Van Gaal in line for a senior managerial position at Anfield
22.05.2012, 22:02:00
o Dutchman under consideration as club's new sporting director o Expected to work with the new team manager when appointed Louis van Gaal is in line for a senior managerial role at Liverpool. The Dutchman was linked with a move to Anfield in the wake of Damien Comolli's dismissal as director of football in April. However, while it has since been decided to change the management structure at Liverpool, Van Gaal has remained under consideration for a revised role and is the leading contender to become the club's first sporting director. He is understood to be keen on a move to Merseyside and his appointment could herald the arrival of several new faces at Anfield, including the successor to Kenny Dalglish. The club are also set to name Billy Hogan, currently the managing director of Fenway Sports Group, as the their new commercial director. FSG are conducting an extensive search for a manager since sacking Dalglish last week and their ideal criteria of a young coach with title-winning experience would fit alongside a sporting director of Van Gaal's experience and expertise. That plan led to approaches for Jürgen Klopp of Borussia Dortmund and Ajax's Frank de Boer, both of whom declined the opportunity to meet John W Henry and Tom Werner, Liverpool's principal owner and chairman respectively, and to interest in the former Porto and Chelsea manager, André Villas-Boas. Villas-Boas and Roberto Martínez of Wigan Athletic are among several candidates for the manager's post and whoever is chosen will, it seems, have to accept working with Van Gaal, who has won league titles with Ajax, Barcelona, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich, plus the Champions League with Ajax in 1995. The 60-year-old was due to return to Ajax in a director's capacity this year until a legal challenge from long-time adversary Johann Cruyff derailed the move. His last managerial role was at Bayern, who he led to the Bundesliga title and the Champions League final in 2010 before being sacked in April 2011. Van Gaal's work with Ajax and Barcelona undoubtedly appeals to Liverpool's owners as they conduct an overhaul at Anfield and look to imprint a playing philosophy throughout every level of the club. That strengthens his claims for the proposed sporting director role, although Van Gaal has not yet called time on his managerial career and was linked with PSV Eindhoven before their recent appointment of Dick Advocaat. FSG's method of replacing Dalglish has attracted criticism due to the number of rejections it has prompted. Brendan Rodgers was the first to decline the offer of an interview but it is understood the Swansea City manager would not reject an offer of the job if it was forthcoming. Henry and Werner have still to reach a decision on a new stadium but, in an indication they favour a redeveloped Anfield over a new build on Stanley Park, the club's managing director, Ian Ayre, has revealed that progress has been made with local residents regarding the existing stadium. The "right to light" is one of the major obstacles in the way of a redeveloped Anfield, as the necessity to build upwards would have an impact on nearby housing. That has been the focus of protracted negotiations between the club and residents in recent months, with the possibility that the "right to light" can be sold offering Liverpool hope of staying at their historic home. Ayre said: "People assume that because we haven't made a major announcement, or can show any spade in the ground, that nothing has gone on and no progress has been made. There is progress. The most important thing for us, especially under this owner, has been about certainty on the stadium. We are not going to make comments that we're doing something until we've got certainty. And that certainty quite often is in other people's hands. "In the case of staying at Anfield that certainty is with residents in and around that area that we would need to convince. We're having some great dialogue with them. When we have that certainty we will make the announcement and move on it. It's all right for people to say Liverpool is a big football club - 60,000 seats, why don't you just go and get on with it? But look at the economics of that, of a £300m build for 15,000 new seats. It's pretty hard to make that stack up. The work is going on and a decision will be announced when we've got certainty." Ayre has not ruled out a new development on Stanley Park, for which naming rights would have to be sold. "We are fairly well down the line with a couple of major brands who have shown significant rights in naming rights for a new stadium." Liverpool Fenway Sports Group Andy Hunter guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Drogba: I'd have stayed if we had lost
22.05.2012, 22:01:03
