Alan Middlemass starts by inquiring about the recent removal of Amad Diallo’s shirt resulting in his ejection from the game. He then asks who holds the distinction of being the initial player to receive a yellow card for this type of celebration. Additionally, he wonders if there were any players known for participating in this action before it became a punishable offense. Lastly, he is curious about the number of players who have risked this celebration while already on a first yellow card.
In 2016, we addressed the topic of players receiving red cards for removing their shirts. While many instances occurred in the 21st century, there is one noteworthy story from February 1996 that we did not cover. During the Rome derby, Beppe Signori scored a decisive penalty for Lazio and was subsequently given a second yellow card for excessive celebration.
In the mid-1990s, football’s governing bodies decided to crack down on excessive celebration and sportsmanship by issuing bookings to players for such behavior. This ruling gained attention in England in December 1996 when Newcastle’s Tino Asprilla scored two late goals against Metz in the UEFA Cup.
Asprilla celebrated the first by taking his shirt off, sticking it on the corner flag and lifting it in triumph. He was booked. “Sometimes I feel it’s the referees who should be shown a yellow card, not the players,” said his teammate David Ginola after the game. “I mean, what is the game coming to when someone is booked for enjoying himself?”
Four years after, Ginola happily agreed to a booking when he scored a last-minute goal for Aston Villa against Manchester City. He hastily removed his shirt and struck a pose for the cameras, not in a display of joy but as a comeback to his manager John Gregory’s pre-game remarks about him being out of shape. Just take a look at his appearance.
As a result of receiving a yellow card, Asprilla was unable to play in the first quarter-final match against Monaco. His manager, Kevin Keegan, took full responsibility for the booking. Keegan admitted, “I am to blame for his yellow card. The referee had warned that removing one’s shirt would result in a booking, but I failed to inform the team in the dressing room.”
Keegan had already departed Newcastle before the quarter-final took place. Due to Asprilla’s suspension and injuries to key players Alan Shearer, Les Ferdinand, and Peter Beardsley, new manager Kenny Dalglish chose to use midfielder Rob Lee as the sole striker for the first leg at St James’ Park. Monaco emerged victorious with a 1-0 win and, even with Asprilla and Beardsley back for the second leg, they defeated Newcastle 3-0.
During a previous European season, both Christophe Dugarry (playing for Milan against Rosenborg) and Ally McCoist (representing Rangers against Grasshoppers) were cautioned for similar celebrations during their Champions League matches. In the 1995-96 season, David Johnson, father of Brennan Johnson, was also shown a yellow card for scoring the goal that secured Bury’s promotion against Cardiff.
However, the first yellow card we have discovered was during the 1994-95 Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final second leg. In the 82nd minute, substitute Claudio Bellucci, who was a teenager at the time, scored the goal that gave Sampdoria the lead in the tie on away goals. He then celebrated in the customary fashion by promptly removing his shirt and sprinting the entire length of the field, before sliding in front of the Gradinata Sud.
He was recorded, although it’s highly likely that this was for the victory lap rather than the actual action of removing his shirt. He left his jersey on when he scored another goal two minutes later, but Arsenal ultimately won the match in a penalty shoot-out thanks to David Seaman. Bellucci was not the sole striker to celebrate in this way during the 1994-95 season. However, to our knowledge, no one had the courage or strict adherence to their job to record Duncan Ferguson during his shirtless phase at Everton.
“The highest number of goals scored against a team while still maintaining a positive goal difference.”
Stephen Garbett ponders, “Even with 72 goals conceded in League Two, Notts County maintains a positive goal difference. While there are still more games to play, what is the highest number of goals a team has conceded and still maintained a positive goal difference in?”
Many thanks to all those who put in the effort for this, particularly Chris Roe and Andy Wright. The maximum number of goals found by any of you was a clean 100. This was the amount that Manchester City let in during the 1957-58 season, making their defense the second most porous in Division One (Leicester let in a shocking 112 but managed to stay up by one point). City also had the strongest attack, scoring 104 goals, one more than the champions Wolves, and finishing in fifth place in the standings.
There were a few impressive wins (6-2, 5-4, three 5-2s) and even more impressive losses: 6-1 against Preston, 8-4 against Leicester, and 9-2 against West Brom.
Below is a compilation of the football clubs in the League that have allowed 90 or more goals but maintained a positive goal difference.
Manchester City placed 5th in Division One during the 1957-58 season with a score of 100 points, a increase of 4 from the previous year.
97 is the number of Coventry City, which has increased by 11. In the 1931-32 season, they were in Division Three South and ranked 12th.
Division Three North 1933-34, 94 Barrow placed 8th with a difference of +22.
Blackburn Rovers achieved a +6 score during the 1929-30 season in Division One, placing 6th overall.
