent World Cup and Champions League Finals have witnessed dour, defensive football and a preference for penalties. And it was feared that a Final featuring two teams from one country's league would follow that recipe. Not for the Bundesliga, which has reinvented and now prided itself as being an entertaining league with high quality passing, attacking football and plenty of goals and youthful enterprise and that was evident in North London on Saturday night.
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund may not agree on many things but both clearly agreed that they would go and attack this game right from the off. However, it was Dortmund who took the first initiative - and in hindsight, probably should have made more of their opportunities when they were dominant before the inevitable Bayern strike back.
Arjen Robben was electric in a 2nd half in which we saw why Bayern were the overwhelming league champions in Germany - they found ways to get back into the game and take control. Dortmund's defence was run ragged, exposed by Ribery, Muller, Robben and Mandzukic, and Bayern could have won the game earlier had it not been for an epic clearance off the line by Subotic.
In a game that was typified by delicious tikka-takka football, it was a very direct approach that used to be expected from sides that have aspirations of going to Wembley Stadium each season for the FA Cup that won Bayern the game. A great goal kick by the brilliant Manuel Neuer reached Robben whose touch was magnificent and cool to win Bayern the game.
Bayern's victory means that they have somewhat redeemed themselves for last season's home horrors when they choked in their home Champions League final against Chelsea. It also meant that incoming coach, Pep Guardiola, has a Mount Everest to climb to even match the effort of his retiring predecessor, Jupp Heyneckes.
Retaining the treble - assuming that Bayern beat Stuttgart in Germany's version of the FA Cup next weekend - is virtually impossible - winning it is already extremely extremely extremely difficult. Guardiola would be making landfall on Mars if he can guide Mario Goetze and Bayern to a repeat treble next season.
However, this Bayern side with their massive win of the league and now capturing the European Cup, must surely warrant debate as to whether they are one of the greatest club sides ever, alongside the likes of Pep's Barcelona of 2009 and 2011, Mourinho's Inter of 2010, Fergie's Man United of 1999, etc.
This Bayern side have been reshaped from expensive underachievers to a true champion team by Jupp Heyneckes but are they comparable to Messi's Barcelona who seem to reach their astronomical targets on a consistent basis? No doubt it is a great side and probably the greatest club side ever assembled in Germany, and one thing they have on their side, is the fact they not only beat Messi's Barcelona but thrashed them over two legs.
In that regard, yes Jupp Heynecke's class of 2012/13 definitely warrants the title as one of the greatest club sides ever, but whether it is the greatest side ever, remains to be seen. Let's not forget that they still have to complete the treble by beating Stuttgart in the DFB Pokal - a huge upset if Stuttgart who narrowly avoided relegation could topple the very motivated European champions.
So Prost to the German and now European champions, clearly the class of Europe in 2013.
Die Deutschen sind Wembley Heimkehr! This weekend finally sees the much-anticipated Champions League Final clash between Germany's two finest clubs at the moment.
Once again, German football has another proud day at English expense, with the aristocrats from Bayern (Bayern Munich) taking on the miners from the Ruhr (Borussia Dortmund). Of course, both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund have evolved from their traditional roots to have a very big group of supporters from all walks of society, the rivalry is still very much there.
More of this, this weekend?
It is not the first time that these two German giants have taken on each other in the Champions League - Borussia Dortmund eliminated Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals in 1998 by a single goal to Swiss striker, Stephane Chapuisat. However, it has been a while since the Northerners have been able to match the might of the South in Europe - the last time they could, current Villa manager, Paul Lambert was anchoring the midfield with playmaker, Andreas Moller pulling the strings for the yellow and blacks as they shocked Zinedine Zidane's Juventus en route to winning their first and only European trophy in 1997 in Munich.
With a younger but equally talented lineup of players, Jurgen Klopp hopes to repeat that shock against the runaway German champions at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night and ruin Jupp Heynecke's ultimate farewell party. And this victory for the Dortmunders will probably be sweeter than in 1997.
However, they'll have to do it without Mario Goetze whose transfer to Bayern Munich before next season will have ruffled feathers in the Ruhr Valley. Goetze has struggled to recover from an injury sustained against Real Madrid in the semifinals last month meaning the Final will lose a bit of spice.
