The (World Cup) Friday List of Little or No Consequence #167

Lots of silly balls
The 15 Players Appearing At The 2010 World Cup With The Most Syllables In Their Names

1. Antonio Rukavina (Serbia)
2. Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (Ghana)
3. Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Japan)
4. Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Japan)
5. Guy Roland Ndy Assembe (Cameroon)
6. Fabio Quagliarella (Italy)
7. Antonio Di Natale (Italy)
8. Julio Cesar Caceres (Paraguay)
9. Julio Cesar de Leon (Honduras)
10. Reneilwe Letsholonyane (South Africa)
11. Mauricio Victorino (Uruguay)
12. Maximilliano Pereira (Uruguay) *
13. Egidio Arevalo Rios (Uruguay) *
14. Maximilliano Rodriguez (Argentina) *
15. Sokrates Papastathopoulos (Greece) *

(All players shown have eight syllables in their name except those marked with an asterisk who have nine. And before you ask, the above names are 'popular names' - that is to say middle names were not considered unless it forms a part of a player's 'popular name'.)

The SPAOTP Influential List 2010

As 2010 takes its first youthful steps, now seems the right time to take stock of the most important people involved in the game today. From the players to the coaches and even the law-makers, SPAOTP gives you the movers and shakers in British and international football for the year ahead.

The Players

Cristiano Ronaldo
The lynchpin of the second best team in Europe has left a hole in the Manchester United squad which Sir Alex Ferguson seems unable to fill. Rarely has the departure of one player made such an impact at Old Trafford. His £80 million move to Real Madrid is reminiscent of Michael Schumacher's move to Ferrari in Formula One. Success was not instantaneous but when it arrived it was lasting. Assuming Florentino Perez' money does not dry up, the Madrid club look set to inherit Barca's mantle as the best team in the World ere long.

Lionel Messi
Which brings us to this man. By no means the sole reason behind Barcelona's brilliance. However, the little Argentine is a powerful symbol of Catalan dominance in Europe and Spain. In June he must travel to South Africa and carry his Argentine team mates, their comical manager plus the expectations of an entire nation on his shoulders. Will he be up to the challenge?

Thierry Henry
No-one knows the exact figure but it is said that qualification to the World Cup can benefit a national economy to the tune of tens of millions. In these recessionary times, that's no mean amount. So the impact of that handball in the World Cup qualifying play-off has left the Irish not just brimming with sporting outrage but severely out of pocket (assuming of course that Ireland would have gone on to win the match which is very much in doubt). I wonder if the Irish Government took legal advice about suing the French for loss of earnings?

The Managers / Coaches

Fabio Capello
It's almost impossible to believe how a team that so comically orchestrated their Euro 2008 demise beneath the brolly of Steve McLaren could transform itself into World Cup hopefuls. For sure the short odds on England winning in South Africa are skewed somewhat by the English public's jingoism and blind optimism in the face of reality. However, the arrival of Capello has made a massive difference to England's prospects. He has good tactical range. He picks players according to tactical necessity rather than star quality. He gives clear concise instructions that even Rio Ferdinand can understand. Add to that he rules the England camp with an iron fist. Not many coaches can intimidate multi-millionaire footballers to the extent that they are frightened to ask if they can have packets of crisps on a plane. Fortunately for England, Capello can and his team are definite dark horses in the World Cup next year.

Pep Guardiola
A former Barcelona midfield starlet, Guardiola spent a short spell coaching the Barcelona 'B' team into a winning unit before doing the same - and then some - with the 'A' team. Filling the boots of predecessor Frank Rijkaard was never going to be an easy task, but Guardiola has made it look exceptionally easy. In his first season, Barca won the treble (league, cup and European Cup) and this season he's added the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA World Club Cup and Spanish Super Cup to the already bulging trophy cabinet. Key to his talents has been his ability to buy and sell the right players as well as manage the existing ones. Tactically flexible, he can inspire players to achieve the sort of greatness many other coaches can only dream of. Barcelona are now the one team in Europe everyone else fears, and it's almost completely down to Pep Guardiola.

Guus Hiddink
Look up 'journeyman' in the dictionary and you'll find 'Guus Hiddink' as the definition. There's a reason for that though: namely that the wily Dutchman can bring success to any team he coaches for. Having said all that, he doesn't *always* bring success as any fan of Real Betis, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce will tell you, but when he gets it right, he gets it VERY right. He turned PSV into a credible member of the Dutch football elite, steered South Korea into the uncharted territory of the World Cup semi-finals and took Chelsea to the Champions League semi-finals. A coach who, despite hitting the occasional flat spot, can turn a team's fortunes around at a stroke... and he's currently available too. Bolton fans - that's your last clue from us...

