“I've simply heard CMAT's track Vincent Kompany as a result of I'm cool, younger and related,” writes the cool, younger and related Will Unwin. “I used to be questioning if another participant's title is the title of a track, past merely being referred to?”
On this age of streaming, there are various songs on-line whose titles are the names of footballers, however a couple of hundred listens right here and there doesn't make them significantly noteworthy. So now we have wound again a bit to a time when songs have been extra generally created in studios, not bedrooms.
Resident music anorak John Brewin had various options: “Joe Strummer, the late former Conflict frontman, made a 1999 album together with his Mescaleros band, and the lead-off observe from Rock Artwork and the X-Ray Fashion was titled Tony Adams.”
Strummer, a Chelsea fan, had this to say: “Nobody on this nation rose up when he was denied the England armband, whereas he was successful his personal combat in opposition to alcoholism. Individuals may think footy is mundane, typically mundane stuff are necessary. We want folks like Tony Adams.”
One other suggestion is Stan Bowles, a 2005 single from the Others, a band whose pursuits and inspirations have been shared with The Libertines. A lot so, the track was really a tribute to Pete Doherty, a famed QPR fan. “Like Stan, Peter's very devoted to QPR, and has an abundance of ability and expertise, however similar to Stan he had a ardour for getting intoxicated – and actually nonetheless does,” mentioned Others' chief Dominic Masters. The next lyric “we′d discuss for days in a room off Cambridge Heath Street, smoking bone in your backroom” is presumed to not confer with the maverick former England ahead and bookmakers' good friend.
Two extra options from John: in 1999, Mogwai, the largely instrumental post-rock combo, did a track known as Hugh Dallas, paying tribute to the famed Scottish referee with some uncommon, breathy singing. “Is the sunshine so dangerous, have been we so dangerous right this moment?” Mogwai are Celtic followers, Dallas's officiating having gained some notoriety amongst Hoops supporters. Yet another for luck? Eusebio by Louis Philippe with Dean Broderick. Louis Philippe occurs to be the musical alter ego of French soccer author, Guardian contributor and Soccer Weekly common, Philippe Auclair.
Florian Camphausen writes: “In 1983, the British husband-and-wife duo Alan & Denise (that's Alan Whittle and his spouse Denise) bubbled into the German charts at No 43 with Rummenigge, a quirky synth-pop ode to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge's ‘horny knees'. Their follow-up, Beckenbauer, Beckenbauer (1986), sank into obscurity. Maybe as a result of it dulled things down, buying and selling thigh-high tributes for mere ‘intercourse attraction'.”
How about (Roberto) Baggio by the self-confessed plastic fan, Miles Kane, the Wirral native who supported Manchester United in his youth but then changed his allegiance to Liverpool.
“Adam Pastel, a singer from California, dropped Trinity Rodman earlier this 12 months, titled after the USWNT and Washington Spirit ahead,” croons Kyle Hill. “He really carried out the track at half-time of the Spirit's season opener again in April, which will get used closely within the music video. It, uh, wasn't an excellent efficiency. From both Adam Pastel or the Spirit.”
Mark Gibbings-Jones takes us to Japan. “The place higher to begin than the Shibuya-kei scene? Particularly the work of genre-straddling solo artist Yukari Contemporary, whose 1999 album New 12 months's Contemporary included songs named Paul Scholes and Michael Owen, the latter throwing in a pattern of Barry Davies' commentary for good measure. Her fascination with the England workforce of the period didn't finish there – 2003's Scholesy's Stamp is a winsome ballad concerning the midfield schemer, 1998's David is about … you possibly can in all probability guess, whereas 2002's ‘Macca on the Outdated Wembley' is about Steve McManaman moderately than Paul McCartney.”
And at last, Australian funk band Vaudeville Smash collaborated with commentator Les Murray in 2014 for his or her track Zinedine Zidane. It was by no means going to hassle the Grammys, but the video's worth a watch.
We're positive there are various extra worthy additions. When you've got one, you understand the place to ship it.
An away-day to recollect
“I'm savouring a veritable feast of Luxo-British soccer within the Convention League: Differdange v The New Saints, adopted by Strassen v Dundee United,” writes Martin Davies. “Each video games will happen at Differdange's stadium. Have two British groups performed European ties in the identical stadium inside 48 hours of one another earlier than?”
