Football - Knowledge: who has scored the most hat-tricks in a single season? | Football | The Guardian
The Knowledge
Who has scored the most hat-tricks in a single season?
Plus: famous football twins (2); the bisexual German international love triangle; and where does 'Villa' come from? Email your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk
Close, but no cigar, Dixie. Photograph: Getty Images
Wednesday 10 October 2007 04.29 EDT
First published on Wednesday 10 October 2007 04.29 EDT
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"I noticed, while flicking through some stats, that Alan Shearer scored five hat-tricks for Blackburn in 1995-96," explains Chris Topping. "Has any other player scored more in one season?"
Yes, is the rather abrupt answer, Chris. First up, the Wolves striker Steve Bull scored six of his 18 career hat-tricks in the 1988-89 season, although two of these were four-goal hauls against Preston and Port Vale. Matching this feat, are Jimmy Greaves (for Chelsea in 1960-61), Ayr United's Jimmy Smith (1927-28) and Altrincham's Jackie Swindells , who scored 82 goals in 63 games during the 1965-66 campaign, 18 of which came from six hat-tricks. Of course, when famous goalscoring achievements are mentioned, William Ralph 'Dixie' Dean's name is usually close behind; as is the case here. Dean scored seven of his record 37 career hat-tricks in 1927-28, but went one better in the 1931-32 season.
Incredibly, even that doesn't claim the record, which instead belongs to Framwellgate Moor's most famous son. George Camsell, a Middlesbrough legend whose talents were first spotted - according to the Observer's Paul Wilson - at a "pithead kickabout during a miners' strike", banged home nine hat-tricks in the 1925-26 campaign. They helped comprise a season tally of 59 goals from just 37 games, a record that was, in turn, eclipsed by Dean the very next season. Camsell also scored a remarkable 18 goals for England in just nine appearances, a total that would surely have been greater had Dean and Cliff Bastin not been on the scene at the same time.
FAMOUS FOOTBALLING TWINS (2)
In last week's Knowledge we attempted to give a comprehensive run-down of the most famous footballing twins. Sadly, we failed ...
"How can you forget the most-capped pair of twins of all time," demands Leandro Carioca - one of a number of readers to point us in the direction of Egypt's Hossam and Ibrahim Hassan. "Hossam was at one point the most-capped player of all time (a title now held by Saudi Arabia's Mohamed Al-Deayea), though his international career has now probably come to an end at 170 caps; Ibrahim, now retired, won 122. They are also Egypt's most and second-most titled players of all time with 41 and 35 titles respectively, and played together for much of their careers at a number of clubs including Al Ahly and Zamalek, among others."
Closer to home many of you pointed us in the direction of Roger and Ian Morgan, who both joined Queens Park Rangers in 1964. "Roger was bought by Spurs in 1969," recalls David Graniewitz. "But soon had a promising career cut short through injury. Legend has it, if I remember correctly, that Bill Nicholson intended on signing Ian, but signed his identical twin brother instead." Ian, for his part stayed with Rangers a while longer before moving on to Watford in 1973.
Over in Germany Erwin and Helmut Kremers were the first ever twins to play in the Bundesliga. The pair, a winger/striker and full-back/midfielder respectively, played together at Borussia Mönchengladbach (1967-69), Kickers Offenbach (1969-71) and FC Schalke 04 (1971-79), winning the German Cup twice - with Offenbach in 1970 (though Erwin did not play in the final) and 1972 with Schalke. Both represented Germany, Erwin picking up 15 caps and playing in Germany's 1972 European Championship winning side, while Helmut won eight caps, two of them alongside his brother. According to Oliver Alexander, they also sang together: "Both made a foray into the German pop charts in 1974 as "The Kremers", crooning romantically about the 'girl of my dream'."
Other twins to have slipped through the net include - deep breath - Osasuna's Javier and Miguel Flaño, Yuto and Hisato Sato of JEF United Ichihara Chiba and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Pat and Denis Bonner (Celtic and Galway Utd), Antonio and Emanuele Fillipini (Livorno and Treviso), Damiano and Christian Zenoni (Parma and Sampdoria), Pawel and Piotr Brozek (Wisla Krakow), Zlatko and Zoran Vujović (both Hajduk Split and Bordeaux), plus Julio César and Jorge Dely Valdés, formerly of Nacional and Cagliari (among others), respectively.
But the greatest pair of footballing twins might be just around the corner - Jojo Malig pointed us in the direction of Brazilian teenagers Rafael and Fabio - identical attack-minded full-backs who impressed Sir Alex Ferguson so much with their performances on either flank at this year's Under-17 World Cup that he promptly signed them to pre-contracts. The pair will officially join United this summer, so watch this space.
THREE INTO TWO DOESN'T GO
Following on from our recent international football power couples article, several of you reminded us of a recent tale from the German tabloids ...
According to Bild, the former German international and Mönchengladbach coach Holger Fach found himself in the middle of a bisexual love triangle with two members of the women's national team. Fach began dating Inga Grings soon after she had broken up with her Duisburg and Germany team-mate Linda Bresonik. "He has made Inga like men," reported Bild, before Fach added: "She is a great girl. Apart from that I'm saying nothing."
Within a matter of weeks, however, Bild was back on the case, claiming Grings and Bresonik had got back together. "This is the greatest love story in German football," deadpanned the paper, before Bresonik declared: "Inka was my first love and I will fight for her. The pain in my soul overwhelms. Fach came between us: now Inka must decide." A final twist in the tale appears to have taken place since. "It gets better," writes one reader, ein-Toaster. "Grings and Fach split up and Fach ended up with, you've guessed it, Bresonik."
KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE
"Where does the Villa in Aston Villa come from? Does it have anything to do with the Aston-Martin motorcar?" asked Bob Hobbs in 2000.
"Aston-Martin motorcar? Maybe it's because they play in Aston," ranted an incredulous Algy. "That's probably also why the Aston Expressway is called the Aston Expressway - because it's in Aston, and it's an Expressway!" To be fair, Algy did offer something rather more constructive: "Villa ... I'm guessing that it's Aston Hall, which overlooked the Aston Lower Grounds before Villa Park was placed there in 1897."
For a while, we were convinced. Until Martin Blogg quoted us a line or two from Simon Inglis' historical tome Villa Park 100 Years, that is: "Aston Villa Football Club was founded by pupils of the Aston Villa Wesleyan Chapel Sunday school. The chapel was in an area of Aston known as Aston Villa, after an 18th-century house of the same name."
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"American baseball player Sean Casey, known as 'the Mayor' for his chattiness and approachability, was a landslide winner in a players' poll earlier this year to determine the friendliest player in baseball," notes Anton Dolicek. "Who is the Premier League's or football's Sean Casey?"
"We all know about Escape to Victory, Goal and the Allan Simonsen starrer Skytten , but which other films have included 'acting' roles for footballers?" wonders Adrian Ashton. "The more random the better."
"Have any players ever used a corner flag, a goalpost or an advertising hoarding to attack an opponent?" enquires Pedro Salinas.
Send your questions and answers to knowledge@theguardian.com .
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