Only player to have played in final for two different countries?
Luis Monti, who played for Argentina in the 1930 Final and for Italy in the
1934 Final.
Most goals by a player in a final?
Three goals, by Geoff Hurst of England on July 30, 1966.
Only player to have won three World Cups?
Pele of Brazil, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Only brothers playing in a champion team?
Fritz & Otmar Walter of West Germany in 1954, and Jack & Bobby Charlton of England in 1966.
Only player to have scored for both teams in a match?
Netherlands' Ernie Brandts, who scored an own goal for Italy and later a goal for his country in their 2:1 win on June 21, 1978.
Oldest player to score in finals?
Cameroon's Roger Milla, who was 42 years and 39 days old when he scored in a First Round match against Russia on June 28, 1994.
Youngest player to score in finals?
Pele, who was 17 years and 239 days old when he scored for Brazil against Wales in quarter-finals on June 19, 1958.
Most appearances in World Cup final by a country?
Seven finals, by Germany and by Brazil.
First final decided on penalty shoot-out?
The 1994 Final in which Brazil beat Italy 3:2 in a penalty shoot-out after a 0:0 tie.
Only finals with no final?
The 1950 finals, when there was only a final pool without a knock-out Final.
Lowest attendance for a match?
300 spectators for the match between Romania & Peru in Montevideo on July 4, 1930.
Highest attendance for a match?
199,850 spectators for the ‘final’ match between Brazil & Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro on July 16, 1950.
Most matches won by a country?
64 matches, by Brazil.
Most matches lost by a country?
22 matches, by Mexico.
Most matches played as captain?
16 matches, by Argentina's Diego Maradona.
Most matches played by a goalkeeper without conceding a goal?
10 matches by Peter Shilton of England from 1982 to 1990.
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
The England shirt is 'Heavy'
Some people struggle with the English language, despite being born and schooled in these sceptred isles, but some take to it very quickly and even produce the odd memorable quote or two. Contrast the Graham Taylor quote of 'do I not like orange' when seemingly disappointed during a game compared to the beauty that Fabio came out with after the Mexico game, 'some players find the England shirt heavy!'
Now, with those few short words did he not sum up impeccably what responsibility feels like to play for England? And how some very gifted Premiership players struggle once they feature in the national team. Now his words were not those of criticism, more an understanding of how difficult that step can be from club team to national team, a step too far for some maybe.
I'm not the greatest strategist in the world and I will admit to being baffled by certain formations and tactics that some mangers employ, being a Doncaster Rovers fan means this happens regularly as Sean O'Driscoll is adept at confusing everybody, but I did feel some sympathy for what Fabio was trying to do against Mexico. He essentially was looking for somebody to take control of midfield and do what Gareth Barry has done very successfully for England, and yet these very players fell short of the mark. Michael Carrick is a classic example of somebody weighed down by national clothing. That then left Milner to struggle to impose himself on the game as well. The game itself was rescued by Steven Gerrard moving infield and doing some of the work that Carrick and Milner failed to do, but even so the game was a struggle for some.
Another very obvious casualty to the national spotlight was Leighton Baines. I've seen him play for the U21's on many an occasion but last night he was woeful, and seemingly every Mexican attack came down that side. Not being a fan of Ashley Cole will cause some heart searching in this household let me tell you, although my wife hates him for reasons other than his on-field escapades.
Italians are usually pragmatic when it comes to football , and no doubt the result last night was more promising than the quality of football, but I'll take that attitude if it takes us two steps further than we have been for a few tournaments. With the man who knows and understands how heavy the shirt can be, I truly believe he is in tune with the nation and that the heaviest article of clothing is the suit and tie that belongs to the England Manager.
Now, with those few short words did he not sum up impeccably what responsibility feels like to play for England? And how some very gifted Premiership players struggle once they feature in the national team. Now his words were not those of criticism, more an understanding of how difficult that step can be from club team to national team, a step too far for some maybe.
