108. The Mr Men character Mr Rush was based in every way on Ian Rush. When the Liverpool striker signed for Juventus, the minor British cartoon character-shaped void in the Liverpool dressing room was swiftly filled by Gary Gillespie, whose looks and personality formed the basis for Morph's plasticine pal Gillespie
― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 12:49 (sixteen years ago) link
109. Eamonn Dunphy's famous claim that he wouldn't let Steve Staunton "drive the train to Cork" was a sly dig at the Ireland coach for not returning Dunphy's copy of Microsoft Train Simulator. Dunphy's favourite MTS route is the Hitatsu Line.
― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 12:50 (sixteen years ago) link
110. AC Milan striker Pato takes his name from his favourite ILX poster, King Boy Pato, and actually celebrates every goal in tribute to the former Esteban Buttez by either saying "mah niggah", mentioning some early 80s Manchester bands, or being ignored.
― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 12:54 (sixteen years ago) link
111. Fabio Capello ed il suo delegato Grooverider hanno imparato parlare inglese fluente sopra l'ultimo mese
― Thomas, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 12:55 (sixteen years ago) link
112. Due to a spelling error, the captain of England's first team under Fabio Capello with be Zesh Rehman.
― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 12:56 (sixteen years ago) link
113. Fabio Capello was disgusted to discover during his first training session with England that Chris Kirkland was the only member of the squad capable of doing press-ups properly, leading him to exclaim "Look at those cunts. The fuck are they doing on their knees?". In order to avoid offence, his translator told the press that Capello had in fact been taken aback by the size of Micah Richards' shoulders.
― William Bloody Swygart, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 12:58 (sixteen years ago) link
94. Ruud Gullit inserted his erect penis into a football live during coverage of World Cup '98 with slightly embarrassing results.
114. This incident was recreated by Ian Wright as part of a never-screened ad for his recent 'bloopers' DVD, 'It Really Shouldn't Happen To A Footballer'
― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 13:00 (sixteen years ago) link
115. Southampton's St Mary's Stadium had originally been planned to be built on a purpose built "soccer rig" five miles off the south coast of the Isle of Wight for tax purposes. The plan was abandoned in favour of signing Lee Todd from Stockport County.
― William Bloody Swygart, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 13:07 (sixteen years ago) link
116. In 1975, to attract younger fans who would more likely to be getting their news fix at 5.00 in the afternoon, the board at Fulham decided to change the name of their ground from Bosanquet Cottage to Craven Cottage.
― Grandpont Genie, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 13:17 (sixteen years ago) link
117. Willie 'Prince' Albert is not only the oldest professional footballer currently in the game in England, he is also the only man to have scored in every FA Cup final.
― Roberto Spiralli, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 13:24 (sixteen years ago) link
118. The white horse of White Horse Final (1923) wasn't white at all, but green.
― Grandpont Genie, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 13:29 (sixteen years ago) link
119. Paolo Maldini attempted to sue singer Scott Walker in 1997 after becoming convinced that the song "Farmer in the City" was a disguised accusation regarding Maldini and an illegitimate son. Maldini dropped the case when Walker personally assured him that the song - and indeed the entirety of 1995's Tilt - was in fact an elaborate criticism of Matt Le Tissier's refusal to leave Southampton for a bigger club.
― That mong guy that's shit, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 13:57 (sixteen years ago) link
120. Former WWF favourite Fred "Tugboat" Ottman is a huge soccerball fan, and can now be found writing about his adopted favourite sport for the Times under the pen name Martin Samuel.
