A selection of sports quotes from the past year. Quotes of the year was compiled by Damien Cullen.

January

"I believe when the referees are enjoying their recreation on the sunbeds or swimming up and down a pool and talking together in their free time, there is an agenda with Alan Smith. They all have their little chats and jump on him very, very quickly."

- Leeds manager David O'Leary on the murky high-life of referees in England.

"Dropping a player has to be the worst and it's a job you have to do honestly. I've dropped many players in my time and it always spoils your breakfast."

- Ireland rugby coach Eddie O'Sullivan on what puts him off his Wheatabix.

"He's a legend in his own head."

- Johnny Giles pays tribute to West Ham striker Paulo Di Canio.

"Dublin should be divided, using the river Liffey as the boundary, into two 'Counties' - Dublin North and Dublin South.

- The GAA's Strategic Review Committee gets everyone in County Dublin North and County Dublin South talking.

February

"I don't like France, and I don't like French people. I actually don't like them. Maybe they think we're English when we go over there, but they're not helpful."

- Ireland prop Peter Clohessy confirms he's not buying a villa in the south of France.

"So, Roy Keane's on 50 grand a week? Mind you, I was on 50 grand a week until the police found my printing machine."

- Former soccer Mickey Thomas, who spent time in jail for his part in a counterfeit currency scam.

"My attitude was that I'd nothing to lose. And you know what they say - the most dangerous man is the man with nothing to lose."

- Dublin-born "Lord" Clifton Wrottesley, who was fourth in the skeleton event at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.

"We gave away a soft try which was a little annoying. I put it down not to great Irish play, but a lazy defence."

- England's defensive coach Phil Larder, not content with the fact that England thrashed Ireland 45-11 in the Six Nations Championship at Twickenham, bemoans the fact England "allowed" the Irish to score a single try.

March

"Every time a side scores it can no longer be 0-0."

- It's hard to argue with Today FM commentator Tom Tyrell.

"I think I'll be giving Italy a miss for my holidays."

- Peter Stringer, after he was headbutted by prop Salvatore Perugini. Stringer was also laid out by scrumhalf Alessandro Troncon in last year's match.

"I don't want to drive at the back of the field like a tosser and make a few million dollars."

- Jaguar Formula One driver Eddie Irvine indicates he's not worried how much they pay him to drive at the back of the field.

"We wondered if he was human. He went off the rails so much that it made us think he was mad, but in the world of the prop there is always huge respect for a warrior like (Peter) Clohessy, who has left his mark on the history of the game."

- Legendary French prop/hardman Louis Armary, who once battered our Irish warrior in Paris.

April

"I am delighted personally that my strategy has worked out so well and relatively quickly."

- French coach Bernard Laporte (37) after humiliating Ireland 44-5 to wrap up their first Six Nations Grand Slam under his regime.

"There are good things coming for this club."

- After winning the FAI Cup final, Dundalk's David Crawley temporarily forgets that the club had been relegated from the Premier Division of the National League the previous week.

"Last Sunday, just before noon, a car pulled into the Social Centre car-park (Tullamore) and three men stepped out. One inquired from a committee member as to what time the Offaly v Dublin football match was at. When informed that the game was played the previous day, he was none too happy. After a few unprintable expressions, he said they had driven all the way from Kerry to see the game."

- As reported by the Midland Tribune.

"I told him to go to hell . . . he's getting an old man."

- Rubens Barrichello confirms he's getting on as well as ever with Eddie Irvine.

"My wife Anna told me to go out with a bang before the French match, but I don't think she wanted me to go out this way."

- Peter Clohessy, a few days after being burned in an explosion at his home.

May

"And Celtic have extended their lead at

the top to a remarkable 15 points. Now to soccer . . ."

- TV3's Scottish soccer fan Trevor Welch.

"Neil Back is a winner. He's got the winning mentality. If you call him a cheat you have to call everyone who gave away a penalty a cheat."

- Leicester coach Dean Richards defends the England flanker/cheat after he had got away with flicking the ball back into the scrum in front of his side's posts with his hand as Munster scrumhalf Peter Stringer put in minutes from full-time in the European Cup final with the English side leading 15-9.

"This is an issue which players will go to war on. It's a complete shambles."

- Dublin football manager Tommy Lyons on the Irish Sports Council's drug-testing regulations.

