Up for the Cup - Tyler

Martin Tyler trawls through the record books to reveal the FA Cup's top scorers.

The Sky Sports football team - led by commentator Martin Tyler and his first-class back-up crew of researchers and statisticians - pride themselves on being the best in the business.

This is your chance to use some of our expertise! Every Monday Martin will be on hand to answer your statistical posers and put the record straight where required.

You can e-mail us with any statistical questions - and we will do our best to publish the answers on the website.

E-mail Martin here with a question

UP FOR THE CUP
Hi Martin, my name is Hassanali from Mombasa, Kenya. Got three questions for you. Who is the manager to have won the most FA Cup ties in history and also who is currently the most successful manager in the FA cup in terms of matches won. Is it Ferguson? Thirdly, who is the FA cup all time leading scorer and is any of the current crop of strikers anywhere near him? Tameem M Hassanali
Okay Tameem, let's start with the all-time leading goal scorer. That is Henry "Harry" Cursham, who played for Notts County 1877-88. Cursham scored 49 FA Cup goals, 48 in the competition proper and one in the fourth qualifying round. More recently Ian Rush scored 44 goals in a career spanning from 1979-1998. Rush netted 39 for Liverpool, four for Chester and one for Newcastle. Manchester United legend Denis Law scored 41 goals - three for Huddersfield, four for Manchester City and 34 for Manchester United - in his illustrious career, but that tally should have been higher. On January 28, 1961, Law scored six goals against Luton in the fourth round of the Cup but the match was abandoned after 62 minutes, due to a waterlogged pitch. As the match was not finished the goals were wiped from the record book. Managers tend to be judged by trophies and appearances in finals and the man who has reached more of those than anyone else is - as you suggested - Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson has won five cup finals in 1990, 94, 96, 99 and 2004 and lost to Everton in 1995. Frank Watt of Newcastle also reached six finals, but he wasn't nearly as successful at Sir Alex in the season's climax. Watt's Newcastle lost in 1905, 06, 08 and 11 and won in 1910 and 1924.

FIXTURE PILE-UP
Managers are always complaining that they have to play too many games now, is it true? When Liverpool won the European Cup in 80/81 or 83/84 how many games did they play that season and how many players were used? I don't remember the squad of players being so big back then. Andrew Martin
What a good question, Andrew. In 1980/81 Liverpool played 42 league games and used 23 players. That season they also played in the Charity Shield, two FA Cup ties, nine League Cup ties (on the way to winning it) and nine European Cup matches, making a grand total of 63 matches. However, the figures for the 1983/84 season are really quite incredible. In their 42 league games they only used 15 players. They also play two FA Cup matches, 13 League Cup matches, including the final, nine European Cup ties and the Charity Shield, making a grand total of 67 matches.

NAME THAT TEAM
I've been looking everywhere on the net for the answer to this, but I don't know why I just didn't ask you in the first place. Where I can I find a list of players (including subs) and stats from a particular game? Specifically, I'm interested in the Chelsea v Liverpool game from 4th May 1991.  I believe the game ended 4-2 to Chelsea.  I have an old photo of the game and am trying to put names to faces. Paul Russell
I'm always happy to help, Paul, and I can remember this particular game because I did the commentary on it! If my memory serves me right it was Graeme Souness's first defeat as Liverpool manager. To give you a little feel for the game; Kerry Dixon put Chelsea ahead on six minutes, Dennis Wise added to the tally from the penalty spot on 31 minutes, David Speedie cut the deficit to one on 63 minutes before substitute Ronny Rosenthal equally for Liverpool on 73 minutes before Dixon (76) and Gordon Durie (87) won the game for the Blues.
To help you put some names to the faces, here are the team sheets:

Chelsea: Dave Beasant, Steve Clarke (currently assistant boss), Tony Dorigo, Andy Townsend, Jason Cundy, Ken Monkou, Graham Stewart Alan Dickens, Kerry Dixon, Gordo Drury and Dennis Wise. Subs used: Kevin Wilson

Liverpool: Bruce Grobbelaar, Gary Gillespie, David Burrows, Steve Nicol, Jan Molby, Steve Staunton, Peter Beardsley, Ray Houghton, Ian Rush, John Barnes and David Speedie. Subs used: Ronny Rosenthal and Jimmy Carter.

PREMIERSHIP GOAL GETTERS
Hey Martin, I was having an argument with my friend regarding the team who has scored the most goals over the 38 fixtures of the Premiership. I know Liverpool conceded the least (16) but can you tell me which team has scored the most number of goals in a single season? Anoop Deshpande, Pune, India
First things first, Anoop, Arsenal have conceded the least goals in a Premiership season, when they let in just 17 in the 1998/99 season. Liverpool hold the top flight record, as they only conceded 16 goals in the old First Division back in 1978/79. As for the most goals scored, that honour goes to Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson's men scored 97 goals on route to winning the league by a landslide in 99/00.

SEVENTH HEAVEN FOR AJ
Watching AJ score another penalty on Monday for Crystal Palace makes me wonder how many penalties he has scored this season, and what is the most penalties any one player has scored in a Premiership season. I know you're the man for the job. Ketul Popat 
Andy Johnson's spot kick at Highbury was his seventh conversion from nine penalties this season. By coincidence, I was commentating on the Portsmouth clash, when Shaka Hislop saved his spot-kick, and the Charlton match, when Dean Kiely thwarted him. The top division penalty scoring record belongs to Francis Lee, who, incidentally, I bumped into at the Manchester derby and he is still in good health and good humour. In the 1971/72 season Lee scored 13 out of 13. More recently Graham Roberts scored 12 goals from the spot for Chelsea when they finished old Second Division champions in 1988/98.