― That mong guy that's shit, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 14:23 (sixteen years ago) link
In the early 90s, the nascent J-League had its own version of sport prankster Karl 'Fat Neck' Power in the shape of Merzbow, who can be seen playfully tweaking Gary Lineker's nipple in the 1993-94 Grampus Eight team photo
― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 14:27 (sixteen years ago) link
122. As Chris Waddle lined up a free kick in Spurs' fixture against Oxford United in the 1986-87 season, all but one floodlight in the ground was dimmed - the remaining light focusing on one spectator, who had stood idly by as Waddle's best friend drowned some years back. The shot ended up an easy save for Oxford's keeper, but Chrissy was still satisfied to have made his point
― DJ Mencap, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 15:10 (sixteen years ago) link
1. Claudia Caniggia doesn't sweat.
123. That wasn't a typo.
― That mong guy that's shit, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 13:21 (sixteen years ago) link
124. Banksy is actually Gordon Banks's son.
― Dom Passantino, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 13:23 (sixteen years ago) link
125. Paul McGrath denies all knowledge of his man-of-the-match performance against Italy at USA '94, angrily insisting to this day that he spent the entire group stages of the tournament drunkenly heckling children at a swimming pool in Roscommon.
― That mong guy that's shit, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 13:24 (sixteen years ago) link
126. The Norwegian commentator of "your boys took a hell of a beating tonight" fame had a preprepared list of famous Englishmen written for him by Norway's most enthusiastic young Anglophile, Geir Hongro
― DJ Mencap, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 14:05 (sixteen years ago) link
127. George Best is the only football player in history who is known by both The Lex and Tuomas.
― ken c, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 14:22 (sixteen years ago) link
128. 'Fistful of Love' by Anthony and the Johnsons is the song his local MLS team Red Bull New York run onto the pitch to.
― Billy Dods, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 14:40 (sixteen years ago) link
129. In the 1927-28 season, notorious for its particularly harsh and disruptive winter, Plymouth FC were the runaway champions of the First Division. Experts have since credited the team's domination that year to its decision to play in sweaters during the colder months, the pattern of which was incorporated into the team's name following a fan vote on the 50th anniversary of that championship, their last major trophy.
― Roberto Spiralli, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 14:42 (sixteen years ago) link
130. Ron Atkinson's original nickname for Cyrille Regis, Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson was Peter, Paul & Mary.
― William Bloody Swygart, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 15:33 (sixteen years ago) link
131. When the Football League was rebranded in 2004, the original names for what became Leagues One and Two were to have been Joy Division and Scarlet Division. However, at the last minute these names were changed on grounds of taste, after it was pointed out that Scarlet Division was also the name of Jamie Oliver's group.
― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 6 February 2008 16:36 (sixteen years ago) link
132. Yordan Letchkov invented the USB Flash Drive.
― That mong guy that's shit, Thursday, 7 February 2008 10:25 (sixteen years ago) link
danny invincibile's autobiography was adapted for the film 'accidental hero' starring dustin hoffman and andy garcia.
― or something, Thursday, 7 February 2008 11:27 (sixteen years ago) link
^^^^^ 133. sorry.
― or something, Thursday, 7 February 2008 11:29 (sixteen years ago) link
134. David Ginola is (or was, I guess) an anagram for VAGINA DILDO.
― S-, Thursday, 7 February 2008 12:52 (sixteen years ago) link
135. The Premier League is considering expanding the league season to 39 games so that an additional ten games can be played abroad, with the extra fixture being determined by a draw, seeded so as to avoid the top five having to play each other.
― That mong guy that's shit, Thursday, 7 February 2008 12:54 (sixteen years ago) link
136. Oh shi-
137. While matches may be played earlier, the Major League Soccer season only officially commences with the first game in which Claudio Reyna injures himself and is replaced before halftime.
― Dickerson Pike, Thursday, 7 February 2008 23:33 (sixteen years ago) link
(127: are you sure it's false Ken?)
138. I am Takayuki Suzuki.
― anatol_merklich, Thursday, 7 February 2008 23:39 (sixteen years ago) link
103. Thanks to US ringtone sensation Soulja Boy, the hot new slang amongst American teens is "Paul Jewell that ho", an act involving taking a girl out to a pleasant meal at Pizza Express.
-- Dom Passantino, Tuesday, February 5, 2008 1:36 PM (1 month ago) Bookmark Link
Prophetic!