The Men Upstairs

George Gillett / Tom Hicks
Danny Baker once said that England needs a a strong pound and a strong Liverpool. The Merseyside club is an iron horse of the English game with fans throughout the world. While it has slowly lost ground to its rivals over the last 20 years, Liverpool remains a club with a huge overseas profile and must surely play an important part in the Premier League's marketing strategy. Imagine then the damage done, should The Reds find themselves slipping into mid-table mediocrity or worse - under the ownership of George Gillett and Tom Hicks. For sure, they've made transfer money available to the manager and for sure the manager has not been able to produce the League title that the Kop so desperately want. However, Gillett and Hicks were given the keys to Anfield on the basis that they'd be moving to a much bigger stadium which will allow them to compete with the giants of Europe. Failure to secure the move to New Anfield may have long-term repercussions for Liverpool FC and indeed the very fabric of the English game.

Florentino Perez
Currently enjoying his third spell as president of Real Madrid, Perez is as responsible as anyone for putting La Liga above the Premier League in order of importance where European football's concerned. Tremendously influential in not just Spanish football but also the media, politics and business, he gained notoriety by unashamedly putting the marketing potential of Real Madrid above its success on the pitch. Buying a whole raft of the world's top players in his second presidential spell brought success up to a point, but the less appreciated members of the squad soon left, taking with them the bedrock of Real Madrid's triumphs. Now wiser for the experience, Perez returns with a new selection of Galacticos and a greater understanding of what makes for a successful blend of squad members. He also remains a shrewd businessman and administrator of the club that knows how to generate a buzz among the fans by bringing in star names. With that kind of knack for giving the people what they want, Perez remains arguably the one man on whom the worldwide appeal of Spanish football rises and falls.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Anyone that can make Roman Abramovich feel financially insecure can only be good for the game of football, especially as he seems in a bit of a rush to spend a fair bit of his personal fortune. And what a personal fortune it is, at last count estimated to be 'many many billions of dollars'. Even with the current downturn in the Arab financial markets, Man City's favourite Sheikh still has plenty to spend, and in the current transfer window we'll almost certainly see some new players arriving at the City of Manchester Stadium. New manager Roberto Mancini will have as his number 1 priority the need to shore up a creaky defence, and with his influence and managerial credentials, the money will definitely be made available to do so. Gaining success by virtue of having an enormous personal wealth may be crude, but Sheikh Mansour is here and he's influencing the game to his and Man City's advantage - whether you like it or not.

The Men in High Office

Sepp Blatter
Changed the rules to allow the World Cup to be staged in Africa for the first time ever. Say what you like about him but Blatter has made history in 2010. He also will be an instrumental figure in the decision as to where to stage the tournament in 2018 and 2022 this year. While he will not make the final decision, one wrong word from the President of FIFA will influence the selection panel. So be nice!

Lord Triesman
The former foreign office minister and top Scudamore botherer faces one of the toughest challenges of his career in the next 10 months or so. A skilled politician, Triesman effortlessly kicked the Premier League's plan for Game 39 into the long grass. However, he will need to draw on all his experience to steer England's World Cup 2018 bid through the shark-infested waters of FIFA's selection process. Especially since he runs the risk of getting shot at by so called allies such as...

Sir Dave Richards
Quite how the former Chief Executive of Sheffield Wednesday continues to get a gig is anyone's guess. Not content with mis-managing one of the biggest clubs in Yorkshire during the golden age of English Football, the Premier League Chairman's ham fisted political shenanigans led to his very public resignation from England's World Cup bid committee which may have damaged their chances of hosting the tournament in 2018. Of all the reasons given as to why the Premier League is bad for English football, the continued involvement of this man is surely among the most compelling.

Agree or disagree with any of the above? Someone we've left out, perhaps? If so, why not leave us a comment and tell us your views...

