Bill Shankly:
"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."

Bill Shankly (at Dixie Dean's funeral):
"I know this is a sad occasion but I think that Dixie would be amazed to know that even in death he could draw a bigger crowd than Everton can on a Saturday Afternoon."

Bill Shankly:
"If you are first you are first. If you are second, you are nothing".

Bill Shankly (after beating Everton in the '71 cup semi):
"Sickness would not have kept me away from this one. If I'd been dead, I would have had them bring the casket to the ground, prop it up in the stands and cut a hole in the lid."

Emlyn Hughes:
"Liverpool are magic .... Everton are tragic."

Roy Evans:
"I've been on this planet for 45 years, and have supported Liverpool for 42 of them".

Robbie Fowler:
"Anyone who doesn't learn from Ian Rush needs shooting".

Ray Clemence:
"Sometimes I feel I'm hardly wanted in this Liverpool team. If I get two or three saves to make I've had a busy day".

Kevin Keegan:
"They compare Steve McManaman to Steve Heighway and he's nothing like him, but I can see why - it's because he's a bit different."

Kevin Keegan, Radio 5 Live:
Gary always weighed up his options, especially when he had no choice."

Fulham Programme, trailing their Littlewoods Cup-tie, second leg, against Liverpool after losing the first 10-0:
"Should the aggregate score be level after 90 minutes, extra time will be played."

Eric Cantona (Explaining his second sending off in consecutive games at Arsenal, 1994):
"The first wasn't a foul, so I thought, if they want a foul I'll give them a foul."

Alex Ferguson (on United second half vs. Southampton (Southampton won 6-3):
"I thought we were magnificent in the second half".

Alex Ferguson:
"You know Dennis Wise. He could start a fight in an empty house"

Dave Bassett, Sky Sports:
"An inch or two either side of the post and that would have been a goal."

Peter Withe, Radio 5 Live:
"Both sides have scored a couple of goals, and both sides have conceded a couple of goals."

Akan Green, Radio 5 Live:
"You don't score 64 goals in 86 games at the highest level without being able to score goals."

Peter Reid, Tyne Tees Sport Special:
"And we all know that in football if you stand still you go backwards..."

Andy Gray, Sky Sport:
"I was saying the other day, how often the most vulnerable area for goalies is between their legs..."

Steve Coppell, Radio 5 Live:
"The lad got over-excited when the saw the whites of the goalpost's eyes."

Brian Moore, ITV:
"They [Rosenborg] have won 66 games, and they've scored in all of them."

Trevor Steven, STV:
"He [Brian Laudrup] wasn't just facing one defender -- he was facing one at the front and one at the back as well."

Radio 5 Live:
"It's now 1-1, an exact reversal of the score on Saturday."

Tony Gubba, BBC Match of the Day:
"...but Arsenal are quick to credit Bergkamp with laying on 75% of their nine goals."

Gary Lineker, BBC:
"...an excellent player, but he [Ian Wright] does have a black side."

Newcastle United fan, Radio 5 Live
"Football today, it's like a game of chess. It's all about money."

John Motson, BBC:
"And I suppose they [Spurs] are nearer to being out of the FA Cup now than any other time since the first half of this season, when they weren't ever in it anyway."

Howard Wilkinson:
"I'm a firm beleiver that if the other side scores first you have to score twice to win."

Alan McInally (during a Rangers v Hearts game):
"Yes, it looks as if Hearts have reverted to a five man back four."

Anonymous Southampton fan after the match-rigging allegations:
"I'd rather have Bruce Grobbelaar trying to lose than Dave Beasant trying to win."

Howard Wilkinson (after a one-all draw):
"If they hadn't scored, we would've won"

Berti Vogts, Germany coach:
"If I walked on water, my accusers would say it is because I can't swim"

Arigo Sacchi (Italy coach) anticipates Euro 96:
"They will either kiss my bald pate or throw tomatoes at it"

Tony Adams facing Arsenal teammate Dennis Bergkamp:
"He's a nice man with a nice family so it will make it difficult to kick him"

Gareth Southgate's mother reflects publicly on her son's penalty miss:
"Why didn't you just belt it son?"

Dean Holdsworth, Wimbledon:
"The only way we will be going to Europe is if the club splash out and take us all to Eurodisney"

Manchester United's Ronnie Johnsen on life with Besiktas, Turkey:
"I was shocked when I was first introduced to the fans because they brought out a sheep, cut its head off and then smeared blood over my forehead"

Wendy Toms, the first female referee to officiate in a professional game:
"If the players want to make it hard for me, I am happy to make it twice as hard for them"

Sunderland v Leicester, Radio 5 Live:
"The score is Sunderland nil, Leicester nil, the temperature is nil and the entertainment value is not much above nil"

praise for the Under-21s from Javier Clemente, Spain's coach:
"This is an unusual Scotland side because they have good players"

David Ginola of Newcastle and France:
"There are some great defenders here, I just don't know their names"

Pierre van Hooijdonk, offered £7,000 a week to stay at Celtic:
"That may be okay for the homeless, but not for an international striker"

Howard Wilkinson when sacked by Leeds:
"It's sod's law. Now I've got time to improve my golf it's the wrong time of year"

Ian Wright:
"The referee was booking everyone. I thought he was filling in his lottery numbers"