Martin Tyler on Ryan Giggs in the 100 club, Man City's draws, Arsenal's defence and the best passers.
Test your knowledge with Tyler's teaser...
Martin Tyler's stats and facts column is here!
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.
If you have spotted something from a game or have been stumped by a pub quiz question, simply email here and he will do his best to help.
Tyler's starting stat - Reds' derby delight
Liverpool won't want Everton to move from Goodison Park because they seem to enjoy playing there. The Reds have won eight of their last 10 league games there and have now won 31 times in the league at Goodison Park
Liverpool's overall league record in Merseyside derbies is
P181 W69 D56 L56. Bizarrely, in those 181 games, there have only been 71 home wins - with 54 away wins and 56 draws. In all competitions, Liverpool's Merseyside derby record now reads
P212 W83 D64 L65.
In the Premier League, Liverpool have now only lost two of their last 20 against their local neighbours. The Reds' Premier League record reads
P35 W15 D12 L8 - and the bad news for Everton fans is that none of their eight Premier League derby wins have come in the second derby of the season!
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
Dear Martin. I hear Man City are on for some sort of record if they draw AGAIN next weekend? Could you clear that up for me? Also, what is the record for most draws in a season? And which Premier League team has the most draws ever? I hope you don't mind me asking all these questions? Ron.
MARTIN SAYS: City have already broken the club record of six league draws from April to August 1913. They have also equalled the record of seven consecutive draws, which was previously achieved by Southampton in the 1994-95 season and by Norwich City in the 1993-94 season.
If City hold Chelsea to a draw next weekend, that will equal the overall record in English football of eight which has been achieved by seven sides in history: Torquay United (Third Division, 1969-70), Middlesbrough (Second Division, 1970-71), Peterborough United (Fourth Division, 1971-72), Birmingham City (Third Division, 1990-91), Chesterfield (League One, 2005-06), Southampton (Championship, 2005-06) and Swansea City (Championship, 2008-09). It would also create a new record for the top flight - and a ninth draw against Bolton in their next game would break the Football League record. That seems ironic in a season when draws were very slow in coming - we were speaking about a paucity of draws in September. Perhaps City were listening a little bit too closely!
To answer your other question, the most draws by one team in a 38-game Premier League season is the 17 from Newcastle United in the 2003-04 season and from Aston Villa in the 2006-07 campaign. The most draws ever in a top flight season is the 23 that Norwich City had in the 42-game First Division season in 1978-79. Exeter City (Fourth Division, 1986-87), Cardiff City (Third Division, 1997-98) and Hartlepool United (Third Division, 1997-98) have all previously drawn 23 games, but in 46-game seasons.
As for overall draws, Everton have the most top-flight draws in history with 1018, while Aston Villa have the most in the Premier League era with 199. City's run is even more remarkable when you consider City hold the record for the fewest home draws in a single season - they didn't draw any of their home games last year!
THE FIRST TO LEAVE...
Hi Martin. With over a quarter of the season gone already and as far as I can remember no EPL manager has been sacked or resigned so far and it got me thinking this must be some kind of record. For the last few years there was a change in manager at a club within a few weeks of the season starting let alone none until August. Is this the longest a season has gone at the start until a manager has left. Stuart (Rangers fan)
MARTIN SAYS: This question was obviously sent in before Paul Hart became the first managerial departure of the Premier League season. His exit on November 24 was the joint latest date for a season's first managerial casualty in the last decade. Bizarrely, Alain Perrin was sacked by the same club, Portsmouth, on exactly the same date in 2005.
There have, however, been two seasons when the season has gone into the New Year before the first managerial casualty. In 1995/96 Roy McFarland left his job as joint manager of Bolton at the start of January with Colin Todd continuing in the job. However, in the very first Premier League season, the first and only managerial departure did not come until February when Chelsea's Ian Porterfield lost his job. How things have changed!
The earliest date for a Premier League managerial departure came in the 2004/05 season when Paul Sturrock left Southampton on August 23, just two games into the season. His side had even beaten Blackburn Rovers on the day of his departure!
