Reina, Barton, Bendtner and football’s most ridiculous boasts…
Pepe Reina: 20th January 2011
Boast: Liverpool can still finish in the top-four this season
Reality: Mathematically, it's possible but realistically you're more likely to see David Ngog finish the season as the Premier League's top scorer. A lot depends on who they can bring in before the end of January but even with a few top class additions the best they can hope for is a repeat of last season's 7th place finish. Even that looks a big ask at the moment so anywhere between 8th and 17th is more likely.
Joey Barton: 16th January 2011
Boast: "I don't think anyone's playing better than me in the country."
Reality: Played in a wide midfield position for most of this season so we're going with James Milner, Aaron Lennon, Adam Johnson and Ashley Young to name but a few Englishmen who are playing better than Joey. Lets not forget he missed three games for flooring poor Morten Gamst Pedersen recently. In a central position and a little closer to home, his team-mate Kevin Nolan's ten Premier League goals this season must nudge him ahead of Barton as well.
Sam Allardyce: 17th September 2010
Boast: "I'm more suited to managing Real Madrid or Inter Milan."
Reality: Unlucky to be sacked by Blackburn Rovers just three months after this outrageous claim but history suggests Allardyce is actually more suited to managing Bolton, who he guided into Europe after finishing sixth in the Premier League back in 2005. To his surprise, Big Sam's name never popped up when Rafael Benitez left Inter recently and the club searched for a quick replacement, instead opting for Brazilian Leonardo.
Leroy Griffiths: 28th July 2001
Boast: After scoring for QPR against Chelsea in a pre-season friendly: 'I'll be playing in the Champions League in three years.'
Reality: Scored just three times in the next two years at Loftus Road before moving onto Farnborough Town following a loan spell in 2002. Played for a host of non-league clubs since then including Grays Athletic and Havant & Waterlooville. Never quite made it into the Champions League and as a 34 year-old playing for Staines Town, it's safe to say he never will. Leroy... Booyakasha!
Steve McClaren: 16th November 2007
Boast: On England's chances of winning Euro 2008: "Once we qualify we're one of six of seven sides that are capable of winning that tournament. Yes, we are in that hat."
Reality: Less than a week later England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 after a disappointing home defeat to Croatia. Far from being in the hat, England's players were sat teary eyed on Wembley's turf wondering where it all went wrong, while Steve McClaren stood on the touchline grasping onto an umbrella and praying the ground would swallow him up.
Nicklas Bendtner: 24th April 2010
Boast: "If you ask me if I am the one of the best strikers in the world, I would reply yes."
Reality: Arsenal's third or fourth choice striker at the moment and linked with a move to West Ham or Sunderland. Found the back of the net just twice this season and scored a solitary goal at the World Cup in South Africa despite claiming he was capable of winning the golden boot. Perhaps the Danish forward is mistaken with scoring off the pitch, in which case his exploits deserve special praise - he recently had his first kid with Baroness Caroline luel-Brockdorff, a socialite linked with the Danish royal family and an impressive 13 years his senior. Oh yes, and she is impossibly attractive in case you were wondering.