I'm not the greatest strategist in the world and I will admit to being baffled by certain formations and tactics that some mangers employ, being a Doncaster Rovers fan means this happens regularly as Sean O'Driscoll is adept at confusing everybody, but I did feel some sympathy for what Fabio was trying to do against Mexico. He essentially was looking for somebody to take control of midfield and do what Gareth Barry has done very successfully for England, and yet these very players fell short of the mark. Michael Carrick is a classic example of somebody weighed down by national clothing. That then left Milner to struggle to impose himself on the game as well. The game itself was rescued by Steven Gerrard moving infield and doing some of the work that Carrick and Milner failed to do, but even so the game was a struggle for some.
Another very obvious casualty to the national spotlight was Leighton Baines. I've seen him play for the U21's on many an occasion but last night he was woeful, and seemingly every Mexican attack came down that side. Not being a fan of Ashley Cole will cause some heart searching in this household let me tell you, although my wife hates him for reasons other than his on-field escapades.
Italians are usually pragmatic when it comes to football , and no doubt the result last night was more promising than the quality of football, but I'll take that attitude if it takes us two steps further than we have been for a few tournaments. With the man who knows and understands how heavy the shirt can be, I truly believe he is in tune with the nation and that the heaviest article of clothing is the suit and tie that belongs to the England Manager.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Is Fabio becoming more English?
You just have to love him don't you! He's done a wonderful job since he arrived and now he seems to be enjoying every minute, although with that scowl of his its sometimes difficult to tell. My understanding is that he's fallen in love with this country, but especially the golf courses in the Surrey stockbroker belt, and that his handicap has tumbled to single figures. Good on yer! Here's an open letter that seems to capture the mood at the moment and I particularly like the Dear England bit and the My England team!!
Saturday 12 June is an important date for my England team, our first game in the World Cup.
Throughout qualification we enjoyed fantastic support from everyone in England. The players know that when they wear the England shirt they are playing for the whole nation.
So when we are in South Africa we will have all of you, our fans, in our thoughts. We know you will be with us in every moment and at every stage.
12 June will also be an important day for those people back home. It will be England Football Day, a day to celebrate all of English football.
In England we each share a wonderful passion for the game. But I believe we must also share the responsibility to inspire a new generation to play the game.
So as we take out first steps onto the pitch at the World Cup, I would like as many people as possible to take their first steps in football. I would like more people to play, more people to coach, more people to referee - more people to be involved in every area of the game.
I ask everyone to take part, you can find more information on what is happening on this day here.
Every person in England is part of our squad, we are one team. On 12 June let's come together for England.
Fabio Capello
Let's come together
Sunday, 23 May, 2010
An open letter from Fabio Capello to the people of England.
Dear England,Saturday 12 June is an important date for my England team, our first game in the World Cup.
Throughout qualification we enjoyed fantastic support from everyone in England. The players know that when they wear the England shirt they are playing for the whole nation.
So when we are in South Africa we will have all of you, our fans, in our thoughts. We know you will be with us in every moment and at every stage.
12 June will also be an important day for those people back home. It will be England Football Day, a day to celebrate all of English football.
In England we each share a wonderful passion for the game. But I believe we must also share the responsibility to inspire a new generation to play the game.
So as we take out first steps onto the pitch at the World Cup, I would like as many people as possible to take their first steps in football. I would like more people to play, more people to coach, more people to referee - more people to be involved in every area of the game.
I ask everyone to take part, you can find more information on what is happening on this day here.
Every person in England is part of our squad, we are one team. On 12 June let's come together for England.
Fabio Capello
Friday, 21 May 2010
England footie songs!
They're coming out of the woodwork thick and fast, but I do like this one!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb1pbmOVWTk
or even Rik Mayall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqG6lY9XGb8&feature=related
More to follow!
M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb1pbmOVWTk
or even Rik Mayall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqG6lY9XGb8&feature=related
More to follow!
M
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Follow us around!!