The first managerial departure of every Premier League season:
1992/93: Ian Porterfield, Chelsea (15-02-1993)
1993/94: Peter Reid, Man City, (26-08-1993)
1994/95: Ossie Ardiles, Tottenham, (01-11-1994)
1995/96: Roy McFarland, Bolton, (02-01-1996)
1996/97: Howard Wilkinson, Leeds, (10-09-1996)
1997/98: David Pleat, Sheff Wed (03-11-1997)
1998/99: Kenny Dalglish, Newcastle (27-08-1998)
1999/2000: Ruud Gullit, Newcastle (28-08-1999)
2000/01: Gianluca Vialli, Chelsea (12-09-2000)
2001/02: Peter Taylor, Leicester (30-09-2001)
2002/03: Peter Reid, Sunderland (07-10-2002)
2003/04: Glenn Hoddle, Tottenham (21-09-2003)
2004/05: Paul Sturrock, Southampton (23-08-2004)
2005/06: Alain Perrin, Portsmouth (24-11-2005)
2006/07: Iain Dowie, Charlton (13-11-2006)
2007/08: Jose Mourinho, Chelsea (20-09-2007)
2008/09: Alan Curbishley, West Ham (03-09-2008)
2009/10: Paul Hart, Portsmouth (24-11-2009)
THE 100 CLUB
I hear Ryan Giggs became the 17th player to score 100 Premier League goals, but it has taken him a long time to do it. Of those 17 players, I would be interested to know who has the best goals per game ratio for their careers? Via e-mail
MARTIN SAYS: Ryan Giggs needed 534 games to get to the 100-goal mark, giving him a goal/game ratio of 0.19. That's the lowest ratio of all 17 of the current 100 club, but that should in no way diminish his achievement.
The 100 club player with the best goals per game ratio is Thierry Henry, who managed to score, on average, in 69 per cent of his games. He is joined by Alan Shearer and Ian Wright in having a Premier League goals-per-game ratio above 50 per cent.
Goal / game ratio of the Premier League's 100 Club:
| Ryan Giggs |
100 |
534 |
0.19 |
| Player |
Goals |
Games |
Goal / game ratio |
| Thierry Henry |
174 |
254 |
0.69 |
| Alan Shearer |
260 |
441 |
0.59 |
| Ian Wright |
113 |
213 |
0.53 |
| Michael Owen |
146 |
297 |
0.49 |
| Andrew Cole |
187 |
414 |
0.45 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink |
127 |
288 |
0.44 |
| Robbie Fowler |
163 |
378 |
0.43 |
| Les Ferdinand |
149 |
351 |
0.42 |
| Robbie Keane |
121 |
320 |
0.38 |
| Nicolas Anelka |
108 |
291 |
0.37 |
| Matt Le Tissier |
101 |
270 |
0.37 |
| Dion Dublin |
111 |
312 |
0.36 |
| Teddy Sheringham |
147 |
419 |
0.35 |
| Dwight Yorke |
123 |
375 |
0.33 |
| Frank Lampard |
111 |
444 |
0.25 |
| Emile Heskey |
104 |
449 |
0.23 |
PENAL-THREE
Hi Martin. I watched my beloved Manchester United beat Portsmouth at the weekend thanks to Wayne Rooney's hat-trick. It got me wondering if a hat-trick has ever been comprised of three penalties. On a side note, if I may be cheeky and ask multiple questions, what is the record number of penalties in one match. Thanks! Carl Schirwing
MARTIN SAYS: We have never had a hat-trick of penalties in the Premier League, but there are a few instances of it occurring throughout history. In 1950, Charlie Mitten scored a hat-trick of penalties, and another from open play, as Manchester United beat Aston Villa 7-0 at Old Trafford. Ken Barnes also scored three penalties for Manchester City in the 6-2 home win over Everton in December 1957
Joe Willetts scored three spot-kicks for Hartlepool United in a 6-1 Division Three North match against Darlington on Good Friday in 1951. Alan Slough also scored a hat-trick of penalties for Peterborough in Division 3 on April 29 1978, but he still ended up on the losing side as Chester City ran out 4-3 winners!
More recent instances in English football include Jan Molby, who did it for Liverpool against Coventry in the Littlewoods Cup in November 1986 and David Dunn, who did it for Blackburn against Rochdale in the League Cup in September 2000.
In the Premier League era, Rooney has become the eighth man to score two penalties as part of a hat-trick. The others were Gordon Strachan, Jan Aage Fjortoft, Dean Saunders, Matt Le Tissier (twice), Alan Shearer (twice), Nicolas Anelka, Milan Baros and Steven Gerrard.
As for the most penalties in a game, that came in a Division Two match between Crystal Palace and Brighton on Easter Monday 1989 when five penalties were awarded. The Eagles got four - and missed three of them - while the Seagulls netted the one spot-kick they earned!
PASS MASTERS
Dear Martin. I heard somewhere that John Terry has the best pass completion ratio in the Premier league this season. Can you tell me if this is true. It seems unlikely. Abadur.
MARTIN SAYS: According to our friends at Opta, John Terry's pass completion is not the best in the Premier League - but it's not far off. Of the 709 passes he has attempted this season, 89.84% have reached the intended target. That's the third best passing accuracy in the division - and he is a very good passer as he does pass the ball forwards.
The man with the best accuracy is Manchester United's evergreen Paul Scholes, who has completed more than 92% of his passes this season. He truly is a pass master - and United fans are hoping it is a long time before he becomes a past master!
