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![]() | Ask Albert - Number 62 ![]() Match of the Day's footballing sage Albert Sewell is poised to answer your queries on the beautiful game. Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your comments as possible but we cannot guarantee that all e-mails will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit comments that are published.Fill in the form at the bottom of the page to send Albert into action. From the FA Cup to the World Cup, our resident expert Albert keeps abreast of all things football, and is on hand to answer your questions. Do you need to settle a bet? Are you having sleepless nights trying to remember who scored where, when and for whom? Let Albert do the work - test him with your footballing teasers. Jamie, England If Manchester United win the Champions League, would that mean the club finishing fifth in the Premiership would join next season's qualifiers? Afraid not Jamie. The rules say that no country can have more than four clubs in the Champions League in one season. Seamus Wilkinson, N. Ireland Can a player use a teammate's shoulders to jump higher for a corner or free-kick? I reckon this would be a good ploy to gain extra height. It's timely that you should ask this, Seamus. I put it to my referee guru and he said he saw this very thing happen in a park match a few weeks ago. However, it is in fact against the rules and considered 'unfair play', an offence punishable by an indirect free-kick. Rob, Surrey The Brazilian Edu suddenly seems to be doing well for Arsenal. How long has he been with them and what is his proper name? Edu had passport problems when he was set to join Arsenal in the summer of 2000. When it was sorted out, he was signed from Corinthians (as was Silvinho before him) at a fee reported to be �6m. He will be 22 on May 15 and his full name is Eduardo Cesar Gaspar. Steve Leitch, UK Why are Plymouth Argyle so named? No one seems too sure. The likeliest explanation is that they were formed, in 1886, at a gathering of a dozen or so enthusiasts who wanted to start a club. The venue for the meeting was a house in Argyle Terrace. They're a nice club Plymouth and I'm pleased that they've won promotion. Jane, Leicester Which Premiership clubs have changed managers since this season began? Five, They are Aston Villa, Derby County (twice), Everton, Leicester (twice) and Southampton. Vic, Manchester What is Manchester City's record of ups and downs in recent years? City fans are used to riding a roller-coaster. Come August, their team will be starting their seventh different division in eight seasons. Their record reads: 1995 Premiership, 1996 Div.1, 1998 Div.2, 1999 Div. 1, 2000 Premiership, 2001 Div. 1 and in 2002 back into the Premiership. Focus Fan, Manchester Who has presented Football Focus at Saturday lunchtime down the years before Ray Stubbs? The programme started in the 1970s as 'Football Preview' presented by Sam Leitch. With the title changing to 'Football Focus' Bob Wilson for 20 years, followed by Gary Lineker and now Ray. David Wiggins, England Just so I can tell people that there is something interesting about my team, can you tell me if Oxford United hold any football records, good, bad or obscure? Oxford have won three championships; the old division three in 1967-68, again in 1983-84 and division two in 1984-85. The really big one for Oxford was winning the League's Milk Cup in 1986 - they beat QPR in the Final at Wembley. As for players, there's been none better than John Aldridge, who was with the club from 1983-87, when he moved on to great things with Liverpool. Chris, London In Premiership title-winning teams, how many matches do players need to have played to receive a medal? Ten appearances are now the required number. It used to be 14 in the days of the Football League championship with it's 42 match programme. Daz, London In the old European Cup, ties were played on a home and away basis in every round on the way to the Final. When did it change to the Champions League? The Champions League, as such was introduced in the 1994-95 season. The European Cup had earlier gone into a league system after the first two rounds, with the winners of the two groups of four going into the Final. Graham Hardman, UK You said that Alan Smith's goal for Leeds against Newcastle in 28 seconds was the fastest in the Premiership this season. I thought that David Unsworth beat this by a second for Everton against Fulham? I've checked the timings and Unsworth's goal in 27 seconds is the fastest. Well spotted Graham, and thanks. |
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