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Orange's football trivia expert answers your best questions
Duncan, Elie – 15 May 2013
Which is the only team in the SPL that hasn't had a player sent off this season?
The Gaffer says:
The answer is Ross County, who have collected the second-highest number of yellow cards (72) in this season's Scottish Premier League, but no red ones. St Johnstone have collected 82 yellows, plus six reds, putting them bottom of the SPL fair play table, just below County. Motherwell and Dundee have also had six players sent off, while Celtic and Hibernian have each had one early bather. Celtic, by the way, are top of the fair play table, with Kilmarnock second and Motherwell/Dundee United joint third.
Tony B, Birmingham – 15 May 2013
Hi, Gaffmeister! Who were the last English team to actually qualify for Europe as a non-top-flight team?
The Gaffer says:
Birmingham City played in last season's Europa League when in the Championship, but they had actually qualified for Europe by winning the Carling Cup while still in the Premier League. In 2004, Millwall were in the second-tier when they qualified for the 2004-05 Uefa Cup by reaching the 2004 FA Cup final, which they lost 3-0 to Manchester United.
Marlon, London – 15 May 2013
How old was Rio when he made his England debut? And who was it against?
The Gaffer says:
Rio Ferdinand was aged 19 years, eight days when he made his England debut as a sub in a friendly against Cameroon at Wembley on 15 November 1997, making him at the time the youngest defender ever to play for the Three Lions. He replaced Gareth Southgate on 38 minutes in a game which England won 2-0 (Paul Scholes 44, Robbie Fowler 45).
George, Winchester – 14 May 2013
Here's one for you Gaff. Which two managers have had 100% records against Fergie in the Premier League?
The Gaffer says:
Sven-Goran Eriksson for one. The Swede sparked euphoria among the blue half of Manchester in 2007-08 when he became the first City manager since 1969-70 to do the League double over United. Sven's first derby victory was on 19 August 2007 when Geovanni scored the only goal of the game; the second was at Old Trafford on 10 February 2008 courtesy of goals by Darius Vassell and Benjani. The only other manager with a 100% win record against Sir Alex Ferguson in the Premier League is less well known. It's Stuart Gray, whose Southampton side beat United 2-1 at The Dell on 13 May 2001, when Wes Brown (og) and Marian Pahars were Saints' scorers. Gray, who was caretaker boss at the time following Glenn Hoddle's departure to Spurs, was given the job 'permanently' in June, only to be sacked three months later. The 2-1 victory over United was his only match against Fergie, making him and Eriksson the only two managers to boast 100% Premier League records against the great man.
Leslie, Bremervörde, Germany – 14 May 2013
What was the highest position in the league ever reached by Millwall FC?
The Gaffer says:
Millwall's highest ever finish is 10th in the old First Division in 1988-89. During that season, John Docherty's side were top of the table on 14 points going into October. The Lions were still in the top three on Christmas Day, trailing Norwich and Arsenal, but slipped down the table later in the campaign. But they did finish above 11th placed Manchester United. Millwall also topped the table in the following season, if only briefly in September before plummeting and being relegated in bottom place, by which time Docherty had been sacked and replaced by Bruce Rioch.
Alex, Southampton – 16 May 2012
In the light of Jermaine Pennant's potential jail time can you name a jailbird XI (players who've spent time in prison)? I've currently thought of Lee Hughes, Ched Evans and Marlon King...
The Gaffer says:
Fabulous question! The man you're looking for is Les Sealey. He featured regularly in his first spell at Old Trafford, including a 1991 League Cup final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday and the 1991 Cup Winners' Cup final victory against Barcelona. He was then transferred to Aston Villa before returning to Manchester United on a free transfer as understudy to Peter Schmeichel (thanks to Fred the Red and Woody in Swindon for pointing out that Sealey and Mark Bosnich are the only players Sir Alex Ferguson has ever re-signed). In his second spell, Sealey played only two games - coming on in an FA Cup quarter-final against Charlton after Schmeichel was sent off, and starting the 1994 League Cup final, which United lost 3-1 to Villa.
Kev Swannack, UK – 24 December 2011
Name three post-war England players with 3 letter o in their surnames.
The Gaffer says:
Superb question Kev - a cracking bit of trivia! The three men in question are Peter Osgood, Tony Woodcock and Ian Storey-Moore.
Andrew Clarke, Mossley – 8 December 2011
Who won league titles in three consecutive seasons with three different clubs?
The Gaffer says:
Hail Eric Cantona, winner of titles with Marseille in 1991, with Leeds in 1992, and with Manchester United in 1993. In all, the flamboyant Frenchman won seven league championship medals, four of them with United. Another, and less obvious, player to achieve the feat is Alexei Mikhailichenko, who won titles with Dynamo Kiev, Sampdoria and Rangers from 1990-92 (thanks Martin from Doncaster).
Gary Africa, Iraq – 31 May 2011
Who are 9 players who have played for two of the Big Four (ManU, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal) plus a Spanish club??
The Gaffer says:
This old chestnut eh? I get this one a lot and in previous years there were seven - Michael Owen, Lassana Diarra, Boudewijn Zenden, Mark Hughes, Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit and Jermaine Pennant. More recently we can of course add Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun to the list to make it nine.
Dave, Arsenal – 23 May 2011
Why do Boca Juniors wear a blue and yellow kit?
The Gaffer says:
Until 1907 Boca Juniors wore white shirts with vertical dark blue or black stripes. However, rivals Club Boedo had the same colours so a game was played, with the losers having to change colours. Boca were beaten and after the match some of the players went down to the local harbour. They decided that they would choose the colours of the flag of the first ship to arrive in the harbour. The Swedish vessel Drottning Sophia duly arrived so Boca decided that the club should adopt the blue and yellow of the Swedish flag.
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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