The angel Gabriel

Martin Tyler is back with some statistical gems on Agbonlahor, Hull, United, Anelka... and erm, custard!

Agbonlahor's achievement, Hull's hope and United's omens

Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is back for the new season and will be here offering you statistical gems for the remainder of the campaign. 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 - Toon take the credit

My season started on Sunday at Old Trafford where Newcastle may not have managed to halt their winless run, but still emerged with a point and a huge amount of credit. They were certainly full value for the draw and in Obafemi Martins, clearly have a man who is up for it from the off. Martins had only managed 108 minutes of pre-season action, yet still got the all-important goal and that after scoring twice in the opening game of last season against Bolton. The lead only lasted 45 seconds though as Darren Fletcher's first league goal for 18 months - he scored two headers in the 4-0 FA Cup win over Arsenal in between - made it 1-1. But Newcastle held on to dispel the myth that they are a side that cannot last the distance, keeping a clean sheet in the second half despite 42 of the 65 they let in last season coming after the break. As for United, it is now two years in a row that they have won the Community Shield on penalties and gone on to draw their opening fixture. GIFT OF THE GAB
Hi Martin, kind of obvious question, but following Gabriel Agbonlahor's hat-trick against City, how many other times has someone scored three on the opening day of the season? Jeff Dumais
MARTIN SAYS: Gabby Agbonlahor's hat-trick was the so-called perfect hat-trick of left foot, right foot header but to be picky Jeff, it was the opening game, rather than the opening day! Still, there can be no better way for a footballer to start the new season but Agbonlahor's treble was by no means the first instance of that happening - although it was the first in 11 years. The last man to do it was our studio guest at Old Trafford on Sunday and my new Sky Sports colleague Dion Dublin, who hit three for Coventry City against Chelsea on the first day of the 1997-98 campaign. There have been four others to do the same, including two on the same day, August 17, 1996, when Fabrizio Ravanelli scored three on his Middlesbrough debut against Liverpool and Kevin Campbell matched the feat as Nottingham Forest beat Coventry. A year before that, another Sky Sports colleague, Matt Le Tissier, hit a treble for Southampton against Forest and in 1993, Mick Quinn became the first player to score a hat-trick on the opening day of a Premier League season when he grabbed all three in Coventry's 3-0 success at Arsenal. THAT'S NEAT, I REALLY LOVE THAT TIGERS' FEAT
Martin. What a win for Hull at the weekend. Come on the super Tigers! That got me thinking, is winning on the opening day a good omen for us? In the history of the Premier League how many promoted teams have won their opening fixture and stayed up? I know Sunderland did it last year. Thanks, Richard Booth (Hull)
MARTIN SAYS: Well, it is good news for Hull fans, including yourself Richard! Having thumbed through the record books with a little help from my trusted team of helpers, I can confirm that every time a newly promoted team has won at home on the opening weekend of the season, they have gone on to avoid relegation. Of the 47 new boys in the Premier League's 16-year history, 10 have won on the opening day and eight of those teams stayed up. The only time that newly-promoted teams have won on the opening day and still got relegated was in 1997-98 when Bolton and Palace both won - and that was the season when all three promoted clubs were relegated (the only time that has happened in Premier League history). To make it simpler, here is a list of Premier League new boys who won on the opening day...

Season	Team	Result	Final position
1994-95	Nottm Forest	Beat Ipswich 1-0 (a)	3rd
1997-98	Bolton	Beat Southampton 1-0 (a)	18th (Relegated)
1997-98	Crystal Palace	Beat Everton 2-1 (a)	20th (Relegated)
1999-00	Bradford City	Beat Middlesbrough 1-0 (a)	17th
2000-01	Charlton Athletic	Beat Man City 4-0 (h)	9th
2001-02	Bolton Wanderers	Beat Leicester 5-0 (a)	16th
2003-04	Portsmouth	Beat Aston Villa 2-1 (h)	13th
2005-06	West Ham	Beat Blackburn 3-1 (h)	9th
2006-07	Reading	Beat Middlesbrough 3-2 (h)	8th
2007-08	Sunderland	Beat Tottenham 1-0 (h)	15th

