Sports Speak

"...the Clare team were tinkers, Loughnane was a tramp and the Clare team must be on drugs," Clare manager Ger Loughnane quoting…

". . .the Clare team were tinkers, Loughnane was a tramp and the Clare team must be on drugs," Clare manager Ger Loughnane quoting an alleged overheard conversation among three priests.

"His suggestion that he had to approach me on several occasions during the recent Munster final and ask me to cool it and stop abusing his players is both a downright untruth and beggars belief," Gerald McCarthy the Waterford manager on the allegations of Ger Loughnane.

"Its probably the cleanest sport of all, believe it or not," Stephen Roche unconvincingly defending the Tour de France.

"I really don't think there has been loyalty in the game for some years now," Dave Bassett, the Nottingham Forest manager, in the wars with Dutch star Pierre Van Hooijdonk.

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times