“Which football clubs have been sponsored by news organisations and have they ever played a game against another team, also sponsored by a news organisation?” ponders Rich Cunningham.
Roger Thomas has twiddled his dial and tuned in to provide the first answer for this one. “In the 1983-84 season Reading were sponsored by Radio 210, a local station serving the city. The sponsorship had to be stopped because of regulations banning numbers on shirts due to the risk of confusing them with the players’ shirt number. Radio 210 had pop music, news bulletins and some decent presenters. The voices of Steve Wright, Mike Reid and Bob Harris could be heard on the Berkshire airwaves before they found national fame.”
Justin Horton reminds us of the late Robert Maxwell’s involvement at Oxford United. “They have twice been sponsored by newspapers: in 1981-82 by the Sunday Journal and for much of 1984-85 by the Sunday People, the latter of course then owned by the late Maxwell whose name still crops up in the newspapers now and again.”
Andrew Wright plays fast and loose with the definition of a media organisation. “Having received news from the Top Tips page that I could avoid jet-lag on foreign trips by simply taking an earlier flight, thus arriving fully refreshed and on time, I’ll nominate Viz, who sponsored Blyth Spartans in 2007-08. Meanwhile, in the mundane world, I remember Leeds United were sponsored by the Yorkshire Evening Post at some point.” The local paper was emblazoned on their shirt in the 1991-92 season, Andrew. They almost faced a QPR team with Classic FM (who have a news bulletin, at least) as shirt sponsor but, alas, Admiral became Leeds’ sponsor for 1992-93.
Richard Franks has filed some hard news. “In the 1996-97 first division there would have been two matches between news-sponsored teams, since Portsmouth were sponsored by local paper The News and Millwall were sponsored by the South London Press.” Unfortunately, it’s fake news. Millwall were playing in the third tier, so that clash never happened. Cardiff City were sponsored by the South Wales Echo for five seasons in the 1990s, but we can’t see that they ever played another media-sponsored team.
However, if we dip into the Third Division in the 2001-02 season there was a meeting of mid-table teams with evening newspapers as shirt sponsors. The Evening Herald (Plymouth Argyle) met the Evening Press (York City) twice, with the Herald enjoying a 1-0 win at Home Park (Evening Press match report worth a read here) following a 0-0 draw at Bootham Crescent earlier in the season.
Which managers lasted longest at clubs they played for?
“After Frank Lampard’s sacking, who are the longest-serving managers who had a playing career at the club?” asks Ben Owen.
Liverpool’s “Boot Room” may look a good place to mine but Alan Reid takes us back way before Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and co and north of the border. “My own suggestion is Willie Maley, who played 70 games for Celtic between 1888 and 1897, scoring two goals while winning three league titles and two Scottish Cups. In 1897, at the age of 29 he was appointed as the first manager of Celtic, a position in which he remained until 1940. During his long managerial reign, he won a further 16 league titles and 14 Scottish Cups.” That knocks Jock Stein’s 13 years as manager after three years as a player into a cocked hat.
Tom Aldous, meanwhile, digs out this enjoyable imbalance: “Guy Roux spent three years as a player at Auxerre then returned to spend the next 44 as manager. The first nine were as player-manager.”
Incidentally, the longest-serving former Chelsea manager who also played for the club is Glenn Hoddle, who had almost three years at Stamford Bridge from June 1993 to May 1996, though two of those were as player-manager. John Hollins served from June 1985 to March 1988, having been a player in two spells, first for 12 years, and then for the 1983-84 season before joining the coaching staff. Eddie McCreadie, Ken Shellito, David Webb, Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Di Matteo and Frank Lampard also served as players and managers. And got sacked.
Old maiden title winners
“Jermain Defoe will be a few months shy of 39 years old in May, when Rangers could potentially be crowned Scottish champions,” writes David Thompson. “Has a player ever been older when winning their first ever league title?”
With 38-year-old Phil Jagielka unlikely to win the Premier League with Sheffield United this season, Adam Harcus takes us to Scotland. “Davie Weir won his first title at Rangers on 24 May 2009, at the grand old age of 39 years and 14 days.”
Goalkeepers must be good candidates (see Dino Zoff: 1982 World Cup) and Tom Aldous plucks this out of the air. “Mark Schwarzer won his first league medal at Chelsea aged 42 despite leaving mid-season as José Mourinho had put a special request in for him. He moved to Leicester, who then won the title the following season meaning he was the first player to win two titles in consecutive seasons at different clubs since Eric Cantona.”
Knowledge archive
“An increasing number of players have adopted a goal celebration where they appear to form the letter ‘A’ with two fingers from one hand pointing down and the index finger of the other hand forming the horizontal bit,” wrote Phil Horton in January 2008. “All I can come up with is a similarity with the ‘Anarchy’ symbol. Do you know any better?”
Yes we do, Phil. The sign represents A-Star, an organisation set up by the QPR defender Fitz Hall, the Everton and England forward Andy Johnson, Ken Bonsu and Ronnie Wilson to counter the increasing problems of violence among young people in Britain. Mirroring the government’s message that “every child matters”, A-Star operates “to influence young people to be the best they can be and to realise that they themselves are stars.” A-Star also aims to offer real opportunities for all young people, by providing a wide range of activities in which they can take part and eventually even help them find employment in a chosen field.
Can you help?
“Watford signed Maurizio Pochettino and Mitchel Bergkamp on deadline day, to potentially play alongside Henry Wise (son of Denis) and Max Statham (son of Brian). Has anyone else had more sons of illustrious fathers?” asks St John Gould.
Christine Camillo (@mlle_c_camillo)
Has a GK on his debut for a club in the EPL conceded quicker than Mat Ryan last weekend? (Not counting coming on to face a penalty or free-kick.)
February 9, 2021
Tom Donnelly (@tomjdonnelly)
Six former Manchester United team mates played in the Milan derby last month. Is this a record for the most former teammates playing in a fixture that doesn’t feature the club they played together at?
February 4, 2021
”Liverpool’s 68-game home unbeaten run in the league came to an end when they lost to Burnley. They are now on a run of three straight home defeats as well as five games without a win. Is there a team whose all-time record runs (unbeaten and winless, or straight wins and straight defeats) directly followed each other?” asks Boris Cule.
Christian James (@bostonutdstats)
January 2010 saw Jamie Yates get sent off with Boston United beating Durham City 10-0 in the Northern Premier League.
Has there ever been an instance of a player getting sent off while their team has lead by more? pic.twitter.com/Dl26aq6lMz
February 4, 2021
Brian White (@wgdesigngroup)
If West Ham get points this weekend, they will have equalled or beaten their previous season's total in 23 games. Has anyone done it faster?
February 4, 2021
Richard Wilson (@timomouse)
From Bumrah’s cricketing wait to play a test in India, who holds a similar “away days only” record in international football?https://t.co/ZhfUb0rAuN
February 9, 2021
The Tin Boonie (@TheTinBoonie)
Are there any footballers named after famous footballers? Eg, Is there a Cantona Smith playing in the lower leagues somewhere?
February 9, 2021
• Email your questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com or tweet @TheKnowledge_GU.
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