Facts about football that shouldn't be true - but are

[stevoc]

I’ll be sure to bump this when he inevitably ballses up the semi by playing Sterling and Ederson as a double pivot just to please the pedants to whom 2010-11 wasn’t 11 seasons ago.

Looking forward to it mate.

And to be fair it’s not exactly being pedantic to point out that the past 10 seasons are er....

...well in you know in the past.

Decades often confuse people though it seems which is why most celebrated the end of this decade a year ago. And we celebrated entering the new millennium a year early in 2000.

 

[paulscholes18]

We have already conceded more league goals this season (23) than we did in the whole of the 07/08 season (22)

 

[renandstimpyfan83]

Tammy Abraham has 21 PL goals for Chelsea in only 33 starts.

 

[Haddock]

Andy Carroll has scored for the same club (Newcastle United) in three different decades. I expect Messi and Mark Noble will join him soon enough.

 

[Deery]

Tammy Abraham has 21 PL goals for Chelsea in only 33 starts.

That’s a mad stat, sign him up..

 

[Speedy30]

Stat that I heard on Monday night football... Thiago has won the league in 9 of his last 10 seasons!

 

[renandstimpyfan83]

Stat that I heard on Monday night football... Thiago has won the league in 9 of his last 10 seasons!

He’s been playing for Barcelona and Bayern. I’d be more shocked if he hadn’t won that many league titles.

 

[Paula]

He’s been playing for Barcelona and Bayern. I’d be more shocked if he hadn’t won that many league titles.

even better, Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich has won 9 League titels out of his 9 seasons with 3 different teams.

2x Ligue 1 with PSG
2x Seria A with Juve
5x Bundesliga with Bayern
He also won the UCL.

and this guy is only 24 years old

he should come to united.

 

[horsechoker]

Santi Carzola never scored a Champion's League or Europa League goal for Arsenal.

 

[debunkology]

We are currently in the 122nd season of English top flight football. That's not the fact that shouldn't be true. It's that Crystal Palace have spent 100 of those seasons outside the top flight.

 

[renandstimpyfan83]

We are currently in the 122nd season of English top flight football. That's not the fact that shouldn't be true. It's that Crystal Palace have spent 100 of those seasons outside the top flight.

It’s not that shocking really. I still think of Palace as a Championship club. This is currently the most successful period in their history.

 

[Oranges038]

It’s not that shocking really. I still think of Palace as a Championship club. This is currently the most successful period in their history.

What's more shocking than Palace is that Everton have played more top flight games than any other team. (740 more than Utd, if my maths are correct) Only played 5 seasons outside the top division.

What's less shocking is that Everton have most amount of draws in the top flight.

 

[debunkology]

What's more shocking than Palace is that Everton have played more top flight games than any other team. (740 more than Utd, if my maths are correct) Only played 5 seasons outside the top division.

What's less shocking is that Everton have most amount of draws in the top flight.

Only 4 seasons outside the top flight,

118 out of 122 seasons.

Not that shocking really. Well known. Maybe Unless you're 30 and under.

Everton were a bigger club than Liverpool until the 60s.

Everton also had won more league titles than United up until 1995.

Post Premier league era is actually Evertons worst run in their history.

 

[debunkology]

It’s not that shocking really. I still think of Palace as a Championship club. This is currently the most successful period in their history.

I also associate them with second tier, but I thought they'd have spent around 30-40 seasons in top flight. Since they were also in the top flight in the 70s.

22 seasons is even less than Fulham.

 

[Eriku]

2-3-5 used to be a viable formation.

 

[SER19]

Italys last touch in a world Cup knockout game was Fabio Grosso's penalty in the 2006 final. If they make it in Qatar it will be 16 years

 

[Oranges038]

Only 4 seasons outside the top flight,

118 out of 122 seasons.

Not that shocking really. Well known. Maybe Unless you're 30 and under.

Everton were a bigger club than Liverpool until the 60s.

Everton also had won more league titles than United up until 1995.

Post Premier league era is actually Evertons worst run in their history.

Ok, it's 4 not sure where I saw five.

Well aware of all that, I was just making the point that it's more shocking than Palace's number of seasons in the top flight.

 

[Sandikan]

Only 4 seasons outside the top flight,

118 out of 122 seasons.

Not that shocking really. Well known. Maybe Unless you're 30 and under.

Everton were a bigger club than Liverpool until the 60s.

Everton also had won more league titles than United up until 1995.

Post Premier league era is actually Evertons worst run in their history.

1994. Was 9 v 9 then.
Still startling for anyone 40 and under though, as Everton have done nothing bar an FA cup win in 27 years.

 

[city-puma]

even better, Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich has won 9 League titels out of his 9 seasons with 3 different teams.

