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Orange's football trivia expert answers your best questions
Terry, Liverpool – 17 June 2013
Who has scored in the Merseyside derby whilst on loan?
The Gaffer says:
Nicolas Anelka is your man. He was on loan when he scored Liverpool's equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Anfield in February 2002. He's the only loanee to score in the Merseyside derby in the Premier League era.
Neil, Wigan – 17 June 2013
Who are the only team to be in every English cupsfinal? e.g. FA Cup, League Cup, FA Trophy etc
The Gaffer says:
I think the answer you're looking for is Wigan Athletic. The Latics have appeared in the FA Cup final (this year, of course), the League Cup final (losing to Manchester United in 2006), the Football League Trophy, or Johnstone's Paint Trophy as it's currently known (winning in 1985 v Brentford and 1999 v Millwall), and the FA Trophy final (losing to Scarborough in 1973).
David Spurdens, London – 14 June 2013
if a player is sent off in a international friendly does he have to serve his ban if the next match were a Euro or World Cup qualifier/final stages match or the next friendly?
The Gaffer says:
Fifa's Disciplinary Code states that: "As a general rule, every match suspension (of players and other persons) is carried over from one round to the next in the same competition." So, in the case of international friendlies, any ban resulting from a red card would result in suspension from that team's next friendly fixture.
Tim Reynolds, Cardiff – 14 June 2013
There was a Premiership match last season that was the first ever meeting between these sides in any competition. What game was it?
The Gaffer says:
I think I know what you're getting at Tim, but you're not quite right. Last season saw the first ever league meeting between Wigan and Southampton, but they had actually met once before in the FA Cup, when Saints won 3-0 at The Dell in January 1986.
Lee, Mansfield – 13 June 2013
Who was the first player outside of Europe to score a Premier League goal?
The Gaffer says:
It's Peter Ndlovu but Ruel Fox may have something to say about that. Fox scored on the opening weekend of the Premier League in a 4-2 win over Arsenal and then again a week later against Everton. Although he has international caps for Montserrat, Fox was born in Ipswich and made two appearances for England B in 1994 so at the time of scoring these goals, it's difficult to class him as the first non-European Premier League scorer. Back to Peter Ndlovu, the Zimbabwean scored on the 2nd September 1992 in a 2-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday.
Stu, Dumbarton – 10 March 2011
Have there been any high profile players who smoke?
The Gaffer says:
There are surprisingly plenty. I remember Zinedine Zidane was pictured smoking before the France v Portugal 2006 World Cup semi-final - the same French magician who fronted the EU's 'Feel free to say no' anti-smoking campaign in 2002. Dimitar Berbatov enjoys the odd coffin nail, while David James used to be a smoker but quit in 2000. Back in 1998, the pro-smoking group Forest published an all-smoking fantasy team: Dino Zoff, Socrates, Gerson, Jack Charlton, Frank Leboeuf, Jimmy Greaves, David Ginola, Ossie Ardiles, Malcolm Macdonald, Bobby Charlton, Robert Prosinecki. Sub: Paul Gascoigne. Coach: Cesar Luis Menotti. I'd however have Carlo Ancelotti (pictured) as boss, who is rather partial to a puff.
Tinman, London – 10 March 2011
Who is the only Premier League player whose entire surname can be changed letter to letter into Roman numerals?
The Gaffer says:
The only Premier League player of that ilk is Nemanja VIDIC. But Hakan MILD played for Wimbledon in the 2001-02 season, albeit in Division One. And there are several MILICs scattered across Europe, including Marco Milic, Nemanja Milic and Harveje Milic.
Dan AVFC, UK – 24 February 2011
Who is the only pro to play in two games in one day?
