"As far as I'm concerned the manager's position remains unchanged. I know nothing about Ron Atkinson."

- Nottingham Forest chief executive Phil Soar on Monday, giving manager Dave Bassett a vote of confidence. See below.

"Nottingham Forest approached me last night and I agreed that I would consider their offer."

- Ron Atkinson speaking from Barbados on Tuesday, after being offered Bassett's job. See above.

"["]I mentioned retiring to the wife and she said `don't even think about it'."

- Dave Bassett on his wife's eagerness for him to return to management, and get out from under her feet, as SOON as possible.

"I made eleven 11 changes and you can't make many more than that."

- Kevin `no flies on me' Keegan on his team selection for Tuesday's Auto Windscreen Shield defeat by Torquay.

"Alessandro Pistone is refusing to train with the reserves at Newcastle, Paolo Di Canio is still in Italy and Nicola Berti has fallen out with the management at Tottenham. I do not wish to sound xenophobic but we have taken a lot of calls this week involving problems with Italian players."

- Gordon Taylor, head of the English players' union, on a busy week in the office.

"I prefer to win every game. Medals are just little things, so I don't mind."

- Arsenal's Emmanuel Petit insisting he's not all that upset about losing his . . . World Cup winner's medal.

"There is a rumour in the game that they (Arsenal) have a code word and when it spreads through the team there is going to be trouble - they sometimes use it with a number meaning that a particular player is for the high-jump."

- Sheffield Wednesday's Jim Magilton, in his Belfast Telegraph column, joins the `Arsenal are a bunch of rowdies' debate.

"My preference is to see a doctor in France. Treatment carried out on me in Scotland is turning out to be of inferior quality."

- Rangers' Stephan Guivarc'h upsets the entire Scottish medical profession.

"Jermaine is quite pacy and a reasonable talent, but he's not exceptional."

- John Morton, England under-15 coach, gives a less than glowing reference for schoolboy Jermaine Pennant who Arsenal signed from Notts County last week for a reported £2 million.

"I wouldn't call it a crisis, it's just a fact that we find it hard to score at home."

- Everton manager Walter Smith after his side's 0-0 draw with Leicester on Saturday, the eighth time (out of 11 games) that they've failed to scored at home this season.

"We made Coventry look like Brazil, we were that bad."

- Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dave Beasant after Saturday's 4-0 defeat at Highfield Road.