Everybody loves successful soccer matches. That’s why all of us purchase Premier League tickets. To see our staff win. However for each winner, there must be a loser. And most of the time, the dropping staff are crushed as a result of they don’t take their possibilities, they make too many errors, or they’re straight up inferior to the opposition.

Or that’s what you’d assume. As a result of in the event you ask the individuals who actually know – soccer managers – they’ll let you know it’s by no means right down to them or their gamers. There’s all the time a stroke of misfortune, or an outright conspiracy.

We’ve seen it within the opening week – Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp blaming a 2-2 draw to Fulham on the pitch being too dry. In summer time.

So let’s look by means of historical past at some of the worst ever excuses for poor outcomes.

Climate and God – Jurgen Klopp

To not choose on Jurgen, however his feedback concerning the Fulham pitch aren’t the primary time he’s blamed climate. When Liverpool drew with West Brom in 2018, the Baggies’ pitch was additionally too dry. Not that it’s all the time right down to opponents. In 2017, a 0-0 draw at Anfield was additionally right down to a dry pitch. In 2019, it was too windy for Liverpool to beat Everton, and the snow at Anfield killed their possibilities in opposition to Leicester that very same 12 months.

However Klopp’s greatest ever terrible excuse got here when the climate was neither too dry or too chilly or too windy. After they misplaced to Manchester Metropolis in 2021, there was just one particular person guilty. And it wasn’t Jurgen Klopp.

Climate, Color, and Acts of God: The Worst Ever Excuses for Poor Results

[Image from https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/klopp-man-city-liverpool-chelsea-22614854]

“I am convinced now that God is a Man City fan and that he will do everything to stop us.”

We surprise the place God sits when he buys his Manchester Metropolis tickets?

Ball Boys – Jose Mourinho

Mourinho is undoubtedly a terrific soccer supervisor. His report of trophies at Porto, Chelsea, Madrid and past is a testomony to that.

However Jose can be a little bit bit of a drama queen.

Like Klopp, he’s not averse to blaming the pitch – stating that the grass on the pitch forward of his Roma aspect’s sport in opposition to Arnhem made him really feel very unhappy. He’s additionally eager to criticise referees, with Mike Dean taking the total brunt of Mourinho’s ire throughout his ill-fated keep at Previous Trafford.

However Jose’s worst ever excuse has to return from his time at Actual Madrid. After dropping a cup sport at Barcelona’s Nou Camp, Mourinho knew precisely who guilty. Not him, clearly. And never his gamers.

[Image from https://talksport.com/football/636647/jose-mourinho-ball-boy-tottenham-dele-alli-goal-bournemouth/]

No, it was as a result of Barca didn’t have sufficient ball boys.

“Real Madrid gave a spectacular performance from the first to the last minute. We came here to play. What I’m about to say is not a criticism, I’m just stating a fact: there were no ball-boys in the second half, which is something typical of small teams when experiencing difficulties.”

You couldn’t make it up…

Scottish Genetics – Gordon Strachan

Strachan discovered from the perfect. At Aberdeen and Manchester United, he studied below the undisputed grasp of the excuse – Alex Ferguson. And at Leeds United, he pipped Fergies aspect to the title to generate much more excuses from afar.

However Gordon Strachan has provided an excuse so weird, even Sir Alex himself wouldn’t have the barefaced cheek to supply it.

It’s 2018. Scotland have missed out on the World Cup, once more, following a 2-2 draw to Slovenia. Is that as a result of Scotland’s gamers weren’t excellent? Is it as a result of Strachan’s techniques had been poor?

[image from https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/17/gordon-strachan-scotland-support]

No. It’s as a result of of Scottish genetics.

“Genetically, we are behind. In the last campaign, we had the second smallest side, after Spain. We can’t compete for height and strength. Genetically we have to work at things, get big women and men together and see what we can do.”

Strachan was unavailable for remark when somebody identified that genetically tiny Spain had gained tournaments in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Presumably as a result of he was on the hunt for a pair of large Scots as half of his new masterplan.

Tekken II – David James

Issues by no means fairly labored out for David James. At Liverpool, Villa and West Ham, he earned the nickname “Calamity James” for a series of excessive profile blunders. And even his 53 England caps didn’t cease him being seen as a stop-gap between the sticks on the highest degree.

However maybe the nadir of James’ profession got here at Liverpool. Three howlers in a single sport in opposition to Newcastle had the Kop devoted and the media asking if he was adequate to buy Liverpool tickets, not to mention begin in web for the Merseyside membership.

[Image from https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/867172/David-James-Liverpool-Aston-Villa]

A lesser keeper would’ve crumbled. Blamed his poor positioning, his lack of confidence, a run of poor type. However not David James. He knew precisely the place to level his finger, even when he didn’t know the place to place his arms.

He’d made so many errors as a result of he’d been spending an excessive amount of time on the PlayStation. An habit to Tekken II and Tomb Raider had left him unable to do his job.

As excuses go, it’s definitely distinctive. Possibly if he’d have torn his eyes away from Lara Croft, he’d have made it to the 1998 World Cup?

The Color Gray – Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson is undoubtedly one of the best Premier League supervisor of all time. And to hearken to him, it’s straightforward to see why. Manchester United by no means deserved to lose a single sport in any of the 27 years he stalked the Previous Trafford touchline. Opposition gamers cheated, referees had been inept, and the papers labored to undermine his star gamers.

However the biggest ever excuse from the undisputed GOAT of terrible excuses got here at Southampton’s Dell floor in 1996. And in contrast to the lesser males on this checklist, Ferguson dedicated.

The 3-0 deficit to relegation fodder wasn’t right down to unhealthy techniques, selecting the mistaken staff, or gamers making errors. It was right down to the shirts on their backs. The gray shirts.

[Image from https://www.goal.com/en/news/best-10k-i-ever-spent-story-behind-manchester-uniteds/1rfzlcjwflvh41shlmahwu79mj]

Explaining afterwards that his gamers couldn’t see one another within the gray strip as a result of it blended into the backdrop of Southampton followers in pink and white, Ferguson had his gamers ditch the gray at half time and reappear sporting blue and white.

The equipment change masterplan labored. Regardless of dropping the primary half 3-0, an invigorated United in model new shirts pulled a objective again within the second half. Sadly that’s all they managed, as Southampton noticed out a really snug 3-1 win courtesy of Monkou, Shipperly and Matt Le Tissier.Possibly it wasn’t all concerning the kits in spite of everything?

Climate, Color, and Acts of God: The Worst Ever Excuses for Poor Results