o Shanghai Shenhua are favourites as his next club o 'Fernando Torres will improve next season' - Drogba Didier Drogba would have sought to stay at Chelsea had the club been thwarted in their pursuit of the Champions League and the team's success in Munich on Saturday provided the perfect denouement to his eight-year career at Stamford Bridge. The Ivory Coast forward has confirmed his intention to leave the European Cup winners upon the expiry of his contract next month, after 157 goals in 341 appearances, and will now deliberate with his family over where he will play his football next season. The money-flushed Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua, managed by his former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka, remains his most likely destination. While the London club's hierarchy had anticipated a parting of the ways this summer, the 34-year-old's decision was determined only after Bayern Munich were defeated at the weekend, with his last touch for the club proving to be the decisive penalty in the shootout at the Allianz Arena. "I would have stayed if we hadn't won the Champions League," said Drogba. "That was my challenge, what I wanted to achieve. It would have been very difficult to leave if we hadn't won the Champions League because we have been chasing this trophy for eight years, since I have been here, and we were always close to it. "We even saw the cup in Moscow [in the 2008 final against Manchester United], walking by it, and we could not touch it. That was the challenge for the boys who were in Moscow. We wanted to go back and win it. It is important not only as a player, but as a man, to fix targets and try to achieve them. We wanted to win the Champions League." Drogba believes Fernando Torres, who has endured life in the Ivorian's shadow since his £50m British record move from Liverpool 16 months ago, will now flourish in his absence as the veteran seeks his "new challenge". "Everybody knows Fernando is a very good player, an international player," said Drogba, whose goal against Bayern had been the first either has scored while both on the pitch as Chelsea players. "He's been through difficult moments here. It happens to everyone. "The good thing is he has our support and I know, next season, he will improve and he's going to be better. Now I can't complain but my first few seasons here were very difficult. It's not easy to play for Chelsea. But this club is in good hands with Fernando. Of course we will need new strikers but Torres will do the job, he will do it. He will do it, no doubt. "The club tried hard enough [to keep me] but I want a new challenge. It has been a fantastic eight years. It's been a pleasure and an honour to wear the blue shirt and to achieve everything we did here, all these trophies. The best for me was to finish on a high with this Champions League final. "It was the best of the best, the crème de la crème . Now I will have time to make a decision on where I go next." Didier Drogba Chelsea Dominic Fifield guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Solskjaer not interested in Villa job
22.05.2012, 22:36:00
o Former Manchester United forward cites family reasons o Martínez, Rodgers and Lambert on Villa shortlist Ole Gunnar Solskjaer withdrew his interest in becoming the Aston Villa manager, leaving the Midlands club forced to reconsider other options as they continue their pursuit of a replacement for Alex McLeish. Solskjaer returned to Oslo on Tuesday for talks with Molde's owner, Kjell Inge Rokke, to sort out his future. The former Manchester United player had flown to England for discussions with Villa last Friday and it was half-expected that he would tell Rokke that he wanted to be given the chance to manage in the Premier League. Solskjaer, however, has decided to pull out of the running for the Villa position, citing family reasons. Although Solskjaer's willingness to meet Randy Lerner, the Villa owner, and Paul Faulkner, the chief executive, had taken many by surprise in Norway, there were always doubts as to whether he would be prepared to leave Molde behind at this stage of his managerial career and with his family so settled in his hometown of Kristiansund. Molde will play in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League later in the summer and Solskjaer has a further two years to run on his contract. He has also enjoyed being able to see his three children grow up in Norway. Although Villa never offered the job to Solskjaer, the 39-year-old made quite an impression during his conversations with the club, and his desire no longer to be part of the process will come as a major disappointment. Villa have always been keen to stress that they have been keeping their options open, rather than pinning all their hopes on one candidate, although their interest in Solskjaer had prompted excitement among the club's supporters. Lerner and Faulkner will now return to a shortlist containing the names of Roberto Martínez, Brendan Rodgers and Paul Lambert, although approaches for any of those three managers would appear far from straightforward. Martínez rejected the chance to join Villa last summer and has also been on Liverpool's radar, Rodgers turned down an interview at Anfield last week while Norwich have spoken about their determination to hold on to Lambert. Villa have been careful not to set a timescale, although there were hopes that a manager could be in place by the end of this week. With the Norwegian Premier League entering a month's break after Sunday, everything seemed to fall into place for Solskjaer to part company with the club he led to the title last year and move to England. That theory, however, has been blown out of the water. Aston Villa guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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'Tailored to harsh economic realities'