"In the future we would like to think that we'll arrive at a situation where there's harmony between the GPA and the GAA, and that a good close working relationship can be built."

- GPA chief executive Dessie Farrell's "I have a dream" speech.

"Last week's match was a real game of cat and dog."

- John Aldridge, good with animals, on TV3.

"We've crawled over the finishing line and we're riddled with injuries. It's a case of visiting the hospital to see who's fit."

- London Irish director of rugby Conor O'Shea admits preparations for the end-of-season play-offs were not perfect.

June

"I wonder what would happen if a Meath player did a full frontal on a goalkeeper? What would happen lads? It was a terrible decision. But I don't want to take anything from Dublin because they played beautiful football and deserved it."

- Seán Boylan Meath manager takes away something from Dublin's Leinster semi-final victory.

"Armagh supporters probably expect us to be in an Ulster final. While it is good to be there, we want to try and do what hasn't been done before and get to an All-Ireland."

- Manager Joe Kernan tempts fate after Armagh beat Fermanagh in the Ulster senior football semi-final.

"A little stud problem for Steve Finnan. It's been solved . . . by a spanner."

- George Hamilton is unnecessarily abusive towards Irish physio Mick Byrne.

"Ireland have got to score to win the game."

- Bobby Robson's complex argument goes way over our heads.

"We weren't lucky. It's the Irish who have a flower in their arses - they got a penalty in the 89th minute, we had to play extra-time with nine and a half players, and the referee was unreal."

- Spanish manager Jose Antonio Camacho is a gracious victor.

"The public think we're a gobshite organisation, end of story. Can you blame them?"

- An FAI official as quoted in the Sunday Times.

"No regrets, none at all. My only regret is that we went out on penalties. That's my only regret. But no, no regrets."

- Mick McCarthy has (no) regrets.

"Given by name, given by nature."

- Joe Duffy introduces Shay to the fans in the Phoenix Park.

"I went straight to my parents. I knew where they were in the stand and my wife and her family. A very emotional moment, something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

- Wing back Peter Queally enjoys the moment after Waterford win the Munster senior hurling final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

July

"The GAA needs Dublin. Dublin needs the GAA. I hope the Leinster Council acknowledge the fact that Kildare and Dublin put 78,000 people into Croke Park today."

- Dublin senior football manager Tommy Lyons gets carried away after the provincial final.

"I'd made all the right choices throughout the day. Ernie (Els) was eight-under at the time and who would expect him to play the last four holes in one-over. I played them in one-under. I was trying to get into a play-off by getting a birdie and was prepared to take my chance in getting that birdie. I wanted destiny to be in my own hands."

- Padraig Harrington defends his decision to take out a driver at the 18th hole on the final day of the British Open. He bogeyed the hole and missed out on a play-off - won by Els - by one shot.

"He is a colt with a lovely outlook who only does what he is asked to do."

- Aidan O'Brien, after High Chaparral leads home a 1-2-3 clean sweep for him in the Irish Derby.

"As you know, these older guys never lose their class. The sad thing is that it's taken three years to get to Croke Park to remind them what great hurlers they are."

- Cyril Lyons after his Clare side defeated Galway by a single point in a classic All-Ireland senior hurling quarter-final at headquarters.

"You can win as many Ulster titles as you want, but you'll never be remembered until you win an All-Ireland."

- Armagh boss Joe Kernan still has his sights set on a bigger prize than the provincial crown.

"And I'm into rewarding success as well. If you win an All-Ireland you deserve two or three weeks away somewhere. Or whatever the group wants to do. And there should be no questions asked. What I don't like is this touting teams around, selling pictures of them and all that. I call it arse-boxing. That word is not in the dictionary but it's a good enough word to describe it."

- Tommy Lyons supports Gaelic football, not the ancient sport of arse-boxing.

August

"He shouldn't be elbowing my son in the head."

- Thora McAteer stands up for her boy, young Jason, after his brush with Roy Keane at the Stadium of Light.

"He was fannying. It was a PR stunt - again."

- Eamon Dunphy is unimpressed by Niall Quinn's "handshake" with Keane after he was sent off.

"Uriah Rennie took some stick for stepping in between us, but I am thankful he did, because Roy would have ripped my head off."

- McAteer admits he would only fight Keane as long as they were both held back.

"There's still plenty for me to achieve."

