World Cup Songs
1966- Back Home, England squad
1978- Ally’s Tartan Army by Andy Cameron
1978- Ole Ola by Rod Stewart for Scotland
1982- This Time We’ll Get it Right, England squad
1982- Yer Man, Northern Ireland squad and Dana
1986- We’ve Got the Whole World at our Feet, England squad
1990- World in Motion, England squad and New Order
1990- Give it a Lash Jack, Republic of Ireland squad
1994- Watch your House for Ireland, Republic of Ireland squad
1994- All the Way to America, German squad and the Village People
1998- Vindaloo, Fat Les
1998- Three Lions, Baddiel & Skinner and the Lightning Seeds
1998- Don’t Come Home Too Soon, Del Amitri for Scotland
2006- World at your Feet, Embrace for England
Adidas Golden Ball Winners for Player of the Tournament
1982- Paulo Rossi
1986- Diego Maradona
1990- Salvatore Schillaci
1994- Romario
1998- Ronaldo
2002- Oliver Kahn
2006- Wayne Rooney? Peter Crouch?
Nicknames of Boxers
Muhammed Ali – The Louisville Lip
Henry Armstrong- Homicide Hank
James J Braddock- The Cinderella Man
Nigel Benn – The Dark Destroyer
Primo Carnera- The Ambling Alp
Rubin Carter- The Hurricane
Steve Collins- The Celtic Warrior
James J Corbett- Gentleman Jim
Don Curry- The Lone Star Cobra
Jack Dempsey- The Manassa Mauler
Roberto Duran- Hands of Stone
Joe Frazier- Smokin’ Joe
Herol Graham- Bomber
Ricky Hatton – The Hit Man
Thomas Hearns – The Hit Man
Larry Holmes- The Easton Assassin
Evander Holyfield- The Real Deal
Lloyd Honeyghan- The Ragamuffin Man
Jake LaMotta- The Bronx Bull
Joe Louis- The Brown Bomber
Rocky Marciano- The Brockton Blockbuster
Barry McGuigan- The Clones Cyclone
Archie Moore- The Mongoose
James Smith- Bonecrusher
Gene Tunney- The Fighting Marine
Mike Tyson- Iron Mike
Chuck Wepner- The Bayonne Bleeder
Derivations of Sports Names
Badminton- From the Duke of Beaufort’s estate in Gloucestershire
Cricket- From the French word “criquet” a type of club
Croquet- The French for shepherd’s crook
Curling- From an ancient Scottish word “curr” meaning a low rumble named from the sound made by the stones. Hence its nickname the roaring game
Decathlon- From the Greek for ten and contest
Golf- It is an urban myth that the name derived as an acronym gleaned from Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. It is thought to have derived from the Dutch word “colf” an implement used to strike the ball in the game of kolven. The Scots invented golf when adding holes to the course
Kendo -Japanese for “way of the sword”
Marathon- From the ancient Greek messenger Phedippedes who ran a great distance to announce a Greek victory at the Battle of Marathon
Polo- From the Tibetan for ball
Quoits- The Middle English for flat stone
Rugby- From Rugby School attended by William Webb Ellis who picked up the ball and ran with it
Snooker- The game originated in India among British army officers. Snooker was thought to be a slang term for junior cadets
Taekwondo- Korean for “the art of kicking and punching”
Tennis- From the French word tenez from the verb tenir meaning to hold
Trampolining- From the Spanish word trampolin
meaning diving board
The Things they Say
Quotes by Football Managers
Ron Atkinson- It’s all about the two M’s, movement and passing
Matt Busby- It was a very simple team talk. All I used to say was,” Whenever possible give the ball to George”
Brian Clough- I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one
Tommy Docherty- I’ve had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus
Alex Ferguson- You can’t applaud a referee
Kevin Keegan- They’re the second best team in the world and there’s no higher praise than that
Mick McCarthy- I was feeling as sick as the proverbial donkey
Jose Mourinho- We have top players and sorry if I’m arrogant, we have a top manager
Alf Ramsey at the end of 90 minutes in the 1966 World Cup final- You’ve beaten them once. Now go out and bloody beat them again
Bobby Robson- The first ninety minutes are the most important
Bryan Robson- If we played like this every week we wouldn’t be so inconsistent
Joe Royle- If it had gone in it would have been a goal
Bill Shankly- Some people believe that football is a matter of life and death. It is much more important than that
Terry Venables- If you can’t stand the heat in the dressing room, get out of the kitchen
