Association Football Trivia Thread

[Famine]

Have teams from other countries playing in their domestic league? I'm thinking about teams like Wrexham (England), Monaco (France), Berwick Rovers (Scotland), Toronto (United States), Vaduz (Switzerland) and so on. Greece might have had a Cypriot club in the past.

If so, Wales would also count on a technicality; TNS merged with Oswestry Town in 2001 and play in Oswestry, which is in Shropshire.

Correct - specifically other FIFA member nations (so Monaco doesn't count).

In fact the Singapore S-League was won by the Brunei team DPMM in 2015 - but they were not allowed to take Singapore's berth for the 2016 Asian Champions League, so it went to the league runners up!

 

[Liquid]

Correct - specifically other FIFA member nations (so Monaco doesn't count).

In fact the Singapore S-League was won by the Brunei team DPMM in 2015 - but they were not allowed to take Singapore's berth for the 2016 Asian Champions League, so it went to the league runners up!

What were the other countries/teams? You mentioned Sweden, France and Germany. I think France has a Belgian border team and Germany has a Luxemburg border team?

 

[Famine]

What were the other countries/teams?

So, as far as I can tell, the football leagues of England

Swansea City, Cardiff City, Newport County (all Wales)

Australia

Wellington Phoenix (New Zealand).

the USA

Montreal Impact, Toronto, Vancouver Whitecaps (Canada).

Switzerland

FC Vaduz (Liechtenstein).

In fact all teams from Liechtenstein play in the Swiss leagues as Liechtenstein has no league. They are not eligible for continental competition berths from the league, but there is a Europa Cup berth for the team that wins the Liechtenstein Cup.

Singapore

Brunei DPMM FC (Brunei)

Scotland

Berwick Rangers (England... kinda)

Spain

FC Andorra (Andorra)

Sweden

Lemlands IF (Finland/Aland Islands).

The Aland Islands are ethnically Swedish but territorially Finnish.

Germany

Actually, this is an amateur side from Austria and doesn't count. So forget that one.

There have also been teams from Ukraine - specifically Crimea - playing in Russian leagues in the last two seasons. I think that the territorially disputed nature of Crimea is sufficient to pretend they don't exist for now.

 

[Liquid]

What particular distinction links the following clubs?

AC Milan
Bursaspor
Barcelona
Bari
Bayern München
Cardiff City
Celtic
Hamburger SV
Hibernian
Inter Milan
Juventus
Köln
Lazio
Los Angeles Galaxy
Marseille
Monaco
Rangers
Real Madrid
Sampdoria
Swansea City
Werder Bremen SV

 

[polysmut]

England captains have played for them.

 

[Liquid]

England captains have played for them.

Some of those clubs have indeed had England captains play for them but that's not the right answer.

 

[polysmut]

Is it something to do with England players at non-English clubs?

 

[Liquid]

That's pretty much it. The distinction all those clubs have is that they are all the non-English clubs to have had England internationals win caps whilst playing for them.

I'm on my phone and not on my PC where I kept my comprehensive list for the answer but Rangers have the most caps (about 105 thanks to Butcher, Woods and Gascoigne) and Barcelona has the most goals (Linekar's 17).

Your turn.

 

[polysmut]

I'll pass this turn as I won't be free to respond to answers/guesses very much this week.

 

[Liquid]

What is the record for the most number of league appearances for a professional team by a one-club man?

Name/Club/Games

Have fun guessing. I have the answer for both the English leagues and the Scottish leagues.

 

[polysmut]

What is the record for the most number of league appearances for a professional team by a one-club man?

Name/Club/Games

Have fun guessing. I have the answer for both the English leagues and the Scottish leagues.

For English I'll start the guessing with Matthew Le Tissier at Southampton. Though I don't really expect it to be the correct answer.

 

[Liquid]

For English I'll start the guessing with Matthew Le Tissier at Southampton. Though I don't really expect it to be the correct answer.

Le God is a good place to start but his 463 league games for Southampton is not correct. The true answer is much higher.

 

[Famine]

What is the record for the most number of league appearances for a professional team by a one-club man?

Name/Club/Games

Have fun guessing. I have the answer for both the English leagues and the Scottish leagues.

When I was a kid it was Alan Knight the Pompey 'keeper. Ryan Giggs probably beat him though.

 

[Liquid]

When I was a kid it was Alan Knight the Pompey 'keeper. Ryan Giggs probably beat him though.

Alan Knight - 683 appearances, Portsmouth
Ryan Giggs - 672 appearances, Manchester United

Two very good answers but incorrect, I'm afraid.

Have another think and if no-one gets it, I'll post clues tomorrow.