Goetze or not, Dortmund still have a lot of young flair and Marco Reus and Kevin Grosskeutz will have more of the playmaking abilities against Bayern - despite losing Shinji Kagawa to United last season, Dortmund are still brimming with playmakers with Nuri Sahin also available. Then, there's Robert Lewandowski, probably the 2nd most wanted striker in Europe after Radamel Falcao.
However, Bayern do have the experience and history to back them up and after the disappointment of last season where they choked in last year's final right in front of their home fans and city, they will be motivated to show to right where they went wrong. And given the 20 point buffer they finished over Dortmund in the Bundesliga, they want to ensure that their superiority in the league is shown in Europe.
Only, Pep Guardiola will be disadvantaged if you can call it that, if Bayern Munich win the Champions League - he will be under more pressure to replicate what has already been a fine season for the Bavarians.
Prediction? All-country finals bar Spain's one (Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 in Paris in 2000) have ended in penalty shootouts. Dortmund and Bayern played out two draws in the Bundesliga this year and know each other well.
It is looking set to be the most intriguing off-season summer for a long time in football. The top 3 clubs in the Premier League will have new managers at the start of the new season in August 2013 but only David Moyes is certain to be in charge, i.e. at Manchester United, although Manchester City and Chelsea are close to confirming their new managers, if you believe the speculation.
Not too far down the table, Everton and Stoke are looking for new managers - Stoke's Tony Pulis having been pulled after 7 years in the Potteries. And if Michael Laudrup ends up going being headhunted by one of the big clubs in England or in Europe, Swansea could be looking for their third manager in as many seasons through no fault of their own.
Shame we won't see a repeat of these under Manchester club guises
Speaking of Europe, Real Madrid and PSG will be looking for new managers as will Malaga who could possibly end up being the destination of a former Premier League manager. Even broke Inter may be on the lookout for a new coach following their worst season in recent times - under Andrea Stramaccioni, the 2010 European and world champions finished 9th well off the European places in a season where they lost 15 games, and with Roberto Mancini now available, what chance will the former Inter manager return to his old stomping ground where he won the Scudetto 3 years in a row?
So looking at my crystal ball, here's what I see..
PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester City - Manuel Pellegrini
Chelsea - Jose Mourinho
Everton - Martin O'Neill
Swansea - Michael Laudrup
Stoke City - Roberto di Matteo
EUROPE
Real Madrid - Carlo Ancelotti
Malaga - Roberto Martinez
Internazionale/Napoli - Roberto Mancini
PSG - Rafael Benitez
The 25 Wallabies to face the British & Irish Lions next month have been named - Quade Cooper and Jesse Mogg have missed out while league & Aussie rules convert, Israel Folau has been included after an impressive debut with the Waratahs.
Backs: Israel Folau*, Digby Ioane, Joe Tomane, Nick Cummins, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Rob Horne, Pat McCabe, Christian Leali’ifano*, Berrick Barnes, James O’Connor, Will Genia.
Forwards: Wycliff Palu, Michael Hooper, Liam Gill, Scott Higginbotham, Ben Mowen*, Rob Simmons, James Horwill, Sitaleki Timani, James Slipper, Ben Alexander, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore, Saia Faingaa.
The 2012-13 Premier League season concludes on Sunday at around quarter to 6. While it hasn't quite lived up to the tremendous season before where the league title came right down to the last minute of injury time, it has still been an exciting season to follow.
Manchester United roared back from the disappointment at the Stadium of Light last season to romp home with what turned out to be Sir Alex Ferguson's last ever honour, while last season's champions ended up sacking their manager, Roberto Mancini, a year to the date they sealed their first ever league title in years. Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham were in the running for Champions League football while David Moyes continued to impress at Everton on a shoestring budget, pushing them close to European football eventually earning the honour of replacing Fergie at Manchester United. They finished ahead of their big rivals across the city who showed some improvement under Brendan Rodgers in his first season.
