1) " I never comment on a Referee's performance, Brian, and I'm not breaking my rule for that incompetent Pratt " ( Ron Atkinson )

2) " Of course there are better Centre-halves than you, Jack, but you possess the qualities I need in the system I wish to employ " ( Alf Ramsey to Jack Charlton 1966 )

3) Italian Journalist to Bob Paisley, pre-match before the 1977 European Cup Final, " Have you been to Rome before, Mr Paisley ? ", " Aye, just the once ", " A scouting mission ? " .... " No, 1944, on the back of a Sherman tank ! "

4) Post match interviewer, " Can I have a quick word ? ", Manager " Velocity ! " ( Martin Buchan/Gordon Strachan )

5) " I wouldn't say I'm the best manager in the Country, but I'm definitely in the top 1 " ( Brian Clough )

6) " I'm sorry Gentlemen, It's my day off " ( Alf Ramsey to the assembled Press, at his home the day after England's world Cup win )

7) " Kevin Keegan's a great player, but I wouldn't fancy his chances knee deep in dust ! " ( Bill Shankly, on hearing of a proposal to allow fans to have their ashes scattered on the Anfield pitch )

8) " Tom Finney on the right wing, but I'd have to think about the rest " ( Tommy Doherty, on being asked to name an all-time British XI )

9) " We try to equalise before the opposition score ! " ( Danny Blanchflower to a bemused European Press, asking about Northern Ireland's tactics at the 1958 World Cup )

Some old chestnuts here, can anyone suggest some additions ?

"You draw some, you lose some."
Jock Wallace I think it was when manager of Leicester after not winning
for a goodly number of games. later 70"s?

"You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated." -Maya Angelou

Spanish newspaper, talking about the 1982 World Cup: "In a few weeks, all the special stars like Zico, Maradona, and Billy Hamilton, will have gone home ..."

Mick McCarthy after seeing his team lose another game.

"if it wasnt for bad luck we would have no luck at all"

There was an American Football press conference, at Tampa Bay I believe when they were an expansion team.

Journalist: "What do you think about the execution of the defense?"
Head Coach: "I think it would be a very good idea."

Stan Ternent on Glen Little's penalty miss v Man City away..

"It's 192 square feet to aim at and all you have to do is miss the goalie"

"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered." The late George Best

"There's been a red card but for who Chris Kamara?"

"I don't know Jeff has there? I must have missed that. Is it a red card? I don't know!"

“I saw the player going off but I thought they were making a sub”

I think it was Bill Shankly who said " the officials say the player was not offside because he was not interfering with play, if he's not interfering with play what's he doing on the pitch"

Clarets4me wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 28, 2022 10:42 pm

3) Italian Journalist to Bob Paisley, pre-match before the 1977 European Cup Final, " Have you been to Rome before, Mr Paisley ? ", " Aye, just the once ", " A scouting mission ? " .... " No, 1944, on the back of a Sherman tank ! "

Reminds of one of those aircrew stories:

https://militaryhumor.net/have-you-not- ... rt-before/

Some of the crowd are on the pitch........They think it's all over...........It is now!

“They’re the second-best team in the world, and there’s no higher praise than that.”

Kevin Keegan

“I don’t have any tattoos, but that’s mainly because none of my limbs are wide enough to support a visible image.”

Peter Crouch

“For those of you watching in black and white, Spurs are in the all-yellow strip.”

John Motson

“I love Blackpool. We’re very similar. We both look better in the dark!”

Ian Holloway

MrTopTier wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 29, 2022 10:21 am

“I don’t have any tattoos, but that’s mainly because none of my limbs are wide enough to support a visible image.”

Peter Crouch

Question asked to Crouchy " what do you think you would have been if you were not a footballer " Answer, Virgin .............

It only takes a second to score a goal young man. Cloughie.

It’s first time I’ve ever been within a yard of him and he hasn’t tried to kick me. Keegan about Gentile at an awards do.

The only way United would ever concede a penalty at home is if Jaap Stam mowed down the opposition with a machine gun, and even then the ref would probably give offside. Can’t quite remember who but it was an Italian writing in his book.

Michael Owen quotes would need it's own library.

Shankly. "Football is a simple game,it's the players that make it difficult".

7decades wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:30 am

I think it was Bill Shankly who said " the officials say the player was not offside because he was not interfering with play, if he's not interfering with play what's he doing on the pitch"

It's usually attributed to Bill Nicholson, I think, but I doubt he was stupid enough to say it. "And Matthews gets to the goal line and pulls, the ball back, Mortensen slams it in, and of course the goal is disallowed because Matthews was offside" - I don''t think so.

Gazza:
I don’t make predictions. And I never will.

Shankly: There are 2 great teams on Merseyside; Liverpool and Liverpool Reserves.

Some commentator or other: Alex Ferguson is Manchester United through and through. Cut him and he bleeds red.

Another one from Bill Shankly. "Paddy Crerand - a player with deceptive pace, a lot slower than he looks".

Two more from Shanks

When he signed Big Ron Yeats from Dundee United he said this to the assembled journalists “Take a walk around my centre half, gentlemen, He’s a colossus!”

Of one player who didn’t try to hard, Shankly said: “He has a heart as big as a caraway seed.”

