Ferguson's fortunes

To mark his 25th anniversary, Martin Tyler brings you stats on Sir Alex's trophies, players and rivals!

Martin brings you Ferguson special to mark his 25 years

Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back! Every week he will be here to offer you statistical gems to make your day, impress your mates and, on occasion, to settle the odd bet. 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. And this week he's answering questions exclusively on the subject of Sir Alex Ferguson, as skysports.com marks his 25 years in charge of Manchester United. If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email skysportsclub@bskyb.com and he will do his best to help.

Tyler's Starting Stat - The best game I've commentated on?

I shall move on to your questions about Sir Alex Ferguson shortly, but I cannot fail to mark Arsenal's 5-3 win at Chelsea at the weekend. When asked about the best game I've ever commentated on, I've always said the 4-3 win by Liverpool over Newcastle in 1996, but this game has become a definite contender and it's a debate for me to mull over. I seem to recall the defending was better in the Liverpool game - and that's a consideration - but this was an amazing feat of attacking. It was a stunning game. Arsenal had gone eight league games without an away win, their last coming on April 10 at Blackpool, which is their worst run in the Premier League era. This was the first time Chelsea have conceded five at home in the Premier League and the first time since Liverpool's 5-2 win there in 1989, a game I also commentated on, albeit from the other side of the ground. I was also present on the only other occasion when Robin van Persie scored a Premier League hat-trick - at Wigan last January, when he also missed a penalty. He has now scored 28 of Arsenal's 53 Premier League goals in 2011 in just 27 appearances. He has 33 in all competitions in the calendar year, plus six for the Netherlands. Theo Walcott scored his fourth goal against Chelsea in eight appearances. His first Arsenal goal was in the League Cup Final against them in 2007, and he also scored against them in an FA Cup semi-final and in his last two league games. Meanwhile, Andre Santos became the third Arsenal left-back to score a Premier League goal against Chelsea - after Sylvinho and Nigel Winterburn - but Chelsea can counter that Wayne Bridge's goal knocked Arsenal out of the Champions League at Highbury in 2004. Chelsea scored their 6,000th league goal through Frank Lampard and became the 31st team to get 6,000 league goals - and the third in London after Arsenal and Tottenham. John Terry scored his fifth goal against Arsenal, having scored his first ever Premier League goal against them at Highbury in January 2001. However, this was the first that wasn't a header.

Ferguson starting stat: Villa spark

One of the things often asked is what is Manchester United's favourite ground apart from Old Trafford - and I always say Villa Park. Not only do they have a strong record against Villa in league and cup, but they are also unbeaten in FA Cup semi-finals at Villa Park under Sir Alex Ferguson. Here is their record on that ground, which reads like a home record! League Record at Villa Park: P24 W12 D9 L3 F32 A19 Cup Record v Villa at Villa Park: P5 W3 D0 L2 F7 A7 Cup record v other teams semi-finals at Villa Park: P7 W5 D2 L0 F13 A5 Overall: P36 W20 D11 L5 F52 A31

FERGIE'S SILVER SEASONS
During Sir Alex Ferguson's 25 years at Manchester United, which is the lowest league position he had attained and what years? And how many times did he go the whole season without any single trophy? Tee Suleiman (Arsenal fan) MARTIN SAYS: Manchester United's lowest league position under Sir Alex Ferguson was the 13th place he achieved in 1989/90. In the Premier League era, his lowest league placing is third (2003/04 and 2004/05). In his 25 years, there are only five seasons in which he has not picked up any silverware at all; his first three seasons and then in 2001/02 and 2004/05. However, in 1994/95 and 1997/98 his only trophy came in the form of the Charity Shield and it's a matter of debate whether that should count, much like the European Super Cup. I don't have a definitive view, so I shall list his achievements and let you judge for yourselves.

