Read more
'The brilliant Bill Edgar', in the words of John Murray, has been a football writer for
The Times since 1997. For this quiz book with a difference, he has compiled one thousand questions, each one of which is eye-opening or amusing. This is a book of challenging quizzes to pit oneself against, but also one to dip into for intruiging stats and quirks.
Even if your football knowledge is found wanting, you will still find much to enjoy in this compendium of fascinating and entertaining trivia.
Questions cover a wide variety of topics, including footballing families; howlers; famous goals; own goals; quote, unquote; minnows at the World Cup; red cards; injuries; extreme weather; the women's game; shoot-outs; rumbles in the tunnel; and . . . VAR.
[bullet] The biggest two victories in the top flight between 1990 and 2020 both featured a 9-0 scoreline. Which father and son were playing in goal for the two winning teams?
[bullet] Which player recorded four firsts on his England debut in 2018: the first born in the 2000s to play for England; the first England player with his first name; the first with his surname; and the first from his club to play for England?
[bullet] Which team failed to reach the 2002 World Cup despite scoring sixty-six goals in the space of eight days in the qualifying phase?
[bullet] What name is shared by the 1975 League Cup final referee, a 1977 FA Cup Final-winning player and a London railway station?
[bullet] Which player was not picked for England despite winning three Premier League titles yet has a son who has appeared for two national teams?
[bullet] Who played for six London clubs, five of those in the top flight, but had to change sport in order to appear for a team with 'London' in its name?
About the author
BILL EDGAR has been a football writer for The Times since 1997, providing match reports and general pieces. Since 2000 he has specialised in football stats and numbers. He has been compiling football quizzes regularly since 2008. He has written for Sports Illustrated and GQ and provided stats for the EFL and Betfair websites. He has provided weekly stats pieces for the Talksport breakfast show and contributed to The Times' football podcast, The Game. He is the author of Back of the Net: 100 Golden Goals and the co-author of A Football Fan's Guide to Europe. He also contributed to Taschen's The Age of Innocence: Football in the 1970s. BBC Radio 5 Live's John Murray had the following to say about Bill during commentary on a Premier League match in January 2020: 'The brilliant Bill Edgar in The Times . . . Some of the stuff he comes up with is absolutely fantastic. There are stats, and stats, and his stats are excellent.'
Summary
A bumper quiz book packed with 1,000 questions about football, every single one of them eye-opening or amusing. This is not just a series of quizzes for those who enjoy being challenged, but also a book that can be dipped into and enjoyed simply for discovering intriguing stats and quirks.
Additional text
I will endorse before I've read it! It must be good if it's Bill's book!!