22.05.2012, 21:40:46
Manchester City's 9% increase is an exception as many top sides reward their fans' loyalty with a freeze Premier League clubs can be accused of many things but colluding over ticket prices is not one of them. If the Guardian's research into the cost of going to watch Premier League football next season tells anything, it is that clubs have little regard for what the rest of the division is doing when it comes to working out how much to charge their own supporters. "You can't report us to the Monopolies Commission," Peter Coates, the Stoke City chairman, says with a chuckle. In many ways it should come as no surprise that clubs are operating in a bubble. There are, after all, so many individual factors that can influence the price of a ticket, ranging from how the team performed the previous season and the size of their stadium to the demand for seats and state of the local economy. Greed can also come into the equation, as Queens Park Rangers' supporters discovered last season when the club's previous owners hiked season-ticket prices by up to 40%. Although there is nothing quite as outrageous this year, there remains a huge disparity in prices across the Premier League and it is interesting to see the contrasting ways in which clubs are dealing with the recession. If the 9% rise at Manchester City raises eyebrows, even in light of the club winning the Premier League, then so does West Bromwich Albion's decision to make sweeping cuts, reducing all adult season tickets by £50 and knocking up to £70 off the cost of seats for youngsters. It is a noble move, not least because Albion's 23,622 home allocation was 96% fully subscribed last season, meaning that the club were under little pressure to drop prices. The Albion chief executive, Mark Jenkins, says the club wanted to do more to help people in an area that has been particularly hard hit economically. He also explains that they are mindful of mistakes made in the past, when a generation of supporters was lost. "I think our season-ticket prices for this season were already very competitive given our location and the size of the stadium, particularly when you look at our rivals, but we felt that we could still do more in the current climate," Jenkins says. "There's no doubt that youth unemployment is a very big issue at present. I'm a parent and I know full well that for teenagers and those in their early twenties even finding part-time employment is tough, never mind a full-time job. As a result we've really tried to focus on them and to focus on juniors too. In many ways that is the single biggest motivation behind our pricing strategy - to secure the next generation of fans. "Having talked with the consultation group, to season-ticket holders and supporters, it's clear we lost a large number of a whole generation of fans between 1986 and 2002, primarily because we were out of the top division and struggling in that period but also because there were very harsh economic times in this area. If you look at the make-up of our crowd, there is definitely a weighting towards people from around 40 and older, and that reflects that period in time when we failed to attract as many new fans as we should have." Nine clubs - Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Stoke, Newcastle United and QPR - have frozen the cost of season tickets for the 2012-13 campaign. West Ham United have put prices back to the level they were when the club were last in the top flight, in 2010-11. Reading, another of the promoted clubs, have introduced significant hikes for new applicants. But those that renewed during the "early bird" period - operated by many clubs to entice supporters to commit to a seat before the end of the season by offering reduced rates - will be watching Premier League football at the Madejski Stadium at Championship prices. Norwich City and Swansea City claim that is what many of their supporters were doing last season, given that season-ticket prices for 2011-12 were set when both were Championship clubs and yet to win promotion to the top flight. The financial landscape, however, looks a little different at Carrow Road and the Liberty Stadium after impressive returns to the top flight. The cheapest adult tickets at Norwich and Swansea are up more than 10% and, at £471 and £429, are more expensive than the equivalent seats at half the Premier League clubs. Youngsters at both clubs will also have to dig deeper, under-16s paying up to 30.9% more at Norwich and an average 36% more at Swansea. On the face of it there would appear to be little justification for established Premier League clubs to ask their fans to hand over more money in this economic climate, although City may argue that a first championship in 44 years, on the back of Sheikh Mansour's billion-pound spending spree, is a fair reason for their hike, especially as their tickets remain considerably cheaper than their rivals'. Of the other