2x Ligue 1 with PSG
2x Seria A with Juve
5x Bundesliga with Bayern
He also won the UCL.

and this guy is only 24 years old

he should come to united.

The odd is that he has always been seen as a peripheral and still is now by most. He will win a lot of trophies and people will forget him completely nearby his retirement. It’s really cruel in this aspect for a pro footballer in some sense.

 

[Cloud7]

Italys last touch in a world Cup knockout game was Fabio Grosso's penalty in the 2006 final. If they make it in Qatar it will be 16 years

Wow, that's crazy considering the fact that you still think of Italy as a 'tournament team' that you know is likely to perform in an international tournament regardless of how shoddy they look beforehand or on paper. Or at least, so the stereotype goes.

 

[debunkology]

1994. Was 9 v 9 then.
Still startling for anyone 40 and under though, as Everton have done nothing bar an FA cup win in 27 years.

Well im in my 30s, Maybe it was me watching MOTD as a kid in the 90s you couldn't get away from John Motson saying "Everton have spent longer, scored more, won more, etc than any other club in the top flight of English football" every single time they were playing. Obviously at the time when they were fighting relegation, making a point that it was a big deal at time. Of course Evertons status as a club has deminished massively since then. But then I can also remember Chelsea being a mediocre mid-table club.

 

[Lay]

The Palace one surprised me. I remember their shite kits from the 90s and assumed they were a top flight regular

 

[GoldTrafford99]

Sir Alex Ferguson only won 2 European Cups

English team's hands were tied from 1990 until 1997 - as soon as he could field a team of his choosing, without restrictions, he appeared in four finals in the space of 16 years.

On top of that he has won four European titles.

Been in six European finals.

- unmated by any manager from any club in any country within football's 14-years of existence.

Anyone who says Fergie[s record in Europe is poor is living on a planet where four European titles and six finals is poor. But that certainly ain't poor on our planet. It's actually a planet record.

 

[Anybody's Guess]

All Manchester United players have been familiarized with the concept of offside.

 

[Haddock]

I was talking to someone about players who lasted for ages at their club and couldn't recall this unfortunate looking scouse lad's name. All I remembered was that he played with Shelvey for the scousers and might have been in a brawl with somene. So I searched for 'liverpool inbred player' on google and it throws up Jon Flanagan. That's the one.

 

[Noot]

John Stones has scored more goals than he's conceded this season so far.

 

[renandstimpyfan83]

Iain Dowie has a master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

 

[Tom8700]

Lothar Matthäus has scored leauge goals on the highest level in 4 different decades. The 70s, the 80s, the 90s and the 00s
70s: Gladbach
80s: Gladbach/Bayern, Inter
90s: Inter/Bayern
00s: Bayern

Has any other player in the "modern" era accomplished this?

He has also played in European Cup competitions in 4 different decades.

70s: Uefa Cup
80s: Uefa Cup, European Cup, Cup Winners Cup
90s: Champions Leauge, Uefa Cup
00s: Champions Leauge

Has any non goalie done it besides him?

 

[GameOn]

Lothar Matthäus has scored leauge goals on the highest level in 4 different decades. The 70s, the 80s, the 90s and the 00s
70s: Gladbach
80s: Gladbach/Bayern, Inter
90s: Inter/Bayern
00s: Bayern

Has any other player in the "modern" era accomplished this?

He has also played in European Cup competitions in 4 different decades.

70s: Uefa Cup
80s: Uefa Cup, European Cup, Cup Winners Cup
90s: Champions Leauge, Uefa Cup
00s: Champions Leauge

Has any non goalie done it besides him?

Matthäus was a machine.
Him being named to the Ballon D'Or All Time 11 (first team) this past December was fully deserved.

 

[United58]

Willian is the all time top Brazilian appearance maker in the PL, with 250 appearances!

 

[GuyfromAustria]

Lothar Matthäus has scored leauge goals on the highest level in 4 different decades. The 70s, the 80s, the 90s and the 00s
70s: Gladbach
80s: Gladbach/Bayern, Inter
90s: Inter/Bayern
00s: Bayern

Has any other player in the "modern" era accomplished this?

Zlatan, unless Malmö doesn't fit your definition of "highest level", but it's a nice achievement nonetheless.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Brighton's last three PL home wins have come in 2019, 2020 and 2021

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Brighton's last three PL home wins have come in 2019, 2020 and 2021

That's a good one.

 

[Siorac]

English team's hands were tied from 1990 until 1997 - as soon as he could field a team of his choosing, without restrictions, he appeared in four finals in the space of 16 years.

Every other team's hands were tied, too, if you refer to the restrictions of non-domestic players in the squad. That wasn't an English-specific rule.

