A biography about one of the most influential managers in the history of British football that’s written by one of the most respected football journalists in the UK today; it isn’t surprising that ‘Football – Bloody Hell!: the biography of Alex Ferguson’ is arguably the most-anticipated football book of the year. Sir Alex Ferguson has become synonymous with the English Premier League in recent years and has brought unprecedented success to Manchester United that is unlikely to be repeated any time soon. So who better to tell the story of one of the most compelling figures in British football than esteemed broadsheet journalist Patrick Barclay?

There are few things that haven’t already been said about Fergie. He is up there with Bob Paisley, Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Brian Clough and the rest as the best manager of all-time in British football. Even if you’re not a Manchester United supporter, for whom this book is an essential read, as a fan of football you’ll be intrigued to gain an insight into the life of one of British football’s institutions. What makes the story of Ferguson even more interesting is that he’s not afraid to get off the fence and as a result controversy is never far away.

Currently not talking to the BBC as a matter of principal, Ferguson is not a man to let players get the better of him, something he’s shown time and time again during his rein at Old Trafford. He’s seen the likes of Jaap Stam and Cristiano Ronaldo come and go, while Fergie has remained the one constant for the Red Devils, and the removal of David Beckham from the club showed just what the Scot is about. Sir Alex is now entering the final chapter of his career, even though he keeps putting off his overdue retirement, so there seems no better time to tell his story.

There are few people as well-qualified as Patrick Barclay to tell that story. Barclay is currently the Chief Football Commentator for The Times and is one of the most respected football journalists in the industry, having previously written for The Guardian, The Observer, the Telegraph and the Independent. He has also told the story of enigmatic Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho in his first book ‘Mourinho: Anatomy of a Winner’, which was published in 2005 to much acclaim. There are many similarities to be drawn between Fergie and the Special One, which are touched on in the beautifully named chapter ‘Wine with Mourinho’.

Patrick Barclay draws some fascinating conclusions about Fergie after delving into his life, from his working class youth in Govan to dealing with one of the most hated families in one half of Manchester: The Glazers. Barclay uses his literary flair to turn his findings from pitch-side interviews and chats with fellow managers and former players to a comprehensive look at the character of Sir Alex. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a book that will tell you as much about the intimidating character and gives such a revealing insight into the legend of British football that is Sir Alex Ferguson.

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You can win a copy of ‘Football – Bloody Hell!’ in our latest Caption Competition!

Sir Alex Ferguson is sure that veteran goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar will retire from the game at the end of the current Premier League campaign.

With his wife Annemarie suffering a serious brain-related illness last year, Ferguson believes he will want to spend more time in his homeland as she continues her recovery.

"I have come to accept this will be Edwin's last season," Ferguson said."It's sad but the difficulty for a goalkeeper when he gets to 40 is something which happened with Peter Shilton.

"All of a sudden, because of age, Shilton's form just collapsed and I don't think Edwin would want that. He is such a proud man and it's going to be a big loss.

"We had a chat last season about how he saw his future and he explained to me his plans, and nothing has changed from then.

"It's difficult because he has his wife's health to consider after her illness.

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"She is fine now and seems to be really good but she still has treatments to get in Holland, with physiotherapy and things like that. So for him to be here with us would be difficult."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United secured their place in the Champions League last 16 as Group C winners courtesy of a 1-1 draw against Spanish side Valencia at Old Trafford.

Despite having several first half opportunities, United were made to pay for their profligacy in front of goal when Pablo Hernandez fired past young keeper Ben Amos to give the visitors the lead on 32 minutes.

Having conceded their first goal in the group stages, United continued to press after the break and grabbed the deserved equaliser that ensured they would finish in top spot when Anderson fired in on 62 minutes when keeper Vicente Guaita could only parry a Ji-Sung Park effort.

In the other Group C clash, the dead-rubber between Glasgow Rangers and Bursaspor in Turkey ended 1-1 after Sercan Yildirim cancelled out Kenny Miller's first half strike for the 'Gers, who go into the Europa League after finishing in third place.

Tottenham emerged as Group A winners ahead of reigning champions Inter Milan following a six-goal thriller away to Dutch side FC Twente.

Harry Redknapp's men went ahead on three occasions in the game through a farcical Peter Wisgerhof own goal and a Jermain Defoe brace, but a Denny Landzaat penalty, Roberto Rosales's header and a Nacer Chadli free-kick ensured the match ended 3-3.

Rafa Benitez's Inter crashed to a 3-0 defeat at the group's bottom side Werder Bremen, meaning they had to settle for second spot.

