Grounds for optimism

United: one point only

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Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back to offer you statistical gems to make your day and impress your mates.

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 here and Martin will do his best to answer.

Or use the feedback form at the bottom of the page....

Tyler's starting stat
Another spot of bother

I was at Craven Cottage with the Super Sunday team to see Newcastle continue an amazing sequence that has now seen them give away six penalties in their first 12 Premier League games. That is only three less than last season's highest of nine spot-kicks against, which was recorded by arch rivals Sunderland! Since the turn of the Millennium the most a Premier League side has given away in one season is 11, the Blackburn side of 2006-07 the holders of the unwanted record. Steven Taylor set the ball rolling with handball against Bolton only for Shay Given to save Kevin Nolan's kick before another handball, this time from Charles N'Zogbia against Arsenal, which saw Robin van Persie convert from the spot. Nicky Butt then gave away the next two, against Hull and Everton, and Marlon King and Yakubu stuck them away before Habib Beye brought down Robinho, was sent off and saw the Brazilian score from the spot in the 2-2 draw with Man City. Fabricio Coloccini's foul on Andy Johnson on Sunday - Danny Murphy scored - brought up the deadly half-dozen. If Newcastle continue to give penalties away at this exact rate, they will smash all records with 19 against them this season!

HARRY'S GAIN
Martin - I am never going to question Harry Redknapp ever again! Four wins and a draw is an unbelievable start. Quite a simple question from me - is it the best ever start by a Spurs manager? Romana Benson
MARTIN SAYS: Well, it might all change in the Carling Cup against Liverpool of course, but after five games in charge, Harry Redknapp has indeed equalled the best-ever start by a Tottenham manager. His record of four wins and one draw from his opening five matches in all competitions is the same as Frank Brettell's 110 years ago when he became Spurs' first-ever manager on March 14, 1898. Coincidentally - and how's this for an uncanny parallel - Brettell resigned as Spurs manager in February 1899 to become Portsmouth's first-ever manager! Brettell was an interesting and influential character in football in the late 19th century, because he was one of the pioneers of Everton Football Club; playing for them and sitting on their committee, before leaving to become a reporter on the Liverpool Mercury. But Brettell wanted to stay involved in football and soon joined Bolton Wanderers as manager-secretary, although he soon left and did his popularity there no good by persuading several players to join him at Spurs! Brettell's wins were split between the Southern League and the United League and included a draw, as does Harry's, against Arsenal, who were then known as Woolwich Arsenal. It was only a 0-0 though! I should also mention, Romana, the man considered Tottenham's greatest-ever manager, Bill Nicholson, because he managed something that even Harry couldn't match. He was offered the job on October 8 1958 before being appointed three days later and then watching his side mark the announcement with a 10-4 win over Everton that very same day! Harry of course, hasn't hit double figures yet, but you wouldn't put it past him, would you?

TREBLES AT THE DOUBLE
Hi Martin, I watched Nicolas Anelka score two and miss a couple more on Sunday afternoon when really he should have got a hat-trick. Had he got three against Blackburn it would have been hat-tricks in back-to-back Premier League games, and it got me wondering, has this ever happened before? Jason Evans
MARTIN SAYS: It has actually happened twice before in Premier League history, even if Nicolas Anelka didn't manage to make it back-to-back match balls at Ewood Park on Sunday. But you do have to go way back through the Premier League record books to find out when it last happened. None of the more recent hat-trick heroes such as Thierry Henry, Michael Owen or even Alan Shearer managed it, although Henry and Shearer did grab two hat-tricks in the space of three games in their pomp. But two Englishman have actually managed it in the early years of the Premier League: Les Ferdinand and Ian Wright. Wright was the last to do it when, in a 5-1 win at Ipswich on March 5, 1993 and a 4-0 away win at Southampton on March 19, he scored three times. Ferdinand's achievement is perhaps a little more special though, because his quickfire hat-tricks not only came in the space of two games, but in just three days! It came in his QPR days over the Easter weekend in the very first Premier League season, 1992-93, starting with three in the 4-3 home win over Nottingham Forest on Easter Saturday and culminating at Goodison Park with another treble in a 5-3 win at Everton on the Monday. An egg-cellent achievement, if you'll pardon the pun!

