Ask Albert - Number 3

Ibar Murphy from England asks:

Has any club with a negative goal difference ever finished higher in the Premiership than West Ham's fifth in 1988/89

Yes. Norwich City hold the record as the highest finishing Premiership club with a negative goal difference. They came third in 1992/93 with a goal record of 61 for and 65 against.

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Paul Williams from Britain asks:

What happened to ex-Arsenal player Gus Caesar who broke into the side at about the same time as Tony Adams?

Gus and Tony both signed professional forms at Highbury in 1983. Caesar made 44 First Division appearances for Arsenal, subsequently played for QPR (on loan), Bristol City and finally in Scotland for Aidrieonians.

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Conor Devine from Ireland asks:

What was the very first game shown on Match of the Day?

It was 36 years ago on August 22, 1964, when highlights of Liverpool 3-2 Arsenal were shown on BBC 2. It was in black and white and screened at 6.30pm. The commentator was Kenneth Wolstenholme, now 80 and still a big footie fan.

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Mark Ford from England asks:

Regarding the new '10-yard rule', does the referee award a penalty if the ball is advanced into the penalty area?

No, it remains a free-kick (not a penalty). The kick cannot be advanced closer than six yards to the goal-line.

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Benson Droem from Norway asks:

What happens if a player needs the toilet during play - can the referee let him go and then come back onto the pitch?

Yes, but on his return, the player must wait on the touchline to be signalled back into the game by the referee. If he returns to the field without such permission, he will be cautioned.

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Matthew Dunn from Bromsgrove asks:

I seem to remember Marco Gabbiadini playing for Port Vale but my Dad disagrees.

Gabbiadini has scored more than 200 goals in his career that began in 1984/85. His list of clubs reads: York City, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Birmingham City (loan), Oxford United (loan), Stoke City, York again and, for the last two seasons, Darlington, before moving to Northampton in the summer. But no Port Vale ... not yet anyway.

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Damian Crowley from Ireland asks:

Is there a definitive rule for determining what is an own-goal?

Some own goals are more doubtful than others. Clubs like to credit their own players rather than credit an "opponent og", but the Premiership has a panel which examines such goals on tape and decides who the scorer is.

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Klaz form England asks:

Have there been any further aids to help referees make decisions in the Premiership, like the earpiece last season?

Not as such, but the big improvement this season will be the FA's new code of conduct, aimed at cutting out the intimidation of referees and players. Let's hope it works.

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George from Bury, England asks:

Who was the centre forward that played for Leatherhead in a 1970s cup tie against Leicester City?

Leatherhead's centre-forward hero in January 1975 was Chris Kelly. He got their third round winner at Brighton, then scored the goal that gave them a 2-0 half-time lead at Filbert Street in round four. But Leicester rallied to win 3-2.

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Usman Humayun from England asks:

Who is the Premiership's all-time highest goal scorer starting from the season 92/93?

Alan Shearer is the top scorer of Premiership goals (1992 to date) with a total of 176 for Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle as at the start of season 2000/1. Second is Andy Cole with 125 for Newcastle and Manchester United.

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Graham the Red from the UK asks:

Who won Goal of the Season for the 99/00 Premiership season? I can't find it anywhere.

BBC TV's Goal of the Season for 1999/2000 was scored by West Ham's Paulo di Canio against Wimbledon on 26 March.

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James Knowles and Chris Rose from England ask:

Who is the record goal scorer ever for Tottenham Hotspur?

Spurs' all-time hottest shot is Jimmy Greaves with 266 goals for them between 1961 and 1970; 220 in the old First Division, 32 FA Cup, 5 League Cup and 9 goals in Europe. What a star! And I'm proud to have known Jimmy since he joined Chelsea from school.

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Mark from England asks:

What is the record for the most goals scored within 90 minutes by one player?

Joe Payne scored ten when Luton Town beat Bristol Rovers 12-0 in Division 3 South on April 13 (Easter Monday) 1936. For the rest of his career he was known as "Ten-goal Payne."

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Aj Figo from England asks:

Is there an age at which players must retire from football?

There is no such age limit - if you are good enough, you are young enough. The oldest player ever seen in League football was aged 51 years and 120 days - Neil McBain, New Brighton's manager, kept goal in an emergency away to Hartlepool in Division 3 North on March 15, 1947. And Sir Stanley Matthews was 50 when he played his last League game for Stoke.

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Jade Hardisty from England asks:

Could you please tell me which team won the fair play award at Euro 2000?

France not only added the European Championship to their World Cup 1998 triumph - they also won the Euro 2000 Fair Play title.

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Wander Frota from the USA asks:

What is the best football team you've seen play? Would it be the Brazilian national team who won the World Cup in 1970? And the best footballer ever? Would it be Pele, or can you think of anyone else who's better than him?

Any Chelsea team that wins the FA Cup is good enough for me! But seriously, as for long-term success, I rate Real Madrid the top for winning the European Cup in its first five seasons. Pele gets no argument as the greatest all-time player.

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Adam from the UK asks:

Are there any plans to bring in video-replays for Premiership football matches? I mean, the refs need it...

This is a subject of ongoing debate. The use of technology to help decide vital controversial incidents is sure to come to football, as it has done in cricket and racing. Within a year or two, I hope.

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