“You always worry if you’ll get the chance to complete the hat-trick when Rafa’s in charge! He might take you off when you’re on two just to keep your feet on the ground. But he knows my feet never leave the ground.”
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, not walking on air after his treble against Aston Villa.
“We were playing against 10 men and we had three or four chances to score more. We could have done better.”
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez after seeing his side ‘only’ hit five against Aston Villa. Just how many goals do they need to make him happy?
“I spoke to a few people on the phone from the dressing room and they were saying Dublin had gone absolutely mental!”
Ronan O’Gara after scoring the drop goal against Wales that clinched the Six Nations Grand Slam for Ireland.
“We had some bad experiences flying with Blackburn. On one occasion, one of the lads actually wet himself.”
Derby midfielder Robbie Savage reveals life wasn’t all plain sailing for one of his former colleagues at Ewood Park.
“I’ve got something really special planned for Robbie at the end of the season. Although it may not be live on telly, everyone will know about it!”
Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater has another trick up his sleeve after pouring a jug of juice over his team-mate during a live TV interview, in revenge for Savage reading a personal letter to the rest of the team.
“At least the boy Bywater didn’t spill anything today!”
Savage after the 0-0 draw with Barnsley.
“Simon Jordan will be on the phone to me saying I’ve done him, so that should be interesting!”
Wigan boss Steve Bruce looks forward to a nice chat with his old mucker after Ben Watson, a £1.5m ’snip’ from Crystal Palace scores the winner against Hull.
“Ideally, you do not want to play an English team because it is not really Europe.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on avoiding the rest of the non-European Premier League sides in the Champions League draw.
Manuel Almunia
Ooh, I’m scared
“The penalty was a good opportunity to open their account. But I thought Martins was scared of our goalie.”
Arsenal’s Andrei Arshavin on Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins’ penalty miss against the terrifying Manuel Almunia.
“Arsene Wenger wrote a nice card and Alex Ferguson said he wanted to see me back in the dug-out soon and told me to back one of his horses at Cheltenham. I did and it came fourth. Thanks Alex, just what I needed to relax!”
Newcastle interim manager Joe Kinnear, back cracking the gags after his heart operation.
“It is frustrating. However, and people will probably laugh, I know I’m not injury-prone.”
Newcastle striker Michael Owen – stop sniggering at the back.
“I spent the last half-hour with the crowd spinning and bits of tongue falling off in my mouth but such is life as a goalkeeper, you are going to get these whacks.”
West Ham keeper Robert Green conjures up a charming image after being caught by West Brom’s Jonas Olsson.
“When you go to a club at four in the morning and you’re just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J-Lo. And, to me, this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It’s four in the morning. Too much to drink. So, Nationals: Jennifer Lopez to me.”
Pitcher Julian Tavarez gives an interesting insight into why he moved to the Washington Nationals.
“Nobody can complain about my commitment. Players are different, it is like the five fingers on the hand – all different but they shine in different ways.”
Didier Drogba can’t quite put his finger on the reasons he’s dubbed lazy.