Howard Wilkinson- I’m a firm believer that if the other side scores first you have to score twice to win
Horses for Courses
1970 Derby winner and a regular dancing partner of Anna Pavlova- Nijinsky
1979 Derby winner and an ancient city ruled by King Priam- Troy
1982 Derby winner and a treasure obtained from the winged ram Chrysomallos- Golden Fleece
2001 Derby winner and an Italian astronomer- Galileo
2002 Derby winner and a TV western- High Chaparral
1967 Grand National winner and a Scottish mountain- Foinavon
1975 Grand National winner and the French for snail- L’Escargot
1976 Grand National winner and a sitcom set at Fenner Fashions- Rag Trade
1978 Grand National winner and the name of three Popes- Lucius
1980 Grand National winner and the highest mountain in Britain- Ben Nevis
1981 Grand national winner that had a railway engine named after him-Aldaniti
1983 Grand national winner and a lighthouse off the coast of Jersey- Corbiere
2000 Grand National winner and a film based on Henri Charriere- Papillon
1971 2000 Guineas winner and a Conan Doyle book character-Brigadier Gerard
1992 2000 Guineas winner and a sailor in the crow’s nest of the Santa Maria- Rodrigo de Triano
1998 1000 Guineas winner and an island archipelago- Cape Verde
2002 2000 Guineas winner and a Mediterranean monolith- Rock of Gibraltar
1977 St Leger winner and a Scottish football team- Dunfermline
2001 St Leger winner and an Italian city-
Milan
Added Good Friday, 2006
Football Club Mascots
Aston Villa- Hercules the lion
Bolton Wanderers- Lofty the lion
Brentford- Buzz the bee
Chelsea- Stamford the lion
Chesterfield- Chester the field mouse
Crystal Palace- Alice the eagle
Hartlepool United- H'Angus the Monkey
Huddersfield- Terry the terrier
Mansfield- Sammy the stag
Middlesbrough- Roary the lion
Millwall- Zampa the lion
Newcastle United- Monty the magpie
Northampton Town- Clarence the dragon
Norwich City- Camilla the canary
Plymouth Argyle- Pete the pilgrim
Portsmouth- Frogmore the frog
Port Vale- Boomer the dog
Preston North End- Deepdale the duck
Rochdale- Desmond the dragon
Rushden and Diamonds- Dazzle the lion
Southend United- Sammy the shrimp
Stoke City- Pottermus the hippo
Sunderland- Samson and Delilah the black cats
Swansea- Cyril the swan
Watford- Harry the hornet
West Bromwich Albion- Baggie the bird
The BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year
First awarded in 1960
1960-Herb Elliott, Australian runner
1961- Valeriy Brumel, Soviet high jumper
1962- Donald Jackson, Canadian ice skater
1963- Jacques Anquetil, French cyclist
1964- Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian runner
1965- Joint winners- Ron Clarke, Australian runner and Gary Player, South African golfer
1966- Joint winners- Eusibio, Portuguese footballer and Garfield Sobers, West Indian cricketer
1967- George Moore, Australian jockey
1968- Joint winners- Oleg Protopopov and Ljudmilla Belosova, Soviet skaters
1969- Rod Laver, Australian tennis player
1970- Pele, Brazilian footballer
1971- Lee Trevino, American golfer
1972- Olga Korbut, Soviet gymnast
1973- Muhammed Ali, American boxer
1974- Muhammed Ali
1975- Arthur Ashe, American tennis player
1976- Nadia Comaneci, Romanian gymnast
1977- Niki Lauda, Austrian motor racing driver
1978- Muhammed Ali
1979- Bjorn Borg, Swedish tennis player
1980- Jack Nicklaus, American golfer
1981-Chris Evert, American tennis player
1982- Jimmy Connors- American tennis player
1983- Carl Lewis, American athlete
1984- Seve Ballesteros, Spanish golfer
1985- Boris Becker, German tennis player
1986- Greg Norman, Australian tennis player
1987- Martina Navratilova, tennis player, Czech born now a US citizen
1988- Steffi Graf- German tennis player
1989- Mike Tyson- American boxer
1990- Mal Meninga, Australian rugby player
1991- Mike Powell, American runner
1992- Andre Agassi, American tennis player
1993- Greg Norman
1994- Brian Lara- West Indian cricketer
1995- Jonah Lomu, New Zealand rugby player
1996- Joint winners-Evander Holyfield, American boxer and Michael Johnson, American runner
1997- Martina Hingis, Swiss tennis player
1998- Mark O'Meara, American golfer
1999- Maurice Greene, American runner
2000- Tiger Woods, American golfer
