Quotes of the week

[N.O.R.F]

"We don't mind them singing before the game - as long as they're not singing after it"

England captain David Beckham responds to claims of Argentina singing homophobic songs about their opponents before the match.

 

"Three in one game? That's good for me - it's usually four or five"

England's Steven Gerrard on the number of positional changes he had against Argentina.

 

"It means Bell is going to have to play in not the best of form - he was bowled by Dr Peter Gregory in the nets the other day"

Former England seamer Angus Fraser's mickey-taking does the trick for Ian Bell, who recovers from being bowled by the team doctor to score 71 against Pakistan.

 

"Brooklyn's probably better than me at Spanish"

Becks vows to brush up on his Language skills.

 

"I was like a swan - all serene at the top but paddling like hell underneath"

Britain's David Howell on holding his nerve to beat Tiger Woods and win the Champions tournament in Shanghai.

 

"This just proves we're not a bunch of old farts"

Nigel Mansell after winning the inaugural Grand Prix Masters race ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi.

 

"It proves that motor racing does not have to be costly and you can still put on a far better show. I won't get my Christmas card from Bernie Ecclestone for saying that"

Mansell again.

 

"The manager must have got out of bed, felt like Muhammad Ali and decided to get us all doing it. He ended up getting in a toy fight with Darren Potter though - and lost! So I don't think he'll be doing it again"

Liverpool captain Gerrard tells of a shadow boxing session with manager Rafa Benitez in training. Everyone else wants to know exactly what a "toy fight" is.

 

"They are joint top of the league and, if they stay there, the Hearts fans won't care if Rix and the new director of football are Martians, Lithuanians or English"

Eamonn Bannon on the controversial appointment of Graham Rix as manager of Hearts.

 

"The players are not allowed to shoot from outside the area -that's because they miss most of the time. I am glad he ignored me on that one"

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce after Kevin Nolan's spectacular winner against Spurs.

 

 

"My ceiling's broken, my car's got a puncture and we've just lost two matches. But I've got my health and I'll ask the big man upstairs why he didn't give us a point"

QPR manager Ian Holloway reflects on the 2-1 defeat by Reading.

 

"Offhand I don't know any Scottish players or teams and Hampden Park doesn't mean a whole lot to me"

USA striker Josh Wolff is distinctly underwhelmed about the prospect of playing Scotland.

 

"The fact that he's a fellow redhead only made my decision easier. I've been saying for years that we don't have enough of the mutant gene in MLS"

New York/New Jersey Metrostars general manager Alexei Lalas on the decision to give Mo Johnston the manager's job on a permanent basis.

 

"I was playing for Vale against Wrexham and their Trinidad defender Dennis Lawrence came over to me during a break in play. He's 6ft 7in and I was thinking 'What's going on here?!'. But he just asked me calmly: "I hear you've got some 'Trini' blood in you?"

Port Vale winger Chris Birchall - Trinidad's first white player in 60 years - reveals how his international career began. Birchall got off to the perfect start with a spectacular equaliser against Bahrain.

[SoMa_InC]

"The players are not allowed to shoot from outside the area -that's because they miss most of the time. I am glad he ignored me on that one"

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce after Kevin Nolan's spectacular winner against Spurs.

I wonder what would have happened in case he missed that. Sam would have been fuming at him. No wonder Jay Jay Okacha doesn't shoot outside the box this days.