Inter have bought the finished article and there's no doubt he can keep improving.

At the moment we've only got 16 first-team players and my initials stand for Mick McCarthy, not Merlin the Magician (the new Wolves manager gets the excuses in early!)

I had a nice time over Christmas. I watched EastEnders - blimey, that makes my job look easy!

It wasn't a monkey on my back, it was Planet of the Apes.

No regrets, none at all. My only regret is that we went out on penalties. That's my only regret but no, no regrets.

I was feeling as sick as the proverbial donkey.

We're football people, not poets, but obviously I'm disappointed with the result.

Are you living your dreams?

When I play, I feel like in a theatre, why should I look ugly then, because I'm a tennis player?

You hope your buddies will win so you don't have to loan them any money.

What you are looking for is what you are looking with.

The statue of Freedom has not been cast yet, the furnace is hot, we can all still burn our fingers.

I don't think it's by accident that I was first attracted to translating two French women poets.

I must use these great men's virtues as a cloak for my weakness.

I value people with a conscience. It's like a beeper from God.

THESE are the desolate, dark weeks when nature in its barrenness equals the stupidity of man. The year plunges into night and the heart plunges lower than night.

The plea of necessity, that eternal argument of all conspirators.