• Top Tens: 'I wish I hadn't said that...'

And the Foot in Mouth award goes to...

Jo Carter January 29, 2010

Manchester United, sorry City, chief executive Garry Cook was left eating his words this week after his side were knocked out of the Carling Cup in injury time. Cook had been hyper-confident ahead of City's second-leg match at Old Trafford, saying that it was a case of "when" not "if" his side go to Wembley "having beaten Man United yet again".

As we wait with bated breath to see whether his other prediction that City will become the biggest football team in the world comes true, we take a look at some other 'I wish I hadn't said that' moments.

Ricky Hatton - Boxing
"Manny fights the same way all the time," said Ricky Hatton of his opponent Manny Pacquiao ahead of their fight in May 2009. "He's effective at what he does but he's not a versatile fighter. He's never met a man as fiery, ferocious or rough as me - and certainly not as big and strong." The Hitman may have underestimated Pacman, as he was floored by a second-round left hook which left the Mancunian motionless on the canvas for three minutes before walking out of the arena. "It was nothing personal," Pacquiao said. "I'm just doing my job."

Andre Agassi - Tennis
At the 1992 French Open, former world No. 1 Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras in straight sets to set up a semi-final clash with Jim Courier for a place in the final at Roland Garros. Agassi was less than complimentary about his old rival, saying: "I don't think he has a lot of natural ability to fall back on." It was top seed Courier who had the last laugh, crushing Agassi in straight sets 6-3 6-2 6-2. "I have been reading about how I don't have much talent," Courier said after his victory. "There are many different talents besides hitting a tennis ball. Having guts on the court is a talent, having desire is a talent, having the courage to go for a shot when you are love-40 down is a talent." Courier went on to win the French Open for the second year, beating Petr Korda in the final.

Kevin Keegan - Football
Regularly voted as one of the greatest moments in English football, Kevin Keegan's famous finger-jabbing rant about Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson cannot be neglected. After letting a 12-point lead slip at the top of the Premiership table, by April 1996 Keegan was feeling the heat. Responding to Ferguson's suggestion that teams try harder against United than Newcastle, Keegan launched into an astonishing tirade live on TV. "I would love it if we could beat them," he said. "Love it. He's gone down in my estimation. Manchester United haven't won this yet, I'd love it if we beat them." Manchester United went on to win the title by four points.

Austin Healey - Rugby Union
In his Guardian column during the Lions' 2001 tour of Australia, Austin Healey, otherwise known as the Leicester Lip, taunted Brumbies lock Justin Harrison ahead of his Wallabies debut, calling him "my old pal, the plod from the second row". With the series tied at one win each, ahead of the final Test in Sydney, the Leicester Lip wrote, "And what do you know, he's in the team to face us," wrote Healey. "Me and the plank. Do you think one of us will have the final say? I'll say so." As the Lions slumped to a 2-1 series defeat, it was Harrison who had the last laugh, stealing the last lineout from Martin Johnson in the dying seconds to deny the tourists.

Nick Faldo - Golf
As Europe looked to defend their Ryder Cup title for an unprecedented fourth time, a photograph of captain Nick Faldo clutching an important-looking piece of paper triggered wild speculation. The scribbling appeared to be his top secret opening pairings at Valhalla Golf Club, but Faldo's excuse was far from convincing. "It had sandwich requests for the guys," he said. "Just making sure who wants the tuna, what wants the beef, who wants the ham." Europe lost the competition 16.5-11.5 and Faldo was criticised for his tactics.

Tony Greig - Cricket
On the eve of England's 1976 Test series with West Indies, Tony Greig's comments about the tourists backfired spectacularly. "I'm not really sure they're as good as everyone thinks," he said. "These guys, if they get on top they are magnificent cricketers. But if they're down, they grovel, and I intend to make them grovel." Viv Richards' 291 in the first innings of the final Test at the Oval helped West Indies to a 3-0 series victory, and Grieg sunk to his knees, grovelling to the crowd. "I realise that I made a mistake in using that word at the start of the series and they haven't let me forget it," he told the press that night.

Bernie Ecclestone - Formula One
Never a stranger to controversy, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is known for his outspoken views, notably his comments about Hitler being a good leader. However, in the lead-up to the 2009 Brazilian Grand Prix, Ecclestone sparked outrage when he claimed racing legend Ayrton Senna's death at Imola in 1994 was good for the sport. "He was unfortunate," Ecclestone said. "But the publicity generated by his death was so much...It was good for F1. It was a shame that we had to lose Ayrton, but it happened. He was very popular, but the actual event interested so many people who did not know about the sport, and increased interest in F1 because of it."

Lleyton Hewitt - Tennis
Voted the world's tenth-most hated sportsman by GQ magazine in 2006, Lleyton Hewitt sparked controversy at the 2001 French Open when he called umpire Andres Egli a 'spastic'. Hewitt was fined US$1000 and later apologised, saying, "When I was out there in the heat of the battle, I didn't realise I said it. If I did say it, it's something I'm not proud of, that's for sure. I apologise to whoever it may be. I didn't want to offend anyone." He declined an invitation from the Spastic Centre of Australia to visit one of its centres.

Will Carling - Rugby Union
Arguably one of rugby's first celebrities, Will Carling was a household name in the 1990s. However, England's most successful captain hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, when, on the eve of the 1995 World Cup, Carling was sacked after he described the RFU committee as "57 old farts". "If the game is run properly as a professional game, you do not need 57 old farts running rugby," Carling said. However in an embarrassing U-turn, Carling was reinstated after a public outcry and support from both players and fans.

Chelsea FC - Football
With all the arrogance that we have come to expect of Roman Abramovich 's cash rich Chelsea, the club were left with egg on their faces when they were a little premature advertising replica 'Robinho' shirts for sale. The deal was imminent, and the Brazilian was set to be in West London to make his debut against Spurs that weekend. Madrid accused Chelsea of underhand tactics and arrogance and blocked the transfer, raising the striker's fee. Manchester City splashed the cash, and Robinho became the Premier League's most expensive player. To add insult to injury, as City unveiled their £32.5m signing, he made a fundamental slip, saying "Chelsea made a good offer for me", before being reminded he had signed for Mark Hughes's side.

Jo Carter is assistant editor of ESPN.co.uk

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