CRUYFF TEARS A STRIP(E) OFF ADIDAS
"I recently saw a re-run of the 1974 World Cup final between Holland and West Germany and it brought back to me a question I had then but was never answered. Both teams were kitted out by Adidas (they of the three stripes) but Johan Cruyff's shirt had only two stripes on the sleeve. Any idea how come? And is this trivia or wot?!?" asks Hugh McGinley
Hugh, your question is concerned with trivia of the highest order. Which is exactly the reason we've chosen to answer it.
The Dutch FA had a deal with Adidas to supply their kit, and your Johnny Reps and Rob Rensenbrinks of this world were only too happy to wear the stripy orange shirts during the 1974 World Cup in Germany.
Cruyff, of course, had other ideas. He had an exclusive personal deal with Adidas's rivals Puma, who supplied him with their classic Puma King boots. Because of this, he was unwilling to sport the three trademark stripes of Adidas and insisted on a two-striped version instead. As you would expect, he got exactly what he wanted.
Although Cruyff wasn't around to cause the German kit giants bother when Holland embarked on their 1978 World Cup campaign, his rebellious spirit lived on. The van de Kerkhof twins, Rene and Willy, insisted on being issued with Cruyff-style two-striped shirts else they were off. But did the Dutch FA give in to this blatant show of player power?
Of course they did.
CALL OF NATURE
"I cannot recall a professional player ever having to leave the field due to a call of nature. I am sure this must have happened; does anyone remember any such incident?" asked M Munro.
Such incidents certainly have occurred, Mr Munro. Peter Kargaard remembers that Thomas Brolin once waddled off the pitch while playing for Parma for a quick wee-wee, while Martin Ridges says that Terry Curran did exactly the same thing between the end of normal time and the start of extra time during a League Cup match in the 1978-79 season.
Unfortunately, some players don't bother heading to the dressing room to let fly with a steaming jet. "Gordon Strachan tells a story of a pre-season friendly in Portugal where one of the Benfica players knelt down during the game and had a slash on the pitch," recollects Simon Thomas. "No doubt Gordon's sliding tackles improved no end."
John Murphys has a similar tale. "About ten years ago an Athletic Bilbao player come out for the second half in Cadiz and was photographed having a slash against the goal post just before the match restarted."
As for vomit, we can remember Middlesbrough's Gianluca Festa honking up on the sidelines just before the second half of this season's Boxing Day fixture with Liverpool - probably one turkey leg too many and definitely nothing to do with booze. There are probably other stories which we're only too happy to field. Tales of number twos, anyone?
NOW FOR A BETTER SORT OF NUMBER
"I recall that Argentina fielded outfield players in two World Cups with the number one jersey (Alonso in 78 and Ardiles in 82), since they chose to use alphabetical order for assignment of numbers. Obviously there are no rules against it, but assigning the number one shirt to an outfield player seems very unusual. Are there any more top level occurrences?" asks Eduardo Villanueva Mansilla
Yes there are, Eduardo. The great Dutch side of 1974 was also numbered alphabetically. "Hence, Ruud Geels, a striker, had a squad number of one while goalkeeper Jan Jongbloed wore number eight. At number 22 was Harry Vos, a defender," explains John Murray.
"The only exception was, of course, Johan Cruyff - who was allowed to wear his trademark number 14 shirt instead of number one which he would have worn under the system.
"In 1978 the Holland squad numbering system was a little more confusing," John continues. "Eight players from the 1974 squad kept their squad numbers from that tournament - Jansen, Jongbloed, the van de Kerhhof brothers, Neeskins, Rep, Rijsbergen and Suurbier - while Rensenbrink (12), Shrijvers (1), Krol (5) & Haan (9) took on new numbers. Incidentally, the famous number 14 shirt was worn by Johan Boskamp."
If you want an English example, look no further than Charlton Athletic. As Trevor Pearce and Tristan Browning point out, in the early 90s, shortly after the advent of squad numbers, the Addicks went all alphabetical - with Scottish defender Stuart Balmer wearing the number one shirt.
LOWER LEAGUE PLAYERS WITH INTERNATIONAL CAPS
In a previous Knowledge, we looked at lower league players like Tommy Lawton and Johnny "Budgie" Byrne who earned international caps. Since then we've had a few more suggestions.
David Kenning says that Margate's John Keister - who has just helped his side gain promotion to the Conference for the first time in their history - has three caps for Sierra Leone. "I don't believe that there are many current internationals playing at a lower level domestically," he adds.
As for England caps, John Murray reminds us that Peter Taylor won his three England caps while playing for Crystal Palace in the old Third Division, while Ron Gould says that in 1908, Evelyn Henry Lintott played three times for the full England squad whilst playing for Queens Park Rangers in the Southern League.
"Lintott was a utility player equally at home as a centre half or centre forward," Ron continues. "Tragically, he was killed at the battle of the Somme on July 1 1916, leading his platoon of the 15th West Yorkshire Regiment, The Leeds Pals, over the top."
CAN YOU HELP?
"What is the highest number of goals to be scored in extra time in a top-class match?" asks David Graniewitz. "Are there statistics that show whether teams that play the home game first in European games are more successful in the overall tie?" asks Rudy Hulsman. "Do teams from certain countries have a better record when playing home ties first? And has this advantage reduced over time as players have become more cosmopolitan?"
"Has any side ever finished the season with own goals as its top scorer?" asks Martin Greensill. "I reckon that Hull City have done so this season: Eyre, Rowe and own goals top-scored in the league with six goals apiece. This is an amazing feat, especially for a side that finished sixth in the Third Division and qualified for the play-offs!"