Well Liverpool’s long unbeaten home run came to an end with an unlikely defeat against Burnley last month, and since then they’ve lost twice more at home. But did you know that Real Madrid went over EIGHT years undefeated at home, a total of 121 matches from March 1957 to April 1965? Of course their team included Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Paco Gento playing for them most of the time, but their defenders can’t have been too shabby either.
Did you know that the first match to be abandoned but the result allowed to stand involved Boro. It occurred in April 1915 in a First Division match at Ayresome Park. Boro were leading 4-1 against Oldham Athletic after 55 minutes when the Latic’s defender Billy Cook refused to leave the field of play after having been sent off. The match result stood with over half an hour left to play.
Cook had disputed Boro’s third goal and later a penalty that he thought should have been awarded to Oldham. Later he fouled Boro’s Willie Carr giving away a penalty which Carr converted to make the score 4-1 to Boro. Cook was so wound up that he deliberately fouled Carr later. He was fined £350 and banned for 12 months. Nevertheless Oldham had their best ever season that year finishing runners-up to Everton but only two points behind the Toffees.
What is the longest undefeated run Boro have had at home? Up the Boro!
It must be 24 matches in 1926/27 as Boro lost their first home match of the season to Preston then won 18 of the remaining 20 which included 2 draws and went on to score 78 goals to gain promotion, then won 3 and drew one of the opening 4 matches in the following season scoring 90 goals in that sequence. Of course the reason was George Camsell who scored 44 of them. Coincidentally in Jack Charlton’s promotion season Boro again lost their first home match then won 16 and drew 4 of their next 20 to also gain promotion. Unfortunately though they again lost their first match of the ensuing season to Fulham.
Boro have never gone undefeated at home in a season, but as well as the two aforementioned seasons have gone through a season 4 times losing just one home match in seasons 1901/02, 1936/37, 1968/69 and 1971/72.
@ken thanks, Ken. Greatly appreciated these little gems you provide to all of us. Love tem. Up the Boro!
Did you know that Boro’s record attendance at the Riverside was 34,836 for the clash against Norwich City in 2004? Boro won 2-0 with a brace in two second half minutes from Joseph Job.
However the full capacity of exactly 35,000 tickets were sold for the European Qualifying match against Slovakia in June 2003 when segregation was deemed unnecessary, although the official attendance was quoted at only 33,106. The size of the crowd was helped of course by the selection of Gareth Southgate for England and Szilard Nemeth for Slovakia. England were a goal down at one stage via a direct free kick from Vladimir Janocko but captain Michael Owen scored twice for England, the first of which was a penalty as England won 2-1.
Did you know? Of course you did!
Thanks Ken I saw the England game from the Upper reaches of the North Stand one of the few times I’ve sat there. Great times for us to have International games at the Riverside with Boro players in the team
OFB
Much has been mentioned before Liverpool’s home match against Fulham today that they have now lost 5 successive home matches for the first time in their history.
But did you know that Liverpool lost at home to Boro in 5 successive seasons when they were a Second Division club? They had been relegated along with Boro at the end of the 1953/54 season although unlike Boro had been expected to make a quick return to the First Division for after all they had been League Champions in the first season after the Second War, so surprisingly spent 8 successive seasons in the Second Division after that relegation. Here are those 5 successive wins at Anfield for Boro with scorers:-
2nd Feb 1957 2-1 Arthur Fitzsimons, Ronnie Burbeck
18th Jan 1958 2-0 Brian Clough, Ronnie Burbeck
8th Apr 1959 2-1 Eddie Holliday, Brian Clough
12th Sep 1959 2-1 Brian Phillips, Bill Harris
31st Dec 1960 4-3 Alan Molyneux og, Alan Peacock, Brian Clough 2 with the winner in the last minute
In fact Liverpool didn’t win at Ayresome Park during those 5 seasons either with 4 drawn and Boro winning the third of those meetings. Liverpool won the next encounter at Anfield 5-1 and were promoted.
Did you know? Well probably some of you even remember.
Possibly one for you, Ken....
Below is a list of clubs in order of average finishing position since 1880.
1 Arsenal
2 Liverpool
3 Everton
4 Man Utd
5 Aston Villa
6 Man City
7 Newcastle
8 Tottenham
9 Chelsea
10 Sunderland
11 West Brom
12 Blackburn
13 Wolves
14 Derby
15 Boro
16 Sheff Wed
17 Sheff Utd
18 West Ham
19 Bolton
20 Leeds
The closest local derby results in World football is the Sheffield derby:-
Sheffield United 49 wins
Sheffield Wednesday 48 wins
Draws 47
Did you know? In fact does Neil Warnock know?
