England

Old Trafford boss brings and end to a glittering career. Check in to West Bromwich Albion vs Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson takes charge of Manchester United for the 1,500th and final time as his side takes on West Brom at the Hawthorns on the final weekend of the season. Having bid an emotional farewell to the Old Trafford masses last weekend, Ferguson will close the door on his managerial career at The Hawthorns -- 26 years, six months and 11 days since his first game at the United helm, a 2-0 loss at Oxford United on November 8, 1986. It promises to be a day rich in nostalgia for Ferguson, who will be succeeded by Everton manager David Moyes on July 1. In his final pre-game press conference, he cast his mind back to the very beginning of his journey as a manager, with Scottish minnows East Sterling in 1974. "I have had 39 years as a manager," said the 71-year-old. "On that day in 1974 when I started at East Stirling, I had eight players and no goalkeeper. Today I have six goalkeepers and about 100 players. "I remember the old chairman, Willie Muirhead. He was a great chain smoker. When I asked him for a list of players, he started to shake. His cigarette was going 100 miles an hour. "I had to remind him a couple of days later. He gave me a list of eight players and no goalkeeper. I said: 'You know it is advisable to start with a keeper -- are you aware of that?'" Ferguson will retire with 49 trophies to his name, 38 of which he has amassed during a record-breaking stint at United in which he established himself as one of the most successful coaches in the history of professional sport.

To the South Country, and then east... The collection of late Gothic windows along the south aisle of St George's, Brede, proclaims this part of the church to date to the 15th century, though the rest of the building is earlier. It seemed to me to be typical not only of its period but also of its place – the combination of grey stone walls and rich red tiled roof is redolent of Sussex. This happy marriage of building and setting is enhanced further by the fact that the church, set just off the main village street, overlooks a beautiful, broad valley, with views far into the distance. Having this place revealed to me – and by a friend who knows this part of the South Country well – was a great pleasure.I wanted to share this picture, with its associations of both architecture and place, because it sums up one of my main preoccupations. And a summing-up is appropriate because I want to signal a change, temporary I hope, in my postings. Regular readers will have noticed allusions in my posts to the Resident Wise Woman, who sometimes accompanies me on my trips of exploration, frequently shares her knowledge of history with me, and sometimes comments from the sidelines during her periods of non-residence – for her work, and indeed her predilections, regularly take her far away from the territory of English Buildings to the heart of the European mainland.It was on one of these trips recently that she was taken seriously ill. After an emergency operation and a stay in hospital, she is now steadily recovering in our half-restored farmhouse in the Czech Republic, and I am there helping her to get better and waiting on her hand and foot. With few new English buildings to share, and precious little time to write about them, I plan to reprise a few of my favourite earlier posts. I expect I will find it difficult to refrain from making additional comments on these recycled posts, but if these comments are sparse, or if my online appearances are less regular than usual, you know the reason. Here's to good health.

Emirates Stadium side to land top notch duo. Check in to Newcastle United vs Arsenal Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will push on with advances for two top talents he feels will help resolve potential problem areas within his Emirates Stadium squad armed with a hefty transfer war-chest handed to him by a Gunners board keen to see the club once again challenging for major honours. Wenger is set to offload experienced French full-back Bacary Sagna after a lengthy contract wrangle and has set his sights on a top level replacement for the Emirates Stadium star. TransferMarketWeb claims that the North London club are one of the favourites to sign Juventus wide-man Stephan Lichtsteiner, who is said to be likely to leave the Serie A side this summer as Antonio Conte targets Borussia Dortmund's Lukasz Piszczek. 29 year old Lichtsteiner may be an intelligent stop-gap solution with youngster Carl Jenkinson still very much being Wenger's long term favourite to fill the right-back slot. £12m rated Lichtsteiner has enjoyed two successful campaigns in Turin which followed three solid seasons with Lazio and the Swiss international may well be keen on a new challenge and could be tempted by the possibility of a Premier League switch. Wenger also continues to track Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain with many sources claiming that Arsenal have reached a 'preliminary agreement' to sign the Argentine international this summer. Higuain has struggled to retain a regular first team spot since Jose Mourinho took over at Real Madrid, with Karim Benzema getting the lions share of the striking duties over recent seasons. The Bernabeu side have confirmed their intention to sell the 25 year old striker and a number of sides, Arsenal included, are said to be very keen on signing the former River Plate man. The French born striker moved to Real Madrid in December 2006 and has racked up 119 goals in 262 appearances for the Spanish giants. Arsene Wenger has been linked with a number of possible striker additions and there is no doubt that the Arsenal boss could do with a more prolific presence up front, with neither Olivier Giroud or Lukas Podolski scoring with the regularity of former sharp-shooter Robin Van Persie.

