Sir Alex: Points the way
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has trained his sights on both domestic and European glory this season.
The Premier League champions currently trail leaders Arsenal by just two points and in Europe are through to a knockout tie with Lyon.
Ferguson is confident his squad is well equipped to challenge for honours on two fronts, with United having looked equally comfortable on both home soil and abroad.
He told the club's official website: "I am looking for success in Europe as well as at home.
"We have the players and the back-up to do it. We are a more mature team this season in terms of European football and we have played some successful and entertaining stuff.
"We've lost a couple of games in the league but our consistency overall has been very good. We are with the leaders in the league and we are through to the knockout stages of the Champions League and ready for the exciting games ahead."
As well as the title and the UEFA Champions League, United are still in FA Cup contention as they look forward to a fourth-round tie against Spurs or Reading at Old Trafford.
And the strength of his squad and the way they are playing gives Ferguson optimism for the coming months.
He spent big in the summer to bring the likes of Nani, Anderson, Owen Hargreaves and Carlos Tevez to the club. And they have all settled in quickly to give United a host of extra options.
"The main reason for my optimism is the way we have knitted together as a team, with the new players settling to make the kind of impact we were not entitled to expect so soon."

Fulham 3-0 Burnley - Hodgson
Fulham 3-0 Burnley - Laws
Man City 2-0 Bolton - Johnson and Vieira
Portsmouth 1-1 Sunderland - Bruce
Wigan 1-1 Stoke - Martinez
Portsmouth 1-1 Sunderland - James
Portsmouth 1-1 Sunderland - Grant
Wigan 1-1 Stoke - Scharner
| Time | Fixture |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 10th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Arsenal vs Liverpool |
| 19:45 | Aston Villa vs Man Utd |
| 19:45 | West Ham vs Birmingham |
| 19:45 | Wolverhampton vs Tottenham |
| 20:00 | Blackburn vs Hull |
| 20:00 | Everton vs Chelsea |
| Tuesday 16th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 19:45 | Stoke vs Man City |
| Wednesday 17th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Wigan vs Bolton |
| Saturday 20th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Everton vs Man Utd |
| 15:00 | Arsenal vs Sunderland |
| 15:00 | West Ham vs Hull |
| 15:00 | Wolverhampton vs Chelsea |
| 17:30 | Portsmouth vs Stoke |
| Sunday 21st February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 14:00 | Aston Villa vs Burnley |
| 15:00 | Fulham vs Birmingham |
| 15:00 | Man City vs Liverpool |
| 16:15 | Wigan vs Tottenham |
| Monday 22nd February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Blackburn vs Bolton |
| Tuesday 23rd February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 20:00 | Man Utd vs West Ham |
| Saturday 27th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| 12:45 | Chelsea vs Man City |
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Tuesday 9th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 2 - 0 Bolton | |
| Wigan 1 - 1 Stoke | |
| Portsmouth 1 - 1 Sunderland | |
| Fulham 3 - 0 Burnley | |
| Sunday 7th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 2 - 1 Wolverhampton | |
| Chelsea 2 - 0 Arsenal | |
| Saturday 6th February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Liverpool 1 - 0 Everton | |
| Hull 2 - 1 Man City | |
| Stoke 3 - 0 Blackburn | |
| Bolton 0 - 0 Fulham | |
| Sunderland 1 - 1 Wigan | |
| Man Utd 5 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Burnley 2 - 1 West Ham | |
| Tottenham 0 - 0 Aston Villa | |
| Wednesday 3rd February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Fulham 1 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Tuesday 2nd February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Hull 1 - 1 Chelsea | |
| Monday 1st February | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Sunderland 0 - 0 Stoke | |
| Sunday 31st January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Man City 2 - 0 Portsmouth | |
| Arsenal 1 - 3 Man Utd | |
| Saturday 30th January | |
| Barclays Premier League | |
| Birmingham 1 - 1 Tottenham | |
| Pos | Team | P | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chelsea | 25 | 58 |
| 2 | Manchester United | 25 | 56 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 25 | 49 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 25 | 44 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 24 | 44 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | 43 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 24 | 41 |
| 8 | Birmingham City | 24 | 37 |
| 9 | Fulham | 26 | 34 |
| 10 | Everton | 24 | 32 |
| 11 | Stoke City | 24 | 30 |
| 12 | Blackburn Rovers | 25 | 28 |
| 13 | Sunderland | 25 | 26 |
| 14 | Wigan Athletic | 24 | 24 |
| 15 | Hull City | 25 | 24 |
| 16 | Burnley | 25 | 23 |
| 17 | Bolton Wanderers | 24 | 22 |
| 18 | West Ham United | 24 | 21 |
| 19 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 24 | 21 |
| 20 | Portsmouth | 25 | 16 |
Barca had two men sent off, Robbie Keane scored for Celtic while FC Twente finally lost in Holland.
The Insider thinks Mansfield Town's novel idea could boost crowds higher up the football ladder.
A naive Arsenal slipped further out of the title race while Liverpool enjoyed a positive weekend.
Manchester City overcame Bolton, Portsmouth salvaged a late draw against Sunderland, Fulham saw off Burnley and Stoke held Wigan.
Avram Grant said his dismissal against Sunderland was a product of him 'having enough' of the club's difficulties.
Aruna Dindane salvaged a priceless point for troubled Portsmouth as they drew 1-1 with Sunderland.
Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor grabbed a goal apiece as Man City overcame Bolton at Eastlands.
Fulham claim a comfortable 3-0 victory and extend Burney's woeful away run at Craven Cottage.