The Gaffer says:
Mark Hughes for Bayern Munich and Wales, as he once told FourFourTwo magazine: "I was due to play in a European Championship qualifier against Czechoslovakia which we needed to win to qualify. The week before, I'd signed for Bayern and I had dinner with Uli Hoeness who asked me what time the Wales match was. I told him it was around midday and he said, 'That's OK then, you can play in the evening as well.' Apparently he'd done it before with Soren Lerby, the Danish international. So we kept quiet about it, Uli went to the Wales game and picked me up and we flew to the Bayern game which was just on the other side of the Czech border. We actually flew over the ground and missed the first half, but I got there at the start of the second half. We didn't tell anybody - there was a guy in the Bayern team who had a similar haircut to me and when they saw him warming up everybody thought it was me. Then they put my name up and I came on. We were 2-0 down and I'd like to say I turned it round but I didn't because I was hopelessly knackered. But the other guy who came on was Rummenigge's younger brother; he scored two goals and we won."
Toby, Cwmbran – 12 February 2011
Has there ever been a footy player who has been swapped for goods? I'm sure it happened in the 60s. Loving your website - great info.
The Gaffer says:
Gary Pallister moved from Billingham Town to Middlesbrough in 1984 for a bag of balls and a goal net. Other strange exchanges have seen Ian Wright move from Greenwich Borough to Crystal Palace for a set of weights in 1985, John Barnes move from Sudbury Court to Watford for a set of kit in 1981, and the best of the lot - Man Utd giving Stockport County a freezer full of ice cream in exchange for Hugh McLenahan in 1927.
Steve, Port Vale – 14 February 2011
My mate reckons that a Scottish team were once shipwrecked but he doesn't know who it was. Is this true?
The Gaffer says:
Indeed - Raith Rovers are the side in question. Having finished the 1921-22 season an impressive third behind the Old Firm, the Raith directors rewarded the team with a playing tour of the Canary Islands. Thirteen players and seven club officials boarded the Highland Loch steamer and set off across the North Atlantic. In the early hours of the morning on July 1st, the boat became grounded on rocks off the port of Currubedo and the lifeboats were launched. All passenegers and crew were saved and the steamer limped into the port of Vigo. Back in Scotland newspapers made light of the incident, but when divers examined the damage they found an 18-yard split in the bulkhead, meaning a very lucky escape for all concerned. The following day the Raith party were ferried to the Canary Islands where their luck continued - they won all four of their tour matches.
Chum, London – 13 April 2011
Which was the last team to win the FA Cup with an all-English side?
The Gaffer says:
The 1975 West Ham team who beat Fulham 2-0 in the final. The line-up was: Mervyn Day, John McDowell, Frank Lampard, Billy Bonds (c), Tommy Taylor, Kevin Lock, Billy Jennings, Graham Paddon, Alan Taylor, Trevor Brooking, Pat Holland.
Imran, Manchester – 22 March 2011
Which players have won the Premier League, that are the only players from their country to do so. Eg Dwight Yorke with Man Utd who comes from Trinidad & Tobago.
The Gaffer says:
This is one of my 'classic questions', so apologies to long-term readers who may have seen it on the old site or on Orange World. Here's the full list: Alex Manninger (Austria), Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria), Peter Schmeichel (Denmark), Michael Essien (Ghana), Eidur Gudjohnsen (Iceland), Park Ji-Sung (Korea), Christopher Wreh (Liberia), Tomasz Kuszczak (Poland), Dwight Yorke (Trinidad and Tobago), Oleg Luzhny (Ukraine), Diego Forlan (Uruguay). N.B. Quinton Fortune (South Africa) didn't play enough games in one season to win a title while at Manchester United.
Darren Stow, Boston – 28 February 2011
Who played in the Premiership and was also on the plane of the Munich air crash but obviously survived?
The Gaffer says:
A horrible urban myth this one. The answer is supposedly the unborn John Lukic in his mother's womb, but it's untrue. Lukic was born in December 1960, nearly three years after the tragedy - that's one long pregnancy! There was at least a passenger called Lukic on the flight, which is where the myth stems from.
Zac Bearshaw, Rochdale – 16 February 2011
Which Football League team is closest to the River Mersey?
The Gaffer says:
Stockport County's Edgeley Park. The River Mersey starts where the River Goyt and River Tame - which run off the Derbyshire hills - meet under the MerseyWay Shopping Centre in the centre of Stockport.
Rambo, Scotland – 11 February 2011
What's the only team in Britain with a J in its name?
The Gaffer says:
Of note? St Johnstone.
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