"Smith is a young boy and I don't condone swearing, but he wasn't sent off for that - Alan swears he didn't touch him."

- David O'Leary swears Alan Smith wasn't sent off for swearing against Spurs.

"It was nice to get an offer from Ajax but I was not tempted - I had already told Partick Thistle I would sign for them."

- So said Namibian midfielder Quinton Jacobs last week. Eh, Quinton? Sometimes breaking your word is the only sensible thing to do.

"You might think that, but I could not possibly comment."

- Chelsea chairman Ken Bates on whether Ruud Gullit's exit from Newcastle had brought a smile to his face.