OPENING-DAY OMENS
Martin, I have to admit I thought United were bankers to beat Newcastle on Sunday, but obviously not. Therefore my question is, how do we usually do on the first game of the season? I would've thought we've won more than we've lost or drawn... Jim Patrick
MARTIN SAYS: Manchester United certainly have won more than half of their 17 Premier League openers and I can tell you, as we mentioned on commentary, that you have to go all the way back to 1972-73 for the first time they lost at home. That was 2-1 to an Ipswich Town side managed by a certain Bobby Robson, when goals from Trevor Whymark and Bryan Hamilton did for the Red Devils. But in the Premier League they have won 10 of their opening weekend fixtures, drawn four and lost three - which of course included their very first Premier League game when two Brian Deane goals sent them tumbling to a 2-1 defeat at Sheffield United. They have since lost to Aston Villa (1995-96) and Chelsea (2004-05) on the first day of the season. But, if it's omens you are looking for Jim, I can tell you that although not entirely surprising given they have won 10 of the 16 titles, on the other three occasions United drew their first games, they went on to win the title! That happened in 1998-99 (drew 2-2 with Leicester), 1999-2000 (drew 1-1 with Everton) and of course last season, when they were held 0-0 at home by Reading, but went on to pip Chelsea to the Premier League crown. THE NIC OF TIME
Martin, my mate reckons that was the first ever goal Nicolas Anelka has scored at Stamford Bridge! He can't be right, surely. There's a pint riding on it... don't let me down. Dominic McCarthy
MARTIN SAYS: Well I don't want to condone gambling or drinking Dominic but neither do I want to see two friends falling out after just one game of the season! So, I am going to have to step in and for you at least, give some bad news. Sunday's goal was indeed Nicolas Anelka's first at Stamford Bridge in what was his 17th appearance at the home of Chelsea, either for the Blues or their opponents. Anelka played their twice for Arsenal, twice for Manchester City and once for Bolton against his current side and failed to hit the target and in 11 Chelsea games last season. I am sure your friend's pint will taste even sweeter now the Frenchman is up and running! NO LANE, NO GAIN
Hi Martin, I don't want to sound like a whingeing Tottenham fan - not yet anyway - but it seems to me as if we are ALWAYS away from home on the opening day of the season, while the other mob get to start at home. I can't remember the last time we kicked off at The Lane? Am I right or has the paranoia set in early? Ian Allan
MARTIN SAYS: I don't know about that Ian, but having sifted through the opening-day fixtures in the Premier League, Spurs fans might well have cause for complaint. Saturday's trip to The Riverside began their 17th season in the league and was in fact, the 13th time they have had to play away first up! As you might expect, the opposite of that is just down the Seven Sisters Road, where Arsenal were at home on the opening day for the 13th time! Of those four home games to start the season Ian, Spurs have won just once, a 3-1 win over Ipswich Town in 2000. They have lost to Manchester United 2-0 in 1997 - actually a Super Sunday game which I remember doing - and drawn the other two home openers with Aston Villa (2001) and Liverpool (2004). As Saturday proved, it is tough to win away in the Premier League and of the 13 opening games, Spurs have won just four - and indeed have only won once on the first day of the season in the last eight years, home or away.BARNES STORMER
Hi Martin, I am a big Liverpool fan, eagerly waiting for Liverpool to start dominating EPL this season. My question is: Who was the top scorer when Liverpool last won the league title and how many goals did he score ? Thanks, Yathen Ganesh
MARTIN SAYS: As you know Yathen, Liverpool are yet to win the Premier League and indeed you have to go all the way back to 1990 for the last time they won the title, under the guise of the First Division, as it was then. Back in that 1989-90 campaign, which brought the last of their record 18 English titles, John Barnes was actually their top scorer. The England winger - who had been the PFA Player of the Year the season before - scored 22 league goals and 28 in all competitions. Barnes' tally was so impressive that he even out-scored Anfield goal machine, Ian Rush, who had to settle for 18 that season. MY MATCHDAYS...
Hi Martin, you as a commentator for Sky Sports must commentate on loads of matches live per season, I obviously could not guess how many you do, I'm interested to know though, what is a day like for you as a commentator, what do you have to do before a game? How long are you at the ground for? Darrell Allen, Norwich
MARTIN SAYS: Not strictly a statistical question but as it's a new season Darrell, I will give you a brief rundown of what I go through for every Sky Sports commentary I do. The build-up really begins as soon as I know what game I am doing with some research. The Sky Sports stats team are a fantastic help - as they often are with this column - but as the match draws closer, I try to sift out what is relevant and what will add to what I call 'the smell of the fixture'. Also as Mr Keys is working from the same information I have to try to find something fresh to say when they do switch to the commentary! Armed with my notes I always make sure I set off for the match in plenty of time. The worst thing a commentator can do is not turn up at all, and although I have spent a lot of time commentating on football matches, I can tell you I have easily spent three times as long waiting for them to begin! For a Super Sunday kick-off at 4pm, I will usually get to the ground between 10.30am and midday which means I usually miss the match traffic. Given the trouble I have even then with the privileges of parking etc, that I get, I can only begin to imagine how difficult it is for you, the fans, to get to matches. At the ground it's important to get some food in and although I don't have a set pre-match meal, I do admit I am partial to a bowl of custard (something to do with my post-war Britain upbringing, I'm sure!). Fully fed I like to be there when the players arrive, chat to them to keep in touch and of course get the very latest team news. Then it is a question of waiting for the teams to be announced an hour before kick-off, in which time I like to catch up with Messrs Gray, Keys and Shreeves, all of whom have been my colleagues on the Premier League coverage from the word go. Then it's up to the commentary box to wait for the handover and the rest is what you see on the TV. If it's a Sky live game, Geoff Shreeves or someone else will usually do the post-match interviews, but I do enjoy that part when I cover a regular game on a Saturday afternoon. It's nice to catch up with the players face-to-face but as soon as that's done I am on my way out of the ground and my mind is already moving on to the next game. Don't forget, if you've got a question for Martin, use the feedback form below or the email link at the top of the page. We need YOUR questions...