Elsewhere, the race to survive in the Premier League was fiercer than ever. While Swansea, West Brom, West Ham and Fulham all maintained their Premier League status comfortably, the likes of Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland, Stoke, Aston Villa, Southampton, Wigan, Reading and QPR all got tangled in a scrap to stay up. Ultimately, newly-promoted Reading and last season's survivors, QPR failed the litmus test early on, while brave, little Wigan finally ran out of luck after 8 years, with their relegation confirmed only 3 days after their most glorious day - a shock FA Cup victory over giants Manchester City.
And with the managerial roulette in full motion, things will probably get worse for Wigan with their manager, Roberto Martinez set for pastures anew at Everton, Manchester City or Malaga, depending on who you believe.
So here's my review of the season that has just gone by! TEAM OF THE YEAR - GK - David de Gea, Manchester United - after a tough debut season, de Gea took the criticism and competition with Andreas Lindegaard in his stride and emerged as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. The gap left by the retirement of Edwin van der Saar appears to have been finally filled.
LB - Leighton Baines, Everton - Everton's skilful left back has finally made the position sharing his initials his own, contributing crosses and goals in Everton's credible push for European football this season. One wonders if David Moyes will drag his lieutenant, in the form of his life, down the canal in the summer. Much as the Scouser is a life-long Everton fan, the lure of winning trophies with Manchester United might just be a bit too much to resist.
CB - Ashley Williams, Swansea City - There is a good reason why Arsenal are quite interested in the Welsh international who shares his name with a Hollywood actress (think Victoria the baker in How I Met Your Mother). But Ashley deserves all the credits he can get as he has been a rock in Swansea's backline as they've kept clean sheet after clean sheet en route to a likely top ten finish and first ever trophy. Arsenal will be forking out the big bucks if they want to get their man for sure. Shame his season will be remembered for this -
CB - Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur - the best centre back in the Premier League right now. Period. Vertonghen has been a revelation at the back and up the field, being more prolific in the goal scoring than expected. One of the Premier League debutants of the season.
RB - Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City - It has been a season to forget for the champions of last season but they still did finish 2nd even if most of the heroes from last season didn't quite live up to the standards of last. Zabaleta was one of the few players to maintain that standard and led his dysfunctional team at right back with aplomb. His red card in the FA Cup epitomised the effort and sacrifice he had put for the team while his team-mates just stood and watched.
WG - Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur - Undisputedly the player of the season in the Premier League. It has been a while since one player has been so integral in deciding victory or defeat for a club. Without Bale's hot streak in 2013, Tottenham would have given up on Champions League football quite a while ago. The big question is - Champions League football or not, will Gareth Bale still be at White Hart Lane next season?
AM - Juan Mata, Chelsea - Frank Lampard may have scored more goals, and Eden Hazard may have garnered more attention but Juan Mata has been the key reason why Chelsea have kept rolling despite yet another managerial change. One of the reasons why the Premier League is the most exciting league in the world and one wonders if we've yet to see the best from the Spanish international who scored the 4th goal in Spain's EURO 2012 Final win over Italy in the summer.
CM - Michael Carrick, Manchester United - Underrated and often maligned but now the most important player in Manchester United's midfield. Carrick is one of the best passers of the Premier League and probably would be a player who would do well at a team that loves to pass the ball, i.e. Barcelona or Bayern Munich under Pep Guardiola. Can even play centre-back when needed. The former West Ham and Tottenham midfielder will continue to be key for United next season.
WG - Santi Cazorla, Arsenal - Picked up on a bargain from cash-strapped Malaga, Cazorla has been a revelation for Arsene Wenger and one of their most consistent players in another inconsistent eason for the Gunners.
FW - Luis Suarez, Liverpool - Mercurial, controversial and ill-disciplined. Three words to sum up Liverpool's best player. His moment of madness, biting Branislav Ivanovic, definitely cost him the Golden Boot in his most prolific goal scoring season for the Reds yet. Don't believe the rumours - Suarez will be at Anfield next season and Liverpool will have to continue to figure out how to keep their star on a leash.
FW - Robin van Persie, Manchester United - One of the signings of the season, and quite possibly one of Fergie's greatest signings ever - and his last great signing. RVP brought his goalscoring form at Arsenal to Manchester and formed a wonderful attack with Wayne Rooney - or just went solo towards the end of the season.
