The things they said in 2003

"I want to play 100 Test matches and captain England in the Test match arena for a little while yet." Nasser Hussain's in such a positive mood after giving up the one day captaincy.

"I felt I was a bit tired and stale and, unfortunately, I wasn't good enough. Over four years, the job can become very repetitive." Things have changed by July.

"We want Peter to lead the team's recovery... he has the full backing of the board, who have demonstrated their commitment to him." Professor John McKenzie after his bizarre consultation with Leeds fans in October, which convinced him to carry on with Peter Reid.

"While the board acknowledges that Peter did a sterling job for the club towards the end of last season in keeping United in the FA Premier League, it believes it must not allow this season to reach a point beyond which the club's Premiership status comes under serious threat. The recent run of results has clearly been unacceptable. The board therefore concluded that it has a duty to act now." A few bad results later and the wacky Professor, who took £380,000 out of the club before quitting himself, sacks Reid.

Bonkers Bruno locked up The Sun's first edition headline on 23 September, after the former world champion was sectioned.

Sad Bruno in mental home The Sun's second edition headline.

No one loves Frank Bruno more than The Sun... today, as Frank battles mental illness, we've launched a fund in his name to recognise the vital work done by the charity SANE. The Sun leader page the following day after a storm of protest.

"Arsenal did a deal with the FA. They had charges dropped. They are fortunate that they occupy that kind of position in the game. At United, all we do is try to win the title without any help. I've never heard of anything like this before. I don't know how they managed to get charges dropped." No quotes of the year are complete without a rant from Sir Alex Ferguson, whose blood was boiling after Arsenal's players escaped deportation following the Battle of Old Trafford.

"Both Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson accept such assurances unreservedly and express their regrets to the FA for any comments made which may have appeared to call into question the integrity of the FA's disciplinary process, or given credence to any suggestion of a lack of impartiality whether in relation to the Arsenal case or on any other occasion." The Scot was calmer by December.

"Arsenal will not progress to the second stage of the Champions League and will also fail to qualify for the UEFA Cup. I am certain." Internazionale's Kily Gonzalez... before Arsenal qualified for the last 16 and Inter Milan scraped into the UEFA Cup.

"Is that all you've got?" Aussie press alongside a picture of Jonny Wilkinson kicking.

"World Cup! World Cup!" Wilkinson's excited yell after kicking the winning drop goal in the final against Australia.

"My job? What's my job? It's quite simple and clear. I'm here to give this group every chance to do something incredible on the biggest stage that there is for a rugby player, and that's the World Cup. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We've all got to grasp it with both hands. And we mustn't hide or go into our shells just because the whole world is now watching. I don't believe we will." True to his word throughout, Clive Woodward quoted as he arrived Down Under for the tournament.

And finally, Ian Holloway finds a novel way to sum up Queens Park Rangers' lacklustre win against Chesterfield... "To put it in gentleman's terms, if you've been out for a night and you're looking for a young lady and you pull one, you've done what you set out to do. We didn't look our best today but we've pulled. Some weeks the lady is good looking and some weeks they're not. Our performance today would have been not the best looking bird but at least we got her in the taxi. She may not have been the best looking lady we ended up taking home but it was still very pleasant and very nice, so thanks very much and let's have coffee."