Below are the top 20 passers, so far this season - and the list is dominated by the Premier League's current top five. Only one man in the list doesn't play for Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham or Liverpool - and that's Fulham's Damine Duff. There are no forwards in there, which is understandable as defence and midfield is a safer passing area.
Best pass completion - Premier League 2009-10:
| Insua |
Liverpool |
618 |
85.28% |
| Player Surname |
Team |
Total Passes |
Passing Accuracy |
| Scholes |
Manchester United |
501 |
92.22% |
| Mikel |
Chelsea |
354 |
90.40% |
| Terry |
Chelsea |
709 |
89.84% |
| Denilson |
Arsenal |
296 |
89.19% |
| Jenas |
Tottenham Hotspur |
384 |
89.06% |
| Ashley Cole |
Chelsea |
508 |
88.98% |
| Gallas |
Arsenal |
484 |
88.64% |
| Essien |
Chelsea |
879 |
88.05% |
| Song |
Arsenal |
645 |
87.91% |
| Skrtel |
Liverpool |
431 |
87.70% |
| Lucas |
Liverpool |
772 |
87.18% |
| Evans |
Manchester United |
349 |
87.11% |
| Lennon |
Tottenham Hotspur |
336 |
86.90% |
| Bosingwa |
Chelsea |
320 |
86.56% |
| Duff |
Fulham |
333 |
86.49% |
| Mascherano |
Liverpool |
916 |
86.46% |
| Ballack |
Chelsea |
546 |
86.08% |
| Palacios |
Tottenham Hotspur |
585 |
85.64% |
| Carvalho |
Chelsea |
532 |
85.53% |
ALWAYS GUNNER CONCEDE
I'm a frustrated Arsenal fan, struggling to understand why my team can dominate possession like they did on Sunday and still let in goals. My theory is that an unusually high proportion of shots against Arsenal end up going in. Can you provide any stats on this subject that will tell me if I'm right? Seb Holding.
MARTIN SAYS: Opta have provided the stats you're looking for and in the month of November, your theory appears to be correct. In November in the Premier League, Arsenal allowed only eight shots on target all month - and yet conceded five goals.
Looking at the season as a whole only Fulham and Chelsea have allowed fewer shots on than Arsenal, yet Arsenal have conceded more than twice as many goals as Chelsea. Overall more than a third of the shots that are on target against Arsenal (34.6%) end up hitting the back of the net.
This is not the worst record in the Premier League. Portsmouth and Wigan fans have seen 38 per cent of the shots on target against their team end up in the net, while Everton, Blackburn, Burnley and Hull have worse records than Arsenal in this department.
However, in terms of shots on target ending up as goals, Arsenal have the worst record in the current top half of the Premier League. Less than 25 per cent of shots against Manchester United and Chelsea result in goals - while only 19.5% of shots on Stoke City's goal end up going into the net. That suggests Thomas Sorensen has been a busy goalkeeper this season!
Here is a table listing how many shots on target there have been against each team this season, plus how many goals each side has let in:
| Hull City |
89 |
31 |
34.80% |
| Team |
Shots On Target |
Goals Conceded |
% Shots On into goals |
| Chelsea |
34 |
8 |
23.50% |
| Fulham |
49 |
16 |
32.70% |
| Arsenal |
52 |
18 |
34.60% |
| Manchester City |
57 |
17 |
29.80% |
| Liverpool |
58 |
20 |
34.50% |
| Manchester United |
58 |
13 |
22.40% |
| Portsmouth |
60 |
23 |
38.30% |
| Birmingham City |
65 |
14 |
21.50% |
| Aston Villa |
70 |
14 |
20.00% |
| Everton |
70 |
25 |
35.70% |
| Sunderland |
70 |
20 |
28.60% |
| Blackburn Rovers |
77 |
28 |
36.30% |
| Stoke City |
77 |
15 |
19.50% |
| Wolves |
78 |
27 |
34.60% |
| Tottenham |
81 |
19 |
23.50% |
| Wigan |
81 |
31 |
38.30% |
| West Ham |
82 |
26 |
31.70% |
| Bolton |
87 |
27 |
31.00% |
| Burnley |
87 |
31 |
35.60% |
Tyler's teaser
Last week we asked you to name a player who has played for NINE different clubs in seven different countries, is now back at the club he started with and is still under the age of 30?
The answer is Mido. He started at - and is now back with - El Zamalek in Egypt. He has also played for Gent (Belgium), Ajax (Holland), Celta Vigo (Spain), Marseille (France), Roma (Italy), Spurs, Middlesbrough and Wigan (England).
Click on the video for this week's teaser and fill in your answer using the feedback form below. Also send in your own teasers - and we might feature your suggestion next week!
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