Bench - GK - Tim Howard, Everton - has been key in keeping the clean sheets coming at Goodison Park CB - Rio Ferdinand, Man United - earned a contract extension and a place in Old Trafford folklore as the man who scored the winner in Fergie's last ever home game CM - Frank Lampard, Chelsea - fighting for a contract, Super Frank had a record-breaking goal scoring season at Stamford Bridge AM - Eden Hazard, Chelsea - a remarkable debut season marred by poor temperament, but will be a joy to watch for years to come. FW - Michu, Swansea - bargain of the season - possibly decade. How long will he stay at Swansea?
GAME OF THE YEAR - Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United - the most highly anticipated game of the season at the time with both Manchester sides racing clear at the top of the league. United went 2-0 up early on but City stormed back into contention only to be denied by a very late Robin van Persie free kick.
GOAL OF THE YEAR - Matthew Lowton, Aston Villa - an outstanding strike which helped to inspire Aston Villa's strong charge and ultimately successful bid to stay in the Premier League.
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR - QPR - Moral of story - money can't buy you success and one wonders what QPR will now do with the millions of pounds worth of talent that they have at the club following their relegation to the Championship where they will have far less TV money and revenue - surely the likes of Loic Remy, Yann M'Vila, Junior Hoilett, Jose Bosingwa, will move on to other clubs in the top flight so that might help QPR cut their losses and prepare for life in the Championship.
2013 certainly witnessed the close of a glorious era in English football. It appears that Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement was the first of a spate of retirements involving the great Manchester United team that dominated English football in the 1990s and early in the 21st century.
Phil Neville, now at Everton, was the first former Fergie charge to announce his retirement this season at the end of the season - his older brother, Gary and teammate, Nicky Butt retired several seasons ago now. After Fergie's shock announcement last Wednesday, Paul Scholes and now David Beckham have announced their retirements from the sport.
The news of the retirement of the most marketable footballer in the world comes as no real surprise. At 38, Beckham is definitely at the age where most footballers hang up their boots and after winning another league title in another country, this time with cash-rich PSG in France, David has decided to spend a bit more time with Posh and his 4 lovely kids in London.
Well, not quite, he has signed a deal with Chinese football to help them grow the game in China. That move sums up David Beckham - a brilliant and generous entrepreneur who has done plenty of good for the beautiful game on and off the field, and will continue to do so in the near future.
Since that wonder goal against Wimbledon in 1996, Beckham has worked hard to become the most marketable footballer in the world - and ended up prizing himself out of his beloved Manchester United in 2003. Marriage to Posh Spice definitely took Beckham - and football's - standing to heights never imagined before and even if Beckham's lustre has somewhat faded in his 30s, the Beckham brand is still one of the most recognisable and profitable in world sport.
But all that gain has not been for his own self. David Beckham is one of the great philanthropists in the world, having devoted plenty of his time to UNICEF - and of course, 6 month's of Qatari money for playing for PSG was donated to a children's charity in Paris.
David is also a great patriot for his country, playing a big role in getting the Olympics back to London for the first time since 1948.
His biggest contribution to world football though was taking the gamble of going to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2006 to play in an "inferior" MLS with not many big names, surviving for so long and turning the MLS into one of the strongest leagues in world football and one that attracts stars - Robbie Keane, Thierry Henry, etc. have joined Beckham in the move to the US. Once a league for specialist cable TV, the MLS is now broadcast on national TV and its ratings have never been higher, while expansion continues abreast in new markets across the USA and Canada.
So here's to a top bloke, and a top man. Enjoy the retirement!
This year's final day is now set to be a bore compared to last year - although to be fair, that was the greatest final day of any league season in mankind's history and it was always going to be tough to replicate. The championship and relegation have now been decided with only the last Champions League spot to be decided.
Wigan's defeat to Arsenal confirmed their relegation to the Championship after 8 years in the top flight - longer than many had thought. They now join the likes of Reading and QPR, dreading the thought of a potential harvest by those still in the Premier League of their best players.
Here are 5 players that will probably still be in the Premier League next season -
1. Shaun Maloney, Wigan - a key conductor in Wigan's midfield, the Scottish international and former Celtic hero is set to move on to another Premier League club in the summer (a return to Aston Villa with former teammate, Paul Lambert, or Everton if Martinez goes there) or possibly even back to Celtic.
