Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for another season here on skysports.com!
Sky Sports' voice of football and his back-up team of experts are here to answer your questions and queries on all things statistical and historical from the beautiful game.
It could be on a side in the Premier League or Football League, international scene or European competitions - or it could be about an individual player or manager.
If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply Email hereand Martin will do his best to answer.
Tyler's starting stat
There was a certain symmetry to Super Sunday this week as Avram Grant took charge of his first game in charge of Chelsea. Grant was the third successive Blues boss to kick off his reign against Manchester United following Claudio Ranieri (2000) and, of course, Jose Mourinho (2004). Ranieri drew his game at Old Trafford 3-3, Mourinho got his tenure off to a winning start with a 1-0 success at Stamford Bridge, so I suppose Grant's defeat completed the full house. The 2-0 loss was only the Blues' second defeat in 21 Premier League games, the other being the Aston Villa game two weeks ago, but the other side of the coin is they have now only won three in the last 12. Going behind to Carlos Tevez's first United goal was nothing new for Chelsea though, because they have only gone 1-0 ahead in one of their last 13 Premier League games, that being the 1-0 home win over Portsmouth earlier this season. Finally, just to outline what Avram Grant was without on Sunday, Chelsea scored 215 Premier League goals under the 'Special One', with 86 of them coming from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba - which is a whopping 40 per cent.
Gunners on the run
Martin - simple question. Is this Arsenal's best start to a Premier League season? I can only imagine it has been bettered by the Invincibles season in 2003-04. Clare Wilson
MARTIN SAYS: Well Claire, it has been an impressive start from Arsene Wenger's side yet as you suggest it is not their outright best start to a Premier League campaign. But at the same time, you are wrong to think that came in that famous Invincibles season of 2003-04 because it was indeed the season afterwards. As you probably know, the Gunners have amassed 16 points from their first six games, which is the same amount they accrued in 2004-05. Back then, they won their first five games against Everton (4-1), Middlesbrough (5-3), Blackburn (3-0), Norwich (4-1) and Fulham (3-0) before drawing 2-2 with Bolton. That unbeaten start continued for three more games before the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United, which brought to an end that incredible unbeaten run of 49 games that will surely live in the record books for a long time. So Claire, they might be clear at the top of the table right now, but this Arsenal side are not peerless when it comes to their own predecessors!
Marching on
Martin, I am a Leeds fan trying desperately not to get carried away with our start to the season, but after our magnificent seven in a row me and my mates were wondering what is the most successive wins at the start of a season. Jed Hyman
MARTIN SAYS: Like Arsenal, Leeds have made a very good start to the season but like Arsenal it is by no means a record, Jed. The all-time honour still belongs to the Reading side of 1985-86 who, under Ian Branfoot, won their first 13 matches of the Division Three - or League One as it is now - season. The Royals, unsurprisingly, went on to win promotion that season, although if I remember rightly, it was overshadowed by Manchester United in the First Division. Ron Atkinson's side started the campaign with 10 straight wins, before drawing 1-1 with Luton at Kenilworth Road. Just as a word of warning to any Leeds fans getting carried away with their start, United ended up fourth that season! The top flight record is 11 straight wins, from the Spurs double-winning side of 1960-61 - a feat which Kevin Keegan's Newcastle side of 1992-93 matched in what was the 'new First Division' - the first season of the Premier League. As for Leeds Jed, I am sure you're aware this is their best start to a season since 1973-74 when, under Don Revie they won their first seven and indeed went on to win the league title. Which is a good omen if you are a long-suffering fan of the Elland Road outfit!
Goals galore
Martin, which European club has the highest aggregate score, and against whom, in the history of the Champions League? Jim Hutchinson
MARTIN SAYS: Well Jim, if you are looking for the highest aggregate win in the Champions League, that honour goes to perennial contenders Lyon, who in the 2004-05 season racked up an impressive 10-2 win over Werder Bremen. They won the first leg of their first knockout phase game at the Weserstadion 3-0, with goals from Sylvain Wiltord, Mahammadou Diarra and Juninho before following it up with a 7-2 win in the home leg at Stade Gerland. Wiltord led the way again with a hat-trick, Michael Essien got two, another Chelsea player, Florent Malouda netted one and Jérémy Berthod added a penalty. That gives a total of 12 goals over the two games and a winning margin of eight, which remains a record. The second highest is 11 goals in two legs, which has been seen three times, all involving English clubs. In 2002-03 Real Madrid beat Manchester United 6-5 on aggregate, in a tie that saw Ronaldo's memorable hat-trick at Old Trafford, two years later, Chelsea knocked Bayern Munich out of the quarter-finals 6-5 on aggregate and of course, last year at the same stage Manchester United thumped AS Roma 7-1 at home which, paired with a 2-1 defeat in the Olympic Stadium, gave them an 8-3 aggregate win.
