On himself “I am a big-head, not a figurehead.”
On the FA “One of the reasons I never became England manager was because the FA thought I would take over and run the show. They were dead right.”
On David Beckham “Being thick isn’t an affliction if you’re a footballer, because your brains need to be in your feet. Beckham treats a football like he does a wife — lovingly, with caresses.”
On Sven-Göran Eriksson “At last England have appointed a manager who speaks English better than the players.”
On Martin O’Neill “Anybody who can do anything in Leicester but make a jumper has got to be a genius.”
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On a streaker who interrupted a Derby County match “The Derby players have seen more of his balls than the one they’re meant to be playing with.”
On his alcoholism “Walk on water? I know most people will be saying that instead of walking on it, I should have taken more of it with my drinks. They are right.”
On player disagreements “We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right.”
On his career “I wouldn’t say I was the best manager. But I was in the Top One.”
On foreign imports “I can’t even spell spaghetti never mind talk Italian. How could I tell an Italian to get the ball — he might grab mine.”