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

[Excape Goat]

I started the same thread on the history forum. This one is for soccer only.

After the 1950 World Cup Finals, Brazil decided to do away with their white jersey. So they held a contest for the new designer. The winner of the contest came from the border region next to Uruguay. During the 1950 World Cup Final, he supported Uruguay. He was happy that Brazil lost. It was almost a twist of fate that the designer supported Uruguay when the nature of the contest was about forgetting the game against Uruguay.

[dor02]

-When deciding the 1982 World Cup squad for Italy, Enzo Bearzot selected Paolo Rossi despite returning from a two year suspension because regular striker, Roberto Bettega, was out injured.

-At the 1974 World Cup, the Lazio president flew to West Germany in his private helicopter so that his club's star striker, Giorgio Chinaglia, would get a starting spot in the Italian team.

-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.

[Twenty26Six]

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

Pffft. I like that one. ;)

[Disco Dale]

-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.
Does Mourinho not do that now?

[jcsd]

-When deciding the 1982 World Cup squad for Italy, Enzo Bearzot selected Paolo Rossi despite returning from a two year suspension because regular striker, Roberto Bettega, was out injured.

A two year suspension for match-fixing too!

[jcsd]

-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.

-Jackie and Bobbie Charlton's uncle was the Newcastle United and England legend Jackie Milburn

-Charlie Williams was one of the few black professional footballers in Britain in the 40's and 50's, though he is mainly remembered for his career as a televsion comedian in the 70's.

-Juventis play in black and white vertical stripes as that is the same colour as Notts County as they were first given the kit in 1903 by an English Notts County supporter.

[Cassano]

Jose Mourinho and Arrigo Sacchi were never great players and dind't even play at a high professional levels, but they are successful coaches.

Fabio Capello has coached all of the teams he has played for in his career- Roma, Milan, and Juventus, and has found success at each club.

[toohyper]

I think coaches who were never successful players tend to be better coaches than those who have.

Cassano, off-topic question but i see that you're from Whitestone. Seen any Met players there? I've seen Edgardo Alfonzo there once.

[Cassano]

Cassano, off-topic question but i see that you're from Whitestone. Seen any Met players there? I've seen Edgardo Alfonzo there once.

I haven't run into a Met player once and I've lived here all my life...

[dor02]

A two year suspension for match-fixing too!Why are you telling me this? I've known that for years.

[comme]

Why are you telling me this? I've known that for years.

Perhaps he was trying to share it with everyone else, otherwise the same could be said of every post in this thread.

[jcsd]

Why are you telling me this? I've known that for years.

I expect you did, but that Rossi was banned for match-fixing wsa one of the most fasicnating aspects of his story.

[Cassano]

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.

The first all seater stadium in England
Covenrty City Highfield Road

The highest ground above sea level
West Bromich Albion

The Biggest Single tier stand in England- The Kop at Anfield, Liverpool.

17 completely new stadiums have been constructed in England since 1988: Millennium Stadium - Cardiff , Bolton Wanderers, Derby County, Huddersfield Town, Middlesborough, Millwall, Northampton Town, Oxford United, Reading, Scunthorpe United, Southampton, Stoke City, Sunderland, Walsall, Wigan Athletic, Wimbledon, Wycombe Wanderers

In 1931 West Bromich Albion became the first club to win promotion and the FA Cup in the same year.

Sheffield United were the first team in Europe to have floodlights installed.

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.

Hungry Footballers
This record goes to Fernando d'Ercoli playing for Pianta against Arpax in Italy 1989. When he was given the red card by the referee, he got so mad that he snatched the red card from his hand and ate it all! Another display of temper came from Mike Bagley of Bristol in 1984. When the referee booked him for swearing, he took the ref's notebook, ripped out the page with his name on, and ate that!

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.

[ChaChaFut]

I think coaches who were never successful players tend to be better coaches than those who have.Although notable excemptions to this trend are Mario Zagallo, world cup champion as player (1958,1962) and as coach (1970), and Franz Beckenbauer, the only man ever to win the world cup as captain (1974) and as coach (1990).

[comme]

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.

Classic stuff.

[ChaChaFut]

Here's a good one:

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:

Cuando salgan a jugar, quiero que se olviden the que tienen esposas, novias, hermanos, hermanas, padres y hasta madres. Que lo unico que quepa en sus corazones sea Me-xi-co. Me-xi-co! Recordemos al gran general Ignacio Zaragoza. Si el pudo vencer a los franceses, nosotros tambien lo haremos! No se olviden de que en estos momentos hay millones de mexicanos rezando por nuestra victoria. Y alla, en lo alto del cerro del Tepeyac esta la Virgen de Guadalupe, velando por los colores de la bandera mexicana. Asi que, saltemos a la cancha, Y a ganar!!!

Translation:
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.

[Excape Goat]

Jay Heaps, an Amercican soccer player in case people outside of the US never heard of him, was the first basketball player from Duke University to turn pro before finishing his senior year in college. Of course, I menat professional soccer, not basketball. Nevertheless, it was a milestone in college basketball history. For non-American, Duke men's basketball is one of the best-known teams in college sports. It was also known for it academic record. Most good basketball players turned pro before they graduated, but up until Heaps, all the Duke star players finished their entire college career before turning pro.

[Leto]

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.

LMAO. Bigsoccer has once again justified my addiction.

[dor02]

Here's a good one:

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?

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.Real better pray for something like that to occur at Highbury come March 8.

[billyho96]

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.

Arsenal actually used WHL as their home ground in 1945 as the roof over the North Bank and much of the Clock End had been damaged in WWII. In fact during this tour, Dynamo Moscow's players didn't even wear numbers on their uniforms.