The Did you know thread. Uselss, but fascinating trivia, facts and stories

Discussion in 'Soccer History' started by Excape Goat, Oct 17, 2007.

  1. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [Although this is statistically interesting, from a tactical/in-game standpoint I don't find it that surprising. Crouch often plays as more of a out&out goal-scorer for England while Rooney has often been lined up as a 2nd striker/withdrawn forward. While sticking the ball in the ol' onion bag is part of his job in that role, Rooney often is asked to serve as the creative fulcrum of the England attack IMO. As you pointed out about Crouch being used as a "super-sub", this often allows Crouch to score against flagging opposition in the waning minutes of a given match.]
     
  2. GENK

    GENK New Member

    Jun 27, 2009
    Belgium
    Club:
    KRC Genk
    Tony Adams' debut for Arsenal wasn't outstanding for his performance, but because he wore his shorts back to front.
     
  3. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [Good one, now I wish that I had posted that since I already knew it. ;)

    Before the '58 WC, Jimmy Greaves & Nat Lofthouse didn't make the cut for the final 22-man England tournament roster in April of '58. Greaves & "Lofty" then showed the England inter. sel. comm. what "geniuses" they were at picking forwards with Greaves finishing as joint top scorer along w/Bobby Smith of the 1st Div. of the '58-'59 season w/32 goals & Lofthouse finished as the 2nd place goal-scorer w/29 goals.

    Here's a link w/info about the '58 prelim. squad and the cut down to the final squad:

    http://www.englandfootballonline.com/CmpWC/CmpWCHeartache.html

    Here's the England final 22-man squad @ the '58 WC:

    http://www.englandfootballonline.com/CmpWC/CmpWC1958Squad.html

    Here's the leading English 1st Div. goal-scorers fr. the '58-'59 season:

    http://www.free-elements.com/England/Seasons/S1958.html ]
     
  4. Olimpero

    Olimpero Member

    Oct 11, 2005
    Asuncion, Paraguay
    In Asuncion, Paraguay, in 1959, in a second division game, a goalkeeper was annoyed because a small plane was flying constantly around the stadium. So the goalkeeper kicked the ball in anger straight to the plane and the ball hit the plane's propeller, shutting it down! The plane fell near the stadium, but luckily nothing happened to the pilot. The goalkeeper got so scared that he left the match and went to hide into his house(which wasn't far away). The news spread around the world, and it has been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not! book.
    Here's the link to the article(The article is in spanish. Sadly, I couldn't find the article in english)

    http://archivo.abc.com.py/2009-02-17/articulos/496575/inaudita-e-irrepetida-hazana-aerea
     
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  5. schwuppe

    schwuppe Member+

    Sep 17, 2009
    Club:
    FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
    FC Barcelona's alltime topscorer is Paulino Alcantara from Philippines:eek:


     
  6. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [Fascinating bit of trivia there, schwuppe: Is Alcantara's all-time top-scoring mark just lge. gls. or is it in all competitions, mate? I'll do some digging around myself & see what I can turn up.]
     
  7. unclesox

    unclesox BigSoccer Supporter

    Mar 8, 2003
    209, California
    Club:
    FC Barcelona
    All competitions, which mainly consisted of the "Campionat de Catalunya" (Catalonia Championship), and the Spanish Cup, which served as the de facto Spanish Championship as Alcántara played before the Primera División/La Liga had been established in 1928.
     
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  8. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    I recalled his goal-to-games ratio was scarey.
     
  9. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [Thank for the info, mate: I was just curious since IDK for sure how Alcantara's career goal numbers for Barca were being tallied.]
     
  10. zasal911

    zasal911 Member

    Sep 1, 2000
    i was under the impression that there was a massive brawl in La Plata between uruguayan and argentinians back in like 1919
     
  11. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    George Best played for Rangers. Not really!!! In the early 1980's, he had a brief spell in Hong Kong where he played for Hong Kong Rangers FC. The club founded by a Scot who was a fan of the Catholic club in Scotland. Their logo and gera are based on the original club. I could not find any image of Best wearing the "Ranger" gear.
     
  12. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [It's funny that you bring this up because I was sent over on a freelance assignment to cover Best's move to Hong Kong & his being signed by HK Rangers. I think that he only ended up stepping on to the pitch for them once or twice IIRC. Before that Best logged a season or two w/the SJ Earthquakes of the NASL. The Earthquakes became an INDOOR football side while Best was there, so he was forced to adapt & actually was a quite brilliant indoor player IMO.

    The British, & to a certain extent the world, press were actually somewhat ruthless w/poor George & his foreign adventures. You would often see back page headlines to the tune of, "Does He Know The Way Back From San Jose?" & other such jabs @ "Bestie".]
     
  13. frasermc

    frasermc Take your flunky and dangle

    Celtic
    Scotland
    Jul 28, 2006
    Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland

    You may want to re-word that sentence. :)
     
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  14. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [I was going to point that out, especially since I had first-hand experience w/HK Rangers. But I decided that discretion is the better part of valour, as it were. ;)]
     
  15. frasermc

    frasermc Take your flunky and dangle

    Celtic
    Scotland
    Jul 28, 2006
    Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    I'm more like a bull in a china shop whereas you have a much more refined approach my friend.

    Apologies to Excape Goat as I was not intending to barge in. (hence the wee smiley face on my post)

    :)
     
  16. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [So I would be the "Jimmy Greaves" to your "Bobby Smith", then? Or to your "'Torpedo' McGrory", perhaps? ;) I was originally going to go w/Wilf Mannion & Dave Mackay, but I couldn't "shoehorn" in the McGrory reference very easily then.]
     
  17. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    You can find news footage of his arrival and the highlight of one of his game youtube, but the footage showed him playing for a different club. Best played for two clubs while he was here.

    I was young at the time. I never heard of Best until he arrived in Hong Kong. Bobby Moore played one game in Hong Kong, but he stayed on as a coach around the same time.

    Sorry about the "Catholic" mistake.


     
  18. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [Thanks for the info, mate; I was going to mention some of the facts that you posted, but I was going for the whole "wider view" approach: Best playing in the NASL, the British sporting press reaction to Best playing overseas, etc.]
     
  19. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    This was one of best's matches in HK, but he was not playing for Rangers. He transfered to Rangers after a few games. Best was number 11 on green. Tommy Hutchison. a former Scotish international, was number #11 or 14 on red.

    [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSe_pJw_kY0"]YouTube - [????] 1983 - ?????? (????????)[/ame]

    That era was crazy in Hong Kong. Bobby Moore also unretired to play for a club side in HK. He retired again after one match and became a manager. Alan Ball came around the same time. Then, one club decided to borrow 6 starters from Southampton F.C. after the English season finished(which then was under McMenemy and a powerhouse in England). Kevin Keegan was not one of the players, but Danny Wallace, David Armstrong and Mick Cannon came. I am not sure about Peter Shilton.
     
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  20. Charlie512

    Charlie512 Member

    Oct 17, 2010
    Texas
    Club:
    Pachuca CF
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Batistuta cut the field grass early in his career in some Argentina club. He later became the best of his generation.
     
  21. RoyOfTheRovers

    Jul 24, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    [Did you mean to say Mick Channon here, mate?]
     
  22. Excape Goat

    Excape Goat Member+

    Mar 18, 1999
    Club:
    Real Madrid
    Yes, Mick Channon. :)
     
  23. sp1873

    sp1873 New Member

    Mar 12, 2008
  24. Gregoriak

    Gregoriak BigSoccer Supporter

    Feb 27, 2002
    Munich
  25. sp1873

    sp1873 New Member

    Mar 12, 2008
    thank you
     

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