2. Loic Remy, QPR - until his recent arrest over rape charges, Remy was - and still is - one of the most sought after players in European football. The French international has talent and a good goalscoring boot but his bad temperament was detrimental in maintaining QPR's Premier League status.
3. Hal Robson-Kanu, Reading - The son of Bryan Robson and Nwankwo Kanu - well actually no that's not possible - has been very impressive on the wing in the Premier League and could find himself at one of the newly promoted clubs, i.e. Cardiff, Hull, Watford/Crystal Palace.
4. Arouna Kone, Wigan - Kone has been one of Wigan's most electric and dangerous players and could be a very good attacking option for any of the Premier League clubs.
5. Junior Hoilett, QPR - Hoillett's value may have dropped after two straight relegations but his talent is without doubt and any Premier League club would be lucky to have him.
The Premier League concludes next season. Here is my Premier League team of the season - a bit alternative to what most people have picked.
Tim Howard (GK), Everton
Leighton Baines, Everton
Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur
Ashley Williams, Swansea
Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea
Gareth Bale, Tottenham Hotspur
Juan Mata, Chelsea
Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
Robin van Persie, Manchester United
Luis Suarez, Liverpool
Michu, Swansea City
SUBSTITUTES -
Joe Hart (GK), Manchester City
Gareth McAuley, West Bromwich Albion
Rafael de Silva, Manchester United
Eden Hazard, Chelsea
Frank Lampard, Chelsea
Christian Benteke, Aston Villa
Manager of the Season - Steve Clarke, West Bromwich Albion
The Premier League season is in its final stages and while the destination of the league trophy has been long decided, there is plenty to play for at this the business end of the season.
Sir Alex Ferguson's resignation yesterday has also added spice to the finish of Manchester United's season with the Red Devils probably desperate to ensure the tenure of the greatest manager in their history ends on a very high note.
Thankfully, Swansea and West Brom have long clinched their Premier League status for the season so Fergie's chances of finishing 2 from 2 are pretty good - especially when one of them is before the trophy ceremony at Old Trafford.
Elsewhere though, Premier League survival is the aim of the day. It appears that Aston Villa have found their form at the right time of the season and having reach 40 points are now likely to stay in the Premier League - and if results go their way might even sneak into the top ten on the final day - an unlikely thought a couple of weeks ago.
In fact, it appears that the impending relegation shootout at Villa Park on the last day of the season might fizzle into a bit like the last day of school especially if results on the weekend go against Wigan and they fail to beat Arsenal at the Emirates a couple of days after their FA Cup Final appearance.
Wigan's failure to beat Swansea at home days before they walk out onto Wembley Stadium might possibly be the first nail in the coffin for the brave Latics - on paper, it was the "easiest" game for the Latics on their home straight. However, their defence, as it has been all season, let them down and against a polished Michael Laudrup-managed Swansea with nothing to play for other than their highest ever league finish, they let a win slip through their hands.
They must now play in the FA Cup Final against Manchester City and witness their fellow contenders for survival play their games on Sunday before going to the Emirates to face Champions League chasing Arsenal before their last home game against Aston Villa.
A draw for Sunderland, Southampton, Newcastle and Norwich will extend the gap between Wigan and those clubs outside the drop zone to 4 points, meaning that Wigan would have go to the Emirates to get a draw just to stay in the race to stay up. Even then, they will be 3 points from safety and dependent on a win against Aston Villa in their last match of the season.
A lot of pressure on a very talented but small Wigan side who may have taken on a bit too much more this season than they can handle.
In previous seasons, Wigan have had the luxury of being out of cup competitions at this time of the year and being able to fully concentrate on maintaining their Premier League status. This season, their involvement in the FA Cup, while wonderful for the competition, has meant Wigan have had far more games to play in a short space of time at the end of the season and that appears to have taken a toll on Roberto Martinez's team for all their endeavour and courage.
Even if Wigan do eventually go down, Martinez's job prospects should be safe whether he stays at Wigan or ends up going to Everton or Swansea depending on who goes where. Wigan are a small club which have punched above their weight during their 7 years so far in the top flight yet they have never spent above their means and that is why even if they go down, I expect them to go back up very quickly with the squad they have - although their involvement in European competition next season as FA Cup finalists might hurt their push for promotion as we've seen with Ipswich, Millwall and Birmingham City in recent seasons.
So, Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland and Southampton will all stay up by the dint of the fact that their form earlier in the season was better than those at the bottom rather than their form at the end of the season and can probably breath a sigh of relief knowing their Premier League status is safe for at least another season.
My tips -
QPR 0-0 Newcastle, Sunderland 1-1 Southampton, Aston Villa 1-1 Chelsea, Norwich 1-1 West Brom, Arsenal 1-0 Wigan
The world of football - and bookmakers - has been thrown into the biggest news frenzy and shock it has seen in a long time. Close football followers - or rather followers of social and news media - might have seen the signs earlier today having noticed the lack of denials from Old Trafford as you normally would get each season since 2001.
Nevertheless, this is definitely the biggest and most explosive piece of news to hit British football for quite a long time and will definitely have seismic ramifications for some time yet - especially in regards to who will succeed him in the manager's role at Old Trafford.
Ferguson will not completely depart the picture at Man U - he will take a role as director and ambassador at the club meaning that whoever will be manager at Old Trafford from next season will still have to work under Fergie - which does cut down the number of potential candidates including Rafa Benitez and Arsene Wenger.
David Moyes
Everton's David Moyes has been the perennial favourite for the role but could be a huge gamble by Manchester United given that he has not won any titles yet and hasn't shown that he can take on a side full of superstars - mind you, Fergie himself was a big gamble when he was first appointed in November 1986 by a Manchester United who were consistently losing at home to the likes of Derby County, Liverpool, and Nottingham Forest.
Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho has been another name mentioned in recent times but it would again be a huge gamble given his style of football differs to what Manchester United fans have grown accustomed to. However, he does have a good relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson despite having managed against him during his time at Porto, Chelsea, Internazionale and more recently, Real Madrid. In fact, Mourinho's visit to Manchester United earlier in the season with his under-fire Real Madrid side was hailed as a preview of the future.
Jurgen Klopp
However, another man worth a punt on is Jurgen Klopp who many say has impressed the Manchester United top brass with the way he has returned Borussia Dortmund to its current glory times and has worked well with Dortmund's highly successful academy.
The Guardian has jokingly mentioned Mark Robins at Huddersfield and heck, former Hull manager, Phil Brown. At this rate, Ricki Herbert is a favourite for the role at Manchester United.
So pulling aside any eye patches we have against United as Liverpool or non-United fans, what is Ferguson's legacy?
Firstly, his statistics do not lie - at United, 13 league titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, 2 Champions League titles and 1 each of the Intercontinental Cup and Cup Winners Cup.
Add his 3 Scottish Premier League titles, 4 Scottish Cups, Scottish League Cup, Cup Winners Cup at Aberdeen and without a doubt, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful manager in British football history ahead of Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and streets ahead of Brian Clough and Alf Ramsey.
Therefore, the title of greatest football manager ever in Britain is one Ferguson certainly warrants credit for even from the most biased of Liverpool and City fans.
Sure his antics over the years have made him an easy target for abuse and criticism especially with the referee and the BBC. But no one else in the game knows the game as well as Ferguson has and no one probably will ever manage in the style Ferguson has done. Ferguson was the last of a generation of managers who has now given way to the thinkers of the game, the Pep Guardiolas, Jose Mourinhos, Andre Villas-Boas and Rafa Benitez's of the game.
Ooh ah Cantona
Captain Keano
CR7
What cannot be denied is his ability to dismantle and rebuild a great team over such a long period of time. Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes were eventually replaced by Jaap Stam, Roy Keane and Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole who were eventually replaced by Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. Ferguson was never afraid to court controversy with getting rid of his best players - Roy Keane and David Beckham are testament to this and his once lynch pins were quietly forced out of Old Trafford when they got too big for the club in Fergie's opinion - but in the end, Fergie appeared to get each move right.
Ryan Giggs has been key to Fergie's success
The one player Fergie appeared to love dearly was Ryan Giggs - the one-time enigmatic winger, now holding midfielder in his late 30s is one of the few players to survive Fergie's hairdryer treatment and one wonders now about whether Giggs' time at Old Trafford is at an end sooner rather than later.
