Manchester United head into Sunday's fixture at Stamford Bridge off the back of three consecutive victories in the Premier League and an opportunity to back on level points with City.

Penalties from Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov either side of half time on transfer deadline day lead Manchester United on their way to 3 points as Manchester City were being beat at Everton thanks to a strike from former Red Devil Darron Gibson.

‘Welcome to Hell' read the memorable banner as United arrived in Istanbul to be greeted by Galtasaray fanatics in 1993. The second leg of a European Cup tie saw Aslanlarsupporters arrive four hours before kick-off within the confines of the infamous Ali Sami Yen stadium, as the intensity soon resembled a war zone.

When Eric Cantona of Manchester United did his amazing Kung-fu kick on an obnoxious Crystal Palace supporter seventeen years ago this month, I was there. By chance I was also an eye-witness thirty-five years earlier when United's goalkeeper Harry Gregg spectacularly whacked a spectator at Luton Town in April, 1960, knocking him to the ground.

I was lucky when I first used to go to Manchester United matches, over fifty years ago. Although the team was in the painful early stages of recovery from the Munich Air Crash they still often managed to play wonderfully expressive football in keeping with the finest traditions of the club.

Even before the terrible news that Vidic's season is over, many of us were already questioning whether the football Gods were conspiring against United with an unusually high rate of injuries this season. Indeed, some have gone further, raising the concern that this is not an isolated phenomenon but the continuation of a trend that has been evident for several years—a fact that would point to a more earthly cause such as human incompetence, rather than the mischievous deeds of some dastardly deity.

We have seen in Part I how the term 'Man U', considered objectionable by many supporters today, was created entirely uncontroversially by newspapers at least sixty years ago, as an easy printed abbreviation for Manchester United. Used initially almost exclusively for fixtures, results and league tables, it only later became part of grassroots speech a little later.

It has been estimated that Manchester United have 333 million supporters in over 200 countries, providing an astonishing cumulative audience of 4.2 billion television viewers watching the team in 2010-11. It would be lovely to think we're all one big happy family but it's probably no exaggeration to say that millions of those very fans have no idea that the name they routinely use for their favourite club irritates the hell out of untold thousands of others.

Amidst the eulogies for the veteran disc-jockey, showbiz star and champion charity fund-raiser, Sir Jimmy Savile, who died at the end of October at the age of 84, there was little mention of one small, largely forgotten but rather touching charitable stunt that he performed which is worth remembering if you are a Manchester United supporter.

A lot has and will be said about Fergie's winning mentality this week. It's at milestones such as these (and let's face it, SAF's had a few) that well worn phrases are paraded about like leathery skinned ex-pros at identikit stadia they never graced. "Never knows he's beaten", "obsession with winning" and "addicted to success" are all old favourites.

Henry Winter, The Telegraph

On his 25th anniversary, Sir Alex is being hailed as one of the greatest managers of all time. Rightly so. He possesses the four qualities that shape the finest leaders of footballing men: he buys well, bonds well, prepares well and exudes an aura. Never underestimate the power of an aura in a sport where psychology is key.

People will tell you that when someone of power and prominence walks into a room, before you have even seen them, you feel their presence. It's an absurd notion really. The idea that anyone has an invisible aura of authority or influence is at best descriptive indulgence, more accurately it's physically not possible.

So we lost. 6-1. To City. In a week that brought us the catastrophic news of Westlife splitting up, it had me wondering what about now? Could this really be City's season in the sun?

It's always a mini-trauma to lose heavily to a bitter rival, and we all have our own personal coping mechanisms.

Football can do a lot of things. It can turn completely stable people into emotional wrecks, it can play with our emotions like nothing else, save perhaps a member of the opposite sex. In short, it's a very powerful thing. One thing it should not do, however, is to change our perspective. Not footballing perspective, of course you should feel free to argue that your team is better than my team, your fans are louder than my fans, your grass is greener than our grass.

When the trademarked Special One was at Chelsea, I was an advocate of him. No doubt he brought something interesting to the table that other foreign managers simply don't. Wenger, Benitez and the rest are generally as dull as dishwater. And as much as we already had cause to dislike him for his hop, skip and a jump down the Old Trafford touchline after being robbed by his lucky Porto side, there was always that respect factor for a man that was achieving trophy hauls in what appeared to be a new manner.

When the trademarked Special One was at Chelsea, I was an advocate of him. No doubt he brought something interesting to the table that other foreign managers simply don't. Wenger, Benitez and the rest are generally as dull as dishwater. And as much as we already had cause to dislike him for his hop, skip and a jump down the Old Trafford touchline after being robbed by his lucky Porto side, there was always that respect factor for a man that was achieving trophy hauls in what appeared to be a new manner.

So 90 minutes into his Manchester United career, young Spanish goalkeeping wonderkid David De Gea has ended his spell as MUFC's number one.

At least that's what some fans would have you believe.

Never before has the word ‘howler' been used out of context in such a short space of time.

'There are so many very unhappy people around..' my wife said , her voice tailing off despondently as we watched the TV coverage this week of rioting, looting and arson wrecking lives and destroying communities. As Hilary and I tried to make sense of it all, our mood swung wildly from anger at the wanton nature of the destruction to despair at the social alienation these tragic events signified.

There can be few more thrilling experiences than watching Manchester United come from being two goals behind at Wembley to beat 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City 3-2 with a last minute winner in the Community Shield. However much City may now try to dismiss the occasion as simply a 'pre-season warm up' it's still a terrific feeling to see so many United youngsters rising to the occasion in classic Busby Babes' style, all those players like Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck, each giving hope that another generation of 'kids' is coming through at Old Trafford.

