Song of the season "Yesterday, all my troubles they seemed here to stay, Now it looks as though they've gone away, Oh I believe, in John O'Shea."

"Why Blanc has to play, I don't know, I couldn't say, He does nothing wrong, but how I long, for John O'Shea-a-a-a."

August

"Nobody will finish above us in the league. It wouldn't surprise me if we went unbeaten for the whole season. We only lost three games last time - and we will do even better this time."

- Wenger, a touch confident ahead of the new season.

"The pitch was very bumpy which is possibly a reason for the lack of smoothness of our passing. And we'll want a better referee in the second leg."

- Alex Ferguson makes no excuses after United start the season with a defeat by Zalaegerszeg in the Champions League qualifiers.

"He shouldn't be elbowing my son in the head."

- Thora McAteer after Roy Keane was sent off at Sunderland for an "altercation" with her lad Jason.

"It's got to the stage where Alex has to decide very quickly whether to remove the 'arm around the shoulder' approach and wallop him."

- Brian Clough advises Ferguson on how he should handle his captain.

September

"Not many teams will come to Arsenal and get anything, home or away."

- Kevin Keegan, looking forward to Manchester City's trip to Highbury.

"Out target is to win every game and that is justified, we could very well stay unbeaten if we play like this."

- Wenger, after Arsenal's 4-1 win at Leeds.

"My greatest challenge is not what's happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their ****ing perch. And you can print that."

- Ferguson, hinting he was feeling the pressure, a bit.

"Diego Forlan has the finishing skills of Norman Wisdom".

- The Daily Mirror's Des Kelly. United banned the paper from the official party travelling to their next European match. Kelly responded by saying: "Shouldn't it be Sir Norman Wisdom who takes offence at this comparison?"

Tempting fate - Wenger in September

"I am still hopeful we can go through the season unbeaten - a frightening thought."

"We have a deep desire which is increased by my own expectations and I'm quite confident. I think we will win the Champions League this season."

"It's not impossible to go through the season unbeaten and I can't see why it's shocking to say that."

"Perfection? It's difficult to say. A champion always tries to improve. We can remain unbeaten, of course we can."

October

"I didn't know what to do. I just started running."

- Forlan after finally breaking his goal-scoring duck (from open play) against Aston Villa.

"Criticism doesn't bother me. I don't read newspapers or watch sports programmes on TV. Lately I've been busy watching Teletubbies."

- Juan Sebastian "Laa Laa" Veron.

"It's not like we have driven into a tree at 160 m.p.h."

- Wenger on Arsenal's Wayne Rooney-inspired crash at Everton.

"I don't know why he was signed, certainly not to take my place. Ricardo's presence does nothing to concern me. There is no competition from him."

- Fabien Barthez welcomes United's Spanish goalkeeper to the club.

November

"I've got the greatest respect for you but I wish you had retired at the end of last season. This season you have come out wearing Rock of Gibraltar's blinkers. You need to go back to the stable, have a clear-out and start with the biggest carthorse of them all - Juan Sebastian Veron."

- A gloomy Manchester United supporter addresses Ferguson at the club's a.g.m.

"I'm not even responding to that. He's an idiot."

- Ferguson's reply.

"I would not say they (United) will necessarily be our main rivals for the title.'"

- Wenger, more fearful of Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea.

December

"Playing for Wales is more fun than playing for Manchester United at the moment - but then, that is not hard."

- Ryan Giggs on just how miserable life was at Old Trafford at the start of the month.

"I feel sorry for him that he plays for Wales."

- Ruud Van Nistelrooy, offering sympathy to Giggs.

January

"I have trophies, but what are these things compared to giving birth? When I see a woman pregnant I think, 'She knows something I will never know about'. We men will never know what it is to be a woman."

- Thierry Henry, broody for babies and taking his mind off the job?

"What do you expect from someone who looks like Red Rum?"

- Comedian Alan Simpson, explaining why David Seaman's form was dodgy.

"Arsenal are streets ahead of everyone in this league and Manchester United are up there with them, obviously."

- Newcastle's Craig Bellamy, fails to split the two.

"Liverpool need a Steely Dan kind of attitude."

- Phil Neal on what Liverpool need to win the title.

"There is a fine line between winning and losing. Imagine that we had taken just six more points - then we would be second. If we had got 15 points then we would be first."