- Champion jockey Tony McCoy expresses no wish to slow down after claiming his 1,700th win at Uttoxeter to break Richard Dunwoody's British record for jump victories.

"There is simply no excuse for some gurrier, even if he was drunk, to treat it in such a disgraceful manager."

- A former Galway football star after it is alleged the Sam Maguire trophy was kicked up a street in Tuam.

"You'll never play for Ireland . . . There's only one Mick McCarthy."

- Chelsea fans give Roy Keane a hearty warm welcome to Stamford Bridge.

September

"We weren't horsey people, but we had the pony for rounding up the cattle and my brother Cathal and I used to ride it."

- Dermott Lennon, who won individual gold at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, explains how it all started.

"People go on about Clare's heart. I can tell you one thing, Kilkenny won't be beaten for heart."

- Kilkenny midfielder Andy Comerford before their All-Ireland hurling final victory over Clare.

"I knew the Australian was fast, but I knew he had no last 500, or at least on his form I hoped he had no last 500!"

- Sam Lynch, after successfully defending his lightweight single sculls title at the World Rowing Championships in Seville.

"Roy Keane didn't go through the book with a fine toothbrush."

- Tony Cascarino, now an expert on revealing biographies.

"John Hoyne was warming up in the dressing-room and he got a slap of a hurl in the head from someone. He got four staples before he went out. That was just the warm-up."

- Henry Shefflin describes Kilkenny's unique preparation before the All-Ireland hurling final against Clare.

"Ah, I took the chance and put the hurl up and flicked it in the net. Just one of those things."

- DJ Carey plays down his goal, Kilkenny's first of two against Clare, after the forward capped a remarkable late comeback.

"As President George Bush said, 'when I was young and irresponsible, I was young and irresponsible'."

- The solicitor defending two students caught in flagrante delicto at Croke Park.

"There is no doubt we could have sacked him, but I'm pleased we haven't."

- Manchester City manager Kevin Keegan after Ireland defender Richard Dunne turns up for training in a "dishevelled" state.

"It's going to take a long while to sink in but in the history books it will always be there."

- Armagh's Joe Kernan reaches the Promised Land.

"It's funny. You spend 13 years trying to achieve something and . . . in life, some people want to be millionaires or whatever, other people have their own aims. Well, this was mine."

- Kieran McGeeney reflects on leading Armagh to All-Ireland success.

"I spent two days trying to get ice cubes and couldn't get any."

- Paddy O'Reilly on the difficulties the Irish rugby team experienced in Siberia.

"I'm just so happy for Sam Torrance . . . he's just the most majestic captain."

- Paul McGinley, moments after he has won the Ryder Cup for Europe by securing a decisive half-point.

"Out of the shadows come heroes and that's where Phillip Price and Paul McGinley came."

- Torrance returns the compliment.

"There were 11 heroes on this team and there's one that's a slightly bigger hero today and that's Paul McGinley."

- Pierre Fulke.

"I don't want a reality check. It's not every week you win the Ryder Cup."

- McGinley enjoys his status as European hero.

"Every player on the team trusted their ability."

- Padraig Harrington pays tribute to the rookies on the European Ryder Cup side.

October

"If he (Michael Kinane) had been England goalkeeper David Seaman he would have been crucified. Down the back stretch you might as well have torn up your betting slip. Not even Pegasus (the mythical flying horse) could have won from there."

- BBC's racing correspondent Clare Balding on Kinane's judgment on champion horse Rock of Gibraltar in the Breeders Cup Mile. He finished second.

"The first two-syllable word I ever learned growing up was discretion."

- Eamon Dunphy, funny no matter which way you look at it.

"I am not a candidate for the quickest, but I've changed my routine. I'm going to have to live with people saying things, though - even if I sprinted around somebody still would."

- Padraig Harrington after European Order of Merit rival Retief Goosen called him the slowest player on tour.

"Take out the few late tackles and it's not any harder than Gaelic."

- Kieran McGeeney takes to the International Rules game after Ireland drew with Australia in the second Test (but lost the series) at Croke Park.

November

"I should be the number one striker in Ireland, not number five."

- According to Don Givens, his telephone conversation with David Connolly revealed the striker to be delusional.

"These are special moments in life. I was so thrilled turning for home to see my two horses fighting out the Melbourne Cup. They've come 12,000 miles to do this. This is a great day for Ireland."