Not literally! We hope to be updating this blog from South Africa on a daily basis, hangover permitting! Whilst all the papers will give you the match stuff and the news will report on English hooligans as best as they can we hope to provide you with the good stuff. The match atmosphere, the travel from city to city, the pubs and the beer will all be faithfully reported and backed up with some soberish photos. Watch this space as they say!
Monday, 17 May 2010
Your chance to be a film star!!
If any of you harbour the thoughts of seeing yourself on the big screen why not start here? Des is looking for groups of England Supporters who are keeping themselves busy when away from the footy. If you're interested then contact him direct. Good luck!
Dear all,
I am working on a new programme called Sun, Goals and A&E for October Films that will be broadcast on Virgin in the UK. We are going out to South Africa to film alongside some of the emergency services following tourists and football fans while on holiday in the sun, watching the football and also those unfortunate few who are injured or get sun stroke etc while they are away and need the help of the emergency services.
We would like to get in touch with some groups of fans who are travelling to South Africa to watch the England games to find out the places they are staying, the kind of activities they will be taking part in when the games aren’t on (like safari, going to the beach, travelling between venues etc) It would also be great to get a sense of whether they will be staying in one area and just travelling when the games are on to the stadiums or fan parks. We wondered whether you might be able to help us get in touch with some fans that are travelling to the games. Obviously we know that the people we get in touch with now are unlikely to end up in A&E but it will give us a good sense of what people will be up to while they are out there. Is it possible to put a post on your website to ask people to email to us? We are going to set up an email address where we can ask them to respond.
Please could you let me know if you are able to help? You can call me anytime on the number below or send me an email.
Cheers
Des Daniels
07713 162 169 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 07713 162 169
end_of_the_skype_highlighting
The Mail On Sunday!
Can somebody please tell me what the purpose of this article was? Now I'm no fan of holding the World Cup in England in 2018 but this article had no purpose other than to scupper Lord Triesman as head of the FA and the collateral damage just happens to be our World Cup bid. How has the national interest been served by printing this rubbish? If we all have to resign posts because our closest friends are taping private conversations then heaven help us all.
Lets start to roll out the conspiracy theories shall we? How about somebody in the Premier League making sure that he was removed before any regulation has been implemented that effects them? Very plausible I would have thought considering he's not their appointment. This seems the most likely one to me, and only confirms that the patients are still in control of the nut house! When will English football wake up to the fact that this unregulated way of running our national game is killing it off, and the dark days we suffered during the 70's and 80's are coming back again, although with a different agenda.
From now on I intend to boycott the Mail On Sunday and suggest that you do too. How long will it be before they try something on Fabio as well? I sincerely hope some lessons have been learnt here, although I doubt it very much. On a personal note I found him very friendly and approachable on the one occasion I met up with him. As somebody stood next to me said 'how do you address a Lord' he said, 'just call me Dave!' It wasn't the last time I heard that either!
Lets start to roll out the conspiracy theories shall we? How about somebody in the Premier League making sure that he was removed before any regulation has been implemented that effects them? Very plausible I would have thought considering he's not their appointment. This seems the most likely one to me, and only confirms that the patients are still in control of the nut house! When will English football wake up to the fact that this unregulated way of running our national game is killing it off, and the dark days we suffered during the 70's and 80's are coming back again, although with a different agenda.
From now on I intend to boycott the Mail On Sunday and suggest that you do too. How long will it be before they try something on Fabio as well? I sincerely hope some lessons have been learnt here, although I doubt it very much. On a personal note I found him very friendly and approachable on the one occasion I met up with him. As somebody stood next to me said 'how do you address a Lord' he said, 'just call me Dave!' It wasn't the last time I heard that either!
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Free England goodies!
That's right, free England goodies available this coming weekend.
Grab a copy of News Of The World on Sunday 16 May (£1), and you’ll get a voucher for a free England football supporter's car pack. The pack contains all you need to pimp out your motor and show your love for the England team: two England flags, a giant flag magnet and a fluffy dice.