Raymond Simpson can provide not simply one other instance with British groups, however one which additionally includes Dundee United – and a a lot shorter time window. “Each us and Rangers performed a match in the identical stadium on the identical day again in 1983,” Raymond notes.
Jim McLean's Tangerines confronted Maltese outfit Hamrun on the Ta Qali Stadium within the European Cup first spherical on 14 September 1983, successful their first leg 3-0. Remarkably, their sport kicked off at 4.45pm with Rangers' Cup Winners' Cup tie in opposition to Valletta beginning at 3pm, that means they have been successfully back-to-back.
The double-header went forward regardless of protests from Malta's Uefa Cup representatives, Rabat Ajax, and issues about potential hassle between the 2 units of away followers. Dundee United gained 6-0 on mixture and went all the best way to the semi-finals, whereas Rangers gained 8-0 in Malta (and a sobering 18-0 on mixture) however misplaced to Porto within the subsequent spherical.
Information archive
“Watching the brand new, thrilling Chelsea beat Birmingham final weekend, I obtained to desirous about all of the fuss we had two years in the past when there have been solely 19 targets on the primary weekend of the Premiership/Premier League,” wrote Ken Whannel in August 2007. “What has been the most effective opening weekend within the historical past of the English prime flight by way of goals-per-game scored?”
For the winner it's a must to go all the best way again to the Soccer League's third-ever season in 1890-91, when solely 10 of the league's 12 groups performed within the first spherical of matches, combining for a powerful 29 targets (5.8 per sport). After all, these figures have been barely skewed by Derby County's 8-5 win over Blackburn, however each workforce scored at the least as soon as, with Accrington's 1-1 draw with Burnley the lowest-scoring fixture. As destiny would have it Derby have been the one workforce to not rating within the second-most thrilling opening day, happening 1-0 at Preston three seasons later because the league's 16 groups mixed for 38 targets (4.75 per sport).
For the reason that Premiership/Premier League started the best goals-per-game ratio on week one has been a moderately much less spectacular 3.6, achieved in 2003-04 when Blackburn's 5-1 win over Wolves contributed one sixth of the weekend's 36 strikes. The very best tally of targets (moderately than goals-per-game) for an English top-flight opening weekend, in the meantime, got here in 1926-27, when 22 groups mixed for 52 targets (4.73 per sport).
Are you able to assist?
“I've now seen Crystal Palace carry 4 completely different trophies at Wembley (Zenith Knowledge Techniques Cup, Championship playoff trophy, FA Cup, Group Protect),” writes Toby Kinder. “Manchester United and Liverpool by no means managed the ZDS, however have each gained the European Cup there, in addition to all of the home trophies, so are in all probability on 4 too. Can another membership beat that?”
“Simply watching Southampton v Wrexham and within the 72nd minute 4 gamers with the primary title Ryan got here on or left the sector on each groups,” begins Ryan from Dortmund. “Ryan Longman for Ryan Barnett, Ryan Hardie for Josh Windass (all Wrexham) and Saints' Ryan Manning approaching for Welington. Are there different examples of the identical names approaching across the identical time?”
“My uncle and I just lately watched Will Nonetheless (32) and Fabian Hürzeler (32) do battle in pre-season,” notes Joe Strawson. “Each youthful than me, and with a mixed age youthful than my uncle, are there examples of managers with a decrease mixed age going through one another?”
“Curtis Jones accomplished 53 out of 53 passes within the Group Protect. Towards Southampton in 2024 he loved a 100% completion fee with 58 passes,” writes Gregg Bakowski. “What's the document variety of passes accomplished by a participant with a 100% document in a match? Certainly somebody has accomplished extra.”
“With Hearts now making noises about successful the Scottish Premiership, I discover it's really 65 years since this final occurred (1960). With Hibs it's even longer at 73 years (1952),” writes Paul White. “Is there another nation the place a membership from its capital metropolis have did not win its home league for thus lengthy?”
“A mate talked about the spectacular statistic that Liverpool haven't completed decrease than eighth within the league since being promoted to the outdated First Division in 1962. Taking the 1962-63 season as the place to begin, what's the lowest place that each one present Premier League groups have completed between 1963 and the current?” ask the lads on the Star and Dragon Pub, Carbondale, Illinois. “And what's the lowest any workforce has fallen that has performed at the least one season within the prime division since 1962-63?”