― StanM, Tuesday, 25 March 2008 06:33 (sixteen years ago) link
This doesn't actually mention Pizza Express though.
― StanM, Tuesday, 25 March 2008 06:38 (sixteen years ago) link
How DID Dom know about Paul Jewell and that ho? Still wondering.
― StanM, Monday, 31 March 2008 14:17 (sixteen years ago) link
I... have no idea.
― Dom Passantino, Monday, 31 March 2008 14:17 (sixteen years ago) link
28. The Brazillian version of Deal Or No Deal is hosted by Cafu wearing a sailor's outfit.
-- Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 5 February 2008 11:33 (3 months ago) Bookmark Link
This is really, really funny
― MPx4A, Monday, 12 May 2008 15:37 (sixteen years ago) link
139. Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't actually chew gum through matches but psychoactive plant qat. Explaining why he thought Wes Brown's worth 50 grand a week.
― Billy Dods, Monday, 12 May 2008 16:05 (sixteen years ago) link
140. A Guy Called Gerald's 'Voodoo Ray' was inspired by Butch Wilkins antics in the Man Utd dressing room where he would stick pins into dolls of opponents (and sometimes, just for laughs, Arnold Muhren) before games.
― blueski, Monday, 12 May 2008 16:14 (sixteen years ago) link
141. Michael Ballack's aunt was a wasp.
― darraghmac, Monday, 12 May 2008 16:47 (sixteen years ago) link
142. 0.07% of phone calls to Pierluigi Collina actually go through to Stan Collymore due to alphabetical proximity and clumsy thumbs.
― Madchen, Monday, 12 May 2008 16:48 (sixteen years ago) link
143. Pierluigi Collina does not have Stan Collymore's phone number, despite repeatedley being offered to swap by the doe eyed former nottingham Forest star at a plumbing trade exhibition in doncaster in 1997.
― darraghmac, Monday, 12 May 2008 16:52 (sixteen years ago) link
144. Costa Rica's 1990 World Cup song, "Passes and Molasses", was written by Guru Josh.
― Noodle Vague, Monday, 12 May 2008 16:57 (sixteen years ago) link
isn't that true? or am i thinking of the remix by scooter?
SCOOOTER BACK IN COSTA RICA
― darraghmac, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:00 (sixteen years ago) link
145. England are 3/1 favourites to win Euro 2008
― Roberto Spiralli, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:53 (sixteen years ago) link
146. Hollywood icon Danny Glover was loosely based on Paul Mariner
― Roberto Spiralli, Monday, 12 May 2008 17:55 (sixteen years ago) link
147. With their domestic league suspended, Bulgarian club Lokomotiv Plovdiv spent the second world war transporting Eastern European Jews to extermination camps.
― Roberto Spiralli, Monday, 12 May 2008 18:01 (sixteen years ago) link
148. 1967 European Footballer of the Year Florian Albert first hypothesized the supercontinent Pangea in a half-time conversation with Wycombe Wanderers mascot Bodger
Albert: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2a/LeTrotskyDB.jpg/350px-LeTrotskyDB.jpg
Bodger: http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/do_that/2004/02/wycombe_pancakes/pic_04.jpg
Pangea: http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/Images/Glossary/Pangea.png
― Roberto Spiralli, Monday, 12 May 2008 18:08 (sixteen years ago) link
149. The famous Manchester United haven't been to Rome to see the Pope since 1998, when manager Alex Ferguson was ordained as a minister in the Reverend Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church.
― Noodle Vague, Monday, 12 May 2008 18:09 (sixteen years ago) link
150. Jurgen Klinsmann made a little-known comeback under a false name in 2003. He appeared for the mighty Orange County Blue Star in the American Premier Development League as the mysterious hobo striker "Jay Goppingen". He scored five goals in eight matches with the club, before leaving professional football and disappearing forever.
― Ismael Klata, Monday, 12 May 2008 18:38 (sixteen years ago) link