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #141

Née bother...
15 Footballers' Names As They'd Appear If They Took Their Wives' Surnames Rather Than The Other Way Around

1. Ashley Tweedy (Chelsea)
2. Carlos Mansillo (Man City)
3. Didier Diakite (Chelsea)
4. Fernando Liste (Liverpool)
5. Jamie Hart (Liverpool)
6. Jlloyd Pritchard (Bolton)
7. Joe Zucker (Chelsea)
8. Mikel Bernal (Everton)
9. Robbie Palmer (Tottenham)
10. Robin Elbali (Arsenal)
11. Roque Tavarelli (Man City)
12. Ryan Cooke (Man United)
13. Shay Cunningham (Man City)
14. Steven Curran (Liverpool)
15. Wayne McLoughlin (Man United)

The best team in London

Come the revolution, the Premier League will be no more – of that you can be certain. As clubs attempt to regain control of their upwardly spiralling finances, the top flight will break up into smaller regionalised leagues, thereby reinforcing the weakening notion of local derbies and local rivalries. Well at least that's the vision I saw before the medication wore off.

But imagine if someone decided to scrap the Premier League and start all over again, redistributing its top stars into regionalised zones based on their place of birth. Imagine a London Premier League, if you will, featuring four teams representing North, South, East and West London. Which team would win?

We have the answer. It'd be the team from East London, and we can assure you of that based on the fact that none of the other London teams would be able to field enough players to form a decent starting XI.

Using a map of London roughly divided into four geographic quarters, we've ascertained that East London has provided more current top-flight players (and top-quality ones at that) than all the other three areas put together.

So who would be in this champion team from East London? Well in goal, you'd have Manchester City's Stuart Taylor. He was born in Romford. In defence, there'd be Nicky Shorey (also from Romford), Glen Johnson (born in Greenwich), Ashley Cole (Stepney), John Terry (from my home town, Barking) and Ledley King (born in Bow). The midfield would boast Frank Lampard (another talent from Romford), Shaun Wright-Philips (Greenwich), and Lee Bowyer (from Canning Town). Up front, there'd be Jermain Defoe (Beckton) and Bobby Zamora (from Barking).

There'd even be surplus talent available on the bench including Paul Konchesky (Barking again), Liam Ridgewell (Bexley), Mark Noble (Canning Town), Kieran Richardson (Greenwich) and Jimmy Bullard (Newham).

Yes, in the event of a barely conceivable restructuring of Premier League football in the capital, East London would win out easily. South London would be able to put out a seven-a-side team (albeit one without a goalkeeper). It'd feature, amongst others, the defensive brothers Ferdinand from Peckham, Carlton Cole from Croydon up front and Scott Parker (Lambeth) and Nigel Reo-Coker (Croydon) in midfield.

West London has even fewer notable talents in its 'team' although Darren Bent (Wandsworth) and Marcus Bent (Hammersmith) partnering Theo Walcott (Stanmore) would be an impressive attacking triumvirate. And the phrase 'it's grim up North' wasn't created by accident. It must be a reference to the dearth of talent from that part of London. All we could find was Marlon Harewood (Hampstead) and Joe Cole (Islington). Perhaps one could play in goal and one up front. We'll leave you to work out which one should do which.

So there it is – extensive proof that East London practically owns most of the top footballing talent in the capital while the other regions trail woefully in their wake.

Some People Are On The Pitch – philosophising on the irrelevant issues of world football so you don't have to.

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #129

Get back to where you once belonged
17 Premier League Players and The Countries They Should Be Playing For, Based On Their Country Of Birth

1. Sebastien Bassong (Tottenham and Cameroon France)
2. Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth and Algeria France)
3. George Boateng (Hull City and Netherlands Ghana)
4. Jose Bosingwa (Chelsea and Portugal Democratic Republic of Congo)
5. Jack Collison (West Ham and Wales England)
6. Deco (Chelsea and Portugal Brazil)
7. Rory Delap (Stoke and Republic of Ireland England)
8. Eduardo (Arsenal and Croatia Brazil)
9. Stephen Fletcher (Burnley and Scotland England)
10. Nabil El Zhar (Liverpool and Morocco France)
11. Patrice Evra (Man United and France Senegal)
12. Kevin Kilbane (Hull City and Republic of Ireland England)
13. Tyrone Mears (Burnley and Jamaica England)
14. Nani (Man United and Portugal Cape Verde)
15. Nyron Nosworthy (Sunderland and Jamaica England)
16. Jason Roberts (Blackburn and Grenada England)
17. Christopher Samba (Blackburn and Republic of Congo France)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #123

Stand your ground
23 Football Stadium Stands In England That Are Named After Former Players