clubs that have been in the Premier League for some time Fulham have introduced the next highest rise, asking fans to pay an average 5% more to go to Craven Cottage next season. There are winners and losers at Fulham, where some adults buying the £399 entry-level seats in 2012-13 will be paying £20 less than the previous year while 295 others will be paying 21% more. Some concession prices have also climbed. Tottenham Hotspur say their average 3.6% increase is in line with inflation, although those supporters in the cheapest seats could be forgiven for feeling that they have got the rough end of the deal. Entry-level season tickets at White Hart Lane are up from £690 to £730, which is 5.7% more. Only Arsenal have entry-level seats at a higher price, although those paying £985 at the Emirates Stadium also get seven cup matches thrown in, which works out a marginally better deal than the one at Spurs if calculated on an average cost per game. If demand way exceeds supply at Tottenham, where there is a 30,000-strong waiting list for season tickets, the same cannot be said for Everton, where gates dropped 7.8% in 2011-12. Yet season ticket prices are up an average 3% at Goodison Park for 2012-13. Everton have, though, introduced a £95 ticket for under-11s, which represents a £50 saving for those of that age and has proved a hit. Age categories for young adults and juniors have become increasingly popular in recent years. There are 11 categories from under-22 down to under-fives across the 19 Premier League clubs featured in this survey. Wigan, which remains by far the cheapest Premier League ground to watch football, have proved particularly successful at enticing younger fans and reaped the benefits last season in an average attendance that went up more than 10%, a greater increase than any other top-flight club with the exception of the newly promoted Swansea. "We're very pleased with our percentage rise this year," Jonathan Jackson, the Wigan chief executive, says. "Our attendances had been falling from a high of 20,800 in our first year in the Premier League, and they gradually eroded to about 16,000-17,000, and that is very much under capacity here, so we looked at how we best addressed that. Clearly the most important thing is to get your prices right. It's a competitive market and we feel that we have fantastic value for money in the Premier League. Our most expensive season ticket for a renewal is £300. "We've also targeted our junior fans, who make up quite a large proportion of our season-ticket holders, just over 20%, because my aim is to ensure that every child growing up in Wigan is a Wigan Athletic fan. "So we do an awful lot of work in schools, doing free coaching and engaging through our community trust. Once you have got them as a fan, the general rule is that they'll stay as a fan. Under-11s are £50, under fives are free and this year we have reduced our under-16s from £160 in the centre of our main stand to £105, which is quite a significant drop." While it is easier for Wigan to be creative with their ticketing because their ground often has at least 5,000 empty seats, it does not necessarily follow that a full stadium means prices are more likely to go up. At Stoke, where season-ticket numbers are capped at 22,000, prices have not moved for five years. "I'm sure we could have put them up and I don't think we would have any comeback," Coates says. "But we want to avoid [pricing supporters out]. This has always been the sport for everyman and we want to keep it that way." Premier League Business Stuart James guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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City fans to face 9% ticket price hike
22.05.2012, 22:31:55
o Cost of some Etihad season tickets to jump by £60 o Fulham, Tottenham and Everton also increase prices Manchester City have increased season-ticket prices by an average 9% for next season. The hike, which follows a 6% rise 12 months ago, means that some City supporters will have to pay £60 more to renew their seat at the Etihad Stadium to watch the Premier League champions defend their title in 2012-13. Although City are not alone in increasing the cost of season tickets, research by the Guardian shows that only three other established Premier League clubs have raised their prices across the stadium, with Fulham the next highest at 5%. Tottenham Hotspur fans will pay an average of 3.6% more next season while Everton supporters face an increase of 3%. City say that the increases have been staggered in a way that those in the cheaper seats will not face the same rises as those at the top end. A standard adult season ticket in level one of the family stand under their gold membership scheme now starts at £425, rising to a maximum of £745, for platinum members, in level two of the Colin Bell Stand. Adults will pay 5-10% more for a season ticket in 2012-13, over-65s will have to pay an average of 2% more, under-21s face a 4-10% rise and under-16s need to find about £1 more per game. The club also offer an undisclosed and limited number of "value gold" seats. These cost £275 and are the second-cheapest seats in the Premier League, although the club chooses where the season-ticket holder sits rather than the other way round. Although City's prices remain competitive in relation to their rivals, the fact that season tickets have gone up by 15% in the last two years suggests that there are some limits to Sheikh Mansour's generosity after all. The City owner has invested more than £1bn since taking control of the club and, in all likelihood, few supporters will be complaining at the prospect of paying more to watch a team who won the title for the first time in 44 years. Across the rest of the Premier League, many fans will see little change in the cost of their season tickets. Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Stoke City, Newcastle United and Queens Park Rangers have all frozen prices. Norwich City and Swansea City fans will have to pay at least 10% more to watch Premier League football for a second successive season, although their 2011-12 prices were set when they were Championship clubs. West Ham United season-ticket holders will pay the same as they did when the club was last in the Premier League, in 2010-11, while some Reading supporters, because of a similar situation to what Norwich and Swansea were in before, will watch Premier League football at Championship prices. Wigan have increased prices for adults by 2% on average but significantly reduced the cost for youngsters. West Bromwich Albion have made the most notable change, dropping adult prices by £50 and making cuts of up to £70 in their youth categories. A City spokesperson said: "Our pricing structure has been reviewed this summer and we are confident that Manchester City membership for 2012-13 represents superb value for money. Last season we provided the best product for supporters on and off the pitch. We won the Premier League by winning 18 out of 19 home games and were voted the No1 club for supporter experience in a survey conducted by Visit Britain for the Premier League. "We achieved all this while having on offer some of the most competitive ticket prices in the Premier League. For 2012-13 we have adult season tickets from £275 on offer, which equates to less than £14.50 per game to watch the champions, one of the best value packages in the top four tiers of the league. "This year we have introduced a new 'City Kicks' junior membership scheme for youngsters and have season tickets available for under- 16s from £110. We are also providing season-ticket holders with the opportunity to sell unwanted seats via our 'Ticket Exchange' scheme, giving extra value to our supporters." Premier League Manchester City Business Stuart James guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Wilshere has minor knee operation in Sweden
22.05.2012, 16:39:28
o Procedure is believed to have been succesful o Comeback remains on course for next season Jack Wilshere had a minor operation on his left knee on Tuesday afternoon. The midfielder underwent the procedure in Sweden and it is reported to have been a success. Wilshere will return to Arsenal in the next few days to continue his rehabilitation and is expected to ready return to first-team action at the start of next season. The 20-year-old tweeted: "Surgery went well.....one problem, I'm STARVING! Get me a pizza now........." and followed it later with: "Thanks for your messages tweeps....up and about already!" Jack Wilshere Arsenal guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Given to undergo scan ahead of Bosnia game
22.05.2012, 15:12:51
o Given injured in training but should be fit for match on Saturday o John O'Shea likely to miss Bosnia game with ankle injury The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given has given Giovanni Trapattoni a scare after having to undergo a scan on a knee injury, ahead of the side's friendly against Bosnia on Saturday. The 121-times-capped goalkeeper was sent for tests after hurting the knee in training on Monday and is expected to sit out two to three days of this week's preparations in Malahide. A spokesman for the Football Association of Ireland said: "Shay Given picked up a minor knee injury in training yesterday. After undergoing a scan, it was concluded that Shay should sit out training for the next two to three days for precautionary measures." The Republic play Bosnia at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon before heading off for their pre-Euro 2012 training camp in Italy on Sunday. However, while the 36-year-old Given may still appear in that game, the defender John O'Shea is unlikely to as he continues to battle an ankle injury. The 31-year-old has not trained fully since joining up with his team-mates as a result of the problem he aggravated in Sunderland's final game of the season against former club Manchester United. However, Trapattoni remains confident he will be fit for the tournament, which begins for the Republic against Croatia in Poznan on 10 June. The spokesman added: "Giovanni Trapattoni has also decided that John O'Shea may not partake in Saturday's game against Bosnia for precautionary measures, but has confirmed that John will be fit in time for Euro 2012. John is undergoing rehabilitative treatment this week on his ankle." There was better news for the manager, however, when the captain, Robbie Keane, joined his team-mates on the training pitch in Malahide for the first time on Tuesday morning. The 31-year-old striker flew in from Los Angeles on Monday afternoon and was among the squad for the early part of the first session of the day. Keane, who is recovering from a minor hamstring strain, left early to return to the team hotel, but Trapattoni will be delighted to finally have him with the rest of the squad. Republic of Ireland guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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Which team have the strangest goal music? | The Knowledge
