Ask the Gaffer
Sunday 11 February
J Lacoque: Who was the reserve goalkeeper to Peter Schmeichel in the 1994 FA Cup final against Chelsea.
The Gaffer says: The bench warmer with the gloves that day was Gary Walsh.
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Thom, Norwich: How many times was Neil Redfearn relegated and who with? Cheers Gaff.
The Gaffer says: Redfearn has been relegated with five different clubs - quite a record! The clubs are Barnsley, Charlton, Bolton, Lincoln and Halifax.
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Steve, Berkhamstead: Who was the last player 2 score in front of the standing kop,
The Gaffer says: Jeremy Goss of Norwich, who gatecrashed the party with the only goal of the game.
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2 nar me: Hope I'm not getting ahead of myself Gaffer but when are the Uefa Cup quarters, semis and final dates? Who do you fancy the chances of more Spurs or Toon?
The Gaffer says: Now now, you're ignoring football's finest cliche - take each game as it comes. Quarter-finals are April 5th and 12th, semi-finals are April 26th and May 3rd and the final is May 16th. As you know by now, I'm not into making predictions but Spurs' away form is so horrendous I fancy the Toon to go further.
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Smudge, S Wales: Can you put my mind at rest. Was one of the famous Liverpool v Newcastle games and the three-all Liverpool v Man Utd game on my birthday of January 4th?
The Gaffer says: No, the first 4-3 Liverpool v Newcastle game took place on 3 April, 1996; the second on 10 March, 1997. That cracking 3-3 draw between Liverpool and United did take place on 4 January, though, in 1994.
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Friday 9 February
Red Dog (Long Eaton): Hi top man - can you tell me whatever happened to Larry Lloyd?
The Gaffer says: I'm assuming you're a Forest fan Red Dog, so I'll fill you in after he won the European Cup twice with the Tricky Trees in 1979 and 1980. The tough central defender left Forest for Wigan in March 1981, where he was player-manager, before managing Notts County. Up until 2000 Larry was a regular and outspoken pundit for local radio station Century 106 in Nottingham, covering Forest matches, and now soaks up the sun living in Spain.
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Mooro (S.W.F.C): It's me again Gaffer. Can you tell me who inherited the no.7 shirt from the great Dalglish at Liverpool and what year? I know Dalglish got it after Keegan. Thanks again pal.
The Gaffer says: Not a problem Mooro! The Liverpool no.7 shirt is an honour to wear, from Ian Callaghan to Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Jimmy Carter (cough, splutter). It was actually Ian Rush who first 'took' the no.7 shirt from King Kenny, when he made his debut at Ipswich in December 1981, after Dalglish had been ruled out. Many others wore the no.7 until it found its next long-term owner (Jimmy Case, Steve Heighway and Howard Gayle being three), but it was Peter Beardsley who 'owned' the shirt from 1987-91. Others to have fleetingly donned the no.7 over the years include Jan Molby, Sammy Lee, David Hodgson, Michael Robinson, Gary Ablett, Nigel Spackman, David Speedie, Nigel Clough, Vladimir Smicer and of course today's custodian - Harry Kewell...
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Roxanne (Greenock): Who does ex-Gills/Hull left-back Roland Edge play for now and who sponsors Benfica and Porto's shirts?
The Gaffer says: Edge was released by Hull in January 2006, and has since disappeared off the radar. Can anyone tell us where Roland is? Does his Mum read this board? If so, please drop me a line Mrs Edge. As for Benfica and Porto, their sponsors are Portugal Telecom, which appears as PT on their shirts.
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Matt (Wxm): Is Ben Foster the only ever England player to have played for a Welsh club? If not, who else?
The Gaffer says: He's not Matt, and the answer is one with a twist. Bobby Evans, born in Chester on in 1885 to Welsh parents, became a regular at outside left for Wales, making 10 appearances between 1906 and 1910 while with Wrexham, Aston Villa and Sheffield United. After he scored his only two goals for Wales against Ireland in his 10th international match, England's selectors discovered his birthplace - remember it's only since the early 1960s that Fifa has prohibited players from appearing for more than one senior national side. He then made four appearances for England, all at outside left. So, not only did Evans play for Wrexham and England, he also played for Wales too!
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Russ the Blade: Do Man Utd have an African player?
The Gaffer says: Bit tricky this one Russ. Patrice Evra was born in Dakar, Senegal but his nationality is French. He's won five France caps. Florent N'Galula is another United youngster who was born in Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo), but his nationality is Belgian.
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Paul (London): Can you tell me the stats for Ty Gooden who played for Swindon? I used to play Sunday boys football with him on Canvey Island.
The Gaffer says: Ty Gooden made almost 250 career appearances for Wycombe, Swindon and Gillingham (who signed him for £100,000) before ending up back home at Canvey Island where he made just a few apperances. His best spell was probably at Swindon where he spent seven years, although injuries disrupted his career.
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Lawrie (Bolton): Please help Gaffer, I'm stumped. Which player has gone down from the Premiership five times and with what teams?
The Gaffer says: No player has actually achieved this with five different teams although if West Ham are relegated this season then Nigel Quashie will be your man as he has been relegated with QPR, Forest, West Brom and Southampton. Ashley Ward has also been relegated with four different clubs from the top flight with his hitlist including Norwich, Barnsley, Blackburn and Bradford.
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Sam (Pompey): Are Pompey the longest holders of the FA Cup? I'm pretty sure they are.