1. Billy Wright Stand (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
2. Bobby Moore Stand (West Ham United)
3. Brian Clough Stand (Nottingham Forest)
4. Cliff Bastin Stand (Exeter City)
5. Cyril Knowles Stand (Hartlepool United)
6. Colin Bell Stand (Manchester City)
7. Dave Bowen Stand (Northampton Town)
8. David Preece Stand (Luton Town)
9. Don Rogers Stand (Swindon Town)
10. Jimmy Armfield Stand (Blackpool)
11. Jimmy McIlroy Stand (Burnley)
12. Jimmy Sirrell Stand (Notts County)
13. John Charles Stand (Leeds United)
14. Johnny Haynes Stand (Fulham)
15. (Jackie) Milburn Stand (Newcastle United)
16. (Don) Revie Stand (Leeds United)
17. Sir Stanley Matthews Stand (Blackpool)
18. Sir Tom Finney Stand (Preston North End)
19. Sir Trevor Brooking Stand (West Ham United)
20. Stan Cullis Stand (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
21. Stan Mortensen Stand (Blackpool)
22. Steve Bull Stand (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
23. Tommy Johnston Stand (Leyton Orient)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #120

Poor ex-samples
19 Players That Failed Drugs Tests

1. Frank de Boer
Former Dutch international defender. Tested positive for nandrolone while playing for Barcelona in 1994. Joined Rangers in 2004.

2. Lee Bowyer
Formerly of Leeds, Newcastle and West Ham. Tested positive for cannabis in 1995 and banned for several months. Made one appearance for England in 2002.

3. Chris Armstrong
Formerly of Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Bolton. Tested positive for cannabis in 1995 and banned for four matches.

4. Mark Bosnich
Former Australian international goalkeeper. Tested positive for cocaine while playing for Chelsea in 2002 and banned for nine months. Claims he'd drunk someone else's drink which had been spiked.

5. Danny Cadamarteri
Formerly of Everton, Bradford and Sheffield United. Tested positive for ephedrine in 2005 and banned for six months. Claims the substance formed part of a flu remedy he'd taken.

6. Fernando Couto
Former Portuguese international. Tested positive for nandrolone in 2001 while playing for Lazio and served a four month ban.

7. Edgar Davids
Former Dutch international midfielder. Tested positive for nandrolone in 2001 while playing for Juventus. Served a four month ban.

8. Rene Higuita
Former Colombian international goalkeeper and Scorpion Kick specialist. Tested positive for cocaine in 2004 while playing in Ecuador. Banned for six months before being caught again.

9. Willie Johnstone
Former Scotland international winger. Tested positive for the stimulant Fencamfamin during the 1978 World Cup. Accidently taken as part of an over-the-counter medicine.

10. Bernard Lama
Former French international goalkeeper. Tested positive for cocaine in 1998 and banned for two months. Was briefly coach of the Kenyan national football team in 2006.

11. Stan Lazaridis
Former Australian international. Tested positive for Finasteride while playing for Perth Glory in 2007. Finasteride is a prescription anti-alopecia medication but can be used to cover other performance-enhancing substances.

12. Diego Maradona
World football superstar and currently Argentinean national team coach. Tested positive for cocaine in 1991 while playing for Napoli and suspended for 15 months. Tested positive for ephedrine during the 1994 World Cup and was sent home.

13. Adrian Mutu
Romanian international striker. Tested positive for cocaine in 2004 while playing for Chelsea. Banned for seven months by the Football Association before joining Juventus.

14. Shaun Newton
Formerly of Charlton, Wolves and West Ham. Tested positive for cocaine in 2006 following The Hammers' FA Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough and banned for seven months.

15. Quim
Portuguese international goalkeeper. Tested positive for Nandrolone and consequently missed the 2002 World Cup Finals.

16. Romario
Former Brazilian international striker. Tested positive for Finasteride in 2007 despite claiming he was taking the substance as part of an anti-baldness treatment. Banned for four months.

17. Euzebiusz Smolarek
Formerly of Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund. Tested positive for cannabis in 2002 and banned for two European matches by UEFA. Consequently nicknamed 'The Hash Bomber' by Feyenoord fans.

18. Jaap Stam
Former Dutch international defender. Tested positive for Nandrolone while playing for Lazio in 2002. Went on to join Milan.