 

[Famine]

Alan Knight - 683 appearances, Portsmouth
Ryan Giggs - 672 appearances, Manchester United

Two very good answers but incorrect, I'm afraid.

Have another think and if no-one gets it, I'll post clues tomorrow.

Huh. Knight beat Giggs

I was just thinking of keepers and wondered about Packie Bonner. He was permanently affixed to the Celtic (and Ireland) team when I was younger - though I don't know if he was a one-club man or not. I suspect he has some Irish team somewhere in his past.

 

[Liquid]

I was just thinking of keepers and wondered about Packie Bonner. He was permanently affixed to the Celtic (and Ireland) team when I was younger - though I don't know if he was a one-club man or not. I suspect he has some Irish team somewhere in his past.

Packie Bonner played in 642 games for Celtic, a club he joined at the age of 16, but amazingly 'only' 483 league games which is the criterion of the question. (159 cup and continental games?)

You can guess either English leagues or Scottish leagues. There's no requirement to get both.

Edit: Tell you what, I'll give you one clue now. Neither player was a goalkeeper.

 

[polysmut]

Coincidentally, I mentioned this question to a knowledgeable person tonight. He suggested Tony Adams & David O'Leary at Arsenal although their total numbers are apparently lower than the ones that @Famine suggested. The guy I spoke to is a big Arsenal fan so if it was an Arsenal player he would have known the answer for definite.
Then we said it's probably goalkeepers but according to the latest clue, that's not the case.

 

[Liquid]

Clue time!

England

- Player is not well known but his son was an English-born Welsh international
- Club is famous for a piece of naming trivium

Scotland

- Player's name and surname begin with the same letter
- Club is famous for a piece of stadium trivium

 

[Famine]

Club is famous for a piece of naming trivium

So something like Wednesday, Villa, Palace, Vale, North End etc.?

 

[Liquid]

So something like Wednesday, Villa, Palace, Vale, North End etc.?

Not quite. More to do with what isn't in the club's name.

 

[Famine]

Not quite. More to do with what isn't in the club's name.

Is it Hull City, the only team which doesn't have any letters you can colour in?

 

[Liquid]

Is it Hull City, the only team which doesn't have any letters you can colour in?

No, the other club. The one missing certain letters.

This is a fun guessing game...

 

[Famine]

No, the other club. The one missing certain letters.

Leeds?
%&!$;4'¬ Rovers?
Swindon?

 

[Liquid]

Swindon?

That one.

They are the club for whom the English record one-club man league appearances played for. He was a solid left back for them but wouldn't have found much fame. His son was an English-born Wales international who got a few caps between 1997-2003.

 

[Famine]

That one.

Okay, wasn't expecting that.

I don't know anything interesting about Swindon apart from the Mackerel thing and that they once had a goalkeeper (I think around the time they were in the Premier League, though I recall Fraser Digby was the unlucky chap to have the honour of keeping their goal) called Frank Talia who has a daughter called Jennifer.

 

[Liquid]

Okay, wasn't expecting that.

I don't know anything interesting about Swindon apart from the Mackerel thing and that they once had a goalkeeper (I think around the time they were in the Premier League, though I recall Fraser Digby was the unlucky chap to have the honour of keeping their goal) called Frank Talia who has a daughter called Jennifer.

Huh, I always thought of Frank Talia as a Wycombe player more than Swindon. Guess that shows how things change.

Well I've given you a head start so you might want to look this one up. I think it's gone on long enough...

 

[Famine]

No idea, but is the Scottish one Maurice Malpas?

Scotland

- Player's name and surname begin with the same letter

I think he was a one-club man for one of the Dundee teams for... like... ever.

 

[Liquid]

No idea, but is the Scottish one Maurice Malpas?

Maurice Malpas, of Tannadice Street's Dundee United fame, is the correct answer. His 617 league appearances for Dundee United between 1979 and 2000 is a Scottish record for a one-club man.

The English one-club record is held by Swindon Town's John Trollope. The hometown hero made 770 league appearances for the Robins between 1960 and 1980.

Next question please.

 

[Famine]

The English one-club record is held by Swindon Town's John Trollope. The hometown hero made 770 league appearances for the Robins between 1960 and 1980.

Would never have got that!


Speaking of things people will never get... I found this piece of information out the other day.

Amir Rrahmani and Robert Prosinecki have both achieved unique - but different - goalscoring feats. What are they?

 

[polysmut]

Would never have got that!


Speaking of things people will never get... I found this piece of information out the other day.

Amir Rrahmani and Robert Prosinecki have both achieved unique - but different - goalscoring feats. What are they?

Prosinecki's could be something to do with scoring for both Yugoslavia and Croatia.