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

[bojendyk]

Worst Disciplinary Record
No doubt about it, this record goes to Ricky Goddard of North Warnborough. By 1992, he had been suspended for five out of his nine years as a footballer. On one occasion, he was banned for six months when he sneaked into the ref's changing-room at half time and urinated over all his clothes.

That is too damn funny.

[Dave Brull]

Here's a list of "did you know's"...

Longest throw-in
48.17 metres (158 ft 0.4 in) - Michael Lochner at Bexley High School, Ohio (USA) in June 1998.



Wow! I never knew this and my cousin was on the Bexley team that year. Was that in a game or in practice?

[ChaChaFut]

Spanish coach Juan Luque de Serralonga, who directed Mexico in the first world cup in 1930, delivers a patriotic harangue to his players, minutes before their first ever world cup match, against France:

When you go out to play, I want you to forget about your wives, girlfriends, brothers, sisters, fathers and even your mothers. The only thing that should have a place in your hearts is Me-xi-co. Me-xi-co! Let's remember the great General Ignacio Zaragoza. If he was able to defeat the French, we will do it too! Don't forget that at this very moment there are millions of Mexicans praying for our victory. And there, on top of the hill of Tepeyac, is the Virgin of Guadalupe, looking out for the colors of the Mexican flag. So, let's jump on the pitch, and let's win!!!


Final score: Mexico 1, France 4.

I don't get it. What's the point of it or the morals involved?

LOL. No morals involved. Mexicans are well known for being extremely patriotic in general, and for being a nation eminently catholic and devoted to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The coach was trying to get them motivated for victory...

[Excape Goat]

What a match!
This took place at White Hart Lane, of all places in 1945. Arsenal were playing Dynamo Moscow when a dense fog descended on the pitch. .

That would be immediately after the War, right?

[unclesox]

-Stanley Matthews was the first ever Player of the Year in 1948 aged 33, he was also the first ever European Footballer of the Year in 1956 aged 41 and he was Player of the Year again in 1963 aged 48. He played his last game in the English top flight aged 50 before he retired from a career that spanned 33 years.
And was given perhaps the most memorable jubilee of all-time when he retired. Yashin and Puskas hoisted him on their shoulders after the match. :cool:

[unclesox]

A two year suspension for match-fixing too!
Rossi was initially given a three-year ban from the betting scandle that rocked Serie A in 1980. It was ultimatley reduced to two after appeal.
(Perhaps the World Cup was taken into account :p )

Also from the 1980 Italian betting scandle:

-- AC Milan were condemmed to relegation into Serie B, the only time they've been relegated from Serie A, I believe. They had finished third (?) in Serie A that season.

-- 1970 World Cup goalkeeper Ricardo Albertosi was banned for life for his part in the scandle.

-- Matches at the 1980 European Championships in Italy suffered dramatically. Only Italy -v- England in Turin was played in front of a capacity crowd. There were also no balls boys at the matches and players had to go chase balls that went out of play (Most of the stadiums used had running tracks around them :eek: )

[dor02]

LOL. No morals involved. Mexicans are well known for being extremely patriotic in general, and for being a nation eminently catholic and devoted to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The coach was trying to get them motivated for victory...OK. Thanks for that.


-- AC Milan were condemmed to relegation into Serie B, the only time they've been relegated from Serie A, I believe. They had finished third (?) in Serie A that season. AC Milan did finish third in 1980 but they have been relegated twice. In 1982, Milan finished 14th and third last.

-- 1970 World Cup goalkeeper Ricardo Albertosi was banned for life for his part in the scandle.His first name was Enrico.

[unclesox]

His first name was Enrico.
:o I stand corrected. The one publication I got the story from had him listed as "Ricardo" but all others as well as all websites give his name as "Enrico".

You're certainly the Serie A guru, Mr. Dor. :)

[dor02]

:o I stand corrected. The one publication I got the story from had him listed as "Ricardo" but all others as well as all websites give his name as "Enrico".

You're certainly the Serie A guru, Mr. Dor. :)Thanks.

It's actually Doria. Doria is my surname, look at Sampdoria, to get the idea.

[Kopite89]

- Even though Liverpool fans sing about the Munich air crash, Sir Matt Busby actually was on the books of Livepool as a player.

