“Excuse me, but have you been drinking?”

MARTIN O’NEILL lightheartedly baits BBC interviewer Jonathan Pearce who suggested Aston Villa’s recent form might even mean the Premiership title was a real target!

“I wouldn’t negotiate with that lot. I wouldn’t sell them a virus.”

SIR ALEX FERGUSON guides Manchester United to the World Club Championship in Christmas week — but still has time to have a ‘swipe’ at Real Madrid who claimed to have a ‘secret’ arrangement to buy Ronaldo next summer.

“I wake up every morning and look in the mirror. I know that I can live with all the decisions I’ve made for the good of football here in Northern Ireland, and that I’ve done it with integrity.”

HOWARD WELLS is suddenly sacked as the IFA’s Chief Executive in the autumn, and his former employers are perhaps left squirming a little!

“It’s been great to go to the Games and to do well, though I’d have loved the gold medal. But I have my eyes firmly set on London, so hopefully there’s more to come.”

WENDY HOUVENHAGEL, from Upperlands originally, is a silver medallist as the Great Britain cycling team rides to collective glory in Beijing.

“I never lost belief in my own ability, but more |importantly I never lost confidence in the team. What did annoy me was some of the early-season criticism on these |websites, they can be spiteful and hurtful. |Perhaps that’s something needs to be looked at and monitored.”

MICKEY HARTE, the outstanding gaelic football manager of his generation, leads Tyrone to a third All-Ireland title in September, but during the Ulster Championship parts of his native county had doubted whether he should stay at the helm — and some were pretty abusive.

“I don’t believe he should be running. He knowingly took a drug that was undetectable at the time, then went on to say you can’t win anything without taking drugs. He’s been treated the way he deserves.”

DAME KELLY HOLMES, a double Olympic gold medallist, rails against Dwain Chambers’ selection for the World Indoor |Championships.

“Of course, it’s been |difficult, but I’ve had nine great years with Ulster and with Ireland, made friendships for life. But there are other things than rugby in life, and I’ll take a little time to think about the future.”

SIMON BEST, one of ‘the good guys’, decides in March that, after his heart scare at the World Cup, he should retire from the game, and is remarkably philosophical and grateful for what the sport gave him. Typical.

“I rode out this morning on 20 horses, and felt no reaction at all, I’m fully fit. I wouldn’t contemplate going to |Cheltenham if I wasn’t 500 percent healthy, but unless something happens over the next week I’ll be there.”

TONY McCOY, champion jockey and apparently indestructible, insists that his intensive, almost unbearable recuperation regime after breaking vertebrae in his back just five weeks earlier would ensure he decorated the National Hunt’s Festival in March.

“This guy should never play again. The answer you normally get is: ‘He’s not the type of guy who does that.’ It is like a guy who kills once, it’s enough. You have a dead person.”

ARSENE WENGER reacts emotionally immediately after his star Eduardo suffers a broken leg in a tackle from Birmingham’s Martin Taylor – thankfully the Arsenal boss retracted within hours.

“If you’re driving to work don’t get in the car with Liam Miller, because he has more crashes than anyone I know. This is nothing to do with him as a player or as a lad, but I had to draw the line.”

ROY KEANE, then Sunderland boss, transfer-lists midfielder Liam Miller after the Republic international was repeatedly late for team training and meetings – with Keane not entirely convinced of some of the excuses!

“Are you ‘hitting’ on me? I’m a married man!”

PHIL MICKELSON stuns BBC interviewer Hazel Irvine after she congratulated him on his new slimline look at the US Masters.

“I’m probably glad it’s all over. I have lived my dream for the last 10 years and I have loved almost every minute of it. I had the best of both the amateur and professional eras.”

DAVID HUMPHREYS, arguably the most accomplished rugby player of his generation, bids an emotional farewell to the game in May and to the Ulster No.10 jersey he wore with such distinction.

“I haven’t been able to even look at a bike for a few days. I’m sure when I race again I’ll get flashbacks of what happened.

Martin was just a great guy, and it’s difficult to explain when you saw it happen.”

RYAN FARQUHAR, the top road racer from here, sees his rival and friend Martin Finnegan killed as they vied for the lead in a race at the Tandragee 100 in May.

