What do a tattoo gun and Sir Alex Ferguson have in common? They’re both good at getting under people’s skin. Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is the latest to crack in the face of Fergie’s mind games, claiming, among other things in an emotional rant last Friday, that the Scot is “killing referees”.
At the end of the season Benitez may look back at that moment with a touch of embarrassment. Still he’s not the only person in sport who’s indulged in a good rant over the years. Here’s some more…
Kevin Keegan and Joe Kinnear
No list of misjudged on-camera tirades would be complete without Kevin Keegan’s effort in 1996. The title race was drawing to a close and Man Utd had overhauled Newcastle’s lead partly thanks to the odd bit of good football but mostly down to Fergie’s relentless psychological warfare. Keegan famously spat at the camera after a match at Leeds, ”I will love it if we beat them, love it.” They didn’t.
Proving that Newcastle have an unquenchable thirst for volatile managers with an interesting line in verbal reasoning, Joe Kinnear spent his first press conference as Magpies manager endearing himself to the local media by calling them all offensive four-letter words. Nice one.
Watch classic and upcoming Newcastle matches on Vision Sport:
Blackburn v Newcastle, available from 10pm, 17 January
Man City v Newcastle, available from 3am, 29 January
Newcastle 2 Wigan 2, 15 November
FA Cup final 1974: Liverpool v Newcastle
John McEnroe
McEnroe always appeared on the verge of a titanic explosion and was probably born with an incredulous scowl on his face. One of his most infamous outbursts shattered Wimbledon’s decorum in 1981. He described the umpire in his second round match as “the pits of the world”, shouted “you cannot be serious” several times and swore a lot, before going on to win the tournament.
See McEnroe in action:
Wimbledon Legends: John McEnroe
Wimbledon Official Film: 1981
Men’s Singles Final: Borg v McEnroe 1980
Mike Gatting
Arguing with the umpire? It’s just not cricket. But that didn’t stop Mike Gatting giving Pakistani official Shakoor Rana a verbal straight drive when the teams met in Faisalabad in 1987. The England captain thought Rana was a little too friendly with the Pakistan players and told him so. Rana gave plenty back though.
Watch Gatt in action as well as a huge archive of classic cricket:
Cricket World Cup: 1983
Classic cricket on Vision Sport
Muhammad Ali
Is Ali the greatest boxer of all time? Arguably. Is he the greatest boxing orator of all? Definitely. You never knew where his monologues would go or when they’d end, the only sure thing was that if there was a microphone he’d talk into it. A lot. Among his opponents Joe Frazier took a particularly venomous tongue-lashing, including this quip; “Frazier is so ugly that he should donate his face to the US Bureau of Wildlife.”
Watch Ali at his best:
The Thrilla in Manila: Ali v Frazier
Ringside: Muhammad Ali
Roy Keane
The former Man Utd captain has an impressive back catalogue of outbursts. Perhaps his finest came during the 2002 World Cup. He was unhappy with Ireland’s preparations and let manager Mick McCarthy know: “Mick you’re a liar… I didn’t rate you as a player, I don’t rate you as a manager, and I don’t rate you as a person… The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country.” It’s safe to say McCarthy didn’t have the full support of his captain.
More from the 2002 World Cup and Manchester United on Vision Sport:
FIFA World Cup Official Film 2002
King of Clubs: Manchester United
Plus, see if Rafa Benitez can keep his cool in these Liverpool games coming up on Vision Sport:
Liverpool v Everton, live 8pm, 19 January, Setanta Sports 1
FA Cup: Liverpool v Everton, live 4pm, 25 January, Setanta Sports 1
Wigan v Liverpool, available from 3am, 29 January
