Stoke City winger Jermaine Pennant has become the latest high-profile footballer to take to Twitter as a means of expressing his disapproval towards his boss. Following the club’s 2-0 defeat to Wigan on Saturday, Pennant stated his anger at being played out of position.
He wrote: “I can’t score a free kick if there isn’t 1 around the box and I played bloody wing back today I’ve never ever been a full back in my life.”
He followed up his rant, by adding: “Anyway nobody is happy with that performance just as much as the fans we players get p****** of [sic] too it’s not like we go out there and not try.”
Pennant’s outburst is just the latest in a long line of Twitter attacks launched by footballers since the birth of the social networking site in 2006.
Here is a collection of our favourites:
Joey Barton (@joey7barton)
The QPR captain has created plenty of talking points when expressing his views in 140 characters or less, but surely his high point came just prior to his exit from Newcastle following the club’s decision to sell skipper Kevin Nolan to West Ham.
He wrote: “Just on my way to Ascot, feel sick. #whatgoinonatthetoonffs [What’s going on at the Toon, for ***** sake].
“Great player, leader, captain, person, trainer and mostly a friend for life. Devastated to see him SOLD! #mejoseandjonasnext [Me, Jose (Enrique) and Jonas (Gutierrez) next].”
Newcastle responded by fining Barton and forcing him to train alone, to which the midfielder responded: “Ha ha the inevitable, 2 weeks wages fine has just arrived. Needless to say it shall be appealed forthwith. #kickingamanwhilsthesdownha. ”
Barton refused to step down in the row with his employers and they had no choice but to place him on the transfer list, to which he reacted in a typically humble fashion.
“Somewhere in those high echelons of NUFC, they have decided, I am persona non grata. I am on a free but the honour of wearing those B+W stripes, surpasses that. One day the board might realise, what the shirt signifies. HONOUR and PRIDE. Thanks for your continued support…”
Jose Enrique (@j_enrique3)
The Spanish full-back took Barton’s lead and joined his former teammate in attacking Newcastle’s transfer policy when both players were still at the club, taking particular offence at their decision to sell Andy Carroll and Nolan.
He wrote: “The club is allowing all the major players of the team to go. Seriously, do you think it is the fault of the players? Andy [Carroll], nobby [Kevin Nolan] etc etc. This club will never again fight to be among the top six again with this policy.”
Enrique has since moved to Liverpool and following their defeat to Newcastle on Sunday, the Reds are down to eighth in the table, 11 points behind his former club, who are sixth and level on points with Chelsea.
Nice one, Jose.
Darren Bent (@DBTT39)
The man who set the trend when it came to Twitter rants, Bent made his mark in 2009 by slamming Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy for putting the brakes on his proposed move to Sunderland.
He tweeted: “Why can’t anything be simple. It’s so frustrating hanging round doing jack s***.
“Do I wanna go to Hull City NO. Do I wanna go to stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around levy.”
Bent got his move to Sunderland, but joined Aston Villa 18 months later in a £24 million deal.
Glen Johnson (@glen_johnson)
The Liverpool and England right-back directed his attentions not towards a manager in 2011, but to a pundit, namely Arsenal legend Paul Merson. The former England midfielder claimed on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday show that Johnson “can’t defend for toffee… Glen Johnson wouldn’t go anywhere for 18 million quid.”
Johnson took it personally, tweeting: “Comments from alcoholic drug abusers are not going to upset me and who is Paul Merson to judge players? He was average at the best of times, the only reason he is on that show is coz [sic] he gambled all his money away. The clown!”
Kaka (@KAKA)
Following his £56 million move to Real Madrid, Kaka struggled to make the impact expected of him in his first season. After he was substituted by then manager Manuel Pellegrino during a Champions League fixture against Lyon, the Brazilian midfielder responded in the only way 21st century footballers appear to know how.
He tweeted: “A cowardly coach always substitutes a player to try to divert attention from his own powerlessness.”
If you have any favourite Twitter rants from the world of sport, we would love to hear them!
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