Which was the last football team to play wearing shirt numbers 1 to 11?
“As someone who hates seeing players with 59, 88, 27 etc on their backs, when was the last time a team played with the shirt numbers of 1-11?” asks Stuart from Corby.
Well, it does seem a simpler time. That said, Trent Alexander-Arnold wearing 66 instead of 2 rather reflects how he’s reinvented the role of the right-back (and he probably provides 33 times as many assists if you want to justify it further). But let’s not forget the 1-11 purist’s favourite oneliner: “I’d go to a bloody bingo hall if I wanted to see big numbers.” Anyway, let’s start crunching them …
Denis Hurley writes: “Good timing from Stuart. On my blog I recently covered Mansfield Town beginning the new season with a starting 11 featuring the 1-11 on their squad list. Southampton underwent a big change in their numbering and for a period in their opening game this season at Crystal Palace they had 10 of the 1-11 on the pitch. Number 20, Will Smallbone, was the exception, with 7 missing. But the fact that striker Shane Long wears 7 means a 1-11 will likely be elusive.
“The last two teams to wear 1-11 in the Premier League were West Bromwich Albion in 2015 and Manchester United in 2008, but these were commemorative occasions for Jeff Astle and the Munich air disaster, respectively. The last instance of a Premier League team using the first 11 squad numbers was newly-promoted Charlton Athletic at the beginning of 1998-99 – 1-11 was still in force in the Football League at the time – and the last example of a team already in the Premier League doing so was Queens Park Rangers in early 1995-96 after they tidied up their numbers that summer.
“Incidentally, along with the England and Scotland national teams (apart from major finals), Dutch side
Sparta Rotterdam are one of the few hold-outs against squad numbering, still opting to use 1-11 for each game.”
Have three relegated teams bounced back together?
“Have three teams relegated from the same division in England ever all been promoted straight back up again? I suspect not, but what is the closest it’s ever come to happening?” asks Paul Landsberg.
“Surprisingly recently,” answers Chris Page. “We only have to go to the 2016-17 season when Blackburn, Wigan and Rotherham were relegated from the Championship, only for the three of them to make it a trifecta of teams bouncing back at the first attempt in 2017-18.
“The closest it has come to happening in the top flight came with the three teams relegated from the Premier League in 1996-97. Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough both made the automatic promotion spots. The third team, Sunderland, made the playoffs and reached the final, only to be denied by Clive Mendonca and Charlton inthat game.”
Is this the shortest Premier
League career?
Following on from last week’s original request, we have another blinkand-you-miss-it example …
Peter Collins recalls: “Surely no one can beat Joe Sheerin, who replaced Gianfranco Zola for Chelsea at Wimbledon in April 1997. He didn’t touch the ball and the whistle went seconds later. He never played for us again, but was later captain of the newly formed AFC Wimbledon.”
Modern-day footballers owning pubs (last orders)
After last week’s question, Phil
Thornton gets a quick one in before being turfed out. “Just another addition you might like,” he writes. “Stephen Hunt bought and refurbished a pub in Rosslare, County Wexford a number of years ago called Tides. He put it up for sale last year though I’m unsure if he has actually sold it. My partner is from the area originally and she told me about it. I was in it a couple of days after it opened and he served us our food and drinks.”
OK, one last sup. Simon Robinson adds: “Lee Sharpe owned The Half Moon pub in Collingham near Wetherby, West Yorkshire not long after he retired from the game.” Presumably there was an Elvis night.
Knowledge archive
“After seeing former Ipswich goalkeeper Shane Supple line out for the Dublin GAA team in recent years, and with the Republic of Ireland team currently struggling to fill three goalkeeping jerseys, the question occurred to me: has a player ever been called up for an international football team, based on his performances in a sport other than football?” asked Declan Johnston in October 2013.
“There was an example in Ireland a few years ago,” says John Brennan. “Kacey O’Driscoll played Gaelic football (and basketball, it turns out) at school, starring for her school team, Coláiste na Sceilge, and Kerry senior ladies. At 16 she was named in the Ladies Gaelic Football All-Star team. This attracted the attention of the Irish underage [soccer] coaches, even though the town she hailed from did not have a men’s soccer team, let alone a women’s.
“She was selected for the Republic of Ireland Under-19s despite never having played a competitive game. Eventually she went to college in Limerick and joined their soccer team and went on to win senior international caps as well as earning a scholarship to college in America [where New York college Hofstra listed her as a midfielder/forward who also dabbled with golf]. She no longer plays either sport due to injuries but take it as someone who played against her up to the age of 14: she was sensational.”
Can you help?
“Massive Attack star Robert Del Naja (aka 3D) was appointed as Forest Green’s art director last week. Have any other clubs got art directors or other random positions you would not associate with football? And are there any other musicians or celebrities employed at clubs?” asks George Jones.
“With his goal against Wales in midweek Dominic Calvert-Lewin became the first ex-Northampton player to score for England since 1983,” reveals Tim Postins. “Which English league club can lay claim to the dubious honour of the longest time since a former player has scored for the national side?”
“On deadline day, Chelsea’s Marco van Ginkel has agreed to join PSV on loan for a fourth time. In his previous three spells, he’s managed to play 56 league matches for PSV. I very much doubt either is a record, but it begs the questions: who has been on loan to the same club the most times? And what loanee has played the most games for the same club (while on loan, obviously)?” asks Bas Vlaming.