@ken - Is that a closer derby match than Dundee/Dundee Utd as I thought they were literally over the road from each other.
I see what Ken meant, now! Not the derby match between the 2 teams whose grounds are closest to each other, but the derby match where the results are the closest matched! Well done, Ken!
I checked anyway and Dundee/Dundee Utd grounds are on opposite sides of the same road, and just 0.2 miles apart.
Well Liverpool’s long unbeaten home run came to an end with an unlikely defeat against Burnley last month, and since then they’ve lost twice more at home. But did you know that Real Madrid went over EIGHT years undefeated at home, a total of 121 matches from March 1957 to April 1965? Of course their team included Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Paco Gento playing for them most of the time, but their defenders can’t have been too shabby either.
I believe that Liverpool are suffering from that unbelievable run of victories which seemed at the time to be from another planet, which should provide plenty of material for the head shrinks. Did the Manager get from the players more than they had to give? Is such a thing possible? Watch this space!
A
I think the main problem for Liverpool this season has simply been the astonishing number of injuries they’ve suffered at centre back. Even the midfielders they felt they had to move to centre-back to cover them got injured.
There will be slightly more to it than that - no question that Firmino and Mane have dipped and I’m not sure that the Thiago signing has worked out for them - but I think they’d be comfortably qualifying for the Champions League at least had Virgil van Djik been fit all season.
@ken - Is that a closer derby match than Dundee/Dundee Utd as I thought they were literally over the road from each other.
That is correct, I’ve passed the two grounds on more than one occasion. However I’ve never heard of them both playing at home on the same day before as they did this year in the Scottish Cup. Obviously because both matches were played behind closed doors it must have been deemed safe to do so. But yes, regarding the Sheffield derbies the number of wins, losses and draws does seem unique at the moment considering how many times the’ve met each other, though I’m not sure whether they were only League matches but considering in total that it adds up to an even number it does sound likely.
Did you know that the most often played game in English football is between Everton and Aston Villa who meet for the 223rd time this evening and still have to meet again at Villa Park on the 13th May. Contrast with the club that Boro have met the most in 140 League matches; can anyone name that club?
Did you know that the most often played game in English football is between Everton and Aston Villa who meet for the 223rd time this evening and still have to meet again at Villa Park on the 13th May. Contrast with the club that Boro have met the most in 140 League matches; can anyone name that club?
No takers? The answer is Derby County.
I was asked by my cleaner’s husband for a quizmaster’s question:-
How many former Boro players have received Premier League title winners medals with other clubs? There are a staggering 13, but can anyone name them?
It's a good one, Ken.
If pre-Premier League players are allowed, I can think of:
- Graeme Souness (Liverpool)
- Craig Johnstone (Liverpool)
- Gary Pallister (Man Utd)
- Bryan Robson (Man Utd)
- Paul Ince (Man Utd)
- Ray Parlour (Arsenal)
- Stuart Ripley (Blackburn)
- Robert Huth (Leicester)
- Schwarzer (Chelsea)?
- Fabio (Man Utd)?
- Negredo (Man City)?
That’s a good attempt, but I wasn’t thinking of Graeme Souness or Craig Johnston as they were pre-Premier League. Also I know that Mark Schwarzer received a medal but I discounted him as I seem to recall that he was ineligible, but that Jose Mourinho paid for a replica to be specially minted for him. You certainly did better than my attempt, but I spent all morning scratching my head before finding an article from Anthony Vickers which listed 13, so I’ll leave it awhile until someone can name the other five. I even included Ravanelli assuming he had won one with Juventus, but he hadn’t. But well done, as I only could think of 7 players.
Did Corporal Bradley Jones ever get a medal at Liverpool ?
That’s a good attempt, but I wasn’t thinking of Graeme Souness or Craig Johnston as they were pre-Premier League. Also I know that Mark Schwarzer received a medal but I discounted him as I seem to recall that he was ineligible, but that Jose Mourinho paid for a replica to be specially minted for him. You certainly did better than my attempt, but I spent all morning scratching my head before finding an article from Anthony Vickers which listed 13, so I’ll leave it awhile until someone can name the other five. I even included Ravanelli assuming he had won one with Juventus, but he hadn’t. But well done, as I only could think of 7 players.
Ken, now I think of it, Schwarzer did make a handful if appearances at Leicester didnt he, and Huth also played at Leicester didnt he?
Did Corporal Bradley Jones ever get a medal at Liverpool ?
Stewart Downing... he must have won one at Liverpool mustn't he?
Ken, now I think of it, Schwarzer did make a handful if appearances at Leicester didnt he, and Huth also played at Leicester didnt he?
Apologies AndyR.... you did mention Huth in your list ...