Take the voucher to a Tesco (supermarket and extra stores) or Screwfix store to grab the freebie. The coupon’s valid for that Sunday only, and it’s one per person.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Squad of 30 announced today
Fabio Capello has confirmed his provisional squad for the World Cup, with 30 players making up the list of those who will travel to Austria in six days time to begin the training preparation for the tournament.
Jamie Carragher is called into the squad for the first time under Fabio Capello, while Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson and Manchester City winger Adam Johnson are the only uncapped players named.
Joe Cole returns to the fold for the first time since England's 4-1 victory in Zagreb in 2008, joining his Chelsea colleagues John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole who secured the Premier League title on Sunday and compete in The FA Cup Final against Portsmouth this Saturday.
They could face Pompey goalkeeper David James at Wembley, one of three goalkeepers in the provisional squad along with Joe Hart and Rob Green.
Squad list
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green
Defenders
Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders
Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards
Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney
Jamie Carragher is called into the squad for the first time under Fabio Capello, while Tottenham Hotspur defender Michael Dawson and Manchester City winger Adam Johnson are the only uncapped players named.
Joe Cole returns to the fold for the first time since England's 4-1 victory in Zagreb in 2008, joining his Chelsea colleagues John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole who secured the Premier League title on Sunday and compete in The FA Cup Final against Portsmouth this Saturday.
They could face Pompey goalkeeper David James at Wembley, one of three goalkeepers in the provisional squad along with Joe Hart and Rob Green.
Squad list
Goalkeepers
Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green
Defenders
Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry, Matthew Upson, Stephen Warnock
Midfielders
Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Tom Huddlestone, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards
Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney
Monday, 10 May 2010
Official South Africa World Cup Guide
There's a downloadable PDF document available here;
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/loc/01/20/26/44/fanguidelres.pdf
http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/loc/01/20/26/44/fanguidelres.pdf
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Pictures required
Hey, send me a favourite picture of your England flag and I'll add it to the ones already on here.
Saturday, 8 May 2010
englandfans Gold and Silver
Friday, 23 April 2010.
All current englandfans members are invited to renew for the 2010-12 scheme, which starts on 12 July 2010 and runs to 1 July 2012 inclusive.The englandfans club is changing, with englandfans+ to be called englandfans GOLD, while the standard englandfans membership will become englandfans SILVER.
Why has each membership level been renamed?
The new names will make it easier for everyone to distinguish between the two englandfans membership levels. The overall membership is still englandfans – but will be split as follows:
englandfans GOLD: For fans wanting access to home, away and tournament tickets.
englandfans SILVER: For fans wanting access to home tickets only.
Here’s a heads up on the timings, benefits and fees.
Important datesCurrent englandfans members will have from Monday 26 April until midday on Friday 21 May to renew and guarantee their place for the 2010-12 membership period.Click here to Renew Now
After this deadline, unrenewed memberships will be made available to the general public.
So there’s nothing to do now – we’ll send you a reminder e-mail at the appropriate times.
Membership benefits The key membership benefits will still be in place for the 2010-2012 membership period; these include:
| Membership benefits |
• Priority ticket booking for all England home matches and access for members of englandfans GOLD to tickets for England away matches, including the UEFA Euro 2012, assuming we qualify. • Ticket-price discounts for home games at Wembley Stadium (£5 for adults and £2.50 for children), provided tickets are purchased in the members’ priority sale period. This means you can re-coup the majority of the cost of your membership over the membership period. • Exclusive members-only access to gain entry to events attended by England management and players, such as England training sessions. • Access to lots of other englandfans-only benefits, such as a permanent 15% discount on all merchandise bought at the official England online store and exclusive offers from FA commercial partners. |
We have listened to your feedback during the current membership period – and have taken on board all members’ comments, with the objective of improving the membership package. With this mind, the following changes are being introduced for the 2010-12 membership schemes.
| Membership benefits |
• Current members who renew before Friday 21 May will receive up to £10 renewal discount on englandfans GOLD or £5 Discount on englandfans SILVER. • A fantastic new englandfans website will be launched for the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign (see below). • englandfans Plus and englandfans Standard now become GOLD and SILVER • englandfans SILVER members will now be able to claim caps for matches at Wembley and get on the caps ladder. • Based on feedback from members ,we will no longer send out a membership pack. Naturally, everyone will still receive a new membership card. |
For example, the ticket and travel process will be much slicker. On the fun side, members will be able to create their own personal profile pages, upload pictures and create their own groups – plus generally interact with other englandfans more easily.
