Alan Pardew hit the headlines over the weekend for his headbutt on David Meyler during the Hull City v Newcastle United Premier League game. Pardew isn’t alone in his moment of madness on the touchline. Here are some other touchline meltdowns.
Everybody’s favourite Special One, Jose Mourinho has always courted controversy throughout his career. In this clip, as manager of Real Madrid, we see him poke the eye of former Barcelona manager, Tito Villanova. Real Madrid v Barcelona matches are always feisty affairs and this was no different. It’s the calm way he walks over and with no intention of being stealthy, he just pokes him in the eye. Villanova reacts by pushing Mourinho in the back, but watch Jose’s duck pout response.
Only yesterday in Spain during another tempestuous game featuring the Madrid rivals, Atletico and Real, the Atleti assistant manager German Burgos makes a beeline for the referee following his decision not to give Diego Costa a free-kick. He’s a big lad is German and it took a few officials from the Atleti club to hold him back. Hold me back lads, I’m going to kill this clown!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1D8RH3IlMs
Paolo Di Canio has always been a very colourful character, both as a player and even more so as a manager. Here we see him almost coming to blows with one of his players when he was manager at Swindon Town. Leon Clarke does not take kindly to Di Canio’s attempts to calm him down as they leave they pitch. The pair almost come to blows as the confrontation continues down the players tunnel.
To a lot of people, Brian Clough was one of the best managers of all time. Leading the unfashionable Nottingham Forest to not one, but two European Cup wins and breaking the stranglehold of the dominant Liverpool on the domestic game. Here we see Cloughie not take too kindly to a pitch invasion by supporters following his team’s 5-2 win over QPR in a League Cup match. He doesn’t take prisoners as he throws digs indiscriminately to all and sundry.
Manager and coach meltdowns are not the sole preserve of football and here we have ice hockey coach, Jim Playfair, not playing very fair as he reacts to a decision by the referee. His team, Abbotsford Heat are the victims, in his eyes, of a dodgy decision. Safe to say that he wasn’t entirely in agreement with the official. There is losing the plot and there is losing the plot. This is plot losing of an epic variety.