- The fastest Hat-trick in Premiership history is Robbie Fowler v Arsenal, in 4 mins 32 secs. The fastest ever is held by a Bournemouth player in about 3 mins. (sorry for the lack of accuracy)

- Liverpool fans have the record for the loudest noise during a sporting event, it was recorded during last years Carling Cup final and reached 130.7 decibels.

- Tennis player Rafael Nadal's uncle, Miguel, is a former Spanish international and Barcelona legend.

- Clarence Seedorf is the only player to win the champions league with 3 different clubs (Milan, Real Madrid and Ajax).

- Blackburn Rovers are the only club in England to be allowed to have their crest on corner flags. After they won the FA Cup for 3 straight times, they were enitled to keep the trophy. The FA could not afford this so gave them this privilige instead.

[chivazo]

What a match!
This took place at White Hart Lane, of all places in 1945. Arsenal were playing Dynamo Moscow when a dense fog descended on the pitch. The referee refused to abandon the match because the visiting team had come all the way from Moscow. The game swiftly reduced to farce! One Arsenal player was sent off for fighting, but sneaked back on again in the fog. The Russians substituted a player, but never sent their player off. Indeed, there were strong suspicions, that throughout the game, the Russian side secretly increased from 11 players to 15! The problem was that no-one could actually see enough to count them. The final confusion happened when the Arsenal goalie became disorientated in the fog, ran into the goal post and knocked himself out. He was replaced by a member of the crowd.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, Cassano. I'm not so sure about your story. As a metter of fact there´s a careful account of those games in David Downing's "Passovotchka: Moscow Dynamo in Britain, 1945". An interesting book about Dynamo's trip to post war England. Nothing of the sort is mentioned un the book, nor in any other account I've read .

[dor02]

In the Arsenal match, Dynamo did have more than 11 players on the field and it was foggy.

[Excape Goat]

Santiago Solari of Inter Milan and Argentina is the only former NCAA player who has won the CL.

[The Bergamister]

In the Arsenal match, Dynamo did have more than 11 players on the field and it was foggy.

That is what was said after the match by the English since Arsenal was strengthened that day by 3 England players (Stanley Matthews, Stan Mortensen and Joe Bacuzi) and still lost 3-4.

The fog was so thick that visibility was down to 10 yards. Accounts vary as to who refused to call off the match, and both sides blamed the other. The game was played with, at the Russian referee’s request, the two English linesmen on one touchline and him on the other. The Russians took an early lead, fell behind and, after a host of dubious decisions, won 4 - 3.

They simply could not believe it was possible that other countries were that good at football as well and the reason people altered the story is probably because the Russian boasted they left England unbeaten (they also drew with Chelsea and Rangers and beat Cardiff 10-1) and considered it a victory for communism, lateron when the cold war hit people were telling the story you mention.

[deejay]

-
-In the late 60s, Argentinian club Estudiantes used to find out personal information about their opponents and they would use that to aggrevate the opposition.

-In the second leg of the 1969 Intercontinental Cup while AC Milan were warming up, all the Estudiantes players kicked soccer balls at them.


Estudiantes was captained by Bilardo, who went on to coach Argentina in '86 and '90. It's said of Bilardo that he would take pins into the game and stab players with them.

[argentine soccer fan]

During the controversial 1966 World Cup quarterfinal matchup between England and Argentina, both Bobbie Charlton and his brother Jackie were booked by German referee Kreitlein, presumably for arguing. Of course, most people will remember Argentina's captain Rattin was thrown out of that match, also for arguing.

I think this was the only booking either of the Charlton brothers received in their whole career. (I'm sure about Bobby, and I believe it is also true of Jackie).

[lanman]

I think this was the only booking either of the Charlton brothers received in their whole career. (I'm sure about Bobby, and I believe it is also true of Jackie).

I would be absolutely stunned if Jackie Charlton was only booked once in his career. Bobby, on the other hand, I can believe entirely.

[lanman]

On a similar note, Alan Smith (ex Arsenal) was only ever booked once in his career - in his last game, the FA Cup Final.

[Cassano]

Santiago Solari of Inter Milan and Argentina is the only former NCAA player who has won the CL.

NCAA? Who did he play for?

[When Hell Unfreezes]

I think this was the only booking either of the Charlton brothers received in their whole career. (I'm sure about Bobby, and I believe it is also true of Jackie).

Jack was a fcukin big cry baby, who loved to dish it out, but couldn't take it back - I'm sure he was sent off, I won't Google it to find out, but I seem to remember him losing the plot..........................