Can you answer Tyler's Teaser on players with two vowels at the end of their name?
Wednesday 10 September 2014 09:31, UK
Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for a new season. Read on to find out which player creates the most chances and which side won the most penalties in a season...
Tyler's Teaser
Every week, Martin will set you a question of his own to get your grey matter working. Click above for this week's Tyler's Teaser - which tests your knowledge of Premier League goalscorers.
Send your questions to Martin
1: Email your posers to skysportsclub@bskyb.com
2. Use the feedback form at the bottom of this page.
3. Tweet @SkyFootball using the hashtag #TylersTeasers
Martin’s Starting Stat
On Monday night I commentated on an England game for Sky Sports for the first time since October 2011 against Montenegro. I have been lucky enough to cover England for other channels in the interim, but it was nice to be in Basel in a Sky Sports capacity.
We discovered it was the youngest England competitive team in an away game since Andorra in March 2007. Seven of the starters were under 25 and competitive debuts were given to John Stones and Fabian Delph. Even though Jordan Henderson has played at a European Championship and a World Cup, this was his first qualifying match in an England shirt.
Danny Welbeck became the second answer to the quiz question ‘Which Arsenal player played for England before they played for Arsenal?’ He joins Jeff Blockley, who signed from Coventry but played for England before making his debut for Arsenal. Welbeck celebrated by scoring his first England goals for a year, taking his tally to 10 in 28 caps.
England are now nine games unbeaten against Switzerland, going back to May 1981. This was the first time Switzerland have lost in Basel since England themselves beat them 3-1 in a European Qualifier in September 2010. England qualified top of that group with Switzerland in third.
James Milner won his 50th cap, which is a terrific achievement for a player who set the Under-21 record with 46 caps, during which time he didn’t win a single senior cap. Many people said he would never win a cap and would be remembered as the ultimate under-21 player – so well done Milly!
Third tier cheers
Hi Martin. Thanks for the great article, I really enjoy reading it. After watching MK Dons humiliate Man United I was wondering if that was the biggest ever defeat of a first-tier team by a third tier or lower team in the history of English Cup football? Regards, Brett Hobson
MARTIN SAYS: We asked the boffins at Opta to go through the record books and tell us which third-tier teams have beaten a top-flight team by four goals or more in either the FA Cup or the League Cup.
The Third Division of the Football League has only existed since 1920 and in that time, no top-flight team has lost by more than four goals to a team in the third tier in a domestic cup.
We have seen four other teams suffer four-goal defeats in that time:
23/08/2011: MK Dons won 4-0 away at Norwich in the second round of the League Cup
17/11/1965: Peterborough United won 4-0 at home to Burnley in the quarter-final of the League Cup
22/10/1964: Workington Town won 5-1 away at Blackburn Rovers in a League Cup round three replay
09/01/1960: Southampton won 5-1 away at Manchester City in the third round of the FA Cup
Prior to the third tier coming into place in 1920, we did see teams beat top-tier opposition by more goals, although they were non-league sides at the time.
This includes Stoke City winning 7-1 at home to Burnley in an FA Cup second-round replay in February 1896 –the biggest win for a team from that level against a top-flight team.
Three non-league sides beat top-flight teams by five goals in the FA Cup in this period; Southampton won 6-1 against Middlesbrough in 1906; Arsenal beat Sunderland 5-0 in 1906; and Sheffield Wednesday beat Notts County 5-0 in 1890.
Gunned down to 10
How many players have been sent off for Arsenal since Arsene Wenger's appointment? Paul Cooke
MARTIN SAYS: I can tell you it’s 103 red cards in all competitions in almost exactly 18 years. Since Arsene Wenger was appointed Arsenal manager in October 1996, his side have received 67 Premier League red cards – which is more than any other Premier League team in the same period and almost exactly four per year.
However, they have only had three more red cards than Blackburn Rovers who have played four fewer seasons than Arsenal – that’s 155 fewer matches in the same period. They have had 12 managers in that same period!
Everton, who have had five managers in that period, have also seen 64 players dismissed in that period, while Newcastle United have had 62 red cards despite spending one season outside the top flight in that time.
