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Premier League 2015/16: 5 offbeat moments

London - Following the end of the 2015/16 Premier League season on Sunday, here are five offbeat moments that lightened the mood during the campaign:

'O' BOTHER AS GOLD CONFUSES SIGNINGS

West Ham United co-chairman David Gold put his foot in his mouth by welcoming new signing Pedro Obiang to the club with a Twitter picture of another player.

"I am delighted to announce the signing of 23 year old midfield (sic) Pedro Obiang from Sampdoria. Pedro, welcome," wrote Gold, next to a photograph of Italian centre-back Angelo Ogbonna.

Upon realising his error, Gold removed the tweet and re-posted the text of the message, this time accompanied by a picture of Obiang beside the pitch at Upton Park holding aloft a claret and blue scarf.

Nine days later he was able to dust off his original picture as West Ham announced the signing of Ogbonna from Juventus.

POCHETTINO CHANNELS BRITNEY

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino cited American pop stars Britney Spears and Will.I.Am as examples for his players to follow as they went in search of Premier League glory.

Irked by constant comparisons with Spurs' north London rivals Arsenal, Pochettino quoted Spears and Will.I.Am's hit 'Scream and Shout' in an attempt to keep his players' minds focused on their own performances.

"I think it's like what Britney Spears and Will.I.Am sing: 'Everybody in the club, all eyes on us, all eyes on us,'" the Argentine said.

"Because it's not important what Arsenal do. For me it's important to assess our season and how we can compare with us, not how we compare with another team."

VAN GAAL'S TOUCHLINE TUMBLE

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal revealed a taste for amateur dramatics with a comical touchline tumble during his side's 3-2 win over Arsenal.

Protesting against what he felt was a dive by an Arsenal player, the Dutchman marched up to fourth official Mike Dean on the Old Trafford touchline and to illustrate his point, fell flat on his back.

His actions drew roars of laughter from the home fans and footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media.

But Van Gaal later said that his emotions had got the better of him and revealed that he had apologised to the officials concerned.

TINKERMAN BECOMES 'SAUSAGEMAN'

Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri branded himself "the Sausageman" after a local butcher created a sausage in his name to honour the club's improbable Premier League title challenge.

Ranieri, 64, was known as "the Tinkerman" during his spell as Chelsea manager due to his habit of changing his starting line-up between matches.

But thanks to Leicester butchers W Archer and Son, who decided to offer a 'Ranieri' sausage to their customers, the Italian felt that he had earned the right to a new nickname.

"I am the Sausageman," said Ranieri. "It is a good sausage."

LIVERPOOL SCORE OWEN GOAL

Liverpool's supporters were less than impressed by an announcement that former striker Michael Owen had been appointed as the club's first "international ambassador".

Owen came through Liverpool's youth system and scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for the club, but later spent three years with their hated rivals Manchester United.

"Is he going to become Man United's international ambassador in a few years as well?" asked one unenthused fan in response to the Twitter post announcing the news.

Owen, who won the Ballon d'Or while at Liverpool in 2001, said: "Liverpool FC is the world's greatest football family and it's great for me to represent the club in an official capacity once again."

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