His ultimate legacy is that we will all somewhat miss seeing this enigmatic, animated Scotsman who knows the game better than anyone else, on the other side of the touchline, orchestrating his side to score a last gasp equaliser or winner against our side. His longevity in the game has meant that for many of us, Ferguson is the only manager that we've known at United and just as it will be when the Queen of England eventually passes on and hands over the throne to Prince Charles, there will be that void that we miss yet deny that we miss simply because we didn't know anyone else who was there.
A sight we've all grown up with but won't be seeing for much longer...
Here in my opinion is Ferguson's greatest ever team -
Peter Schmeichel (GK), Denis Irwin, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Eric Cantona
SUBS: Edwin van der Saar (GK), Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Robin van Persie
Ok, in the last 10 years, we've gotten used to the usual rumours that Sir Alex Ferguson, the greatest manager in English football history and now into his 70s, is set to retire at the end of each season with the likes of Bryan Robson, Roy Keane, Jose Mourinho, David Moyes and Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp linked with the role.
However, this year, the rumblings come out of Old Trafford appear to have some substance and gumption about them. At a recent team gathering, Manchester United's media men appeared to be trying harder to keep quiet a massive piece of news. Reputable news sites, Guardian and Telegraph, even appear to have gotten on the bandwagon, which suggests that we could be about to witness the biggest managerial news that English football has had for a long time.
Manchester United, as a public company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, must now adhere to the rules of Wall Street by announcing major news that could affect the value of their shares. Therefore, management at Old Trafford cannot really use their old tactics of keeping big news under wraps for too long.
So we could possibly be witnessing the end of a long and glorious era for English football with the announcement of Fergie's retirement prior to Manchester United's last home game against Swansea - they will receive the Premier League trophy as champions at the game on Sunday afternoon.
How time flies. After 11 rounds of Super Rugby, we're now just over a month from the beginning of the international season.
The Lions series in Australia is likely to garner most of the interest from world rugby fans but there is plenty of other international rugby games to be played including France's tour of New Zealand which will be completed by the time the Wallabies play their first test against the British & Irish Lions.
So it's time now to look at contenders for the first All Blacks squad of the year. It has been an interesting season for New Zealand rugby so far - the emergence of the Blues has really spiced things up for selectors although the poor form of the All Black laden Highlanders has really given them headaches too.
While the New Zealand Super Rugby sides haven't quite lit up the night sky as we would have liked, the prospects for the international rugby season are still very bright.
So here are my thoughts on the make up of the first All Blacks squad of 2013 - I'll name 32 players as the selectors often name a squad of that size nowadays and factoring current injuries.
Props - Tony Woodcock, Wyatt Crockett, Owen Franks, Ben Franks, Ben Tameifuna Hookers - Keven Mealamu, Andrew Hore, Dane Coles Locks - Ali Williams, Sam Whitelock, Luke Romano, Brodie Retallick Loose Forwards - Liam Messam, Steven Luatua, Sam Cane, Matt Todd, Kieran Read, Victor Vito Halfbacks - Piri Weepu, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith First fives - Dan Carter, Aaron Cruden Centres - Ma'a Nonu, Tamati Ellison, Conrad Smith Wingers/Fullbacks - Hosea Gear, Julian Savea, Israel Dagg Utility Backs - Beauden Barrett, Rene Ranger, Ben Smith, Tim Nanai-Williams
Come September 2015, Wembley Stadium would have hosted the likes of England, Man Utd, Bayern, the Patriots & the ABs!
It's only 2013 but the fixtures for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England have been announced.
The All Blacks will be doing a tour of football grounds in their first round games, kicking off their campaign against Argentina at the home of the English football team and venue for many a FA, League Cup and Champions League final on September 20.
The All Blacks then play the first African qualifier at the Olympic Stadium which will probably be West Ham United's home ground by the time Kieran Read leads his men in black out to the venue of the 2012 Olympics.
Their third game is against the first non-6 Nations European qualifier at the Millennium Stadium - it hosted the FA, League Cup and playoff games when Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt although yes it is more well known as a rugby stadium.