The day after Manchester United clinched the Premier League title at Middlesbrough's Riverside stadium it was a Bank Holiday. I spent it strolling nonchalantly in the sun down by the Riverside at Richmond, with my wife and daughter, wearing my old '92-93 Champions T-shirt. It was a satisfying feeling knowing all that effort and commitment through the season had paid off.

Cheer Up , Kevin Keegan

On course, for United to now go on to win the Double, having secured their place at Wembley, much depended on how Newcastle handled the pressures of the league run-in.And we got a very significant clue only a few days after the semi-finals, in one of the all-time great Premiership matches, on 3 April, 1996.

Cheer Up , Kevin Keegan

On course, for United to now go on to win the Double, having secured their place at Wembley, much depended on how Newcastle handled the pressures of the league run-in.And we got a very significant clue only a few days after the semi-finals, in one of the all-time great Premiership matches, on 3 April, 1996.

I love it when Manchester United players show an interest in the club's history. I want my idols to understand what it means and why it's important, just like a supporter. That's why Patrice Evra long ago endeared himself, with his immediate immersion in United's past when he arrived in 2006, getting out books and DVDs to study the matter.

I love it when Manchester United players show an interest in the club's history. I want my idols to understand what it means and why it's important, just like a supporter. That's why Patrice Evra long ago endeared himself, with his immediate immersion in United's past when he arrived in 2006, getting out books and DVDs to study the matter.

It's sometimes easy to laugh at Yanks. I remember watching a pulsating FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge in 1995 when Manchester United roared into a miraculous 5-0 lead against Chelsea only to concede three goals in the last twenty minutes, leaving them desperate to hang on for the 5-3 win. As the huge crowd drew breath at the end a lone American voice was heard saying, 'Wow, that was some game!

It is perhaps one of football's most popular myths that Manchester United get help from referees, in the form of anything from the rub of the green to outright corruption. Not only will it be referenced several times throughout the season by rival fans, it has actually entered the mainstream media, with phrases like "that was an Old Trafford decision", "if that was down the other end it was a pen" and "Fergie time" entering the common parlance of footballing punditry.

It is perhaps one of football's most popular myths that Manchester United get help from referees, in the form of anything from the rub of the green to outright corruption. Not only will it be referenced several times throughout the season by rival fans, it has actually entered the mainstream media, with phrases like "that was an Old Trafford decision", "if that was down the other end it was a pen" and "Fergie time" entering the common parlance of footballing punditry.

1993. The year the youngest of United's squad breathed their first. Paul Pogba, Sam Johnstone and Ravel Morrison are all younger than Dumb and Dumber (the film, not the Arsenal centre-half pairing). If that doesn't make you feel old, stop reading this and go tidy your room I'm not telling you again.

Being a Manchester United fan has obvious benefits. There's the trophies, the youth system, the stadium, the nice kit, the fact that you'll never struggle to see a game on television, and the lack of managerial turmoil. And the more of this you have, the easier it gets to take it all for granted even those who lived through the barren years will say silly things after a defeat at Anfield or a home draw against relegation fodder.

Being a Manchester United fan has obvious benefits. There's the trophies, the youth system, the stadium, the nice kit, the fact that you'll never struggle to see a game on television, and the lack of managerial turmoil. And the more of this you have, the easier it gets to take it all for granted even those who lived through the barren years will say silly things after a defeat at Anfield or a home draw against relegation fodder.

Football and schadenfreude are frequent bedfellows. The ability to derive pleasure from the misery of others is a genuine component of supporting a football club. You get a kick seeing your rivals doing poorly and when a player you find particularly distasteful encounters misfortune you take pleasure from it.

Sir Alex Ferguson has always been tough to predict in the transfer market, he's capable of securing transfer deals that seemed incredibly unlikely, unexpected, genius, or sometimes, baffling. From Henrik Larsson to Chicharito to Gabriel Obertan and Bébé, there's usually something from way out in left field.

It's not defeat that hurts most. The jealousy of victory causes more pain. Longing for what could have been is more poignant than loss.

Seeing the joy that you so craved, seeing their players dancing where United players could have done.

You lose games, it happens, but rarely after a loss do you see such an outpouring of joy from the opposition like at the end of a European Cup Final.

There was a tiny, insignificant incident in one of the first matches I saw George Best play for Manchester United that has always haunted me, in some ways more than than the many moments of genius I witnessed in his brilliant subsequent career.It occured in March 1964 against Fulham as United were desperately trying to keep alive a faltering campaign to win the league title, having recently unexpectedly lost both a Cup Winners Cup quarter final against Sporting Lisbon and an FA Cup semi-final against West Ham in successive matches.

There was a tiny, insignificant incident in one of the first matches I saw George Best play for Manchester United that has always haunted me, in some ways more than than the many moments of genius I witnessed in his brilliant subsequent career.It occured in March 1964 against Fulham as United were desperately trying to keep alive a faltering campaign to win the league title, having recently unexpectedly lost both a Cup Winners Cup quarter final against Sporting Lisbon and an FA Cup semi-final against West Ham in successive matches.

The Veltins-Arena (The Auf Schalke Arena for UEFA's sponsorship purposes), Gelsenkirchen, host of the 2004 Champions League final, where Ronaldo winked, Rooney saw red, England crashed out and the re-birth of a siege mentality that Fergie used to take United to 3 league title and 1 European cup within the following 3 years.

Liverpool 1 Man United 3, January 30, 1960

You've got to love the Scousers. When Liverpool were drawn at home to Manchester United in the 4th round of the FA Cup in January 1960 it was immediately declared an all-ticket match, naturally enough as United had already attracted the two largest league attendances of the season, despite being in the bottom half of the table.