2001- Goran Ivanisevic, Croatian tennis player
2002- Ronaldo, Brazilian footballer
2003- Lance Armstrong, American cyclist
2004- Roger Federer, Swiss tennis player
2005- Shane Warne- Australian cricketer
Added May 8th, 2006
Fictional Sporting Teams
Brentwich United FC in the football TV drama United
Charlestown Chiefs, ice hockey team in the film Slapshot starring Paul Newman
Dunmore United FC in the children's TV show Murphy's Mob
Earls Park FC in the TV series Footballer's Wives
Gotham City Eagles, baseball team in Batman
Harchester United FC, in the TV series Dream Team
Hounslow Harriers, ladies football team in Bend it Like Beckham
Logicians, Vulcan baseball team in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Melchester Rovers FC, team of Roy Race or Roy of the Rovers
Metropolis Monarchs and Metropolis Meteors, rival baseball teams in Superman
Naboombu Dirty Yellows, beastly football team in Bedknobs and Broomsticks
New York Knights, baseball team in the film The Natural starring Robert Redford
Springfield Isotopes, baseball team in The Simpsons
Walford Town FC in Eastenders
Weatherfield County in Coronation Street
Added May 14th, 2006
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Team Awards
1960- Cooper Racing
1961- Tottenham Hotspur
1962- BRM Motor Racing
1963- West Indies cricket team
1964- England youth football team
1965- West Ham United
1966- England world cup team
1967- Celtic
1968- Manchester United
1969- Joint winners- UK Ryder Cup team and British women's 4 x 400 relay team
1970- Nijinsky team, trainers and owners etc of Triple Crown winning racehorse
1971- British Lions
1972- British Olympic Three Day Eventing team
1973-Sunderland
1974- British Lions
1975- British men's swimming team
1976- British Olympic Modern Pentathlon team
1977- Liverpool FC
1978- British Davis Cup and Wightman Cup tennis teams
1979- British Showjumping team
1980- England rugby union team
1981- Bob Champion and Aldaniti
1982- Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
1983- Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean
1984- British Showjumping team
1985- European Ryder Cup team
1986-Liverpool FC
1987- European Ryder Cup team
1988- British men's hockey team
1989- British Olympics athletics squad
1990- Scotland rugby union team
1991- Joint winners- England rugby union team and British Men's Olympic 4 x 400 relay team
1992- Steve Redgrave and Matthew Pinsent
1993- England rugby union team
1994- Wigan rugby league team
1995- European Ryder Cup team
1996- British men's 4 x 400 relay team
1997- British Lions
1998- Arsenal FC
1999- Manchester United
2000- Joint winners- British Olympic and Paralympic athletics teams
2001- Liverpool FC
2002- European Ryder Cup team
2003- England rugby union team
2004- British Men's Coxless Fours rowing team
2005- England cricket team
Added Friday, May 26, 2006
Sports Stars Played on Film
The film Ali
Muhammed Ali played by Will Smith
George Foreman played by Charles Shufford
Joe Frazier played by James Toney
Floyd Patterson played by Rufus Dorsey
The film The Babe
Babe Ruth played by John Goodman
The film Best
George Best played by John Lynch
Matt Busby played by Ian Bannen
Bobby Charlton played by Jerome Flynn
Tommy Docherty played by David Hayman
Denis Law played by Linus Roache
Rodney Marsh played by Roger Daltrey
Nobby Stiles played by Ian Hart
The film Champions
Bob Champion played by John Hurt
Joss Gifford played by Edward Woodward
The film Chariots of Fire
Harold Abrahams played by Ben Cross
Eric Liddell played by Ian Charleson
The film The Cinderella Man
Jim Braddock played by Russell Crowe
Max Baer played by Craig Bierko
The film Cobb
Ty Cobb played by Tommy Lee Jones
The film Follow the Sun
Golfer Ben Hogan played by Glenn Ford
The film The Hurricane
Boxer Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter played by Denzil Washington
The film Raging Bull
Jake La Motta played by Robert De Niro
Sugar Ray Robinson played by Johnny Barnes
The film Somebody Up There Likes Me
Rocky Graziano played by Paul Newman
Added June 7, 2006
Celebrity Football Fans
Arsenal Chelsea Liverpool Manchester United
Dido David Baddiel Jimmy Tarbuck James Nesbitt
Rory McGrath David Mellor Cilla Black Angus Deayton