The German Bundesliga outfit picked up their first win in the group thanks to goals from Sebastian Prodl, Marko Arnautovic and Claudio Pizarro.

German side Schalke ensured they would go through as Group B winners with a 2-1 away win at Benfica.

Manuel Jurado handed the visitors the lead in the first half before Benedikt Howedes made it two just nine minutes before full-time. Luisao pulled one back three minutes from time but it was too little, too late.

Lyon had to settle for second place when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to group B bottom club Hapoel Tel-Aviv.

Lisandro Lopez handed the French side the lead but former Chelsea star Ben Sahar equalised a minute later for the Israeli outfit.

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Eran Zahavi looked to have won it for the visitors, but Alexandre Lacazette levelled things up for Lyon just three minutes from time.

Barcelona cemented their place at the top of Group D as goals from Andreu Fontas and Victor Vazquez secured a 2-0 win against Rubin Kazan, while FC Copenhagen are the first Danish side to get through to the last-16 as runners up following a comprehensive 3-1 win against bottom side Panathinaikos.

Martin Vingaard, Chelsea old boy Jesper Gronkjaer, and former Liverpool and Sunderland hitman Djibril Cisse's own goal secured the win, with Cedric Kante grabbing a late consolation for the Greek outfit.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

With Roy Hodgson you do sense it is a case of not if, but when, he departs the Liverpool hotseat. Taking a swipe at supporters is a cheap shot, especially as they aren’t responsible for the woeful performances on the pitch. Roy has since apologised for his outburst, although you do sense the damage has already been done.

At FFC we have seen a mixed bag of articles which includes why Liverpool should avoid £9m swoop; an obsession costing Liverpool dear and three deals to end Hodgson’s nightmare.

We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.

*

[VIDEO] The 2010 ‘Goal Of The Year’…take your pick

A real ‘obsession’ that has cost Liverpool dear

Why Liverpool must avoid £9m swoop at all costs

TEN things we have learnt about the first half of the Premiership season

How much more can Liverpool fans take?

Love or loathe Comolli, Spurs’ squad shows the significance of the structure

Arguably the right transfer policy for Liverpool this January

Despite outburst Liverpool fans will see his quality shine through

THREE Liverpool signings that will turn Roy’s nightmare around

Top TEN Whizzkids who promised so much but delivered little

* Best of Web *

Entitlement – the reason Hodgson won’t change or quit – This Is Anfield

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My TOP FIVE Liverpool January Transfer Targets – Live4Liverpool

A New Year, An Old Story! – Kopblog

A year when things simply have to change at Liverpool FC – Liverpool Echo

The Massive Dilemma facing John W Henry – Live4Liverpool

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Holy Crap – it’s live fantasy football! Become part of Chelsea v Aston Villa and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!

Tottenham Hotspur are in talks with Steven Pienaar after agreeing a fee with Everton for the South Africa international.Pienaar, 28, is already negotiating personal terms with Chelsea after the English Premier League title holders met Everton’s asking price, believed to be three million pounds.

The former Ajax and Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been heavily linked with a move away from Goodison Park after failing to sign an extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the season.

While reluctant to sell, Everton have been forced to arrange a transfer to prevent losing Pienaar for nothing when his contract expires.

Pienaar joined Everton on-loan from Dortmund in 2007, before Everton agreed a permanent deal with the Bundesliga club worth approximately two million pounds in 2008.

He was voted the club’s player of the season in 2009/10.

“Everton can confirm they have agreed terms with Tottenham over the possible transfer of Steven Pienaar,” the club said in a statement on Monday.

“Confirmation of the agreement with the north London club comes just days after a bid for the South African international was accepted from Chelsea.”

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“Pienaar, who is out of contract with Everton in the summer, has been given permission to discuss his personal terms over a possible move away from Goodison Park.”

“His current contract expires in the summer and a new deal from Everton has been on the table since early in 2010.”

The FA Cup stirs into life again this weekend with sixteen fourth round ties taking place over Saturday and Sunday. A good blend of fixtures sees five all-top flight affairs – including arguably the tie of the round, Everton versus Chelsea – mixed in amongst several Football League match-ups as well as a game between League Two side Torquay and the side that – by virtue of being the only one remaining from outside the top four divisions – I have an obligation to refer to as flying the flag for Non League football, Crawley Town.

Beginning with the game at Goodison Park on Saturday, Everton can point to a record of only one defeat in six against Chelsea in all competitions as they seek to avenge their 2-1 defeat to the Londoners in the 2009 final. For their part, Carlo Ancelotti’s side scored four without reply at Bolton on Monday night and will be hoping that their ‘moment’ – as the Italian wonderfully kept referring to Chelsea’s prolonged slump – has finally ended.