19. Abel Xavier
Former Portugal international defender. Tested positive for anabolic steroid Methandrostenolone in 2005 and banned by UEFA for twelve months. Joined Middlesbrough in 2006.

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #112

Dependable to the end...?
23 Players That Haven't Missed A Premier League Game For Their Club So Far This Season

1. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
2. Brad Friedel (Aston Villa)
3. Kevin Davies (Bolton)
4. Jussi Jaaskelainen (Bolton)
5. Fabrice Muamba (Bolton)
6. Jlloyd Samuel (Bolton)
7. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
8. Tim Howard (Everton)
9. Aaron Hughes (Fulham)
10. Danny Murphy (Fulham)
11. Mark Schwarzer (Fulham)
12. Michael Turner (Hull)
13. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)
14. Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool)
15. Jose Reina (Liverpool)
16. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough)
17. Peter Crouch (Portsmouth)
18. Sylvain Distin (Portsmouth)
19. David James (Portsmouth)
20. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham)
21. Scott Carson (West Brom)
22. Robert Green (West Ham)
23. Maynor Figueroa (Wigan)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #106

Auch bekannt als...
12 Nicknames of Former German Football Players

1. Der Kaiser - Franz Beckenbauer
2. Der Afro - Paul Breitner
3. Ennatz ('Zebra') - Bernard Dietz
4. Eisenfuß ('Ironfoot') - Horst-Dieter Höttges
5. Das Kopfball-Ungeheuer ('The Header Beast') - Horst Hrubesch
6. Der Ausserirdische ('The Extra-Terrestrial') - Oliver Kahn
7. Die Katze ('The Cat') - Sepp Maier
8. Der Bomber - Gerd Muller
9. Der Boss - Helmut Rahn
10. Volkswagen - Karl-Heinz Schnellinger
11. Der Blonde Engel ('The Blonde Angel') - Bernd Schuster
12. Der Terrier - Berti Vogts

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #105

This time, we'll get it right...
12 Players From The 1986 England World Cup Squad Who Went On To Become Managers

1. Peter Shilton (Plymouth, 1992-95)
2. Glenn Hoddle (Various including England, Chelsea, Tottenham, 1991-2006)
3. Alvin Martin (Southend, 1997-99)
4. Terry Butcher (Various including Coventry, Motherwell, Sydney and currently Inverness CT, 1990 onwards)
5. Bryan Robson (Middlesbrough, Bradford, West Brom and Sheffield United, 1994-2008)
6. Ray Wilkins (QPR and Fulham, 1994-98)
7. Mark Hateley (Hull City, 1997-99)
8. Viv Anderson (Barnsley, 1993-94)
9. Terry Fenwick (Portsmouth and Northampton, 1995-2003)
10. Peter Reid (Man City, Sunderland, Leeds, Coventry and currently Thailand, 1990 onwards)
11. John Barnes (Celtic and currently Jamaica, 1999 onwards)
12. Kerry Dixon (Doncaster Rovers, 1996-97)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #95

Names and places
22 Football Players Whose Names Feature Towns, Cities, Countries, Etc.

1. Dean Ashton (West Ham)
2. Ryan Babel (Liverpool)
3. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa)
4. Deon Burton (Charlton Athletic)
5. Lewis Buxton (Sheffield Wednesday)
6. Clark Carlisle (Burnley)
7. Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
8. James Chester (Manchester United)
9. Jamie Clapham (Notts County)
10. Jack Cork (Watford)
11. Matt Derbyshire (Blackburn)
12. Ryan France (Hull City)
13. Simon Hackney (Carlisle United)
14. Stephen Ireland (Manchester City)
15. Kevin Kilbane (Wigan)
16. Neil Kilkenny (Leeds United)
17. Lewis Montrose (Wigan)
18. Kris Renton (Norwich City)
19. Roque Santa Cruz (Blackburn)
20. Jason Scotland (Swansea City)
21. Antonio Valencia (Wigan)
22. Dwight Yorke (Sunderland)

And at this point we'd like to wholeheartedly thank Simon Harriyott for coming up with the idea for this Friday List along with most of the names on it. If you'd like to suggest a few of your own, feel free to do so by leaving us a comment.

Alternatively, why not send us your ideas for future Friday Lists we could tackle? It's very easy - just drop us an email to info [at] spaotp [dot] com and we'll do our best to convert your ideas into reality!