The Gaffer says: They are indeed Sam. Portsmouth won the cup in 1939 (beating Wolves 4-1) and held on to it until 1946 because the competition was suspended during the Second World War.
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Thursday 8 February
JoeyH (Brixton): Hi Gaff! If Steve McClaren were to be dismissed tomorrow - we can but dream - who would be your pick for England manager?
The Gaffer says: Arsene Wenger - but Arsenal are unlikely to let him go, at least in the near future. Wenger's tactical awareness, worldwide knowledge of the game, ability to get the best out of players and willingness to play positive football would shake up the England set-up. It's become a cosy comfort-zone for so-called stars who've repeatedly underperformed for their country. Indeed, it's not just the manager who's to blame. Many foreign players are technically superior to their England counterparts, as was obvious in the Spain game. If you can't keep the ball for more that 30 seconds, you'll always struggle at international level. Simple as that.
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Michael (Monkseaton): In response to the question about a player scoring a hat-trick then being sent off, I don't remember a top flight occasion but I remember one in the old Division Two where Marco Gabbiadini scored a hat-trick for Sunderland and was sent off for punching someone when celebrating!
The Gaffer says: Nice one Michael. You're correct - Marco Goalo was sent off after becoming involved in a skirmish which followed his third goal in Sunderland's 4-0 drubbing of Ipswich at Roker Park on 25 March 1989. Gabbiadini was that sort of up-and-at-'em striker, which is why he was so popular among fans, first at York and later on Wearside. A good scrapper, and no mean goalscorer.
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Gman: What are the top five transfers outside the Premiership, in terms of transfer fees?
The Gaffer says: Zinedine Zidane (Juventus to Real Madrid for £45.62m in 2001), Luis Figo (Barcelona to Real Madrid for £37m in 2000), Hernan Crespo (Parma to Lazio for £35.5m in 2000), Gianluigi Buffon (Parma to Juventus for £32.6m in 2001), Christian Vieri (Lazio to Inter Milan for £32m in 1999).
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Neil: Alright Gaffer you cheeky chappy. What time does England's game against Israel kick off? Thanks.
The Gaffer says: Who are you calling cheeky Neil?! England's game in Israel on Saturday 24 March will kick off at 6.30pm.
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Lell (Upper Helliford): Is it true that Spurs hold the record for having the most players at any one time who actually played or were in the squad for England, ie. seven prior to Carrick's departure, they also had Robinson, Dawson, King, Jenas, Lennon and Defoe. If not, can you tell which club it is and who the players were?
The Gaffer says: Well although Spurs may have had those seven players in the England squad, all of them didn't feature. The record for the most players from a single club in an England team is held by Arsenal who had seven players line up in the 3-2 friendly win against reigning World Cup champions Italy at, fittingly enough, Arsenal's Highbury Stadium in London on 14 November 1934. The players were Frank Moss, Eddie Hapgood, Wilf Copping, Ray Bowden, Cliff Bastin, George Male and Ted Drake.
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Mooro (S.W.F.C): Gaffer, what is the lowest post-war attendance for a full England international match? My guess is San Marino away when we conceded that goal in first few seconds. Cheers mate.
The Gaffer says: You're correct Mooro. The crowd for San Marino v England in Bologna on 17 November 1993 was 2,378, an all-time low for the Three Lions. David Gualtier scored for San Marino after eight seconds. England won 7-1, with four goals from Ian Wright. The lowest ever home attendance for England is 15,628 for the 0-0 draw against Chile at Wembley on 23 May 1989. A Tube strike deterred many would-be fans. They had a lucky escape - it was an awful game.
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Josh (pne fan): Do West Ham have an African player?
The Gaffer says: Yes, John Pantsil from Ghana.
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Wednesday 7 February
Stephen Crawley: What surname has won most caps for England?
The Gaffer says: Good question Stephen. The right answer is Wright, with a grand total of 198. Of those, the Wolves centre-half Billy won 105 caps. Next, including substitute appearances, comes Mark with 45 and Ian with 33. Billy, of course, played in the days before subs. The other Wrights are Gordon (one cap), Douglas (one), Richard (two) and Thomas (11).
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Mr T (Lincoln): Alright Gaff, out of the 72 Football League grounds, how many have you visited and which one would you say was the best and which one the worst, and what is the highest and lowest price you have paid to get in? Cheers mate; love the page; keep up the good work.
The Gaffer says: Too many to mention Mr T, and over too long a period to say which is, or was, the best or worst. As they say, variety is the spice of life. I do think that grounds were much more distinctive in the 'old days'. As for prices, money doesn't come into the equation for me.
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CC Manchester: In response to Beckham scoring for three English clubs, he scored an own goal against Blackburn a few years back - quality diving header!
The Gaffer says: Yet more info on Becks' stunner. Good stuff. Cheers CC.
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Matt bath: Is the forthcoming Bristol City v Bristol Rovers match televised?
The Gaffer says: It doesn't look like either of the games will be televised although Bristol City's visit to Boro in the FA Cup fourth round replay will be live on Sky Sports 1 on Tuesday 13 February, kick-off at 8pm.
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Ethen (Glasgow): How many Rangers players went to the World Cup 2006 and what year was the last FA Amateur Cup played?
The Gaffer says: There were three Rangers players at the last World Cup: Marvin Andrews (Trinidad & Tobago), Dado Prso (Croatia) and Hamed Namouchi (Tunisia). The Amateur Cup finished in 1974. The final winners were Bishop's Stortford.