Damon Hill Damon Albarn Stan Boardman Richard Ashcroft
Ronnie Biggs Michael Caine Les Dennis Mick Hucknall
Jeremy Beadle Steve Redgrave Mark Owen Terry Christian
Michael Winner John Major Mel C John Virgo
Kevin Costner Jimmy White John Peel Gary Rhodes
Clive Anderson Dennis Waterman Chris de Burgh Steve Coogan
Rachel Stevens Bryan Adams Gerry Marsden Zoe Ball
Barbara Windsor Tim Lovejoy Craig Charles Russell Watson
Others
Aston Villa- Nigel Kennedy, Prince William, Ozzy Osbourne
Barnsley- Michael Parkinson
Blackburn Rovers- Jim Bowen, Jack Straw, Carl Fogarty
Birmingham City- Jasper Carrott
Bolton Wanderers- Peter Kay, Vernon Kay
Cardiff City- Charlotte Church
Celtic- Rod Stewart, Billy Connolly
Charlton Athletic- Jim Davidson, Gary Bushell, Steve Davis
Crystal Palace- Windsor Davies, Jo Brand
Derby County-Robert Lindsay
Everton- John Parrott, Derek Hatton, Paul McCartney, Freddie Starr, Tom O'Connor
Fulham- Tessa Sanderson, Hugh Grant
Hearts- Stephen Hendry
Ipswich Town- Nigel Havers
Leeds United- Chris Moyles, Jeremy Paxman
Luton Town- Eric Morecambe
Manchester City- Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Bernard Manning
Middlesbrough- Roy "Chubby" Brown , Chris Rea, Bob Mortimer
Millwall- Danny Baker
Newcastle United- Tony Blair, Ant & Dec, Jimmy Nail, Robson Green
Norwich City- Delia Smith
Port Vale-Robbie Williams
Rangers- Gordon Ramsey, Marti Pellow, Sean Connery
Sheffield United- Sean Bean, Michael Palin
Sheffield Wednesday- Jarvis Cocker, Roy Hattersley
Southampton- Craig David, David Gower
Stoke City- Nick Hancock
Sunderland- Steve Cram, Kate Adie
Tottenham- Patsy Kensit, Richard Littlejohn, Phil Collins, Salman Rushdie, Paul Whitehouse
Watford-Elton John
West Bromwich Albion-Frank Skinner, Eric Clapton, Cat Deeley, Lenny Henry
West Ham- Ray Winstone, Frank Bruno, David Essex, John Cleese, Ross Kemp
Wolves- Robert Plant
Added July 2nd, 2006
Nicknames of 2006 World Cup Nations
Angola- The Black Impalas
Argentina- Albicelestes (White and Sky Blues)
Australia- Socceroos
Brazil- The Selected
Costa Rica- Los Ticos, deriving from the word hermaniticos meaning little brothers
Croatia- The Fiery Ones
Czech Republic- No nickname
Ecuador- La Tricolor
England- Three Lions, though I could think of a few more!!
France- The Blues
Germany- The National Eleven
Ghana- The Black Stars
Iran- Team Melli
Italy- Azzuri (Sky Blues)
Ivory Coast- The Elephants
Japan- The Blues
Mexico- Los Tricolores
Netherlands- Oranje
Paraguay - Guaranies
Poland- The White and Red
Portugal- Seleccao das Quinas, referring to the five shields on the flag of Portugal
Saudi Arabia- Sons of the Desert
Serbia- The Blues
South Korea- The Asian Tigers
Spain- La Seleccion
Sweden- Blue and Yellow
Switzerland- Nati
Togo- The Sparrow Hawks
Trinidad and Tobago- The Soca Warriors
Tunisia - The Eagles of Carthage
Ukraine- Zbirna
USA- The Stars and Stripes
Added July 21, 2006
22 Footballers who captained England at least 10 times
Bobby Moore 90 caps as captain
Billy Wright 90 caps as captain
Bryan Robson- 65
David Beckham- 58
Alan Shearer- 34
Kevin Keegan- 31
Emlyn Hughes- 23
Bob Crompton- 22
Johnny Haynes- 22
Eddie Hapgood- 21
David Platt- 19
Gary Lineker- 18
Gilbert Smith- 16
Norman Bailey- 15
Jimmy Armfield- 15
Tony Adams- 15
Peter Shilton- 15
Viv Woodward- 14
George Hardwick- 13
Roy Goodall- 12
Ray Wilkins- 10
Stuart Pearce-10
Added August 25th 2006
Around the Grounds
A list of stands named after people at British football grounds
Aston Villa - Doug Ellis Stand
Blackburn Rovers - Jack Walker Stand
Blackpool - Mortensen North Stand
Burnley - Bob Lord Stand, James Hargreaves Stand, Jimmy McIlroy Stand
Celtic - Jock Stein Stand
Charlton Athletic - Jimmy Seed Stand
Chelsea - Matthew Harding Stand
Crystal Palace - Arthur Wait Stand
Fulham - Johnny Haynes Stand
Gillingham - Brian Moore Stand
Leeds - John Charles Stand
Lincoln City - Stacey-West Stand, named after two life long supporters, Bill Stacey and Jim West
Manchester City - Colin Bell Stand
Newcastle United - Sir John Hall Stand, Milburn Stand
Notts County - Jimmy Sirrel Stand
Nottingham Forest - Brian Clough Stand
Preston North End - Bill Shankly Stand
Watford - Rous Stand
West Ham - Bobby Moore Stand
Wolverhampton Wanderers - Billy Wright Stand