Season	League	FA Cup	League Cup	Europe	Other
1986/87	11th	4th Round	3rd Round
1987/88	2nd	5th Round	5th Round
1988/89	11th	6th Round	3rd Round
1989/90	13th	Winners	3rd Round
1990/91	6th	5th Round	Finalists	ECWC Winners	Charity Shield Winners
1991/92	2nd	4th Round	Winners	ECWC 2nd Round Super Cup winners
1992/93	1st	5th Round	3rd Round	UEFA Cup 1st Round
1993/94	1st	Winners	Finalists	CL Second Round	Charity Shield Winners
1994/95	2nd	Finalists	3rd Round	CL Group Stage	Charity Shield Winners
1995/96	1st	Winners	2nd Round	UEFA Cup 1st Round
1996/97	1st	4th Round	4th Round	CL Semi-Finalists	Charity Shield Winners
1997/98	2nd	5th Round	3rd Round	CL Quarter-Finalists	Charity Shield Winners
1998/99	1st	Winners	5th Round	CL Winners	Charity Shield Losers
1999/00	1st	Did not enter	3rd Round	CL Quarter-Finalists Super Cup Losers	Inter-Continental Club Cup Winners Club World Cup group stage Charity Shield Losers
2000/01	1st	4th Round	4th Round	CL Quarter-Finalists	Charity Shield Losers
2001/02	3rd	4th Round	3rd Round	CL Semi-Finalists	Charity Shield Losers
2002/03	1st	5th Round	Finalists	CL Quarter-Finalists
2003/04	3rd	Winners	4th Round	CL Second Round	Charity Shield Winners
2004/05	3rd	Finalists	Semi-Finals	CL Second Round	Charity Shield Losers
2005/06	2nd	5th Round	Winners	CL Group Stage
2006/07	1st	Finalists	4th Round	CL Semi-Finalists
2007/08	1st	6th Round	3rd Round	CL Winners	Charity Shield Losers
2008/09	1st	Semi-Final	Winners	CL Finalists Super Cup Losers	Club World Cup winners Charity Shield Winners
2009/10	2nd	3rd Round	Winners	CL Quarter-Finalists	Charity Shield Losers
2010/11	1st	Semi-Final	5th Round	CL Finalists	Charity Shield Winners

FERGIE'S STAR MEN
Dear Martin. I'd be interested to find out which player has played the most games under Sir Alex and also who has scored the most goals during his 25 years? Laurence Collings (Manchester United fan) MARTIN SAYS: The answer to both questions is the same player - Ryan Giggs. The Welshman has made 885 appearances under Sir Alex Ferguson in all competitions, just under 200 appearances more than the next man on the list, Paul Scholes. He has more appearances than any other player in the history of the club, but needs to start five more games to match Bobby Charlton's record of 756 starts. Here is the top 10, which narrowly excludes John O'Shea who needed just one more appearance to make the top 10! Most Man Utd appearances under Ferguson (all comps): 1. Ryan Giggs (885)
2. Paul Scholes (688)
3. Gary Neville (602)
4. Denis Irwin (529)
5. Roy Keane (480)
6. Brian McClair (471)
7. Gary Pallister (437)
8. Steve Bruce (414)
9. Peter Schmeichel (398)
10. David Beckham (394) In terms of goals, Giggs still leads the way, but Wayne Rooney just needs three more to match his tally of 161: Most Manchester United goals under Ferguson (all competitions): 1. Ryan Giggs (161)
2. Wayne Rooney (158)
3. Paul Scholes (150)
4. Ruud van Nistelrooy (150)
5. Brian McClair (127)
6. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (126)
7. Andy Cole (121)
8. Cristiano Ronaldo (118)
9. Mark Hughes (116)
10. David Beckham (85)

CITY RIVALS
Of all the city managers during Sir Alexs' reign at United, how many have beaten him in a Manchester Derby? Ian Wilkinson (Manchester Utd fan) MARTIN SAYS: He has faced 12 Manchester City managers during his 25 years at the helm and five of those have managed to beat him. Kevin Keegan and Sven-Goran Eriksson both did it twice, while Roberto Mancini has just become the first Man City boss to get the better of him on three occasions in all competitions. Ferguson's record v Man City managers (all competitions): V Jimmy Frizzell: P2 W2 D0 L0 F3 A0 V Mel Machin: P1 W0 D0 L1 F5 A1 V Howard Kendall: P2 W0 D2 L0 F4 A4 V Peter Reid: P5 W2 D3 L0 F5 A3 V Brian Horton: P4 W4 D0 L0 F13 A2 V Alan Ball: P3 W3 D0 L0 F6 A3 V Joe Royle: P2 W1 D1 L0 F2 A1 V Kevin Keegan: P7 W3 D2 L2 F12 A11 V Stuart Pearce: P4 W2 D1 L1 F6 A5 V Sven-Goran Eriksson: P2 W0 D0 L2 F1 A3 V Mark Hughes: P3 W3 D0 L0 F7 A3 V Roberto Mancini: P8 W4 D1 L3 F11 A13