Anfield boss looks to use Blues connections to secure deal to snap up Stamford Bridge forward. Check in to Liverpool vs QPR Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will look to enter talks to sign Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku as the Northern Irishman sets about strengthening his squad this summer. Rodgers will hope his connections with the Stamford Bridge side can aid in his pursuit of the 20 year old Belgian, who has enjoyed a successful loan spell at West Brom this season. The Anfield boss will look to persuade the Blues to allow Lukaku to join the Merseyside club on a season long loan spell next term, a move that the powerful marksman may well be tempted by in preference to a likely extended period warming the Chelsea bench. With speculation rife that Roman Abramovich will finance the signing of a big name striker it would appear that Lukaku is still no nearer to securing a regular first team spot in the Chelsea set-up and as such will be thinking long and hard about his future. Having enjoyed a run of regular football at West Brom, scoring 14 goals in 34 Premier League appearances this season, Lukaku may not be happy to bide his time waiting for his chance to shine at Chelsea and could well be amenable to another loan deal knowing that first team action is crucial to his continued involvement in the Belgian national team set-up and with a World Cup on the horizon this is perhaps all the more relevant. Brendan Rodgers spent four years at Chelsea prior to his appointment as Watford boss in 2008, during which time he served as youth team coach and then put in charge of the club's reserve team. His connections with the club could well have aided Liverpool's signing of Daniel Sturridge in January and Rodgers is keen to repeat the trick. With Luis Suarez banned for the first six matches of the season and with question marks still hanging over Italian Fabio Borini, Rodgers is hoping to strengthen his attack and believes Lukaku would be an ideal addition. Though any summer move for the former Anderlecht man would be on a loan basis the Liverpool boss would be keen to bring in the Chelsea man on a permanent deal in the long term though it is uncertain as to just how much the West London side would demand for a player they forked out £17m for in August 2011.

A few pictures of the market on Briggate I took this morning. Well worth a visit, some lovely stuff.

Stamford Bridge side to welcome back 'Special One' early next week. Check in to Chelsea vs Everton Real Madrid are reportedly set to relieve Jose Mourinho of his Bernabeu post in a board meeting due to take place on Monday according to Spanish source Marca and this will in turn lead to the 50 year old Portuguese boss making his much anticipated return to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will then look to swiftly appoint Mourinho as the West London club's permanent successor to interim boss Rafa Benitez, a move the Russian billionaire is keen to tie up as soon as possible so that the returning manager can join the club on their North American tour, which sees the club take on Man City in two fixtures later on this month. Mourinho has experienced the worst season of his managerial career this term, failing to clinch any silverware after Real Madrid were beaten by city rivals Atletico in the Copa Del Rey final, during with the under-fire boss was sent to the stands. Jose Mourinho has experienced a rather up and down time of it during his three seasons in charge of Real Madrid, leading the Spanish giants to three successive Champions League semi-finals and landing a La Liga title last term, but in-fighting within the club, a breakdown in his relationship with a number of senior players as well as a growing discontent among the supporters will see the former FC Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea boss leave sooner rather than later. Chelsea fans will welcome the return of the 'Special One' who led the club to two Premier League titles in his three completed seasons in charge.

