Did they really say that? Yes, they did! 

Colemanballs - Swindon-style!

 

Private Eye's latest compilation of gaffes and goofs by sports commentators and personalities - the hilarious Colemanballs - is now in the shops.

 

And how reassuring it is to read how some of Swindon's finest have contributed so nobley to the publication with a veritable feast of verbal slip-ups and malapropisms.

 

One of the best this year, we think, coming from former Swindon champion jockey John Francome (happy birthday by the way John), who got a nice mix of metaphors going when heard on Channel 4 saying:

 

 

"I need to pull a rabbit out of the fire here" John Francome

 

Or Swindon-born DJ Mark Lamaar similiarly confused with:

 

"A lot of time's gone under the bridge since then"

Mark Lamaar

 

Even golden girl Melinda Messenger got caught out when exaggerating somewhat with:

 

"The bobsliegh was so fast that, it was literally as fast as a bullet out of a gun." Melinda Messenger

 

And, as ever, you can always trust former Town manager Glenn Hoddle to come out with something only he would understand:

 

"There's not much who would have hit him [Fabio Capello] in the eye and made him put his hat on"

Glenn Hoddle

 

But our favourites have to be from two old friends and Town legends, Chris Kamara and Jimmy Quinn, both of whom got a mention with these unique quotes:

 

"And Tottenham are fighting like beavers...." Chris Kamara   "There's not enough expletives to thank the players for what they've done over the course of the season" Jimmy Quinn

 

Swindon, of course, no stranger to an entry in Colemanballs, with our boys from the County Ground - managers and players, past and present - always a good for a misplaced quote and quip.

Town's former boss Andy King, who Robins' fans know all too well had a liking for the odd cliche or three in post-match interviews, coming out with the gem:

 

"I thought we started very, very brightly but the Achilles Heel which has bitten us in the backside all year has stood out like a sore thumb." Andy King

and again, Glen Hoddle - the man who took Town into the Premiership - clearly on top of his form with the lines:

 

"I didn't say them things I said" and "Lampard put his shot in the bottom hand corner" Glenn Hoddle

 

Not to mention Chris Kamara's - he can't help himself, can he - with a couple more Sky Sports' on-air faux-pas's:

 

"Palace probably don't want to lose as much as they'd like to win"
and
"... well, it's a double-sided coin, John"

Chris Kamara

 

But hey, Chris already has very good form when it comes to talking twoddle. The award-winning entry in a previous Colemanballs compilation showing his credentials from an earlier age:

"Neil Baker is standing on the touchline with his hands in his tracksuit bottoms scratching his head."

Chris Kamara

 

Our favourite, however, has to be the microphone miss-hap by Olympic reporter Lorna Dunkley, who came up with this 'golden' gaffe when describing Swindon sporting hero Shelley Rudman's performance at the Turin Winter Olympics.

"She [Shelley Rudman] beat everyone

to take silver in the Skeleton."

Nice one!