MX23RW : Sunday, April 28 17:13:09| >> :120:23026:23026:

Top five Premier League managerial meltdowns

Following Jose Mourinho's meltdown yesterday evening, Sports Mole picks out five other Premier League bosses that have lost their cool in front of the cameras.

Having witnessed his side lose 3-1 at home to Southampton yesterday evening, it appeared that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had gone into meltdown mode.

The 52-year-old took seven minutes to answer one question that had been put to him by a Sky Sports News reporter, during which he ranted about referees, a lack of confidence and costly individual errors.

Of course, Mourinho is not the first Premier League boss to have lost his cool in front of the cameras and journalists. Here, Sports Mole has picked out five others that can rival Mourinho's tirade.


5. Rafael Benitez (Liverpool)

With his Liverpool side top of the Premier League table and embroiled in a title race with rivals Manchester United, Benitez's paranoia went into overdrive.

Following suggestions from his opposite number Sir Alex Ferguson that the fixtures had played into Liverpool's hands, the Spaniard produced a sheet of paper which he bizarrely stated many "facts". Looking back the meltdown was seen as a crucial moment as United went on to win the title by four clear points.



4. Joe Kinnear (Newcastle United)

Thoroughly unhappy with what had been written about him by journalists and mainly The Mirror's Simon Bird, Newcastle's interim boss Kinnear let rip in expletive fashion.

What was all the more shocking was the fact that it was only his first official press conference as manager of the club.



3. Nigel Pearson (Leicester City)

With his Leicester team looking like relegation certainties, quite frankly, Pearson lost the plot following his side's defeat to Chelsea in front of their own supporters at the King Power Stadium.

Having been offended by a question, the Leicester boss went on to brand the reporter that had posed it "an ostrich" and then strangely asked him if he was flexible enough to stick his head in the sand.



2. Ron Atkinson (Coventry City)

In 1996 another manager looking down the barrel of relegation was Coventry's Atkinson, who took exception to questions from presenter Richard Keys following a 1-0 defeat at Southampton.

Keys was informed that he could "sit there and play with all your silly machines as much as you like" as Atkinson ranted that his side had not played that badly. He then walked off, but not before he had thrown away the headphones and microphone.



1. Kevin Keegan (Newcastle United)

It's highly unlikely that there will ever be a managerial rant that tops this one from Keegan towards the end of the 1995-96 campaign.

Under his watch Newcastle had blown a 12-point lead on Man United and the pressure had started to show, which prompted Keegan to produce the famous "I would love it if we beat them" line. Sadly for Keegan, they didn't.


ID:250582: cacheID:250582:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5102:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Headshot of Sam Matterface dated August 10, 2015
Read Next:
In Off The Post: Matterface's say on the weekend's action
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal35255585285780
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool35229477364175
4Aston Villa35207873522167
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs33186967521560
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd34166125251154
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle341651374551953
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham351310125665-949
9Chelsea33139116359448
10Bournemouth35139135260-848
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves35137154855-746
12Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton341111125257-544
13Fulham35127165155-443
14Crystal Palace351010154557-1240
15Everton35128153748-1136
16Brentford3598185260-835
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3567224877-2925
19Burnley3559213870-3224
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3537253497-6316


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!