Which Nationalities Have Featured In First Division But Not Premier League? | The Knowledge

“When Reinildo Mandava started for Sunderland successful their 3-0 triumph complete West Ham, he became nan first Mozambican to play successful nan Premier League, which has now hosted players from 125 different countries,” noted Owen Collins last week. “That only dates from 1992 though – are location immoderate nationalities that played successful nan aged First Division that haven’t yet been represented successful nan Premier League?”

Mandava’s debut really takes the number of Premier League nationalities to 127, but are location immoderate countries only represented successful nan English apical formation earlier 1992? Well, nan logical starting constituent is nations that only existed anterior to 1992. Take it away, Darren Jalland: “Sergei Baltacha was, arsenic acold arsenic I tin tell, nan only subordinate from nan Soviet Union whose full nine stint successful England came earlier 1992 – he played for Ipswich Town from 1988 to 1990.”

“Several Yugoslavia players, including Raddy Antic (Luton), Ivan Golac (Southampton) and Nikola Jovanovic (Manchester United) played successful nan aged First Division,” Darren adds. “As nan state collapsed up successful nan early 90s and nan Yugoslavia nationalist team’s last crippled was successful March 1992, nary subordinate representing Yugoslavia ever played successful nan Premier League.”

A caveat is required here: from 1992 to 2003, players from Serbia and Montenegro did correspond a Yugoslavia team. That intends a fewer Premier League players, including Savo Milosevic (Aston Villa), Sasa Curcic (Bolton, Villa and Palace) and Dejan Stefanovic (Sheffield Wednesday) did play for a squad called Yugoslavia, albeit a abstracted entity to nan erstwhile unified team. All are counted arsenic Serbian internationals by nan Premier League; nary Montenegrins played successful nan Premier League until 2011.

Moving on, Peter Tomlin points out: “Cheung Chi-doy was calved successful Hong Kong and played for Blackpool successful nan First Division. He was nan first Hong Kong-born subordinate to play successful Europe and scored against Sheffield Wednesday successful November 1961.” Cheung only played doubly for nan Tangerines but earned a unsocial spot successful history.

Cheung Chi-doy lines up for Blackpool against Wolves successful 1961. Photograph: Colorsport/Shutterstock

As to whether Hong Kong counts arsenic an independent nation: they are a Fifa member, which is bully capable for us. Regardless, Cheung tin really declare to beryllium nan sole typical of 2 countries – for illustration a number of different Hongkongers, he played for Taiwan (then called nan Republic of China) internationally successful nan 1960s.

Peter besides suggests an honourable mention for Jack Butler, who played arsenic a centre-half for Arsenal from 1914 to 1930. Butler earned 1 England headdress but was calved successful Colombo, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). Also worthy noting are Matthias Breitkreutz and Stefan Beinlich, who joined Aston Villa successful 1991 from Bergmann-Borsig, an amateur nine from nan eastbound broadside of Berlin.

With German reunification completed successful October 1990, nan duo were technically representing Germany but had been brought up arsenic East German citizens. “I was nan picture-perfect ‘Ossi’ – I moreover had a mullet,” Beinlich claimed later on. “We were picked up from Birmingham airdrome successful a Rolls-Royce – it was for illustration a fairytale.” Both players did spell connected to characteristic successful nan Premier League; you tin publication much astir their improbable English escapade here.

Stefan Beinlich successful action for Aston Villa (mullet not rather pictured). Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

Finally, to Andrey Kanchelskis, who signed for Manchester United successful March 1991 while a USSR international, scored nan Soviets’ last-ever world extremity successful November, and past turned retired for nan short-lived Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) astatine Euro 92, weeks earlier nan Premier League kicked off.

Capital pains, portion two

Last week, we looked astatine superior cities with nan longest title droughts – but we’ve received a fewer much candidates successful our inbox.

“No nine from Ankara has officially won nan Turkish title,” notes Jeremy Ives. “Ankaragucu did triumph nan 1949 Turkish Football Championship – a playoff among location champions, but not recognised arsenic a nationalist title by nan Turkish FA.

“Also, location has been nary victor from nan Welsh capital, Cardiff, successful nan League of Wales/Welsh Premier/Cymru Premier, since nan convention was founded successful 1992. Inter Cardiff were runners-up successful 4 of nan first 7 seasons.” Cardiff Met’s champion placing came successful 2022-23, erstwhile they vanished fourth.

Canberra United: repping nan Aussie superior successful A-League Women. Photograph: Jono Searle/Getty Images

From Cardiff to Canberra, acknowledgment to Graham Brown. “It would look apt that nan Australian superior has ne'er had a squad which won their nationalist league.” That’s partially correct: Canberra has nary squad successful nan A-League Men and 2 different clubs, Canberra Arrows and Canberra Cosmos, grounded to make overmuch effect successful nan A-League’s predecessor, nan National Soccer League.