The Partick Manager (John Lambie was his name I think) who, when told at HT that his centre forward was concussed and didn't even know his own name , said "Tell him he's Pele and send him back out there"

Stalbansclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 30, 2022 2:15 pm

The Partick Manager (John Lambie was his name I think) who, when told at HT that his centre forward was concussed and didn't even know his own name , said "Tell him he's Pele and send him back out there"

I don't think that would go down well today would It! Reminds me of the Ireland Rugby Union coach who when examining a possibly concussed player waved three fingers in front of his face and said how many fingers? Reply was "four" He said "near enough carry on"

So Bierhoff's got a short time to press his claim now that the two other strikers have both been taken off. Kuntz.....

Motson - Czech Republic v Germany.

I had to resurrect this thread when I read this quote from Bert Sproston, former Tottenham & Manchester City full back.

He played in the infamous friendly v Germany in May 1938, where the England team was ordered by Stanley Rous, Secretary of the FA, and the British Ambassador, Neville Henderson to give the Nazi salute " as a mark of respect " to their hosts ..

" I'm just a lad from Leeds, all I know is football. I don't know about politics or t'like, but to me, yon 'itler fella looks a reet evil little Tw*t !!

An interesting footnote to the game below ....

https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-a-tot ... &fs=e&s=cl

A Scottish journalist to Sir Alf as he got off the plane at Glasgow Airport ' Welcome to Scotland Sir Alf' -

Ramsey 'You must be f***ing joking'

When Ron Atkinson took WBA to China they asked him if he had seen the Great Wall Of China. "Did we see it ??"Ron replied. "We used to practice taking our free kicks round it" he went on to say

Hipper wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:47 am

Reminds of one of those aircrew stories:

https://militaryhumor.net/have-you-not- ... rt-before/

Not football related but similar...

When I was an apprentice in the early 70s, some engineers had come from Damstadt in Germany to service some machines. One of the engineers asked if any of us had been to Danstadt.

One of the chaps I worked with then was an older guy who had served in the RAF during the war on Lancasters. He just calmly lit up a Woodbine and said, "no but have flown over it".

"It's not personal, it's business-wise. Steve Blatherwick, Lee Howey, Mark Winstanley and to a lesser degree Michael Williams, because he will never win the crowd over, will not play for Burnley Football Club again." was quite memorable.

Reporter to Newcastle's Shola Ameobi: "Do you have a nickname?"
Ameobi: "No, not really"
Reporter: "So what does Bobby Robson call you?"
Ameobi: "Carl Cort."

The great Sir Bobby

Jimmy Greaves said when you drove in your team coach down the hill into Burnley and saw Turf Moor, surrounded by red brick and licked by factory smoke, you knew you were in for a hard afternoon.

Tommy Docherty when he was at Preston heard Tom Finney was paid £8 a week during the season and £6 during the closed season. Tommy was paid £6 during the season and £4 during the closed season. He went to ask the manager why Finney was paid more than he was. Because he is a better player than you are. Not in the closed season he isn't responded The Doc

Efan Ekoku - Norwich v Burnley live TV game "Nick Pope - fantastic between the sheets"

Gillette Soccer Special, a few years ago when the pundits were discussing flying to away matches ...

Jeff Stelling : " What about you, Paul Merson ? Did you enjoy flying to away games ?

Paul Merson : " Naw, Jeff, 'ated it ! Always glad to get my feet back down on Terra Cotta ! "

sjb wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 7:28 pm

A Scottish journalist to Sir Alf as he got off the plane at Glasgow Airport ' Welcome to Scotland Sir Alf' -

Ramsey 'You must be f***ing joking'

If this is true Alf has just gone up in my estimation.

Football eh, bloody hell!

Alex Ferguson

claptrappers_union wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:02 pm

Football eh, bloody hell!

Alex Ferguson

That's, Futbah..eeh. . No...?

Quiz question in tonights Maypole Inn Quiz ...

Which Football manager said " I've just been upstairs to give my Chairman the vote of confidence"








Brian Clough

Exsus wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:02 pm

If this is true Alf has just gone up in my estimation.

I strongly doubt the expletive was used. Sir Alf was always conscious of his humble (ie. an upbringing of relentless absolute poverty) past and attempting to put on a middle class facade.

Such was his embarrassment at his roots he once reportedly responded, when asked where his parents came from, “Dagenham, I believe.”

I don’t know if this is true but it rings truer than the idea of a gentleman like Sir Alf swearing casually in public, in the 1960s.

Rowls wrote: ↑

Fri Feb 24, 2023 11:41 pm

I strongly doubt the expletive was used. Sir Alf was always conscious of his humble (ie. an upbringing of relentless absolute poverty) past and attempting to put on a middle class facade.

Such was his embarrassment at his roots he once reportedly responded, when asked where his parents came from, “Dagenham, I believe.”

I don’t know if this is true but it rings truer than the idea of a gentleman like Sir Alf swearing casually in public, in the 1960s.

Exactly.

MrTopTier wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 29, 2022 10:21 am

“I don’t have any tattoos, but that’s mainly because none of my limbs are wide enough to support a visible image.”

Peter Crouch

What would you be if you weren’t a footballer? A virgin.

Cabbage wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 25, 2023 7:35 am

What would you be if you weren’t a footballer? A virgin.

Oops. Already posted, sorry

Shankley (I believe): "Football isn't a matter of life and death. It's far more serious than that".

"" He'll play when I pick him. ""


Clough at the press conference for Trevor Francis following the first £1m signining, butting in when a reporter asked Francis if he'd be playing in his first game the next day.

You need the Clough drawl to get the full effect.

I’d love it if we beat them, love it

Cloughie one...we have a great team on paper,its a shame the games played on grass