The All Blacks finish their final round robin game on October 9 at St James Park in Newcastle - Newcastle United's famous home ground.
The full list of venues named for the 2015 Rugby World Cup are as follows -
London - Twickenham, Wembley Stadium, Olympic Stadium
Brighton - The AMEX
Manchester - The Etihad
Birmingham - Villa Park
Newcastle - St James Park
Cardiff - Millennium Stadium
Milton Keynes - Stadium mk
Exeter - Sandy Park
Leicester - King Power Stadium
Gloucester - Kingsholm
Leeds - Elland Road
With Roman Abramovich's long-preferred choice, Pep Guardiola, taking the reins at Bayern Munich next season and current interim manager, Rafa Benitez, announcing that he will not be at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer, there were very limited options for the most poisonous managerial position in world football.
Abramovich appears to have patched up things with Mourinho since the enigmatic Portuguese manager left the club by mutual consent in 2007.
It is a good time for Mourinho to depart the Bernabeu - the relationship between himself and the club presidency has soured this season with Real Madrid miles behind Barcelona in the league and have spent much of the season behind their bitter rivals, Atletico Madrid. They also exited the Champions League in disappointing fashion against Borussia Dortmund and can only console themselves with the Copa Del Rey this season.
Mourinho and Chelsea are a bit like Jamie Bell and Evan Rachel Wood.. just google that.
It may be finals season for the NBA but the one story that has captured the attention of not just NBA followers but just about anyone who reads the news in America, is the announcement from Washington Wizards center, Jason Collins that he is gay - the first active professional athlete in America to do so.
Yes worldwide, many athletes have come out of the closet, e.g. Martina Navratilova, Greg Louganis, Billie Jean King, Justin Fashanu (footballer), Steven Davies (England wicketkeeper) and Gareth Thomas (Welsh fullback), but in these highly conservative United States of America, the idea of coming out is still one that is very foreign and risk adverse to tremendous derision.
Justin Fashanu was a pioneer for his time - unfortunately he committed suicide, unable to cope with the pressure on him
While the likes of the Netherlands, Denmark, South Africa, Spain, New Zealand and France have embraced homosexualism and have taken the biggest steps to accept the gay crowd into the community, i.e. legalizing marriage between gay couples, anything related to homosexualism in the United States is still mocked once you're far away from the coastlines and Aspen.
Thus, Jason Collins' coming out of the closet is a huge moment for American sport as he is also the first athlete presently competing in one of America's big 4 professional sports leagues to announce that he is gay.
Some would say that Jason Collins is really just trying to squeeze out one last contract for himself, an average centre in this league. That is their opinion.
My opinion is that this is a huge issue to come out on something that really should be a non-issue. Let me explain.
Does it matter if someone is gay or not? It is their personal choice and we should respect their decision and way of living. Imagine people making fun of straight people just the same way the world seems to make fun of gay people now.
Yes, we all have different beliefs about homosexualism - and many people in the world believe in religions and faiths where homosexualism is wrong, i.e. Judaism, Islam and Christianity, three of the world's most followed religions. Yet, at least the Christian God does not want us to judge gay people for what they are - but to show love, respect and compassion for them. Note I've avoided using the world tolerance as that may suggest we agree with their way of living which most of us don't - but at least we still show the same love and compassion for them that Jesus showed towards us if we believed in his salvation. (Jews and Muslims, please comment what their God/Allah commanded them to behave/react in regards to gay people).
I dream of a world where discrimination between hetero and homosexual people is extinct and I think to start aiming towards that we must start considering it a non-issue and respond to people coming out of the closet with a nonchalant "Good on you" response and then move on. That in my opinion is an acknowledgement that people like them do exist in our society but can live like heterosexual people.
Therefore, it is a big issue when high profile athletes come out and announce that they are gay. This will encourage more people who have been hiding behind the closet to come out without the fear that they will be derided. So far, the response to Jason Collins' coming out has been positive and tremendous from his athletes and one hopes that this will encourage more and more people to come out to the point that it is a part of normal life.
We have all been blessed with free will by our Creator. While we may not agree with what everyone does and even abhor certain things but love and respect for one another will bury any animosity that we may have for people who are different from us.