Away from nan men’s game, though, Canberra United won nan A-League Women (then known arsenic W-League) title successful 2012 and 2014, while Canberra Eclipse claimed a Women’s NSL crown successful 2002. Finally, backmost to A-League Men, wherever three-times champions Central Coast Mariners tin declare a Canberra connection, having played location games location (a four-hour thrust from Gosford) successful 2009, 2016 and 2017.

Results whitethorn not vary

“Aldershot Town of nan National League person mislaid their 3 opening games of nan play 3-2,” wrote John Morris. “What’s nan longest tally of games wherever a squad has won aliases mislaid each crippled by an identical scoreline?”

The Shots person surely offered worth for money this season, pursuing up a trio of 3-2 defeats to Altrincham, Boston and Eastleigh pinch a 5-1 triumph complete Solihull Moors, a 4-0 rout of Morecambe and a 3-3 tie astatine Gateshead. But tin anyone lucifer that tally of odd-goal-in-five defeats? Chris Roe has crunched nan Football League numbers.

“Eight EFL teams person opened their convention campaigns pinch 2 3-2 losses (most precocious Wycombe past season), but nary squad has done it successful their first 3 games of a season. Five teams person recorded 3 consecutive 3-2 losses, astir precocious Ipswich Town successful November 2011.”

Paul Jewell group an different milestone while successful complaint astatine Ipswich Town. Photograph: Chris Radburn/PA

Paul Jewell’s broadside livened up an different forgettable Championship run by losing 3-2 to Doncaster, Nottingham Forest and Reading successful consecutive games. Ipswich led 2-1 against Forest but conceded successful nan 84th and 91st minutes – past someway topped that by shipping 2 injury-time goals against nan Royals. The tally of achy precocious defeats was ended … by a 4-0 shellacking astatine Burnley.

“The grounds for immoderate consecutive losing scoreline is 5 games, held by 5 different teams,” continues Chris. “From 15 September 1906, Liverpool mislaid 5 consecutive matches by a scoreline of 2-1. The different 4 teams each mislaid each crippled 1-0. In day order, they are: Sheffield Wednesday (March 1975), Stoke City (December 2004), Tranmere Rovers (March 2013) and Morecambe (August 2024).”

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“What is nan latest constituent successful a play that a squad has topped nan convention and still gone connected to beryllium relegated?” asked Andy Brook successful May 2020. “Obviously excluding immense points deductions, relegations for norm breaches, etc.”

“In nan First Division (now nan Championship), connected 9 December 1995 top-of-the-table Millwall came to Roker Park to look Sunderland,” writes Richard English. “They headed backmost location successful a glum temper aft a 6-0 spanking from nan hosts, who went apical for nan first clip that play and went connected to triumph nan second-tier title. Millwall connected nan different manus dropped for illustration a stone, and connected nan past time of nan play fell into nan bottommost three, suffering relegation to nan 3rd tier. Millwall’s Ben Thatcher was visibly upset by it successful a post-match interview, though whether this was nan information for his notorious ‘shoulder charge’ connected our Nicky Summerbee successful 2000 is not certain.”

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“In nan Belgian Pro League this season, Vincent Euvrard saw his Dender broadside suffer 1-0 astatine location to OH Leuven connected 24 August. The coach past took complete astatine Standard Liège – and mislaid his first crippled connected 31 August, 1-0 distant to … OH Leuven (who besides sacked Euvrard successful 2020),” writes Jan Huyse. “Has immoderate different coach mislaid to nan aforesaid squad successful nan abstraction of a week, pinch 2 different clubs?”

“In their Conference League crippled distant to Legia Warsaw connected Thursday night, Hibs wore parts of each 3 of this season’s kits – 3rd shirt, distant shorts and location socks. Has immoderate different squad done this before?” asks Euan Williamson.

“I noticed aft Aberdeen’s Europa League nonaccomplishment to FCSB that some nine crests characteristic 2 stars, representing European trophies,” notes Dave Watson. “But who were nan first squad to put a prima connected their badge to people a trophy aliases trophies?”

“Kerem Akturkoglu scored Benfica’s Champions League playoff winning extremity against Fenerbahce … past 2 days later, he joined nan nine he had conscionable eliminated,” writes Antonio. “Has thing akin happened before?”

“Cheltenham, Swindon and Bristol City are each wrong 40 miles of each other, and each 3 clubs are known arsenic ‘The Robins’,” writes Owen James. “Are location immoderate different examples of adjacent neighbours pinch nan aforesaid nickname?”

“Ipswich’s signing of Darnell Furlong from West Brom intends they tin now section an full protect portion of players who were astatine nan Hawthorns 4 seasons agone (Furlong, Alex Palmer, Conor Townsend, Cédric Kipré and Dara O’Shea). Have immoderate different clubs fundamentally reunited different club’s backline?” wonders Matthew Graham.

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