Fab's flying start

Fabio Capello is off to a winning start so Martin Tyler celebrates by answering all your England questions.

Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for 2008 and will be here offering you statistical gems for the remainder of the season. 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.

Tyler's Starting Stat:
Gaps between caps

I was at Wembley on Wednesday night to see Fabio Capello start a new era as England manager, yet it was really a night of comebacks. Both David James and Jermaine Jenas were making their first international starts in almost three years and the 2005 friendly with Colombia. Matthew Upson was making his first start since November 2003 against Denmark and in fact he hadn't played for England at all since November 2004 when he came on as a substitute against Spain. Surprisingly Wayne Rooney was only making his third appearance, thanks to injuries and suspensions, in the last 10 England games and it was Owen Hargreaves' first cap in 11 months. At the other end of the scale, Joe Cole was making his 10th successive England start and of course, new boy David Bentley his first. FAIL OF THE CENTURY
Martin, I can't believe David Beckham is going to be stranded on 99 caps. But it got me wondering - have any other England players fallen agonisingly short of the three-figure mark? James Walker MARTIN SAYS: Well James, you have to remember than in years gone by England played fewer internationals so it was considered a real feat to reach 50 caps, never mind 100! And given that only four players have ever made it to the three-figure mark, it is not surprising to find that only one player has been officially stranded in the 90's. That player was another famous England number seven and captain, Bryan Robson, who finished with 90 caps. His 11-year career, which yielded 26 goals, ended on October 16th 1991 in a 1-0 European Championship qualifying win over Turkey. Of the other England players to even come close to the three-figure mark, Robson's former team-mates Kenny Sansom (86) and Ray Wilkins (84) come next. Of course, there is no reason why David Beckham won't win his 100th cap in the near future, while we can also expect Michael Owen, at 28, to add to his 88 caps. FIRST CAP AS MANAGER
Martin, I know they were going on about it in one of the newspapers yesterday, but could you tell me how the other England managers have done in their opening games compared to Capello, now that he's won? Edward Silkington. MARTIN SAYS: For this I am only going to consider managers who were considered 'permanent' fixtures in charge of the national side and not the various caretakers we have had down the years such as Joe Mercer, Howard Wilkinson and Peter Taylor. That leaves us with 11 predecessors to Fabio Capello Edward and of those 11, only three failed to win their first game in charge - and amazingly those three turned out to be three of the four longest-serving managers the national side has seen. Sir Alf Ramsey famously lost his opening game against France 5-2 (and is alleged to have approached his skipper Jimmy Armfield afterwards and ask "Do we always play like this"!); Sir Bobby Robson began his reign with a 2-2 draw with Denmark and Ron Greenwood also started against Swizterland at Wembley, but could not match Capello and was forced to settle for a 0-0 draw. A little more recently, the new manager fell short of previous first-game results of the last four managers. Steve McClaren arrived with a 4-0 success over Greece, Sven Goran Eriksson with that 3-0 win over Spain, Kevin Keegan with a 3-1 success over Poland and Glenn Hoddle with a 3-0 victory over Moldova. Before that both Terry Venables and Graham Taylor opened up with 1-0 wins over Denmark and Hungary respectively. The best first result still belongs to England's longest serving manager of all-time, Walter Winterbottom, whose 139-game reign began with a 7-2 thumping of Northern Ireland in the 1946 Home Internationals, the first game back after the Second World War. OLDEN GOALIES
I see David James is 37 and back as England's number one. But is he the oldest keeper to have played for England - do you have any stats on old number ones? Mick Aldon MARTIN SAYS: Well Mick, goalkeepers are usually the last players to call it a day so it is not unusual for them to be the oldest in any given team, but even at 37 years and 189 days, David James is not England's oldest number one. That honour belongs to record cap holder Peter Shilton, who made the last of his 125 appearances at the ripe old age of 40 years and 292 days. Next comes David Seaman, who won 75 caps and finally called it a day aged 39 years and 27 days. Then comes James in third place, with pre-war keepers Edward (Ted) Hufton, at 36 years and 171 days, and Sam Hardy, at 36 years and 228 days, completing the top five oldest goalies for England. GAPS BETWEEN CAPS (PART TWO)
Matthew Upson was recalled to the England side after more than three years away. I can't think of anybody who has had to wait that long for another cap? Who holds the record for time between two England appearances please Martin? Bob Shepherd. MARTIN SAYS: As I mentioned in my Starting Stat and you rightly point out, Fabio Capello's selection did have us thumbing back through the record books to find the length of time between, among others, Matthew Upson's England appearances. But, at just over four years the West Ham man is nowhere near the record held for gaps between caps. That belongs to former Liverpool winger Ian Callaghan who was left out in the cold for a staggering 11 years and 59 days. Cally, as he is widely known, actually played in the 1966 World Cup finals for England but after helping them to a 2-0 win over France, never made an England side again until 1977 and Ron Greenwood's first game in charge! Of course, the advent of war often left players waiting for their next game, none more so than Andy Ducat. The Woolwich Arsenal man played in the defeat by Scotland in April 1910, but did not pull on an England shirt again until March 1920, a gap of nine years and 347 days. Ducat was also one of the few double internationals as well having made one Test match appearance for England in 1921 - although sadly he never won a second cricketing cap. Third in the list of long waits is Raich Carter, who went nine years and 164 days between caps, although like Ducat, war played a part in that too. In fact, Carter scored in the first minute of England's first international after the Second World War! JERMAIN'S YOUR MAN
Martin, I was delighted to see JJ get his first England goal last night as he is much improved under Juande Ramos this season, but who was the last Spurs player to score for England? Dan Lee. MARTIN SAYS: Well I know he has only just left Tottenham Dan, but I think you might kick yourself when you discover you have left out Jermain Defoe! Portsmouth's latest recruit was the last Spurs player before Jermaine Jenas to net for England, doing so on September 2nd 2006 with two goals in the 5-0 European Championship qualifying win over Andorra. Before that, it was current Spurs skipper Ledley King, who was on target in the 1-1 draw with Portugal in February 2004. Then you are looking at Teddy Sheringham's last England goal, which was in that famous 2-2 draw with Greece that took England to the 2002 World Cup finals. Of course, former Spurs players such as Peter Crouch and Nick Barmby have gone on to score for England since then, as has Sol Campbell. Although if you are a Spurs fan Dan you might not like me to point out that in 40 England appearances as a Spurs player, he failed to score and his only goal came as an Arsenal player against Sweden in the 2002 World Cup finals!

RIO'S TRIO
Martin, me and my mate were trying to work out if anyone started Eriksson's first game in charge, McClaren's first game in charge and now Capello's first game in charge? The only possible one we can think of is Rio or maybe Stevie G? Vishal Sharma. MARTIN SAYS: What a good question Vishal! I can start by telling you that Fabio Capello's eight changes were more than either Steve McClaren (three) or Sven Goran Eriksson (six) made in their first games. Of those changes only one man has remained constant throughout and as you suspect, it is indeed Rio Ferdinand. He is the only player to have played the first game under the last three England managers and one of four who even managed to make the starting line-up in two of the games in question. David James, recalled by Capello, also played in Sven's first game in charge back in 2001, while skipper on Wednesday night, Steven Gerrard, and Ashley Cole, also featured in McClaren's first game in charge, and Capello's - but not Eriksson's. It's confusing I know, but suffice to say, Rio is indeed your man!