Everton are 13/5 to beat Chelsea

Elsewhere in all-Premier League land, Aston Villa come into their home tie against Blackburn having rediscovered that winning feeling after back-to-back victories over Manchester City and Wigan in the space of four days. These two sides can’t stop meeting each other in the cups, having already contested a League Cup match in September that Villa won 3-1, as well as three further knockout games last season. Villa were wretched in losing 2-0 to Blackburn at Ewood Park in the league in November though and Rovers’ manager Steve Kean will also be glad that Darren Bent is cup-tied.

Aston Villa are 4/5 to beat Blackburn

A Lancashire derby between Bolton and Wigan and a meeting between two London sides – Fulham and Spurs – provide the draw with some regional rivalries. The Trotters and the Latics have never met in the FA Cup before; whether or not that piece of information will be the most interesting point to come out of the fixture remains to be seen. The game at Craven Cottage suggests glamour and excitement but a total of ten goals in the last seven games between the sides currently managed by Mark Hughes and Harry Redknapp somewhat undermines that image. Meanwhile, Birmingham – fresh from Wednesday night’s League Cup drama against West Ham – host a Coventry side at St Andrews that started the Championship season well but have floundered of late, in what can loosely be called a Midlands derby.

Tottenham are 11/8 to beat Fulham

The fifth and final tie between a pair of Premier League teams sees Stoke travel to Wolves. Although, given that the Potters have a league game against Liverpool next Wednesday and Mick McCarthy probably fancies a cup run as much as Andy Gray fancies an evening with Germaine Greer, the most likely result is that both managers field shadow sides.

The top three teams in the Premier League have all been drawn against League One opposition and each tie has a sub-plot attached to it. Arsenal welcome Huddersfield Town to the Emirates on Sunday, with the clubs linked by Herbert Chapman. The man who invented the “WM” formation that dominated English football for two decades during the first half of the twentieth century spread his four league titles and four FA Cup successes as a manager equally between the London and Yorkshire clubs during the 1920s and 1930s. Meanwhile, Manchester City visit another League One side – Sunderland’s conquerors Notts County – in a match between two teams with a Sven connection. City also have a lot money, while County only thought they did. Any FA Cup game between Manchester United and Southampton inevitably conjures up memories of the 1976 final and Bobby Stokes’ winning goal for the Saints, but United will be hoping to complete a hat-trick of cup victories at St Mary’s over the past seven seasons.

Southampton are 7/1 to upset Manchester United

West Ham are the one remaining Premier League side to discuss. Their opponents are Nottingham Forest and, with Billy Davies’ men hitting form in the Championship and the Hammers coming off a hugely disappointing League Cup defeat on Wednesday, Avram Grant will once again be auditioning for his job.

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West ham are 5/4 to beat Nottingham Forest

Running through the other remaining fixtures, Brighton’s visit to Watford looks like a particularly attractive proposition between two teams picking up plenty of points as well as plaudits in their respective divisions. The third round’s biggest giant-killers – Crawley Town and Stevenage – have been rewarded with matches against, respectively, Torquay United and Reading. Not what either side might have been hoping for, perhaps, but it gives them both a decent chance of making the last 16. Leyton Orient, who saw off Norwich City in the third round, meet Championship opposition again in the shape of Swansea. Finally, Eddie Howe, 33, takes charge of Burnley for the first time in the FA Cup with Burton Albion the opponents, managed by another man under 40, Paul Peschisolido, while a further struggling League Two side – Hereford United – have the chance to forget their lowly league position for one weekend with a trip to Hillsborough to play Sheffield Wednesday.

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Brazil’s Thiago Silva believes the friendly international against France on Wednesday is the perfect showcase for a young team.

Experienced internationals such as Maicon and Luis Fabiano have been left out by Brazil coach Mano Menezes, with the likes of Renato Augusto, Jadson and Andre in line to be given their chance at the Stade de France.

AC Milan’s Thiago Silva has made the centre-back berth his own ahead of Lucio under Menezes and has backed his young teammates to reward the coach’s faith.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to show our skills and our worth,” Silva said.

“This is the type of game that we like to play, with a capacity crowd, in a beautiful stadium.”

“They are a great team with great players and we hope that we can give our all to succeed as we didn’t do the last time (in November’s 1-0 loss to Argentina).”

“We live in the present and are doing well with the restructuring of our side and I think that tomorrow, if we concentrate well, we will be leaving with a good result.”

