Great Football Coach Quotes

Let’s go through some great football coach quotes.The game of football has had many great coaches who have brought new things to the game. Some coaches speak only through their actions but others have left a lasting impression on fans with their words too. Here are the quotes

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

This is undoubtedly the most iconic of all football coach quotes which should come as no shock as it was uttered by Liverpool’s legendary manager Bill Shankly who is one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game. To Shankly football was joy, despair, teamwork, strength and many other things. It wasn’t just a game of 22 men chasing one ball.

"I do not worry about conceding goals because I know my forwards will double it at the other end." – Sir Matt Busby

Brilliant words coming from one of the best football managers the game has ever seen. Sir Matt’s policy of building teams around youth players exists at his beloved Manchester United even today. The legendary Scot had tremendous faith in his three talented forwards Denis Law, George Best and Bobby Charlton who were also known as the ‘United Trinity’. The trio rarely disappointed him and their goals won the club numerous trophies including the European Cup.

"Mind you, I've been here during the bad times too - one year we came second." – Bob Paisley

Bob Paisley, who is the most successful English manager ever, was known for his unusual and witty quotes and this one is probably the best of them. Paisley wanted nothing but the best for Liverpool and usually had his way and won 6 First Division titles, 3 League Cups and 6 Charity Shields with the Merseyside club. Paisley also won three European Cups with Liverpool- a record that remains unbroken even today.

“The most difficult thing about an easy match is to make a weak opponent play bad football.”-Johan Cruyff

The father of “tiki-taka” couldn’t have said it better. A weak team would obviously play defensive football against a stronger team but the stronger team should be smart enough to attack swiftly and disrupt their play. Cryuff’s Barcelona did exactly that and were and still are one of the most formidable teams around. The Dutchman had a lasting impact on Barcelona and his tiki taka system is used by every Barca coach most notably Pep Guardiola. Spain won two major tournaments i.e the FIFA World Cup and the Euro 2012 by using this system.

“Football is an art, like dancing is an art - but only when it's well done does it become an art.” – Arsene Wenger

Wise words coming from the Premier League’s longest serving manager. Wenger is credited with not only changing the face of Arsenal but also English football as a whole. The Frenchman introduced a new diet and training regime when he joined Arsenal and won the Premier League in his year in charge which was brilliant as he was completely unknown in English football at that time. Wenger is a true artist and his team plays a brand of attacking football which makes them extremely attractive to watch. Oh and let’s forget his excellent eye for spotting young talent.

“I hate to speak about individuals. Players don’t win you trophies, teams win trophies, squads win trophies.” – Jose Mourinho

Mourinho is usually known for making extremely outrageous and controversial comments but this particular one is brilliant. The Portuguese tactician built a close relationship with his players wherever he went and knew that it didn’t take a Zlatan Ibrahimovic or a Cristiano Ronaldo to win a game. It took a team. The Special One really got this one right.

“We used to go to the pictures every Saturday night but we had to leave a little bit early and get home and watch Match of the Day - and my wife still complains she missed the last five minutes of every film we saw.” – Brian Clough

The outspoken Englishman had uttered many controversial quotes during his lifetime but this particular one is truly great. Clough was extremely dedicated to his work and certainly knew his football. Clough transformed Nottingham Forest from a Division Two Club to four time League Cup winners, 1 time First Division winners and two time European Cup winners which was truly a remarkable achievement. Clough’s exploits with Forest made him one of the most successful English managers of all time.

"My wife never stops asking me: ‘When are you finally going to retire?’ Each time, I tell her: ‘One day’.” – Giovanni Trapattoni

Football players and fans share a very strong bond with the game and never want to stop playing.......ever. Trapattoni won everything there is to win as a player and manager and is considered to be one of the most decorated managers of all time. He never ever wanted to break his connection with football and ended his managerial career of nearly 40 years at the age of 74. This certain quote brilliantly summarizes his love for the game.

'I can't believe it. I can't believe it. Football. Bloody hell.' – Sir Alex Ferguson

The legendary former Manchester United manager has many wise words to his credit but this particular one beautifully captures the unexpectedness of a game called football. One moment your team can be up and the next they could be trailing. Sir Alex’’s team were trailing Bayern Munich in the memorable 1999 Champions League final before Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored to secure the trophy in the most dramatic fashion. Sir Alex could barely contain his excitement and uttered this amazing quote in the post match interview. Truly anything can happen in football.

Edited by Staff Editor