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #89

Two for the price of one
31 Footballers Past And Present Whose Names Are Made Up Of Two First Names

1. Charlie Adam (Rangers midfielder)
2. Gareth Barry
3. Steve Bruce
4. Tommy Craig (former Newcastle and Aston Villa midfielder)
5. Dixie Dean
6. Mark Dennis
7. Paul Elliott
8. Trevor Francis
9. Charlie George
10. Steven Gerrard
11. Craig Gordon (Sunderland goalkeeper)
12. John Gregory
13. Dickie Guy (former Wimbledon goalkeeper)
14. Nick Henry (former Oldham midfielder)
15. Tim Howard
16. Rodney Jack (former Torquay and Crewe striker)
17. David James
18. Cameron Jerome (Birmingham striker)
19. Paddy Kenny
20. Sammy Lee
21. Alvin Martin
22. Gary Neville
23. Charlie Nicholas
24. Michael Owen
25. Bryan Roy
26. Trevor Steven
27. Paul Stewart
28. Graham Stuart
29. John Terry
30. Jerome Thomas (Portsmouth winger)
31. Robin Van Persie

...plus there's bonus points for getting the only player whose name contains that of a French man and an English woman - Tore André Flo...

SPAOTP would like to give a big 'thank you' to Russell Napier and @harriyott for providing us with so many of this week's list items. If you can think of any others, leave us a comment and tell us!

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #82

Rainbow warriors
9 Current Football Players With Names That Feature Colours

1. Robert Green (West Ham United)
2. Michael Gray (Wolverhapton Wanderers)
3. David White (Brechin City)
4. Adam Tan (Notts County)
5. Wes Brown (Manchester United)
6. Stephen Black (Montrose)
7. Dario Silva (Portsmouth)
8. Matthew Rose (Yeovil Town)
9. Gary Teale (Derby County)

An admittedly short and at times tenuous list, but feel free to add to it with your own suggestions by leaving us a comment in the usual way...

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #76

The Boomerang Boys
21 Players That Had A Second Spell At One Of Their Previous Clubs

1. Peter Beardsley (Newcastle, 1983-87 and 1993-97)
2. Henning Berg (Blackburn, 1993-97 and 2000-03)
3. Lee Bowyer (West Ham, 2003 and 2006-)
4. Lee Clark (Newcastle, 1990-97 and 2005-07)
5. Julian Dicks (West Ham, 1988-93 and 1994-99)
6. Paul Dickov (Leicester, 2002-04 and 2008-)
7. David Dunn (Blackburn, 1997-2003 and 2007-)
8. Duncan Ferguson (Everton, 1994-98 and 2000-06)
9. Robbie Fowler (Liverpool, 1993-2001 and 2006-07)
10. Juninho (Middlesbrough, 1995-97 and 2002-04)
11. Graeme Le Saux (Chelsea, 1987-93 and 1997-2003)
12. Ian Rush (Liverpool, 1983-87 and 1988-96)
13. Andriy Shevchenko (Milan, 1999-2006 and 2008-)
14. Nolberto Solano (Newcastle, 1998-2004 and 2005-07)
15. Pavel Srnicek (Newcastle, 1991-98 and 2006-07)
16. Steve Staunton (Aston Villa, 1991-98 and 2000-03)
17. Steve Staunton (Liverpool, 1986-91 and 1998-2000)
18. Alan Stubbs (Everton, 2001-05 and 2006-08)
19. Pierre van Hooijdonk (Feyenoord, 2001-03 and 2006-07)
20. Neil Webb (Nottingham Forest, 1985-89 and 1992-96)
21. Shaun Wright-Phillips (Man City, 1999-2005 and 2008-)

...and a special mention goes to Paul Bracewell who had three spells at Sunderland in 1983-84, 1989-92 and 1995-97.

Can you think of any others to add to the above? If so, leave us a comment and let us know!