WORST OF BRITISH
Martin, as we all know, this past week was not very good for the British clubs in the UEFA Champions League, with Manchester United and Celtic drawing, Arsenal drawing, Liverpool drawing, and Chelsea losing. But what I want to know is, has there ever been a round of Champions League matches where no British team has picked up three points?And if so, when was it? Thanks, Joe Verdin
MARTIN SAYS: Well Joe, it certainly wasn't the best week for British sides in the Champions League but it wasn't an entirely new experience seeing all five representatives fail to win a game. Of course the fact that Celtic and Manchester United were playing each other didn't help and the last time this happened there was a battle between two English sides. The answer you are looking for, Joe, is December 6 and 7, 2005, when, in the last game of the group stages, none of the four English sides, or the one Scottish team won. On the Tuesday, Liverpool and Chelsea battled out a goalless draw at Anfield while Rangers tied 1-1 with Internazionale. Then, on the Wednesday, I was at Highbury to see Arsenal draw 0-0 with Ajax - but still go on to reach the final in Paris - while Manchester United were busy being beaten 2-1 in Portugal by Benfica, a defeat that ended their interest in the competition.

LOSING GROUND ON THE REST?
Dear Martin, great column. I'm a Man United fan starting to worry about our title chances after Saturday's defeat at the Emirates. We've now been to Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea and only picked up one point. Is this our worst return ever from our three toughest away games? Also, have we ever picked up maximum points in one season from those three away games. Thanks, Scott
MARTIN SAYS: This season does indeed equal Manchester United's worst return from visits to Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal, Scott. The only other season in Premier League history when United have picked up only one point from those three fixtures was the 2000/01 campaign when, much like this season, they lost at Arsenal and Liverpool and drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. However, if you're looking for omens Scott, Sir Alex Ferguson's side recovered from those disappointments and went on to win the title that season. United have never taken maximum points in the same season from those three fixtures. Their best return is seven points, which they achieved in the 1996-97 season and the 1992-93 season. On both of those occasions they also went on to lift the title.

DEADLY DARREN
Hey Martin. After Bent's double this weekend against Man City and his hat-trick mid-week, I had the thought that Bent, considering his limited appearances last season from the bench and his fine form this season, must have a pretty good goals to minutes played ratio. Just wondering if you could shed some light on this and maybe pull up some comparisons to the likes of Tottenham's recently departed strikers of Berbatov, Keane and Defoe?Martin Allgood, Winchester MARTIN SAYS: Well Martin, I can answer your question, but not exactly how you would want. For a start even I have to rely on the good people at Opta from time to time and they only deal with the Premier League, so Darren Bent's UEFA Cup treble doesn't come into the equation. Also, for the sake of relevancy we will take this season's statistics as well and that doesn't really help Darren, because he has started eight of Tottenham's 12 games and been a sub in the other four! Still he certainly has a better ratio than Jermain Defoe and certainly Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane, who you mention. If we set a cut-off point of five goals though, Bent still makes the top five in terms of minutes per goal. As you can see from the table below, Nicolas Anelka leads the way ahead of Fernando Torres - pre-injury of course - and Ronaldo and Robinho. Then comes Bent who, like Anelka, had a tremendous pre-season in terms of scoring. Anyway, sometimes it's best to let the facts and figures speak for themselves...

GOAL KING COLE
Hi Martin, I am Newcastle fan who has sort of mixed feelings seeing Andy Cole retire. Obviously he was a Toon legend and had a sensational season with us that took us up, but as soon as he jumped ship and went to Man Utd, he didn't stop scoring against us. Can you tell me if he scored more goals against Newcastle than any other Premier League club? Dave McGoohan MARTIN SAYS: Well, it's a fitting question given that Andy Cole has often appeared on these pages on the back of those scoring exploits you ask about, Dave. Andy has of course played for seven Premier League clubs and I can tell you in that time, he has come up against 40 different sides - and scored against all but two of them. He failed to find the net against Swindon Town in two games and in his only appearance against Reading. As for the sides he has scored against, Newcastle have suffered at the feet and head of one of their former favourites as you say, but they are not Cole's favourite top-flight opposition. He has scored 11 goals in 17 outings against the Toon, but has also scored 11 goals against Coventry, Liverpool, Southampton and West Ham. His goals against Coventry came in 14 games, against West Ham and the Saints in 15, and Liverpool in 16, which makes the Sky Blues his favourite opposition with a ratio of 0.78 per game. But, we should also mention Ipswich Town, because Andy scored 10 goals in six games against them at a rate of 1.66 goals a match - although of course, you might remember he scored five in one game against them in March 1995. I would just like to take this opportunity to wish Andy well in whatever he chooses to do next, because he is one of football's nice guys and it's always a pleasure to bump into him when I'm out and about.

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