- Dermot Weld, after Media Puzzle - ridden by Damien Oliver - won the Melbourne Cup.

"It's a win. We needed it. We needed to crack that mental toughness thing. Now we have it. Now we know within ourselves anything is possible."

- Brian O'Driscoll gets our hopes up for next year's World Cup after Ireland's 18-9 win over the world champions Australia at Lansdowne Road.

"In general, there is not a culture of discipline in the management of the FAI, with most basic management disciplines non-existent."

- Damning words from the Genesis report.

"Roy Keane is magic, he wears a magic hat, we would have won the World Cup, but he was sent home by a prat."

- Tune heard at Keane's book-signing in Cork.

"I was sent off for pushing him (Alan Shearer) - but if you're going to get sent off, you might as well punch him properly. It's the same punishment. You might as well get hung for a sheep as a lamb."

- Roy Keane realises he hasn't said anything controversial in a while.

"I know we shouldn't be pleased after losing a game, but that was Australia out there."

- Ireland hockey player Jenny Burke, after a 2-1 World Cup Pool B defeat to the hosts.

"It's a no-win game for us, although I suppose we can win by winning."

- Tottenham and Ireland striker/defender Gary Doherty.

"We the Cork senior hurling panel for 2002 . . . have decided to withdraw our services immediately from the Cork senior hurling panel."

- The statement that launched a million "Rebels on strike" headlines.

December

"I'm disgusted with the (Offaly) county board. Look at our performance. See what it takes to beat Kilkenny because they can't do it . . . It's not that I want the job, but if they want to keep Offaly hurling alive they should have appointed me to the job."

- An emotional Pad Joe Whelahan after his Birr side had beaten Young Irelands in the Leinster club hurling final.

"He's the only referee that when he makes a decision, there's no arms thrown into the air and no gestating."

- Niall Quinn believes pregnancy has no place on the soccer field.

SAIPAN REVISITED: The war of words in the Far East

"Packie said they'd worked hard. Alan said they'd worked hard. I said, 'do you want a pat on the back for working hard - is that not why you are here'? I did mention that they wouldn't be too tired to play golf the next day, and fair play, they dragged themselves out!"

- Little did we know Roy Keane was only warming up.

"I said to Mick that I didn't respect him as a player, as a manager or as a person. To be fair, I used the expletive against him as well, I'm no angel, but these things hurt me to be accused in such a way. The language was strong, but that's always the case in football, it's not a debating society."

- Roy Keane recalling the infamous Saipan "debate" with Mick McCarthy.

"I have never had to listen to such foul-mouthed abuse from any footballer in any dressing-room or any meeting room. I have never witnessed such an attack from any human being in any walk of life."

- Mick McCarthy remembers it a little differently.

"I couldn't play with certain players any more. I am finished. The only way I would go back now is if Mick left while certain other players retired."

- Roy looks into his crystal ball

"Roy has been victimised by the FAI, the Ireland team management and even by some of his fellow team-mates."

- Former Irish international Paul McGrath refuses to sit on the fence.

"Roy lives in Roy Keane world and refuses to accept other people's autonomy or opinions."

- Matt Holland looks forward to playing with Roy again.

"How dare this large, belligerent, bloody-minded English toe-rag cast aspirations on two magnificent men to whom he owes so much, not least the legendary status in which he glories."

- Eamon Dunphy's tribute to Jack Charlton after the former Ireland manager criticises Roy Keane and Paul McGrath on the Late, Late Show.

"I don't know about the others but, when I get there, I stare at the ceiling and think of Roy Keane. I can't help it."

- Niall Quinn on his private night-time World Cup thoughts.

"I'm someone who witnessed one of the defining moments in Irish history. People talk about Irish patriot Robert Emmet's speech from the dock. They talk about the oratory of Brendan Behan, Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins. But Roy Keane's 10-minute oration can be mentioned in the same breath."

- Niall Quinn completely loses all perspective.

"I can buy you, I can buy your house, your family and I can buy that mountain we were running on in Slovenia during our preparations. You were a dickhead player and you're the same as a coach now."

- Slovenia's Zlatko "Roy" Zahovic lets rip at coach Srecko "Mick" Katancec during the World Cup.

"Roy Keane is magic, he wears a magic hat, we would have won the World Cup, but he was sent home by a prat."

- Tune heard at Keane's book-signing in Cork.