In the 1965-66 season, Bradford Park Avenue gained 10 points, finishing in 11th place in Division Four. Bristol City earned 8 points in the 1962-63 season, placing 14th in Division Three. Mansfield Town also earned 8 points in the 1957-58 season, finishing 6th in Division Three North.
In the 1960-61 season, Charlton Athletic placed 10th in Division Two, gaining 6 points.
In the Scottish league, Andy Wright holds the record for the highest overall score of 95, achieved by Forfar during the 1929-30 season in Division Two. Their team scored a total of 98 goals and finished in eighth place.
In the Premier League era, the highest record is 63 points achieved by Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur. Despite finishing eighth last year, the team scored 70 goals and conceded 63, with an overall goal difference of +7. One game, in particular, against Southampton where they scored and conceded three goals each, is said to have pushed Conte to his breaking point.
More footballing refuseniks
In our previous edition of Knowledge, we discussed players who chose not to return for the second half of the game. However, there were a few significant examples that we overlooked.
According to Adam Webster, Johan Cruyff declined to participate in the second half of Ajax’s final game in the 1982-83 season. This was due to him signing a contract with their fierce rivals, Feyenoord, for the following season. The news was set to be revealed after halftime, and the full story can be heard in this clip starting at the 3 minute and 58 second mark, narrated by Jan Molby.
Get the details behind this unexpected decision by reading the excerpt from Andy Bollen’s book, Fierce Genius.
Another instance involves a different player who made a contentious decision to join a fierce rival. “Sol Campbell, Arsenal vs West Ham 2006. He departed the arena,” notes David Campbell, who could potentially be a disgruntled family member.
Knowledge archive
Ed Ginzler, a frugal individual, wondered in November 2014 if any football managers have been replaced by others with the same initials, allowing them to avoid the cost of purchasing new apparel with their initials on it. He was reflecting on the trend of managers sporting their initials on their jackets or tracksuit tops.
Several changes have occurred, such as Gareth Southgate being substituted with Gordon Strachan at Middlesbrough. However, according to Pete Scarborough, there may have been sizing issues with Gareth’s jacket if Gordon took over. As Tom Pringle mentions, there seemed to be a misconception that saving money on kit initials meant more funds to invest, but Strachan ultimately spent all the money and was fired a year after taking over.
It appears to be a common pattern – the money saved on initial matchday clothing is usually canceled out by expenditures (or overall shortcomings) in other areas. Phil Russell notes, “Wolves did exactly this in March 1994, by replacing beloved but limited leader Graham Turner (known for two promotions with limited resources, Steve Bull, Sherpa Van Trophy) with Graham Taylor (lack of progress, attempted to sell Steve Bull, Turnip).” However, considering the transfer budget wasted on players like Tony Daley, Mark Atkins, Steve Sedgeley, it is unlikely that cost savings were a top priority when he was hired.
David Weir took over as manager of Sheffield United in the summer of 2013, succeeding Danny Wilson. However, he was dismissed after just 13 matches, having only won one game during his tenure. Similarly, in 1984, Weir’s experience as manager at Manchester City was equally disappointing. Manchester City fan Phil Hammond reflects on the difficult period in the 1980s when the club was in disarray. John Bond stepped down as manager in 1983, with his assistant John Benson taking over. But City was relegated and Benson was also let go. The following season, Bond moved on to Burnley and Benson joined him as assistant once again. However, Bond was eventually sacked and Benson took over as manager once more. Hammond points out the unique situation where two clubs were able to save on reprinting initials.
Can you help?
Jack Hayward writes, “Geoff Hurst, who was under contract with West Ham, played for Essex against Lancashire in the 1962 County Championship. He did not score any runs in two innings and did not continue playing first-class cricket. Can you think of a worse debut for a footballer in another sport?”
Alex Price asks, “During the weekend’s episode of Match of the Day, an intriguing fact was mentioned: Enes Unal has scored in five different high-level leagues. This sparked our curiosity about who has scored in the most leagues. The highest number we discovered was nine by Diego Forlán. Can anyone surpass that record?”
Susannah Clark ponders, “What is the largest deficit a team has overcome to win a single football game?”
Peter Franklin is curious to know if it has ever happened in the past that three teams in the same top-flight league, namely Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City, achieved a total of 90 or more points each by the end of the season.
Tim wants to know if there has been a team in the Football League who earned an average of two points per game but still did not qualify for automatic promotion, as this season’s Championship is unpredictable and could see the top four teams reaching a total of 92 points.
Craig Stoddart questions if any team in the top six divisions of English football has ever gone through a season without drawing a single away game, given Darlington’s record of 7 wins, 0 draws, and 13 losses in their 20 away games of the season in the National League North. Additionally, they lost 2-0 in their one cup away game.
Susannah Clark (once again) inquires, “What is the strangest penalty ever taken?”
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Source: theguardian.com