“It’s just been the most fantastic week of my life, two goals to help take West Brom up to the Premier League, and I became a Dad for the first time. I can’t believe it.”

CHRIS BRUNT, the Northern Ireland international, wallows in his side’s promotion and domestic bliss!

“We’ve had a lot of criticism, but these players and all the staff have a very special character. It’s a wonderful achievement, and I’m a very proud manager.”

DAVID JEFFREY guides Linfield to a League and Irish Cup ‘double’ for the third successive season – last achieved by a predecessor at Windsor Park 115 years ago!

“I could have looked back and said ‘I could have been this, I could have been that’, but things happen in life. There are a lot of people worse off than me, children dying of hunger. I have nothing to complain about.”

ROBERT DUNLOP, in a poignant reflection on his career just before the tragic NW200 practice accident which claimed his life at the age of 47.

“This is a great |achievement for a wonderful group of players. And to do it 50 years on from Munich, well, it’s fate, isn’t it? I hope Sir Matt and those lads will be proud of these players.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON guides Manchester United to Champions’ League triumph over Chelsea in Moscow, and remembers what Europe has meant to the club since the Busby Babes.

“I was surprised, and |didn’t expect it. But I’ll |always be available to |answer the call and be available for my country, and to captain it as well. I am honoured to do so.”

DAVID BECKHAM approaches total redemption with England as manager Fabio Capello names him as skipper against Trinidad and Tobago in June, insisting the player is a genuine candidate for the longer-term captaincy!

“If I was running the event it would be up north. Definitely. It would be a tremendous event, there’s a great golf public up there.”

PADRAIG HARRINGTON enthusiastically endorses the idea of golf’s Irish Open, struggling for financial backing, to be staged in the Province where he is convinced it can retain its former glory.

“The credit goes to the coach. When we lost in Belfast, and then in |Sweden, many wanted him to go. But he stuck by this group of players, and he has proved to the world he was right.”

XAVI ALONSO, the Liverpool and Spanish midfielder, hails Luis Arragones, his national manager, after the European Championship Final win over Germany in June.

“It’s seven weeks since the season finished but, while the ‘gaffer’ has found time to be a pundit for the BBC at Euro 2008, he hasn’t found the time to talk to me. But Rafa Benitez has shown how much he wants me at |Anfield.”

GARETH BARRY, craving a move from Aston Villa to Liverpool, chooses to attack the wrong man, his manager Martin O’Neill, over the saga of his move to Anfield. He was to rue the outburst.

“He’s still the best player in history, he’s still the No.1, still the best, still five times a champion here. He is excellent when he wins, and when he loses.”

RAFAEL NADAL wins his first Wimbledon title after an epic Sunday battle with the king of Centre Court, Roger Federer, and is magnanimous as he was awesome in his play.

“What Padraig has done is truly awesome. Nobody works harder in our game than Padraig, and he has got the reward he deserved. To win the Open for a second time running is unbelievable, it tells you so much about the person to deal with his injury, the weather. It’s brilliant for Irish and European golf.”

GRAEME McDOWELL, a contender himself for much of the Open Championship, bows to no-one in his respect for the winner again in 2008, Padraig Harrington.

“I knew Roy Keane when I was at Manchester United, and I’m really looking forward to |working with him again. I’m happy it’s all sorted out and I can hopefully do what I do best – score goals for Sunderland.”

DAVID HEALY ends his nightmare at Fulham and joins the tide of players lured to the Stadium of Light by the fearsome Sunderland boss – and promptly repays part of the fee with a debut goal!

“I was disappointed, of course I was, I love the Ryder Cup. But worse things have happened in my life. I thought my form had put me in real |contention, Nick said he wanted ‘form players’, but he seems to have changed his mind.”

DARREN CLARKE, the overwhelming ‘people’s choice’ to be a ‘wild card’ selection by European |captain Nick Faldo for the match against the US in Valhalla, is gracious on being told he’ll miss out – but gently chides the European skipper!

“It was a great |experience, and obviously I wish we had won, but what an event! That’s where I want to be every two years!”

Portrush golfer GRAEME McDOWELL is a star of the |defeated European team at the Ryder Cup in Valhalla — but he wants more!