Who was the footballer holding a cigarette in a sticker album? | The Knowledge

“I’m sure I remember a Panini (or such-like) sticker, back in the early 70s, with a Division One player crouched down over the ball with a cigarette clearly in his hand. Any Panini obsessives out there, ready to pan through their archives?” asks Graeme Westwood.

Kudos to John Chubb and David Poza, who both provided pictorial evidence that the player in question was Crystal Palace centre-back Phil Hoadley. “It was in 1971-72, and the collection was from FKS Wonderful World of Soccer,” writes David. “Hoadley, who was on Palace’s books from 1967 to 1972, appeared with cigarette in hand in the previous edition too.”
Hoadley, who went on to be a pub landlord, began his career at Palace before spells at Leyton Orient and Norwich City, where he helped launch a good-health plan in 2010. He played in one of Orient’s most famous victories, scoring a long-range screamer in their fifth-round win over Chelsea in February 1972. It came second in the BBC’s goal of the month competition … to Ronnie Radford.
“In League Two, Lincoln City have drawn three, won three and lost three of their first nine matches, scoring 11 and conceding 11. Have any teams finished a season with stats as balanced as theirs?” wonders Jack Aherne.
“I have a vague memory that there was a season when West Ham finished a season with 14 wins, 14 draws and 14 losses from 42 games – with a goal difference of 0,” recalls Philip Reynolds. That would be 1937-38, when the Hammers did indeed finish the Second Division with a 14-14-14 record, taking 42 points from 42 games. They blotted their copybook somewhat by finishing ninth out of 22 teams, with a goal difference of +1.
It’s good, but it’s not the one – that honour goes to Southampton’s 1922-23 vintage. As Kevin Dennehy and erm, ‘Ted Crilly’ point out, Saints finished their second-tier campaign 11th out of 22 teams, winning 14, drawing 14, losing 14, scoring 40 and conceding 40.
Last week’s set-list of concerts at football grounds led to plenty more suggestions and a belated response to the original question as to whether Cast really did play the Bombonera …
“All right The Knowledge,” chirps frontman John Power. “Unfortunately it’s not true but it sounds like a great gig if you can make it happen.” We’ll see what we can do John – but don’t hold your breath.
Meanwhile, Mark Judd (and plenty more) pointed to The Who’s ‘Who Put The Boot In’ Tour of 1976. The band played at Celtic Park, Swansea’s Vetch Field, and Charlton Athletic’s Valley – where they set a world record for the loudest concert ever. Perhaps more unlikely but not as loud was a gig The Who played a decade before that at Lincoln City, where they were joined by The Kinks, The Small Faces, Yardbirds, Georgie Fame and many more for what sounds like the most epic night at Sincil Bank until the Brighton FA Cup win last year.
Moving on, Paul Mosely offers this: “In an effort to raise money in the summer of 2006, Cambridge United booked Natasha Bedingfield for ‘Abbey Aid’. Unfortunately, it clashed with Live 8, meaning less than 1,000 fans came along to watch Bedingfield, Lee Ryan, Liberty X, Chico and many more.” And Mike Bayly recalls the time Fleetwood Mac rocked Bath City’s Twerton Park on 23 May 1970. He’s even included a splendid picture of the ticket stub.
I'm pretty sure Fleetwood Mac played at @BathCity_FC's Twerton Park in the 1970s. pic.twitter.com/P0herfENyy
“Aswad once played at Saltergate, former home of Chesterfield,” mails Ian Haddock, keeping it short and sweet. “Elton John is making a decent effort at playing all 42 Scottish league grounds,” reckons Callum McCormack. He’s played at St Johnstone, Airdrie, Edinburgh City, Falkirk and (further back) Ibrox, Pittodrie, Rugby Park and Easter Road.”
“The last Undertones gig in England was at Selhurst Park in July 1983,” notes Justin Horton. “They were playing alongside Peter Gabriel and the Thompson Twins in an anti-apartheid benefit.” But Stephen Dunne may have just raised the bar: “Bob Marley played at Dalymount Park, Dublin – home of Bohemian FC – in July 1980. Great gig.” We’re sure it was. And back to Motörhead – Barry Jones points out that Lemmy’s mob also rocked Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground in 1982.
“Grenoble have started the Ligue 1 season rather badly, with 11 straight defeats,” wrote Oliver Farry in November 2009, when Roy Hodgson was busy coasting to LMA Manager of the Year. “It’s most likely far from being the worst ever start to a campaign. But what is?”
Gerald Dennett suggested the hapless Spandauer SV side of 1975-76, who went 14 games without a point in the German second division before securing a 1-1 against SG Wattenscheid 09, but, as Marco Taylor points out, Spandauer’s situation looks positively rosy when compared to the malaise at Durham City. Back-to-back promotions took City to the Unibond Premier (one tier below the Blue Square North), bankrolled by Helios Properties. When Helios pulled the plug this summer the player exodus left the club out of its depth.
The 11-0 hammering suffered at the hands of mid-table Kings Lynn that weekend made it 17 straight defeats for Durham, leaving the club with a goal difference of -78, having conceded 88 and scored just 10. And all because of a plastic pitch. The Citizens now play in the Northern League Division Two, the 10th step in the football pyramid.
“During the Stuttgart v Augsburg game in the Bundesliga, the home team wore a special kit to mark their mascot’s 25th birthday – with his face on the front (see below). Can any other fans recall a mascot being given such special treatment?” asks Steve Joseph.
“Harry Kane has just scored 13 goals in September. That’s a lot. What’s the record for the most goals scored in a calendar month by a professional footballer?” asks Gregg Bakowski.
“Former Germany goalkeeper Andreas Köpke won the 1990 World Cup (as an unused West Germany squad player) and Euro ‘96 (as Germany’s first-choice keeper), but the biggest domestic trophy he won has a 2.Bundesliga title with Nuremberg in 2001,” notes Mark Hann. “Are there any other players with more trophies for their country than their clubs?”
“Vitoria Guimaraes did not start a single European player in their Europa League tie against Salzburg, playing four Brazilians, two Colombians, a Venezuelean, a Uruguayan, a Ghanaian, a Peruvian and an Ivorian,” says Richard Forsythe. “Is this the first non-European line-up for a European tie?’
Can any football players match or better Geoff Hurst's two statues (one at Curzon Ashton FC and one at the old Boleyn Ground)?
“In the last two Watford matches Richarlison has earned his side four points with goals in stoppage time,” asks Griff Simon. “Which player has the best record, or longest consecutive run, when it comes to important late goals?”
“Andriy Shevchenko had a five-club ‘palindromic’ career,” says Chris Anderson. “He started at Dynamo Kyiv, followed by Milan, then Chelsea, before going back to Milan and ending up back at Dynamo. Are there any longer symmetrical careers out there?”
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SOURCE : GUARDIAN SPORTS
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