Dowie and Fergie both men of letters

In the 2003-04 season, Iain Dowie, the former Hull City football management consultant, coined the dreaded word “bouncebackability” to describe how his Crystal Palace side had gone from near relegation to winning promotion.

Not many football managers have been responsible for adding words to the dictionary (some seem to know precious few words in the dictionary), but Dowie shared this distinction with Sir Alex Ferguson when, in 2005, “squeaky bum time” – Ferguson’s description of the tension experienced by teams challenging for the title – and “bouncebackability” both entered the Oxford English Dictionary.

However, for all the accolades won by Sir Alex, too many to mention, he does not have a ‘Golden Bull’ award from the Plain English Campaign to stick on his mantelpiece, a testament to Murphy’s programme notes that will surely never be surpassed.