Barcelona fullback Dani Alves was a member of the Brazil squad that disappointed under Dunga at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but he has been retained for the rebuilding project orchestrated by Menezes.

“The past is the past,” Alves said.

“Brazil is starting a new chapter in the team’s history. The World Cup is over and we need to continue to give our all for the Brazilian team.”

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And the former Sevilla man has dismissed concerns about the relative inexperience of the squad to take on France.

“I think football has no age,” he said.

“There isn’t that thing of young or not young. I think the team is very balanced and I think age would have no influence.”

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho believes the La Liga schedule had a role to play in his team’s 0-0 draw against Deportivo La Coruna.Second-placed Real’s failure to win on Saturday means they are now seven points behind league leaders Barcelona in the race for the title.Real travelled to Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday and Mourinho believes it would have more suitable for their subsequent domestic match to have been played a day later.”The schedule is decided by people who know what they are doing,” Mourinho said.”Playing on Sunday would have been the normal thing to do. The people who drew up the calendar knew what they were doing.” “People laugh behind my back, but I will continue speaking out against a situation that is clear to everyone. It is something that is impossible to deny, but that’s a whole other matter.”Real dominated throughout at the Estadio Riazor, but a combination of Depor goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia and the woodwork denied the visitors from the Spanish capital. “Deportivo practically didn’t touch the ball in the second half and we played against a goalkeeper and ten defenders,” Mourinho said. “All that matters is the outcome, but I cannot criticize my players. One team played to win and the other worked very hard to take one point. The team that was after the point got what it wanted. I think it would have been fair had the match ended 0-1.””Deportivo can play however they want. I have nothing to say in that respect. I am sure they are pleased with the point. They played their match and worked hard. If they play this way in every match, I am sure they would be competing for a Europa League spot.””Seven points (behind Barca) is a lot, but mathematics play an important role and we will continue as long as it’s possible.”

Injured Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas has handed Arsene Wenger a fitness fillip ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Barcelona.Fabregas believes he will be fit to play after sitting out Saturday’s English Premier League clash against Sunderland on Saturday with a hamstring problem.The Spain midfielder starred in Arsenal’s first leg 2-1 win over Barcelona before suffering the injury against Stoke two weeks ago and missed last Sunday’s League Cup Final defeat by Birmingham City.Arsenal manager Wenger, who is already without Theo Walcott and striker Robin van Persie for the second leg of the last-16 tie, has been loathe to talk up the chances of his best player making a comeback for the trip to Camp Nou.But Fabregas said: “As far as my injury is concerned, I am feeling really good at the moment. I am doing everything I possibly can to get ready as soon as I can.””Physically I feel good and it was good to have a bit of a rest too because I am sure I will come back stronger.””It may have even been possible for me to be on the bench for today’s game (against Sunderland), but we decided together that it would be better for me to rest well instead, have a good training session on Sunday, take a look Monday and then hopefully fly to Barcelona.””I am optimistic that everything should be okay for Tuesday.”

Bayer Leverkusen and Hannover will be desperate for a slip-up from runaway Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund this weekend.Dortmund are 12 points clear of second-placed Leverkusen with nine games remaining, while Hannover are 14 points off the pace in third.Juergen Klopp’s Dortmund side seem certainties to win the title, and would surely need a calamitous form slump to miss out on claiming their seventh Bundesliga championship.They travel to the Rhein-Neckar-Arena on Saturday to take on ninth-placed Hoffenheim, who will be keen to atone for their 2-0 defeat at bottom-placed Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend.Hannover begin the weekend’s games on Friday when they travel to Cologne, hoping to build on their 3-1 win over Bayern Munich last Saturday, while Bayern – who announced that coach Louis van Gaal’s contract would not be renewed at season’s end – welcome Hamburg on Saturday.Also on Saturday, 10th-placed Schalke will look to gain some confidence from their 3-1 Champions League win over Valencia on Wednesday when they host Eintracht Frankfurt.Relegation strugglers Wolfsburg host Nuremberg at Volkswagen Arena, with the visitors looking for full points in their bid to secure European football next season, while Kaiserslautern will look to move out of the drop zone when they welcome eighth-placed Freiburg.Werder Bremen are also in trouble after a dismal campaign – sitting just three points clear of the bottom three – and they host Borussia Monchengladbach at the Weserstadion, with three points vital for both teams.On Sunday, Leverkusen have the chance to make up some ground on the leaders when they travel to fourth-placed Mainz and St Pauli will be keen to make amends for Saturday’s 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Nuremberg when they host Stuttgart.