Scraping through and missing out
Martin, I would like to know what the lowest number of points to qualify from the group stages is? I have a feeling it's Rangers with seven but unsure? Also what is the highest number of points not to progress to the last 16? I have no idea on this one. Danny McKenzie
MARTIN SAYS: Well Danny, it's difficult because down the years the Champions League has chopped and change the format to get where we are now, but given they have always had four-team groups, I think we can come up with an answer for you. Rangers' total of seven points is a record, shared with Liverpool (2001-02), Lokomotiv Moscow (2002-03) and Werder Bremen (2005-06), but before that in 1994-95 AC Milan actually progressed through the first group stage with just five points. The Rossoneri had actually picked up seven points from their group games, but UEFA took two points off them for crowd trouble in their clash with Salzburg, which meant they ended up with five - but still progressed. As for the highest number of points not to make it past the group stages, that is again split because of the differing format. However, whatever the structure you have to have some sympathy for Paris St Germain who, back in the 1997-98 competition were knocked out of the group stage despite picking up 12 points. Back then, there were six groups and the winners plus two best runners-up moved into the quarter-finals. PSG finished behind Bayern Munich in Group E, but due to inferior goal difference were deemed the third best runners-up behind Juventus, who also finished second in their group, but went through. More recently, 10 points is the highest, with PSV Eindhoven (2003-04), Olympiacos (2004-05), Dynamo Kiev (2005-06) and Werder Bremen (2006-07) all reaching double figures, but not the next phase. You might well remember Olympiacos, because they finished behind Liverpool on goal difference thanks to that memorable night at Anfield when Steven Gerrard scored that "beauty" in Andy Gray's words, to sneak the Reds through - and of course, on to much bigger and better things come Istanbul in May.
Multiple choice
Martin, I see Louis Saha ignored what we are led to believe is a French tradition and took the penalty after being fouled. This got me thinking - which side has had the most penalty takers this season please Martin? Marlene Andrews
MARTIN SAYS: I am not sure it is exactly a French tradition Marlene, but certainly something that has happened at Arsenal since, I believe, Thierry Henry introduced it. Of course, players being fouled and NOT taking penalties has led to a lot more players stepping up but one side has seen more penalty takes than the Gunners this season and last, in the Premier League. That side is Wigan Athletic, who last season had five different takers, the same as Arsenal throughout the 200607 campaign. Those men were Leighton Baines, Henri Camara, Denny Landzaat, Svetislav Todorov and of course on the final day of the season at Sheffield United, David Unsworth. They all took one each, compared to the Arsenal quintet who took 12 between them. So far this season the Latics have had three penalties awarded and again three different men have taken them, Jason Koumas, Antoine Sibierski and Landzaat. Again, that is the highest number out of all 20 clubs.
Two managers, one goal
In light of events at Chelsea last week, do you know if a team ever changed their manager mid-season and gone on to win the league title? Nick Dunne
MARTIN SAYS: What a good question Nick, and one that has had me scratching my head frantically. Of course it is impossible to look back at every season and every managerial change down the seasons, but I do know that way back in 1934, the great Herbert Chapman passed away suddenly in January, forcing Arsenal to name a new manager. Joe Shaw was named caretaker boss and kept the Gunners top of the table to record their third straight league title. But the following summer, he was replaced by George Allison as manager, so whether that counts or not, I don't know! I do remember Bobby Williamson taking over from Paul Sturrock at Plymouth on April 20, 2004 and in his first match in charge, securing promotion and the Division Two title, but other than that I am going to throw this open to the stat-mad public out there. So if you know of a team that have changed managers mid-season and gone on to win the league, then mail in here and we will print any correct calls next week.
Comments (1)
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Halldor Kristjansson (Arsenal fan) says...
Hi there Martin. Concerning the Champions League scores, I seem to remember Monaco having beaten Deportivo La Coruna 8-3 in a single game in the Group Stages of the 2003-2004 season. Dado Prso scored four goals. Monaco went on to the Final that season and ironically Deportovio didn't do too poorly themselves, making it to the semifinals where the lost out on a single goal to eventual champions Porto, having already dismissed of European Champions Milan in the quarter finals with an icredible 4-0 comeback win after losing the first leg 4-1.
Posted 13:41 26th September 2007
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