A new fans’ forum is also being built – and the whole website will really enhance the overall membership experience. There’s a lot of development work to do, and we plan to launch the exciting new site for the EURO 2012 qualifying campaign.
Membership fees
Online membership fees for the 2010-2012 campaign will be as follows:
Renewing members* | New members | |
Level | (Before deadline) | From 24/05/10 |
GOLD Adult | £65 | £75 |
GOLD Junior | £35 | £40 |
| SILVER Adult | £45 | £50 |
| SILVER Junior | £25 | £30 |
Are you online?
We are now primarily operating an online membership as there are more membership benefits and we can keep administration costs – and therefore membership fees – as low as possible. Choosing an online membership means that ticketing information and applications will be dealt with via e-mail and online registration forms. It also means you have access to a monthly e-newsletter.
Offline memberships will still be available for an additional fee on top of the above prices. Please note that the cost of servicing offline memberships has risen significantly over the past few years which has resulted in an increase to the offline membership fee.
If you would like to receive more details about offline membership then please contact us for details.
We look forward to welcoming you back for the new membership campaign – thank you for your continued support of the England team.
Travel to Wembley for the next home game v Mexico.
We all know Wembley can be a difficult place to get to, but there are some easier options with coach travel from different areas of Yorkshire. For the next home game against Mexico on the 24th May there are a few coaches that will be leaving our area, details are here;
There is a coach running from Doncaster to the Mexico game on the 24th May departing Waterdale at 12 noon, prices are £20 adults and £10 for children under 14.Coaches will be travelling Via the M1 corridor, to arrange pick ups, contact by phone 07713808680 or 07760156181 oremailgryrb@aol.com .This is a joint venture with Hoggies of Barnsley so we will be parking up at the Torch behind Wembley Park.
Hoggies travel as usual are running a coach to the Mexico game departs the outpost at 12noon and further pick ups on the m1 corridor can be arranged the fare is £20 parking as always arranged at the torch public house and the return journey back north 1 hour after the game finishes
contact Pete on 01226 288581 07843593488 or email peterhodgson5@msn.com
Dave Beverley will be running his coach starting in Grimsby and following the M180 and M1 corridors, details are;
As per normal the coach will start at Grimsby
08.15 Trawl Grimsby
08.50 Queensway Scúnthorpe
09.20 A1 Holiday Inn Doncaster
09.45 Morrison's Rotherham M18 Junction 1
PM OR Call or text 07845660864
If anybody knows of any other options then why not add to this list?
There is a coach running from Doncaster to the Mexico game on the 24th May departing Waterdale at 12 noon, prices are £20 adults and £10 for children under 14.Coaches will be travelling Via the M1 corridor, to arrange pick ups, contact by phone 07713808680 or 07760156181 oremailgryrb@aol.com .This is a joint venture with Hoggies of Barnsley so we will be parking up at the Torch behind Wembley Park.
Hoggies travel as usual are running a coach to the Mexico game departs the outpost at 12noon and further pick ups on the m1 corridor can be arranged the fare is £20 parking as always arranged at the torch public house and the return journey back north 1 hour after the game finishes
contact Pete on 01226 288581 07843593488 or email peterhodgson5@msn.com
Dave Beverley will be running his coach starting in Grimsby and following the M180 and M1 corridors, details are;
As per normal the coach will start at Grimsby
08.15 Trawl Grimsby
08.50 Queensway Scúnthorpe
09.20 A1 Holiday Inn Doncaster
09.45 Morrison's Rotherham M18 Junction 1
PM OR Call or text 07845660864
If anybody knows of any other options then why not add to this list?
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