Steven Gerrard’s unfortunate wording, Tim Sherwood coining the term ‘out-desired’ and the many sayings of Jose Mourinho all feature as Goal looks back on a year in soundbites
Another typically busy year in the Premier League comes to a close and it remains a competition that provokes all manner of discussion. Manchester City may have topped the calendar year’s table on goal difference but who won the war of words? Goal picks out the most memorable quotes of 2014…
“This does not f****** slip now.”
– Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard issues a rallying cry to his team after they beat Manchester City 3-2, making very real the possibility of ending their 24-year wait for a league title.
“It gave the title to Manchester City – it’s as simple as that.”
– Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho on Gerrard’s unfortunate slip that let in Demba Ba for the goal that set up a crippling 2-0 defeat for the Reds.
“It’s probably been the worst three months of my life.”
– Liverpool’s bungling of the title is followed by England being unceremoniously dumped out of the World Cup at the group stage, leaving national skipper Gerrard bereft.
“The reality is he’s a specialist because eight years without a piece of silverware … that is failure.”
– The Chelsea manager takes a swipe at his old sparring partner, Arsene Wenger, who does go on to end that wait by taking Arsenal to FA Cup glory in May.
“If one day I go to a game and I don’t feel I can win, maybe I don’t go.”
– Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is next in the Portuguese’s crosshairs after fielding a weakened team against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
“You can win the Champions League in the worst season.”
– Now-Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo made himself a Blues hero with their European title in 2012 but Mourinho puts his successor-come-predecessor’s achievements in context.
“The title race is between two horses and a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump.”
– Mourinho insists in February that Chelsea are unlikely to win the title.
“I think it’s clearly the result of something that looks like a campaign.”
– The 51-year-old rounds out the year by returning to his classic material, arguing that the world is conspiring to hold back his team.
“Chelsea are not made to play football. We’re good on the counter, a little bit like Real [Madrid] against Bayern.”
– Eden Hazard’s thoughts on his manager’s style come across a little less complimentary than he might have intended.
“This is football from the 19th century. It’s very difficult to play a football match when only one team wants to play. A football match is about two teams playing. I told Big Sam, they need points. To come here the way they did, is that acceptable? Maybe it is, they need points. The only thing I could bring more was Black & Decker – a Black & Decker to destroy the [West Ham] wall.”
– The Chelsea boss fumes after his side were held to a goalless draw in January.
“I couldn’t give a s***! He just can’t take it. Good old Jose, moaning again.”
– Mourinho’s West Ham counterpart, Sam Allardyce, revels in the frustration.
“The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have [Samuel] Eto’o but he is 32 years old – maybe 35, who knows?”
– The Portuguese is caught by TV cameras making an unguarded comment to a businessman about the state of his front line.
“I’m Samuel Eto’o. I really don’t care.”
– The Cameroonian delivers the perfect riposte to Mourinho’s doubts about his true age by scoring a goal and celebrating as if we were a hunch-backed old man.
“They need to show a bit more gut.”
– The recently appointed Tottenham manager sets out his philosophy as he slams his chummy players.
“You can’t get out-fought and out-desired. I don’t want to see that again. I won’t tolerate less than 100 per cent desire. I’m their manager, not their babysitter.”
– Tim Sherwood achieves peak Tim Sherwood as he defends his critique of the Spurs squad.
“I just want to wear my heart on my sleeve.”
– Sherwood explains why he threw to the ground his gilet, an already sleeveless garment, during a game.
“I can categorically tell you that [Mario Balotelli] will not be at Liverpool.”
– Brendan Rodgers, 22 days before Mario Balotelli signs for Liverpool.
“It is not something I have even thought about.”
– Rodgers on Saturday, insisting that Balotelli will not be sold after a dreadful start to his Reds career.
“Look at Tottenham; you spend over £100-odd million, you’d expect to be challenging for the league.”
– Rodgers in April, shortly before embarking on a summer spend of over £110m. Liverpool end 2014 eighth in the Premier League, 18 points behind leaders Chelsea.
“They have a choice as a club. They don’t have to sell. Maybe Southampton’s objectives have changed. They were looking to be a Champions League club, I believe. They obviously wanted to change. […] I don’t have sympathy, no.”
– Rodgers after signing Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren from Southampton for a combined £60m. The Saints end 2014 fourth in the Premier League, five points ahead of Liverpool.
“I know how it goes. Six or seven months ago I was the manager of the year and I was going to be this and that, tactically this and tactically that, and now, because we have lost two world-class players, I am useless. But I accept that.
“I must have just dreamt that about Liverpool playing 3-4-3 [against Bournemouth]. What do people think that was, a bit of luck? A British coach playing 3-4-3? A foreign coach doing that would be a tactical genius. I imagine people think I fell into that system through a stroke of luck or something […] it took some thought. I didn’t just throw them out there.”
– As dissatisfaction with how Liverpool’s 2014-15 campaign is going increases, Rodgers hits back at critics of his approach.
NO PUNCHES PULLED
“Shut your noise, you old c***!”
– Newcastle manager Alan Pardew unleashes an eloquent tirade against Manchester City’s Manuel Pellegrini on the touchline. Pardew is less than eight years the Chilean’s junior.
“He is not injured. He’s not fit. He’s not fit to play football, unfortunately. He played in a reserve game the other day and I could have run about more than he did. I can’t pick him.
“I can’t keep protecting people who don’t want to run about and train, who are about three stone overweight. What am I supposed to keep saying? ‘Keep getting your 60, 70 grand a week but don’t train’? What’s the game coming to?”
– QPR boss Harry Redknapp loses patience with mercurial midfielder Adel Taarabt.
“I like Arsene for his principles but principles are sort of a restriction and restrictions are always lost possibilities.”
– Major Arsenal stakeholder Alisher Usmanov explains his eroding faith in the long-serving Wenger.
“It could end up like the Dog & Duck against the Red Lion.”
– Former Manchester United defender turned TV pundit Gary Neville is far from excited about watching his somewhat shaky old side take on the similarly out-of-form Liverpool in December.
“He’s worse than Dracula because at least Dracula comes out of his coffin now and then. He seems to stay on his line and that’s it.”
– Recently dropped Reds goalkeeper Simon Mignolet takes a kicking from Liverpool hero Bruce Grobbelaar.
“It was Tottenham at home. I thought: ‘Please don’t go on about Tottenham, we all know what Tottenham are about. They are nice and tidy but we’ll f****** do them.’ Alex came in and said: ‘Lads, it’s only Tottenham.’ And that was it! Brilliant!”
– Ex-Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane fondly recalls Sir Alex Ferguson’s team talks at Old Trafford.
“I got Robbie’s mobile number and rang him. It went to his voicemail: ‘Hi, it’s Robbie – whazzup!’ Like the Budweiser ad. I never called him back. I thought: ‘I can’t be f****** signing that.”
– Keane feels less complimentary about the time when he considered signing Robbie Savage for Sunderland.
“We have played a very good side, playing at the sort of level we are aspiring to. We need to come up a couple of levels ourselves because at the moment we are not there.”
– Soon-to-be-ex-Manchester United manager David Moyes on rivals Manchester City after losing to them 3-0 at home, a far cry from Sir Alex Ferguson’s “noisy neighbours”.
“My fellow players are sometimes occupying the spaces I want to play in. That forces me to adjust my runs, based on the position of my fellow players. Unfortunately, they’re often playing in my zones. I think that’s a shame”
– Robin van Persie magnanimously tries to explain his poor form for Moyes’s side in February.
“Everything is s*** because we lost.”
– Southampton boss Ronald Koeman takes his team’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United badly
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