Fill in the form at the bottom of the page to send Albert into action.

David Barlow, England

I am a Hill City fan and, as you may know, we are due to move to a new 25,000 all-seater stadium in December. I wonder if you could tell me what the record attendance is for Boothferry Park?

Hull's new ground will accommodate fewer than half the record crowd at their present home.

They moved to Boothferry Park in 1946, directly after the war, and their all-time top attendance has stood for more than half a century - 55,019, who saw them play Manchester United in the sixth round of the Cup on 26 February, 1949.

Craig, Newcastle

Which two Football League clubs are nicknamed "The Pilgrims?" I believe Plymouth Argyle are one, but I have racked my brains for the other.

You are right about Plymouth, and the other "Pilgrims" are the League's newest club, Boston United, who earned a place in the Third Division after winning the Conference last May.

Oliver Reed, UK

The markings on a football pitch all make perfect sense to me apart from the arc on the edge of the penalty area. What is its purpose?

It ensures that when a penalty kick is being taken, all the players are the required 10 yards from the ball that is on the spot.

Tony Moran, England

I am told that Aston Villa used only 12 players in their Championship-winning season in 1980-81. Is this true, and is it a record?

Villa share with Liverpool the distinction of winning the title with the fewest players - 14. Liverpool had five ever-presents in the side that won the championship in 1965-66, and seven Villa men played in every match in 1980-81.

Contrast that with this age of squads: No fewer that 25 players helped Arsenal win the title last season.

Leon, England

Has anyone ever scored a hat-trick of penalties in one game?

In various club competitions, penalty hat-tricks have been recorded by Jan Molby for Liverpool, Andy Blair (Sheff Wed), Kevin Dillon (Portsmouth) and Alan Slough (Peterborough). And Henrik Larsson netted three penalties in his four goals when Sweden beat Moldova 6-0 in a World Cup qualifier in June 2001.

Jon Brown, UK

Who was the first �1m foreign player in England? I've been grappling with this for ages.

You've had me checking way back for this one, Jon. Seems it was south African-born Roy Wegerle, who moved from Luton to QPR for �1m in December 1989.

Jim Croton, England

Well, it's not a question, Albert, But I've got an answer to "Why are West Brom known as "The Baggies?" You said it was because of the long shorts they wore when they won the FA Cup in 1892, but I think it dates from their early days at The Hawthorns.

Entry to the ground was at each end, and at half-time the gate receipts were taken to the office entrance by the halfway line. As the money bags were carried along, the crowd used to sing "Here come the baggy men". Hence the nickname "Baggies."

Nice story, Jim, adding to the Albion folklore. But they didn't move to The Hawthorns until 1900 - eight years after they won the Cup in those long shorts.

Frank Maguire, UK

We all know about Sir Bobby Robson's achievements as a club and country manager, but did he ever play for England? And for which clubs did he play?

Bobby was capped 20 times by England (1959-62) while with West Bromwich Albion. He was an inside-forward, began and ended his career with Fulham. West Brom (in between) were his only other club.

Maz, Cyprus

Can you shed some light on the Alex Manninger affair? Is he still considered an Arsenal player? And where is he now?

When Manninger joined Arsenal from Austrian club Casino Graz, it was thought at Highbury that he would be David Seaman's eventual successor. But it didn't work out. Seaman is still THE man and Manninger was transferred to Spanish club Espanyol for �1m in July.

Mark, Switzerland

Quite often you see one team coming onto the pitch at half-time and then having to wait for their opponents to emerge. Is there an exact time limit on how long a team can take to reappear?

Sometimes this is gamesmanship on the part of the team who return late, but there is no time limit about it in the rules. The referee signals the half-time break by ringing a bell that sounds in the dressing-rooms and boardroom.

In the event of an overlong delay without satisfactory explanation, the ref could include the matter in his report.