22.05.2012, 23:06:17
Plus: why Montpellier are the French Nottingham Forest; Brazil's strangest trophies; and which footballers have gone on to make it big in the NFL? Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk and follow us on Twitter "Having seen 'goal music' coming third in your Gripe of the Season poll," begins Martin Mitchell, "it got me wondering who the worst offenders are? Whose goal music is the most inappropriate?" First a disclaimer: goal music is, of course, the great bane of modern football. Fewer and fewer fans can celebrate a stunning strike without being deafened by Tom Hark or similar guff - if we had our way it would stop immediately. This week's Knowledge should in no way be seen as an endorsement of goal music in all it's ghoulish guises. Right, with that off our chests we can head to the continent, where they at least make a bit of an effort rather than simply stick Chelsea Dagger on over the Tannoy. First to Wolfsburg, as suggested by @Der_Schotte on Twitter: The wolf's howl? Fine. Rama Lama Ding Dong? Far less so. The Bundesliga as a whole has a very poor record in this regard. Hannover 96 used to use Nellie the Elephant , while Werder Bremen are another guilty party, opting for the little-used boat horn/Proclaimers combination: And in the box marked 'jaunty' we can stick Duisberg , SG Wattenscheid (who helpfully remind you in the lyrics that there has been a "Goal, goal, goal for Wattenscheid") and FC Ingolstadt . Outside Germany, Lille must have Graham Coxon kicking himself for not thinking to start Song 2 with Fred Flintstone yelping "Yabba Dabba Doo!": And it's hard to know exactly what FC Zurich fans get out of Kiss's I Was Made For Loving You after scoring in the Swiss Super League. To be honest, there are just too many candidates to come up with a definite 'worst of' (and British teams don't get off scott free: Norwich used to play Ocean Colour Scene's Riverboat Song when they won a corner). Perhaps the last word should go to Finland's FF Jaro, who really do go the whole hog: MONTPELLIER: THE NEW NOTTINGHAM FOREST "With Montpellier winning the title in France for the first time, who and when was the last first time winner in Europe's other major leagues?" writes Paul Morony. It's not as rare as you might think. Only in England do you have to go back more than 20-odd years. Italy Sampdoria, 1990-91 Spain Deportivo La Coruña, 1999-2000 Germany VfL Wolfsburg, 2008-09 England Nottingham Forest, 1978-79 STRANGE TROPHIES "This weekend the state leagues in Brazil finally came to a close," begins Paulo Padilha. "Bahia ended a 11-year trophy drought when they were crowned champions over local rivals Vitoria and I couldn't help but notice that the trophy they were lifting was in the shape of an elevator. In this case it was one of the landmarks of the city of Salvador. Are there other examples of trophies that don't conform to the usual cup/vase/shield/pedestal-thingy shapes?" Brazilian state federations are the chief culprits here, as Paulo goes on to explain: "Over the years the state championships have provided several trophies in the shape of buildings. The federation of Rio Grande do Norte presented another replica of a local landmark in addition to the regular trophy that changes hands from year to year, while the Santa Catarina and São Paulo federations have been known to hand out replicas of their own headquarters. The São Paulo federation even had a somewhat traditional trophy in the shape of the state's gubernatorial palace , that was around for several years and required several people to carry." Any more for any more? Get in touch at the usual address . KNOWLEDGE ARCHIVE "I was surprised to learn that former Tottenham goal machine Clive Allen had a brief spell as specialist goal-kicker with the NFL Europe outfit London Monarchs," wrote Mike Hopkin back in 2007. "Have any other footballers ever had any success in the sport. And have any American footballers ever gone the other way?" Quite a few 'soccer' players have had a crack at gridiron actually Mike - all of them, unsurprisingly, as field goal kickers - but few have been as successful in both sports as Toni Fritsch. Nicknamed 'Wembley Toni' after scoring a memorable brace for Austria in a come-from-behind 3-2 win over Alf Ramsey's England at Wembley in 1965, diminutive forward Fritsch was spotted by then Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry on a scouting trip to Europe in 1971. According to Uefa, Landry offered Fritsch a contract after just one session kicking a 'pigskin' through the posts. "I never saw a game before; I never saw a