 

[GoldTrafford99]

Every other team's hands were tied, too, if you refer to the restrictions of non-domestic players in the squad. That wasn't an English-specific rule.

It wasn't, of course.

But English teams' squads were made up of British-born players... and Brit born players couldn't represent Man Utd unless they were English or in the three allowed. So Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, who were home grown but still considered foreigners were added to names like Peter Schmiechel, Eric Cantona, Andrei Kancheslskis. of whom Sir Alex could only name any 3.

It's a fact that English clubs suffered the most from this foreigner rule.

English clubs couldn't stop winning the European Cup from the late 70s and into the 80s... but then it all stopped in the 90s with the rebrand to the Champions League and the introduction of the foreigner rule. When the foreigner rule stopped in 1997; Man Utd won the CL in 1999, Liverpool in 2005, United in 2008, Chelsea in 2012. In fact from 2004 to 2012 there was an English team in EVERY final. The only years that are missing from the success of English teams in the European Cup are the 90s when the foreigner rule was in place...because the rule didn't include British players (who were classed as home grown in our domestic settings) as home grown....

 

[Vidyoyo]

It wasn't, of course.

But English teams' squads were made up of British-born players... and Brit born players couldn't represent Man Utd unless they were English or in the three allowed. So Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, who were home grown but still considered foreigners were added to names like Peter Schmiechel, Eric Cantona, Andrei Kancheslskis. of whom Sir Alex could only name any 3.

It's a fact that English clubs suffered the most from this foreigner rule.

English clubs couldn't stop winning the European Cup from the late 70s and into the 80s... but then it all stopped in the 90s with the rebrand to the Champions League and the introduction of the foreigner rule. When the foreigner rule stopped in 1997; Man Utd won the CL in 1999, Liverpool in 2005, United in 2008, Chelsea in 2012. In fact from 2004 to 2012 there was an English team in EVERY final. The only years that are missing from the success of English teams in the European Cup are the 90s when the foreigner rule was in place...because the rule didn't include British players (who were classed as home grown in our domestic settings) as home grown....

I know they look over at us Brits with envy wondering why we're all so rich, handsome and charismatic but Ireland isn't part of Great Britain. I think that part of the rule was at least fair.

 

[Siorac]

It wasn't, of course.

But English teams' squads were made up of British-born players... and Brit born players couldn't represent Man Utd unless they were English or in the three allowed. So Denis Irwin, Roy Keane, Brian McClair, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, who were home grown but still considered foreigners were added to names like Peter Schmiechel, Eric Cantona, Andrei Kancheslskis. of whom Sir Alex could only name any 3.

It's a fact that English clubs suffered the most from this foreigner rule.

English clubs couldn't stop winning the European Cup from the late 70s and into the 80s... but then it all stopped in the 90s with the rebrand to the Champions League and the introduction of the foreigner rule. When the foreigner rule stopped in 1997; Man Utd won the CL in 1999, Liverpool in 2005, United in 2008, Chelsea in 2012. In fact from 2004 to 2012 there was an English team in EVERY final. The only years that are missing from the success of English teams in the European Cup are the 90s when the foreigner rule was in place...because the rule didn't include British players (who were classed as home grown in our domestic settings) as home grown....

Fair enough. But I wouldn't be me if I didn't point out that there wasn't an English team in the 2010 final.

 

[Siorac]

I know they look over at us Brits with envy wondering why we're all so rich, handsome and charismatic but Ireland isn't part of Britain. I think that part of the rule was at least fair.

The rest of it was fair, too, if unfortunate for the Brits. I mean you can't have four separate football associations and national teams for the members of the UK and then not treat them as different nationalities for the purposes of rules lile this.

The rule itself was shit so I'm glad it's gone but it wasn't unfair.

 

[Oranges038]

Lothar Matthäus has scored leauge goals on the highest level in 4 different decades. The 70s, the 80s, the 90s and the 00s
70s: Gladbach
80s: Gladbach/Bayern, Inter
90s: Inter/Bayern
00s: Bayern

Has any other player in the "modern" era accomplished this?

He has also played in European Cup competitions in 4 different decades.

70s: Uefa Cup
80s: Uefa Cup, European Cup, Cup Winners Cup
90s: Champions Leauge, Uefa Cup
00s: Champions Leauge

Has any non goalie done it besides him?

Obviously not as good on the international front.

Jari Litmanen scored his first club goal in 1988 and last in 2011.

Scored his first Finland goal in 1991 and last in 2010.

 

[big rons sovereign]

Matthäus was a machine.
Him being named to the Ballon D'Or All Time 11 (first team) this past December was fully deserved.

Whenever I think of Matthaus, all I see is his gormless look of utter disbelief after we equalised in 99.