Top 10 Dressing Downs

After Harry Redknapp's public claim that Adel Taarabt is both lazy and overweight, we choose ten other times that a manager chose to publicly name and shame...

10) Morten Olsen on Christian Eriksen

Given that Denmark rely quite heavily on the excellence of Christian Eriksen, one may think that coach Morten Olsen would cut the Spurs midfielder some slack? Not a bit of it.

Speaking after Denmark's 1-0 defeat to Portugal just last week, Olsen singled out Eriksen for particular blame.

"It is a brutal world, otherwise you have to play at another level. It is not Ajax any more, this is not development," Olsen told reporters.

"After so many matches he could pick up the ball and help to control the game. He has not been able to. Therefore, we blame him. He must stand up to the criticism, and he does too."

It's not often you hear a national manager uttering the phrase "we blame him". Must remember to resort to meaningless clichés in future.

9) Gordon Strachan on Agustin Delgado

Strachan is no stranger to a pithy soundbite, typically reserving his insults for himself in the name of self-deprecating interview humour.

Strachan, however, endured a difficult relationship with Ecuadorian striker Agustin Delgado during his time as Southampton manager. When Delgado walked out of the club without permission, Strachan bemoaned his own efforts to help the forward: "Nowhere in football have I ever seen anyone treated in the way he has been. Everyone has bent over backwards to help him and sometimes they have gone against their principles to make sure he is looked after properly."

Strachan wasn't finished there. Questioned by reporters over his thoughts on Delgado's absence, Strachan replied: "Right now I have more important things to worry about - like eating a yoghurt. I have a yoghurt here which has its expiry date today - and if I start talking about Delgado I won't get it eaten in time."

B*nter.

8) Nigel Clough on Tomasz Cywka

I anticipated the inclusion of a Clough on this list, but never quite believed that it would be Nigel who made the grade. Dad would be so proud.

Polish striker Tomasz Cywka was the recipient of Clough's wrath, blamed for losing the ball ahead of a late conceded equaliser against Portsmouth in 2011.

"We would like some players who in the 89th minute don't lose the ball 20 yards outside their own box, which is what Tomasz Cywka did," Clough fumed. "But he is an inexperienced and not very bright footballer.

"Tomasz tries and runs around but doesn't make very good decisions on the pitch. He has been with us ten months and he is still doing things like that. So he can go back to Wigan or wherever he came from, I am not really bothered, until he learns the game."

Cywka actually stayed at Derby for another year, before joining Reading on a free transfer. He's now at Blackpool. Glamour.

7) Maurizio Zamparini on Kyle Lafferty

Okay, so Zamparini isn't technically the manager of Palermo, but warrants inclusion for two reasons: 1) The quotes were prompted after accusations were made by head coach Giuseppe Lachini to the club's owner. 2) They're really, really good quotes.

"He is an out-of-control womaniser, an Irishman without rules," Zamparini said. "He is someone who disappears for a week and goes on the hunt for women in Milan.

"He has two families with six children, he never trains, he's completely off the rails. On the field, he's a great player because he's given us everything he had and more. In terms of his behaviour, however, he is uncontrollable. My coach told me he cannot sort this player out, he has to go."

Lafferty moved to Norwich a week later. Look out East Anglia. Allegedly.

6) Graeme Souness on Craig Bellamy

Who would have thought that Graeme Souness and Craig Bellamy might not get on? The Scot was appointed in August 2004 to replace Bobby Robson at Newcastle, but five months later Bellamy had been shipped off on loan to Celtic.

The striker's departure was inevitable after Souness publicly revealed Bellamy's behaviour. Writing in his programme notes for a FA Cup fixture against Coventry, the manager wrote: 'Craig Bellamy has been a disruptive influence from the minute I walked into this football club with his attitude to the coaching staff, to me and to his team-mates.