football," recalled Fritsch years later. "And I signed a contract with him a couple days later, a contract that I couldn't read, but it was maybe the best contract I ever signed in my life and my career." His American football career was certainly a successful one - spanning 12 seasons from 1971 to 1982, and including a Super Bowl win with Dallas in 1972 (he remains the only Austrian to ever win the Super Bowl) and a Pro Bowl (all-star game) appearance when he was with the Houston Oilers in 1980. In all Fritsch played for four NFL clubs, spending a year with each of the San Diego Chargers (1976) and New Orleans Saints (1982), on top of longer spells with the Cowboys (1971-75) and Oilers (1977-1981), scoring 758 points in 125 games. Afterwards he also played briefly for the Houston Gamblers in the USFL. Fritsch wasn't the first European footballer to kick in the NFL, though. German Horst Muhlmann played for Schalke 04 from 1962-66 before resurfacing stateside, aged 29, with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969. He eventually played nine seasons in the NFL (Bengals 1969-74, Philadelphia Eagles 1975-77), and remains something of a celebrity in Cincinnati, where he owns two bars in the Bengals' new Paul Brown Stadium. Shortly after Muhlmann had retired, two American soccer-playing brothers - Chris and Matt Bahr - made a similar switch, giving up careers in another doomed league - the North American Soccer League (NASL) - to kick in the NFL. Sons of NASL Hall-of-famer Walter Bahr, Chris and Matt quit the Philadelphia Atoms and the Colorado Caribous in 1976 and 1979 respectively, going on to enjoy long and successful gridiron careers, both of which included Super Bowl wins. Many more professional footballers have enjoyed lower-level gridiron spells - with former Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen striker Manfred Burgsmueller and Barcelona keeper Mariano Angoy among a number to have kicked in NFL Europe. Likewise, many successful NFL kickers showed promise as footballers without ever going professional; most notably Morten Andersen, who became the NFL's all-time leading scorer this season at the age of 46 with 2,445 points, after nearly making the Danish national side as a youngster, according to the Atlanta Falcons' website. Finding athletes who have gone the other way is far trickier, but diligent reader James Andrews managed to dig one up. "According to Wikipedia, Paul McCallum travelled from Canada to Scotland to play professional football in the Scottish third division after playing gridiron for the Surrey Rams in the junior American football league. He returned to American football afterwards, winning the Canadian Football League's Grey Cup with the BC Lions and the World Bowl with the Scottish Claymores." For thousands more questions and answers take a trip through the Knowledge archive Can you help? "Last weekend, York City beat Newport County in the FA Trophy Final," writes Ian Symes. "Then on Sunday, they beat Luton Town in the Conference play-off final - both games were at Wembley. Have any other clubs won at Wembley (or any other national stadium) on consecutive weekends?" "Seeing Fernando Torres celebrate after the Champions League Final yesterday got me thinking," writes Jesse Ziter. "Torres has now won the World Cup, European Championship, European Cup/Champions League, FA Cup, and even a Second Division title with Atletico Madrid. However, he has never won a top-flight domestic league championship with any club for which he has played. This seems like it could possibly be a unique, or at least very unusual feat. Are there any other similar tales of success with club and country in which the humble league title is absent?" "There's a rumour that Roma have offered Alessandro Crescenzi in exchange for Catania releasing Coach Vincenzo Montella," writes ZonalMarking on Twitter. "A player-manager swap deal? Would that be a first?" "Everyone knows Lee Dixon won the League on multiple occasions with Arsenal, but fewer know he actually reached quite the opposite end at the start of his career, finishing bottom of the Football League with Chester City in 1983-84," writes Philip Kent. "Has any other player in the modern age managed this auspicious feat?" "Currently 39 managers have left their posts in this season's Serie B," notes Joe Murphy. "Grosseto have had six managers this year (one twice) and Gubbio and Vicenza have had five. Has any other league had more than this and can any team top Grosseto?" "As a fan of Manchester City I don't want to rub salt into any teams wounds however (gleefully rubbing salt as fast as my still shaking hands will go) Manchester United led the Premier League by eight points with only six games remaining and managed to choke and lose the league title in heart breaking circumstances," writes Mike Lewis. "My question is: who are the biggest 'chokers' in history? Which team has been in the strongest position in terms of points lead with fewest games remaining to win a league only to crumble under the pressure?" Send your questions and answers to knowledge@guardian.co.uk John Ashdown guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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