Liverpool striker the latest name to be linked with moneybags Monaco. Check in to Liverpool vs QPR Liverpool misfit Andy Carroll is the latest big name to be linked with a summer move to moneybags Monaco, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The England international has had a difficult time at Anfield since his £35million move from Newcastle two years ago, and is not likely to be part of Brendan Rodgers' plans next season. Carroll has spent the 2012/13 season out on loan with West Ham, and the Hammers have made it clear that they are keen to keep the 24-year-old on a permanent basis beyond this season. Carroll's former club Newcastle are also fighting for his signature, but Monaco may be able to offer Liverpool the kind of money they are asking for, as they seek to make back a decent chunk of the fee they paid for him in 2011. The Reds are supposedly asking for around £17million, and West Ham are keen to bring that price down to £12million, but Monaco are set for a big summer of spending backed by their wealthy Russian owner, as they look to challenge PSG for the Ligue 1 title next year. Claudio Ranieri's side have been linked with other big names such as Carlos Tevez and Radamel Falcao, but may find it easier to lure a player like Carroll to the French league.

Hamburg confident of keeping hold of star player. Check in to Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich - 2013 UEFA Champions League Final Bundesliga side Hamburg claim they have not received any bids for Arsenal and Tottenham target Heung-Min Son, according to the Daily Express. The South Korean forward is one of the most highly rated young players in the Bundesliga at the moment, and is also a target for Borussia Dortmund in this summer's transfer window. It appeared that Hamburg did not hold out much hope of keeping the 20-year-old, who has 12 goals in the league this season, but sporting director Frank Arnesen is confident that he will not be going anywhere. "I think he stays. At the moment there is no movement," Arnesen told German paper Bild. "There are also no talks. It is agreed that we will talk after the last game. In the coming weeks we will sit together [and discuss it]." The talented attacker could play a key role at any number of the clubs chasing him. Arsenal are looking for more options upfront following their loss of Robin van Persie last summer, while Borussia Dortmund need to prepare for life without Robert Lewandowski, who is close to joining Bayern Munich. Spurs could also use him, as they may see him as an upgrade on current strike force Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe.

AC Milan striker not heading to Brazil. Check in to Siena vs AC Milan AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has denied claims that ex-Manchester City striker Robinho could be sold this summer, according to Forza Italian Football. The 29-year-old has had a disappointing campaign for Milan this year, scoring just 2 goals in all competitions for the Serie A giants, leading to rumours that he could be set for a return to old club Santos in Brazil. Other Brazilian clubs Internacional and Fluminese have also been linked with Robinho, but Galliani expects the player to see out his contract, which expires in 2014. "Robinho is under contract with Milan and will remain in Milan," he said. "He's not going to leave. Everything is possible in football, but in principle he should remain in Milan. "Interest from Internacional? I'm aware of it, but now we have to think to qualify in the Champions League." Robinho previously played for Manchester City, becoming their first signing of the Sheikh Mansour era when he joined from Real Madrid for a then-record fee of £32.5million, however he did not reach his best form in the Premier League either and was eventually sold to Milan for £15million.

Roberto Martinez thinks young winger should reject Liverpool move. Check in to Wigan Athletic vs Aston Villa Wigan manager Roberto Martinez believes Callum McManaman would do well to reject Liverpool and stay with the club in the Championship next season, according to the Daily Express. The young winger has hit a good run of form for Wigan in recent months, impressing particularly in the team's shock win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final. However, the 22-year-old was unable to help keep his side in the Premier League, as their relegation was confirmed earlier this week in a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal. Wigan seem likely to lose a number of key players following their drop to the Championship, and McManaman has emerged as a target for Liverpool, though Martinez believes pushing for promotion in the second tier of English football could be good for his development, rather than making a big move too early. "I think if one player needs to stay at the club and become an important part of this football club, it is Callum," said the Spanish coach. "Callum has been a phenomenal player for us but he still needs to work at certain aspects to become the player he can be and will be and the Championship to play week in, week out will be perfect for him." Liverpool are also keeping an eye on McManaman's team-mate, midfielder James McCarthy.