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #68

Overplayed and over here...
20 Non-English Footballers Inducted Into The English Football Hall of Fame

1. Dennis Bergkamp (Netherlands)
2. Liam Brady (Repubic of Ireland)
3. Billy Bremner (Scotland)
4. Eric Cantona (France)
5. John Charles (Wales)
6. Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)
7. Ryan Giggs (Wales)
8. Alan Hansen (Scotland)
9. Mark Hughes (Wales)
10. Alex James (Scotland)
11. Roy Keane (Repubic of Ireland)
12. Dennis Law (Scotland)
13. Dave Mackay (Scotland)
14. Billy Meredith (Scotland)
15. Ian Rush (Wales)
16. Peter Schmeichel (Denmark)
17. Graeme Souness (Scotland)
18. Bert Trautmann (Germany)
19. Arthur Wharton (Ghana)
20. Gianfranco Zola (Italy)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #63

Squat Thrusts a speciality...
21 Football Players That Have Appeared In The British TV Series 'Superstars'

1. Bobby Moore (1973)
2. Colin Bell (1974, 1975)
3. Mick Channon (1974. 1981)
4. Malcolm Macdonald (1976, 1977, 1981)
5. Stan Bowles (1976, 1977)
6. Peter Shilton (1976)
7. Kevin Keegan (1976)
8. Trevor Brooking (1979)
9. Bobby Charlton (1979)
10. Tony Currie (1979)
11. Geoff Hurst (1979)
12. Terry Yorath (1980)
13. Peter Bonetti (1981)
14. Stuart Pearson (1985)
15. Dwight Yorke (2002)
16. Gianluca Vialli (2002)
17. Stuart Pearce (2003)
18. Steve Claridge (2003)
19. Dennis Wise (2003)
20. Bryan Robson (2005)
21. John Barnes (2005)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #62

First Caps for The Three Lions
The Last 65 Players To Make Their Debut For England And The Clubs They Were Playing For At The Time *

1. Ashley Cole (Arsenal, 2001)
2. Francis Jeffers (Arsenal, 2003)
3. Ray Parlour (Arsenal, 1999)
4. Theo Walcott (Arsenal, 2006)
5. Gareth Barry (Aston Villa, 2000)
6. Scott Carson (Aston Villa, 2007)
7. Lee Hendrie (Aston Villa, 1998)
8. Darrius Vassell (Aston Villa, 2002)
9. Ashley Young (Aston Villa, 2007)
10. Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich, 2001)
11. David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers, 2007)
12. David Dunn (Blackburn Rovers, 2002)
13. Matthew Upson (Birmingham, 2003)
14. Michael Ricketts (Bolton, 2002)
15. Alan Thompson (Celtic, 2004)
16. Luke Young (Charlton, 2005)
17. Darren Bent (Charlton, 2006)
18. Paul Konchesky (Charlton, 2003)
19. Scott Parker (Charlton, 2003)
20. Chris Powell (Charlton, 2001)
21. Wayne Bridge (Chelsea, 2002)
22. Glen Johnson (Chelsea, 2003)
23. John Terry (Chelsea, 2003)
24. Andrew Johnson (Crystal Palace, 2005)
25. Michael Ball (Everton, 2001)
26. Joleon Lescott (Everton, 2007)
27. Wayne Rooney (Everton, 2003)
28. Zat Knight (Fulham, 2005)
29. Richard Wright (Ipswich, 2000)
30. Lee Bowyer (Leeds United, 2002)
31. Danny Mills (Leeds United, 2001)
32. Alan Smith (Leeds United, 2001)
33. Jonathan Woodgate (Leeds United, 1999)
34. Steve Guppy (Leicester, 1999)
35. Emile Heskey (Leicester, 1999)
36. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool, 1999)
37. Steve Gerrard (Liverpool, 2000)
38. Danny Murphy (Liverpool, 2001)
39. Joey Barton (Manchester City, 2007)
40. Micah Richards (Manchester City, 2006)
41. Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City, 2004)
42. Wes Brown (Manchester United, 1999)
43. Keiran Richardson (Manchester United, 2005)
44. Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough, 2005)
45. Kieran Dyer (Newcastle, 1999)
46. Jermaine Jenas (Newcastle, 2003)
47. Robert Green (Norwich, 2005)
48. David Nugent (Preston, 2007)
49. Nicky Shorey (Reading, 2007)
50. James Beattie (Southampton, 2003)
51. Peter Crouch (Southampton, 2005)
52. Michael Gray (Sunderland, 1999)
53. Kevin Phillips (Sunderland, 1999)
54. Jermain Defoe (Tottenham, 2004)
55. Anthony Gardner (Tottenham, 2004)
56. Ledley King (Tottenham, 2002)
57. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham, 2006)
58. Paul Robinson (Tottenham, 2003)
59. Tim Sherwood (Tottenham, 1999)
60. Ben Foster (Watford, 2007)
61. Michael Carrick (West Ham, 2001)
62. Joe Cole (West Ham, 2001)
63. Frank Lampard (West Ham, 1999)
64. Trevor Sinclair (West Ham, 2001)
65. Chris Kirkland (Wigan, 2006)

(* Not many Man United players, are there?)

