Sam Allardyce

“The England team shouldn't be picked on whichever players are in the Premier League when you've got a Premier League player playing in the Championship.”

“I'm not suited to Bolton or Blackburn, I would be more suited to Inter or Real Madrid. It wouldn't be a problem to me to go and manage those clubs because I would win the double or the league every time. Give me Manchester United or Chelsea and I would do the same, it wouldn't be a problem.”

“Any football club that is any good is down to the manager more than anything else.”

“For the record, I've never taken a bung in my life. I might have enjoyed a meal or a bottle of wine on an agent or two but that is it. I was earning £1.5m a year, so I didn't need a little bit extra from an agent. It would have been madness.”

“The more goals you concede ultimately results in the bottom three, not the more goals you score.”

“In adversity you have to become stronger and make sure you don't make those mistakes again so you learn from it.”

“One of my best friendships dwindled in the pub business - we still talk, but it challenged that friendship too much - and that taught me to go into football and find people that I can have good relations with but without being overly friendly.”

“I had four great years at West Ham. People will always refer to the difficulties at certain times, but you get those everywhere.”

“People too often - because it's an easy, lazy tag - dwell on my style of football.”

“It's never just about talent, it's about a lot more than that.”

“To say we have to play a certain way, or try to, every game is great in theory, but depending what players you have got you have to play to their strengths and cover up their weaknesses.”

“I have to remind Arsene about his team, which used to win the league, that was the dirtiest team in the league. If you cast your mind back to when they were winning the league, they had more seedings-off and bookings than anyone else.”

“Ambition is important for any manager or coach, owner or director.”

“The problem for me is we are denying British coaches positions in all divisions now, particularly in the top division and the Championship. We need to do something about that. As a country, as the FA, as the Premier League, we need to protect the position of our own highly qualified coaches who are not even getting an interview now.”

“Believe me, I look back on West Ham in a good way.”

“Teams with limited budgets will always find times tough and results won't always go your way.”

“I don't have to prove a point to anybody. The only thing I do is continue to do my job and all the outside press can do and say what they want to because that's their right and their industry.”

“You have to try to win the ball at all costs and if someone doesn't get it quite right people get injured.”

“Mum wasn't scared of dad but I'm sure she got fed up with him taking her for granted... When I look back it was an empty relationship but I doubt there was ever a question of them splitting up. It wasn't the done thing.”

“Finishing in the top four for Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United was easier before, but now it's getting much more difficult with the emergence of teams like Manchester City.”