- Gerard Houllier . . . ifs, Nicky Butts and maybes.

February

"With eight or 10 minutes to go, they were able to bring Nicky Butt back and give him 15 to 20 minutes."

- Niall Quinn welcomes the midfielder back into action, and watches as he plays on five to 12 minutes after the final whistle.

"Dennis Bergkamp is like an English equivalent of Teddy Sheringham."

- Trevor Brooking tries to pay tribute to the non-flying Dutchman, but gets in a muddle.

"Maybe it's not his best foot, obviously."

- Ferguson tries to explain why Ryan Giggs missed an open goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup.

"Intelligence! They say he's an intelligent man, right? Speaks five languages! I've got a 15-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast who speaks five languages."

- The Ferguson-Wenger love-in continues, apace.

The Flying Boot (February)

David Beckham: "****ing hell, my head is covered in blood." Ferguson: "Just go and ****ing patch him up."

- The reported exchange between player and manager after the flying boot incident.

"Eight yards to Beckham, a magnificent hit!"

- Ferguson fails to apologise.

"What a freak, it will never happen again."

- Ferguson almost apologises.

"Ryan Giggs also kicked a boot towards Beckham. Doctors were called to put stitches in the dressing-room ceiling."

- Email joke that did the rounds at the time.

March

"As I survey the challenge facing a seriously ambitious club in the modern era, I recognise that success cannot be measured in silverware alone."

- Ferguson waving a white flag?

"I prefer the new Roy. He's calmed down a lot now. He's much easier - maybe he should have the other hip done."

- Referee Paul Durkan on the all-new serene Keane.

"Barring a personality transplant, his only job at Old Trafford will be as a player."

- But George Best still doesn't think Keane was United manager material.

"If you ask if we're triumphalist, I'd say no. We're confident, not triumphalist. I believe my players are stronger than ever. They are being challenged and will enjoy it. I think we respond best when we're pushed."

- Wenger, still doubt-less.

"It's going to get very twitchy over the next few weeks, it's squeeze your bum time."

- Ferguson predicting exciting days ahead for his buttocks.

War of Words (March)

"When you are over-confident, as Arsenal have been, football can come back and kick you. Football is the greatest at doing that."

- Ferguson plays mind games, shocker.

"I don't know if it's being arrogant or not, I just say what I believe. Do people want me to say we cannot win the title when I know we can. I speak the truth as I see it, so why lie?"

- Wenger responds.

"We are not arrogant at all. We might, in a certain way, be a little bit confident because of the results."

- Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein.

"Talk in football is not so important, what is important is how well you play and we concentrate on that."

- Wenger responds again.

April

"We have no fear of losing the title at all.'"

- Wenger.

"When you go up there it's like going to the North Pole and seeing all these penguins on an island, millions of them all in black and white."

- Ferguson looks forward to the trip to Newcastle.

"The vibes from Highbury suggest there are a few doubts . . . it all suggests there are fears that their players are not up to the job.""

- United coach and former player Brian McClair doing a damn fine Ferguson impression.

"I love to wear figure-hugging gear. I love showing off my body. I've worked hard enough to get it this way, but I always draw the line at tight trousers."

- Rio Ferdinand, his mind not quite on the job.

May

"I have never won a championship on the last day of the season. Surely it must happen once in my career."

- Wenger. Ooops.

"Four goals against Liverpool, six against Newcastle, two down at Highbury, three against Blackburn Rovers, two down at Tottenham, four yesterday. Phew, what a run, it's been absolutely magnificent."

- Ferguson, a bit chuffed.

"I hope Alex Ferguson will send me a crate of red wine, although, knowing him, it'll be a bottle."

- Leeds' caretaker boss Peter Reid awaits his "thank you" present.

Cheer up Arsene Wenger

"Over the whole season, if you look at the FA Cup and the Premier League, then we were certainly the best team in England."

"With 50 per cent less budget than Manchester United, second place is not too bad."

"If we had won at Bolton, we would certainly have won the championship, I can guarantee you that."

"But even then, if we had won against Leeds, I think we would have won the championship."

"I feel that we've been unlucky and badly done by recently. We've had difficult games and played against teams who had a real go every time we played them."

"We lost under special circumstances. If you miss half the army you are in difficulties."

"I don't think United were flying, they were just consistent, but their last two games were quite easy."

"Are Manchester United worthy winners? I don't know."