To save you counting, Tottenham have provided the most England debutantes since the 1998 World Cup (which this list covers) with six. Aston Villa and Charlton have provided five each with four coming from Arsenal, Leeds and West Ham respectively.

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #58

The second-best player in Europe...
24 Ballon D'Or (European Footballer of the Year) Runners-up Who Never Did Win The Trophy

1. Billy Wright (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - 1957
2. Ferenc Puskas (Real Madrid) - 1960
3. Gianni Rivera (Milan) - 1960
4. Bobby Moore (West Ham United) - 1970
5. Dino Zoff (Juventus) - 1973
6. Rob Rensenbrink (Anderlecht) - 1976
7. Paul Breitner (Bayern Munich) - 1981
8. Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool) - 1983
9. Jean Tigana (Bordeaux) - 1984
10. Preben Elkjaer Larsen (Verona) - 1985
11. Gary Lineker (Everton / Barcelona) - 1986
12. Ruud Gullit (Milan) - 1988
13. Franco Baresi (Milan) - 1989
14. Salvatore Schillaci (Juventus) - 1990
15. Dennis Bergkamp (Ajax / Internazionale) - 1993
16. Jurgen Klinsmann (Tottenham / Bayern Munich) - 1995
17. Davor Suker (Real Madrid) - 1998
18. David Beckham (Manchester United) - 1999
19. Raul* (Real Madrid) - 2001
20. Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid) - 2002
21. Thierry Henry* (Arsenal) - 2003
22. Deco* (Porto / Barcelona) - 2004
23. Frank Lampard* (Chelsea) - 2005
24. Cristiano Ronaldo* (Manchester United) - 2007

* So far...

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #57

The Lure of the Maple Leaf
12 British footballers who once played for Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL

1. Alan Ball (1979-80)
2. Peter Beardsley (1981-83)
3. David Cross (1983-84)
4. Bruce Grobelaar (1979-81)
5. Kevin Hector (1978-80)
6. Willie Johnston (c. 1979)
7. Ray Lewington (1980)
8. Peter Lorimer (1981-83)
9. Dave Thomas (1981)
10. Dave Watson (1983)
11. Trevor Whymark (1980)
12. Terry Yorath (1981-82)

The Friday List of Little or No Consequence #56

Going for gold
38 players who have competed in the Olympic Soccer Tournament

1. Stephen Appiah (Ghana, 2004)
2. Faustino Asprilla (Colombia, 1992)
3. Dino Baggio (Italy, 1992)
4. Bebeto (Brazil, 1996)
5. Oleg Blokhin (Soviet Union, 1972)
6. Tomas Brolin (Sweden, 1992)
7. Roberto Carlos (Brazil, 1996)
8. Hernan Crespo (Argentina, 1996)
9. Rinat Dasaev (Soviet Union, 1980)
10. Kazimierz Deyna (Poland, 1972)
11. Landon Donovan (USA, 2000)
12. Dunga (Brazil, 1984)
13. Luis Enrique (Spain, 1992)
14. Edu (Brazil, 2000)
15. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon, 2000)
16. Quinton Fortune (South Africa, 2000)
17. Brad Friedel (USA, 1992)
18. 'Kily' Gonzalez (Argentina, 2004)
19. Gabriel Heinze (Argentina, 2004)
20. Junichi Inamoto (Japan, 2000)
21. Nwankwo Kanu (Nigeria, 1996)
22. Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany, 1988)
23. Alexei Lalas (USA, 1992)
24. Grzegorz Lato (Poland, 1976)
25. Javier Mascherano (Argentina, 2004)
26. Benni McCarthy (South Africa, 2000)
27. Hidetoshi Nakata (Japan, 2000)
28. Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria, 1996)
29. Andrea Pirlo (Italy, 2000)
30. KarlHeinz Reidle (Germany, 1988)
31. Claudio Reyna (USA, 1992)
32. Rivaldo (Brazil, 1996)
33. Romario (Brazil, 1988)
34. Ronaldinho (Brazil, 1996)
35. Ronaldo (Brazil, 1996)
36. Jan Tomaszewski (Poland, 1976)
37. Taribo West (Nigeria, 1996)
38. Ivan Zamorano (Chile, 2000)