Q & A: Scottish football put in its place

Q. Of the clubs making up the four senior leagues in England only two have names that are not derived from their city/town/county, whereas in Scotland half of the clubs in the Premier League alone have names that are not based on geography. Why?

A. Abbreviations by the press and the BBC are the cause of this apparent disparity. When I was young, it was Glasgow Celtic, Glasgow Rangers and Berwick Rangers. Partick was an independent police burgh, which is now merged with Glasgow. Raith is a parish in Kirkcaldy, while the medieval name for Perth was St John's Toun (St Johnstone). Queen of the South play in Dumfries, a town that is known as Queen of the South, while Heart of Midlothian is the proper (and geographical name) for Hearts. So it could be argued that Hibernian is the only team name not to relate directly to a place. One can see why there is shortening of names: after all, a cup tie between Inverness Clachnacuddin and Heart of Midlothian would take up a lot of room on the Teletext screen or in the narrow columns of newspapers. - Alan L Forsyth, Twickenham

Q. When were the last occasions on which English football league grounds had attendances in excess of 50,000, 60,000 and 70,000?

A. A crowd of 70,123 saw Chelsea beat Tottenham in an FA Cup third-round replay at Stamford Bridge on 8 January 1964. Manchester United attracted 60,612 when they beat Leeds in the League at Old Trafford on 12 March 1977, while 53,000 were present at the Liverpool v Nottingham Forest FA Cup semi-final on the day of the Hillsborough disaster, 15 April 1989. This game was, of course, abandoned. Previously 55,052 had seen Forest beat Manchester United in the FA Cup sixth round at Old Trafford on 18 March 1989. - Michael Crick, Chipping Norton

A. As far as League games are concerned, the last attendance in excess of 50,000 would seem to be the 54,703 on the opening day of the 1987-88 season (15 August) at Highbury to see Liverpool win 2-1. Two League grounds have had League attendances above 80,000. They are Stamford Bridge and Maine Road. It is often said that Maine Road holds the record for a League game - 83,260 on 17 January 1948 for the match between Manchester United and Arsenal (United were using Maine Road as there was bomb damage at Old Trafford) although in some reference books the figure given is less than the 82,905 at Stamford Bridge on 12 October 1935, again for the visit of Arsenal. Can anyone throw some light on this discrepancy? Two other grounds have held in excess of 70,000 - Highbury and Goodison Park. - Andrew Kirkham, Knaresborough

Q. Why, when the attendances at football and rugby league matches are routinely reported, are the figures for cricket and rugby union games almost never quoted?

A. While Northampton football club have fallen on hard times in recent years, the town's rugby club has become one of the country's best. I suspect The Saints' attendances often exceed the 2,000-3,000 gates which the footballing Cobblers normally achieve. Incidentally, the Saints are consolidating their success by redeveloping their ground, and raising the cash for the development mostly by their own efforts. The football club are moving this year to a new stadium, which will be financed by the local council. What a contrast. - Neil Clements, Northampton

Q. I seem to remember in the 1970s, when teams played the same opposition twice over the holiday period, that Manchester City won 6-0 on the Saturday and lost by the same score on the Monday. Are there any other similar examples?

A. On Boxing Day 1963 Ipswich Town, managed by Jackie Milburn, lost 10-1 at Fulham. Graham Leggat scored a hat- trick in three and a half minutes, the fastest ever recorded in the First Division at that time. Two days later, with only one team change, Ipswich won the return fixture 4-2 at Portman Road. - Pete Marjoram, Ipswich Community Radio

ANSWERS PLEASE

Q. Can anyone enlighten me on the placing of players' names on the backs of football shirts. It is the norm for the Premiership, but did they insist on the Endsleigh League's exclusion from this facility, and if so, why? - Tom Bancroft, Cheshire

Q. When was the last time a winning Boat Race crew was behind at the halfway stage? - Kelvin Hughes

Q. If Cheltenham is the home of National Hunt racing, what are the homes of Flat and greyhound racing respectively? - Kevin Maguire, Batley

Q. For at least part of this season, a full team of ex-Bournemouth players could be selected from the staff of Premiership clubs: Peyton, Bishop, Holmes, Rowland, Mitchell (West Ham); Teale, Berry (Aston Villa); Spackman, Peacock (Chelsea); Redknapp (Liverpool); Ekoku (Norwich). Manager H Redknapp (West Ham); Secretary: G Mackrell (Sheffield Wednesday). Has any lower division club ever been able to make such a claim before? - Robin Stieber, Fulham

Q. In the 1993 Major League Baseball World Series programme, I read about Bobby Thompson - 'The Staten Island Scot' - who played for the New York Giants. I know he was born in Glasgow but little more. Does anyone know further facts about him and his career? - Christopher Toms, Shrewsbury