Most Premier League red cards since Arsene Wenger’s appointment at Arsenal:
1. Arsenal (67)
2. Blackburn / Everton (64)
4. Newcastle (62)
5. Chelsea (55)
6. Tottenham (51)
7. Sunderland (50)
8. West Ham (48)
9. Man City (46)
10. Man Utd / Liverpool (44)
Penalty posers
Hallo Martin. I have to admit that I’m a great admirer of your stats and facts, thank you for this enlightening column. That aside here's a poser I’ve been wondering about for a long time. Which team in the Premier League has won the most number of penalties in a season and which team has won the least. Has any team gone through a whole season without winning a penalty? Has any team gone through a whole season without scoring any of the penalties they've won or not conceding any of the penalties given against them? Best regards, Oliver Gregory
MARTIN SAYS: Good questions. With the help of Opta I can go through your questions in order.
Most penalties won in one Premier League season
You may be surprised to learn that Crystal Palace are the team that have won the most penalties in a single campaign, winning 13 in 2004/05. Andrew Johnson, who has just re-signed for them, benefitted from many of those.
THIRTEEN: Crystal Palace (2004/05)
TWELVE: Blackburn Rovers (1994/95), Arsenal (2006/07), Liverpool (2013/14), Chelsea (2009/10)
ELEVEN: Manchester United (2011/12), Newcastle (1993/94), Tottenham (1993/94), Chelsea (2012/13)
TEN: Newcastle (2003/04), Liverpool (2003/04), Swindon (1993/94), Liverpool (1992/93)
Earned no penalties at all in a Premier League season
At the other end of the scale, we’ve seen seven teams earn no penalties at all in a Premier League campaign. In fact, just two seasons ago both Swansea and Tottenham were not awarded a single spot kick
Swansea City (2012/13)
Tottenham Hotspur (2012/13)
Charlton Athletic (2004/05)
Blackburn Rovers (2003/04)
Southampton (2000/01)
Wimbledon (1998/99)
Queens Park Rangers (1994/95)
Failed to score from any penalties at all in a Premier League season
Apart from the sides above, who were not awarded a spot kick, we have seen a further 13 teams fail to score from a penalty in a Premier League season.
Eight of those sides were only awarded one penalty and failed to convert it – those sides being QPR (1995/96), Liverpool (1996/97), Wimbledon (1996/97), Leeds (1996/97), Tottenham (1997/98), Bolton (2001/02), Derby (2007/08) and Bolton (2008/09)
Bolton failed with BOTH of the penalties they were awarded in 2007/08 – while two teams have missed three out of three penalties in a Premier League season; Crystal Palace in 1992/93 and Charlton in 2001/02.
However, we have seen two teams fail with FOUR OUT OF FOUR penalties in one season. The Arsenal side of 1992/93 and the Leicester team of 1994/95 both failed to convert four spot kicks.
No goals from any penalties against in a Premier League season
To answer your final question, we asked Opta to look at teams who hadn’t let in a penalty goal in an entire Premier League season, despite conceding at least one penalty. Incredibly, Crystal Palace conceded four penalties in the first Premier League season (1992/93) and yet not one of them resulted in a goal. In the same season they failed to score from three spot-kicks – which means there were seven penalties awarded in Palace games that season and none of them were scored.
Pass Masters - Part II
Carrick may have the most passes, but how many of them are under 10 yards and sideways or backwards??? A better stat would be successful passes creating a scoring opportunity! Pompeyhammer
MARTIN SAYS: This question is in relation to last week’s column when I told you that Michael Carrick had completed more successful passes than any other Premier League player since August 2006.
We asked Opta to give us the data for chances created in the Premier League in the same time period and I can tell you that Carrick created 264 chances, which puts him 34th on the overall list.
Steven Gerrard, who has made 11,205 passes and was fourth on that list, is top of this list having created 592 goalscoring opportunities in the last eight seasons. Frank Lampard is second on the list with 567, followed by Stewart Downing with 539.
I make no judgments on the statistics in the column and I understand why the question was asked – but I would say players need to make simple passes, as well as ones that lead to goalscoring chances!
Most chances created in the Premier League since August 2006
Steven Gerrard (592)
Frank Lampard (567)
Stewart Downing (539)
Cesc Fàbregas (476)
Wayne Rooney (466)
Leighton Baines (451)
Mikel Arteta (449)
Ryan Giggs (438)
Ashley Young (434)
Gareth Barry (405)