FERGIE'S FAVOURITE FOES
Hi Martin, even though I'm not a United fan, I was interested in knowing which sides he enjoys the most success against, and also, who his team have scored the most goals against. I look forward to reading your column, Bradley Horrocks MARTIN SAYS: Opta have given us some great stats on this. In terms of the most wins (all competitions), it's Tottenham. Most wins for Ferguson during 25 years at Man Utd (number of wins / games played): 1. Tottenham (37/58)
2. Everton (34/54)
3. Aston Villa (34/56)
4. Southampton (29/45)
5. Arsenal (28/68) But in terms of win percentage, if we look at the teams he has played at least 10 times, his favourite opponents are Wigan. Ferguson has won all 13 of his matches against them (all competitions) Highest win% for Ferguson v teams played at least 10 times (number of wins / games played): 1. Wigan (13/13 = 100%)
2. Sheffield United (11/14 = 78.6%)
3. West Brom (10/13 = 76.9%)
4. Charlton (18/24 = 75%)
5. Birmingham (11/15 = 73.3%) As for most goals scored, again Tottenham are the ones to suffer most. Most goals scored by Man Utd during Ferguson's 25 years at Man Utd: 1. Tottenham (101)
2. Arsenal (95)
3. Southampton (94)
4. Chelsea (92)
5. Everton, Newcastle (91) And out of interest, here are the reverse stats - the teams that have enjoyed some success against Ferguson's United: Most defeats for Ferguson during 25 years at Man Utd (number of defeats / games played): 1. Arsenal (21/68)
2. Chelsea (19/66)
3. Liverpool (18/59)
4. Everton (9/54), Man City (9/43) Lowest win% for Ferguson v teams played at least 10 times (number of wins / games played): 1. Chelsea (24/66 = 36.4%)
2. Arsenal (28/68 = 41.2%)
3. Liverpool (27/59 - 45.8%)
4. Sheff Wed (14/28 = 50%)
5. Ipswich (6/12 = 50%) Most goals conceded by Ferguson's teams during 25 years at Man Utd: 1. Chelsea (78)
2. Arsenal (72)
3. Liverpool (69)
4. Tottenham (54)
5. Man City (53)

BOSSING FERGIE
Hi Martin. Your column is the most informative in the football world. Congrats on that. I wanted to know who Sir Alex's toughest Premier League opponent has been in his tenure. Which team and which manager has had the most success against Sir Alex? Patricio in Mozambique MARTIN SAYS: I hope I've already answered your question about the toughest teams. As for the toughest manager, Opta have given us the stats on his record against other managers in the Premier League era (since 1992/93). In that period, there are two men who boast 100% league records over him. One is Sven-Goran Eriksson, who won both Manchester derbies when he was at Manchester City. The other, surprisingly, is Stuart Gray who won his only match against Ferguson as Southampton boss in May 2001. Managers with a win% above 20% against Sir Alex Ferguson in the Premier League:

Manager	P	W	D	L	Win%
Sven-Göran Eriksson	2	2	0	0	100%
Stuart Gray	1	1	0	0	100%
Carlo Ancelotti	4	3	0	1	75%
José Mourinho	6	3	2	1	50%
Bruce Rioch	2	1	0	1	50%
David Merrington	2	1	0	1	50%
Nigel Worthington	2	1	0	1	50%
Steve McClaren	10	4	2	4	40%
John Lyall	5	2	2	1	40%
Gerard Houllier	14	5	3	6	35.7%
Terry Venables	3	1	0	2	33.3%
Arsene Wenger	31	10	8	13	32.3%
Dave Jones	7	2	1	4	28.6%
Rafael Benitez	12	3	1	8	25%
Claudio Ranieri	8	2	4	2	25%
Roberto Mancini	4	1	1	2	25%
Glenn Hoddle	13	3	2	8	23.1%
Bobby Robson	9	2	2	5	22.2%

Opta also tell us that there are 78 Premier League managers to have faced Ferguson in the Premier League and never won a game. Those with the longest runs without a win are: 1. Steve Bruce (0 wins in 16 games)
2. David O'Leary (0 wins in 14 games)
3. John Gregory, Paul Jewell, Walter Smith (0 wins in 8 games)
4. David Pleat, Steve Coppell, Tony Pulis (0 wins in 7 games)

YOUNG GUNS
This year Sir Alex fielded a side I believe against Tottenham which was the second youngest under him. I want to know the youngest side he ever fielded in the Premier League. Sushant Kshirsagar (Manchester Utd fan) MARTIN SAYS: According to Opta the team he fielded against Tottenham this season was the second youngest he has ever fielded in a league game with an average age of 23yrs, 230days: D de Gea, P Evra, J Evans, C Smalling, P Jones, A Young, Anderson, Nani, T Cleverley, W Rooney, D Welbeck However, the youngest team he has ever fielded in a Premier League match was in a 1-0 win against Hull on May 24 2009, just before the 2009 Champions League Final. This team had an average age of 23yrs, 183 days: T Kuszczak, Rafael Da Silva, G Neville, W Brown, R de Laet, Nani, D Fletcher, D Gibson, D Welbeck, L Martin, F Macheda Out of interest, the oldest team he has fielded in a Premier League game was the side he fielded in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea on April 3, 2010, which had an average age of 31years, 111 days: E van der Sar, P Evra, N Vidic, G Neville , R Ferdinand, J-S Park, D Fletcher, L Valencia, R Giggs, P Scholes, D Berbatov

Tyler's teaser

Fill in your answers to Martin's teaser using the feedback form below - and keep those questions coming in! For those of you asking about last week's teaser, the question asked for players who'd scored MORE than 15 goals in one season - so the likes of Chris Armstrong and Mark Robins, who scored exactly 15, do not count.