'On the Friday before the Arsenal game I met the press at St James' Park and when I later arrived at the training ground Craig was taking off his boots in the boot room. I asked him 'What's the problem?' and he told me his hamstring was tight. I asked if he had tugged it and he said no, it was just tight. I then went on to the training ground where Dean Saunders said to me: 'You will never believe what he's just done?'

'Dean said Craig had told the players prior to coming out on to the training ground that he was going to feign an injury and that is exactly what he has done.'

Professionalism all round.

5) Phil Brown on Geovanni

To be frank, this was close to becoming a Top Ten of the best Phil Brown moments, such is the splendour/horror of the perma-tanned manager's quotes.

Instead, we're having to make do with his outburst regarding Brazilian Geovanni, who he criticised simply for showing displeasure at being substituted.

"He will never do that to me again," Brown said. "I'm the manager. I haven't spoken to him yet. He's getting drugs-tested so hopefully they will find that positive."

Yes, Phil, let's hope they find out one of your players has been taking drugs. That's how this slight disagreement ends best.

Just for clarity, Geovanni lasted longer at Hull than Brown.

4) Harry Redknapp on Darren Bent

Perhaps the most obvious entrant on the list. Redknapp's extraordinary post-match criticism of his striker Darren Bent, who had missed a late chance, caused the denigration of the pair's relationship. It was quite the rant.

"You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one," Redknapp said, resorting to sexist cliche like a moth singeing its wings on a flame.

"Bent did not only have part of the goal to aim for, but he had the entire net - and he put it wide. Unbelievable. I was just so frustrated. Darren should have scored, it was an open goal, but there is nothing we can do about that."

Remember, he's all about the man-management and motivation.

3) Mircea Lucescu on Bernard

As ever, if you want raw, unmitigated football madness then you have to head to Eastern Europe. Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu didn't just casually mention his criticism of Brazilian Bernard in passing, he had the quotes published on the club's own website. Here is just a flavour of his message:

"His behaviour is simply inexplicable to me. Over the 40 years of my coaching career, I did not encounter any situations similar to his case. I have never met a football player, who would never communicate with anyone in the team: neither the Brazilians nor the Ukrainians. With no one!

"I have a feeling that he's a Twitter and social networking player. I'm surprised by his behaviour.

"He does not listen to me, just signed his new deal - probably in order to get the money."

Treat them mean, keep them keen.

2) Giovanni Trappatoni on Thomas Strunz, Mehmet Scholl and Mario Basler

Trappatoni can be a funny sort of chap, and in March 1998 flew off the handle in his Bayern Munich press conference at the performances of three of his most influential players.

"A coach sees what happens on the pitch," the Italian shouted. "These players, these two or three players, were weak like an empty bottle. Did you see who played Wednesday? Was it Scholl and Basler, or was it Trappatoni? These players complain more than they play. Do you know why Italian teams don't buy these players? Because they have seen them play too many times.

"Strunz!" Trapattoni finished. "He has been here two years. He is always injured. How dare Strunz? He is always injured. I have finished with Strunz."

Gently does it with the opinions, Trap. You can watch the whole show here.

1) Gerard Houllier (and John Gregory) on David Ginola

Two for the price of one with our winner. Ginola was famously labelled as 'fat' by Aston Villa manager John Gregory. He wasn't fat, he was dreamy, and he proved that with an enjoyably angry goal celebration shortly after.

However, the most notable anti-Ginola rant was from then French manager Gerard Houllier, who blamed his midfielder for choosing to cross the ball rather than keep it in the corner against Bulgaria. Bulgaria promptly regained possession, went on to score a late goal, and thus qualified for World Cup '94 ahead of their opponents.

Initially, Houllier called Ginola the "murderer" of the French team. "He sent an Exocet missile through the heart of French football and committed a crime against the team," was the manager's reasoned post-match assessment.

Ginola never played for France again, and eventually lost his case against Houllier for defamation and slander as late as 2012. A 19-year argument, and we're pretty sure they still don't meet for coffee now.

A version of this article first appeared on Football365