Can anyone match the drama between Harry Redknapp and Adel Taarabt…
Harry Redknapp has dubbed QPR midfielder Adel Taarabt the ‘worst professional I have ever come across’, following a war of words in which the Rangers manager accused his player of being three stone overweight.
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Of course, this is far from the first time a player and manager have come head-to-head. Check out the list below, as CaughtOffside counts down the ten most infamous incidents:
10) Brian Clough vs Nigel Jemson (Nottingham Forest)
Clough was far from impressed as Jemson indulged in some pointless showboating during a reserve game. At half-time, Clough asked his player to stand up, and asked him if he’d ever been punched in the stomach. When Jemson said he hadn’t, Clough replied with a hook to the solar plexus before reportedly finishing his assault with this zinger: “You have now, son. Don’t you ever try those fancy tricks again while your mum and dad are in the stand.”
9) Brian Laws vs Ivano Bonetti (Grimsby Town)
Ivano Bonetti was loved by Grimsby Town fans so the club’s manager might have regretted picking him out as enemy number one. Laws accused Bonetti of not trying hard enough and hurled a plate of chicken wings at the striker, fracturing his cheekbone. That wasn’t enough for Laws, though: Bonetti was sold to Tranmere Rovers in the summer.
8) Alan Shearer vs Joey Barton (Newcastle United)
Shearer recalled Barton to his squad for a crucial game against Liverpool only for the midfielder to repay his manager’s faith by getting sent off. Shearer gave Barton a thorough dressing-down after the match, only for the typically introverted Barton to call him a “shit manager with shit tactics”. In all fairness, Newcastle did get relegated.
7) Roberto Mancini vs Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)
After naming Tevez as a substitute for City’s game at Bayern Munich, Mancini claimed the Argentine refused to come on in the second half, when City was 2–0 down. Mancini claimed that he wanted Tevez “out of Manchester City”, and that he would never play for the club again. But after the striker failed to secure a transfer away from the club, he was welcomed back into the fold towards the end of the season, and helped lead them to a maiden Premier League title.
6) Sir Alex Ferguson vs David Beckham (Manchester United)
After being left out of the team on several occasions that year, Beckham’s relationship with his manager deteriorated further in February 2003 when, in the changing room following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, a furious Ferguson threw, or kicked a boot that struck Beckham over the eye, causing a cut that required stitches. The incident led to a great deal of transfer speculation involving Beckham, who would ultimately leave for Real Madrid that summer.
5) Mick McCarthy v Roy Keane (Republic of Ireland)
Keane was unhappy with Ireland’s preparations for the 2002 World Cup and openly discussed his concerns with the press. That led to a showdown with the then Ireland manager, Mick McCarthy, during which Keane embarked on a rant that would go down in history: “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!” And that’s the edited version!
4) Trevor Francis v Alex Kolinko (Crystal Palace)
Crystal Palace’s Latvian goalkeeper Alex Kolinko paid the price for laughing when his team conceded an equaliser during an early-season game against Bradford City in 2002. His manager, Trevor Francis, turned to Kolinko and punched him in the face. Francis was, unsurprisingly, fined by both his club and the FA after the player moaned to the press about the incident.
3) Roberto Mancini vs Mario Balotelli (Manchester City)
Balotelli was involved in a furious shoving match with Roberto Mancini in January 2013 after the Manchester City manager ordered him off the field for a late lunge at winger Scott Sinclair. City’s combustible Italian striker took a swipe at Sinclair towards the end of training at Carrington, and was immediately told to go in and get changed by Mancini. However, Balotelli steadfastly refused to leave the field, prompting Mancini to shove him towards the touchline and attempt to physically drag him from the field.
2) Harry Redknapp vs Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers)
Redknapp left Taarabt out of his squad for the 3-2 Premier League defeat against Liverpool on Sunday, and criticised him hugely in his post-match press conference. He accused the Moroccan of being ‘three stone overweight, claims that were rejected.
On Tuesday, Redknapp added: “The only reason he has lost weight is because he has had tonsillitis, that’s the only way we could get any weight off of him. He is not fit to play a game, that’s the truth. He is the worst professional I have ever come across and I have been his only ally at QPR for the past three years. He doesn’t try and I have protected him for too long.”
1) Sir Alex Ferguson vs Roy Keane (Manchester United)
Keane and Ferguson’s relationship dramatically collapsed, to the point where the pair seemingly hold nothing but dislike for each other – as demonstrated by the former’s recent autobiography. Keane revealed he “lost respect” for Ferguson when the most decorated manager in British football history thought his captain was becoming too powerful in the dressing room. He describes his current relationship with Fergie as “non-existent” and revealed he has only started going to watch United now is former boss has retired.
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