Rehhagel…says the darndest things!

April 4th, 2009 | by: Peter Katsiris |

I’ll be honest, on those boring summer days during my youth I used to watch reruns of that Bill Cosby hosted show “Kids Say the Darndest Things”. For those who aren’t too familiar with the show, it was an hour of LOL moments by kids attempting to answer questions from Mr. Cosby. Nowadays, a lot has changed. For starters, the show is not even on replay anymore. Instead we are more concerned with how smart kids are [cough cough] Are you smarter than a fifth grader? [end cough]. Now I am not hear to argue about the pointless reality show on TV these days, instead I’m here to shed light on a new brand of reality: Otto Rehhagel.

Yes, the manager of the Greek National Team is raw with his comments, and a recent featured article of FIFA.com exposed Rehhagel’s greatest, and most unique, moments behind the microphone. I’ll warn you now; some phrases are classics, while some will leave you scratching your head. I’m sure you all can tell the difference.

“Everyone’s free to say what I want.”
Rehhagel on his attitude to criticism

“Verbals haven’t won a game yet.”
Rehhagel on pre-match jibes issued by an opposing coach

“I told the lads: don’t be too afraid if Thierry Henry appears in your dreams at night.”
Rehhagel ahead of a quarter-final meeting with France at UEFA EURO 2004

“I want to know the aftershave used by every player in Europe.”
Rehhagel on getting his players to stick to their men

“Saving easy shots is easy. Saving difficult shots is always difficult.”
Rehhagel on goalkeeping

“Some you lose, and some are won by your opponents.”
Rehhagel after a bitter defeat

“If you finish first, you’re in the right. So I’m in the right. You can speak to me again when I finish fifth.”
Rehhagel to a reporter unconvinced by success

“We play our best football when there’s no opposition.”
Rehhagel asked how he would return a team to winning ways

“The truth is out there on the field.”
Rehhagel answering criticism of his defensive tactics

“Football is like maths, two plus two makes four. If you reckon two plus two makes five, you lose.”
Rehhagel attempting to explain football

“If I lose a couple of matches, the people who were throwing flowers at me suddenly throw the pots as well.”
Rehhagel asked what would happen if a losing streak continued

“In the past, they all did as they pleased. Now, they all do what they can.”
Rehhagel on the secret of his success with Greece

“I started thinking about the Swedes back in 1958, when Pele scored his first goal.”
Rehhagel on opening day opponents Sweden at UEFA EURO 2008

“I need players who are better with the ball than with a microphone.”
Rehhagel on media interest in his players

See the full article at fifa.com