Paul Stephen’s Top 10 Footy Quotes
'Ole Big Head' could spin afew one-liners
Let’s face it. Most men in football aren’t highly regarded for their intelligence or command of the English language, but, despite their frequent tendencies to make a fool of themselves, players and managers alike have been known to brilliantly summarise aspects of the game using inappropriate analogies and very occasionally impart pearls of wisdom amongst unsuspecting fans.
They have left us laughing, cringing or just down right bemused so I have selected 10 choice quotes that encapsulate this curious state of affairs perfectly.
“I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered.”
George Best on the vacuous world inhabited by top-flight footballers
“When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be dropped into the sea.”
Eric Cantona ponders his fate after being sentenced to 100 hours community service for an attack on a Crystal Palace fan in 1995
“I couldn’t settle in Italy – it was like living in a foreign country.”
Ian Rush reveals the reasons behind his failure at Juventus
“We didn’t underestimate them. They were a lot better than we thought.”
Bobby Robson after England narrowly beat Cameroon in the 1990 World Cup Quarter Final
“What I said to them at half-time would be unprintable on the radio.”
Former Spurs boss Gerry Francis never minced his words
“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I’m very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
Bill Shankly gets his priorities right
“Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.”
Mourinho introduces himself to the English press in typically modest fashion after arriving at Chelsea in 2004
“Winning isn’t everything. There should be no conceit in victory and no despair in defeat.”
Always the gentleman, Matt Busby being magnanimous in defeat
“I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one.”
Brian Clough on his own success
“It took a lot of bottle for Tony to own up.”
Ian Wright shows his admiration after Tony Adams revealed his drinking problem in 1996
What are yours?
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Super Cally go ballistic, Celtic are attrocious (After Caledonian Thistle beat Celtic in the Scottish Cup
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“It is better to fail aiming high than to succeed aiming low. And we of Spurs have set our sights very high, so high in fact that even failure will have in it an echo of glory.”
Bill Nicholson
End of discussion.
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“If it moves, kick it. If it doesn’t move, kick it until it does. Then kick it!!!”
American commentator trying to describe Gaelic football to his audience having witnessed his first All Ireland Final.
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i aint got a quote, but i know of a picture, Arsene Wenger in the stands with both his arms out at old trafold for kicking a bottle, only last season. Iconic picture.
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Hey bud you got shankley and mourinhos comments the wrong way around.
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What about the David Beckham classic. When asked what he thought the score would be he said; ‘Sorry I don’t make predictions and I never will’ or the commentator who said ‘This game is not over yet.’ at the seven minute mark of the first half.
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Australians can also be competetive when it comes to stupid quotes. On a dirty wet dark cold day we had a commentator say; ‘The ball has gone to Bruns on the wing, easily identifiable by his red hair. I wish they all had red hair.’
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The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It’s nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It’s about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.” –Danny Blanchflower
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More from the legend that is Brian Clough
“I only ever hit Roy the once. He got up so I couldn’t have hit him very hard”
“We talk about it for twenty minutes and then we decide I was right”
“I’m sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I’d want to run the show. They were shrewd, because that’s exactly what I would have done”
http://www.brianclough.com/new_page_2.htm
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Interviewer: “What would you be if you weren’t a professional footballer?”
Peter Crouch: “A virgin.”
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