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Orange's football trivia expert answers your best questions
Carl, London – 22 May 2013
Hi Gaffer. A friend said Luton Town played in the Premiership. Is he right?
The Gaffer says:
No he isn't. Luton were relegated from the top flight, finishing 20th in the old First Division, in the season before the Premier League was introduced in 1992-93.
AJ Chris, UK – 22 May 2013
Hi Gaffer. What are the top five countries that have been represented in the Champions League final?
The Gaffer says:
The numbers for the European Cup/Champions League show that Italian clubs come out on top with 26 final appearances between them (12 winners, 14 runners-up). Then come Spain with 22 (13 winners, nine runners-up); England 19 (12 winners, seven runners-up); Germany 15 (six winners, nine runners-up); Portugal nine (four winners, five runners-up). These stats don't include the 2013 final featuring two German clubs, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, which will take the Bundesliga's all-time representational tally to 17.
Rory, UK – 14 February 2011
When is the last time that the top four in England was made up of four teams not wearing a red strip?
The Gaffer says:
Cracking question, Rory. You have to go all the way back to the 1969-70 season in the old First Division when the top four were Everton, Leeds, Chelsea and Derby. Liverpool finished fifth.
Paul, Macclesfield – 14 February 2011
Which player has the longest name in football?
The Gaffer says:
Anthony Philip David Terry Frank Donald Stanley Gerry Gordon Stephen James Oatway, more commonly known as Charlie, former Brighton, Torquay and Brentford midfielder. His parents were QPR fans and named him after the 1973 first team squad.
Chris Law, Glasgow – 14 February 2011
What is the only football team to be named in the Bible?
The Gaffer says:
Queen of the South is the one most mentioned, but how about Arsenal (Jeremiah 50:25), Bury, Wolves, Reading, Palace (Genesis) and this double from Isiah 41:17: "The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil." And here's one for Stags fans: "A poor man's field may produce abundant food, but injustice sweeps it away," (Proverbs 13:23).
Arthur Smith, Stevenage – 14 February 2011
Is it true that there is no written law that says a team has to use goal nets in a game? My mates think I'm mad.
The Gaffer says:
You're not mad Arthur. Bizarrely, there is no legal requirement for clubs to have goal nets. Section one of Fifa's official 'laws of the game' states: "Nets may be attached to the goals and the ground behind the goal, provided that they are properly supported and do not interfere with the goalkeeper." Thus, they are permitted but not mandatory.
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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