ballymunblue
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 18 Sep 2009
- Messages
- 298
this is a question and answer from the guardian
NEVER BEEN BOOKED
Dave Hollis wants to know: "Has anyone ever rivalled the great jug-eared Gary Lineker for receiving no bookings in their professional career?"
More than you might imagine, Dave. Among them, an Everton legend even greater than Lineker, Dixie Dean; the striker once claimed the only thing he ever received from a referee was a boiled sweet. Another Goodison great, Tommy Lawton, also went through his career without finding his way into the referee's book.
And we can't forget the great Sir Stanley Matthews, often referred to as the 'first gentleman of soccer', whose exemplary sportsmanship during a career spanning around 700 games for Stoke, Blackpool and England saw him go booking-free. Or Sir Tom Finney for that matter, who was never even spoken to by an official in all his years with Preston, England and one game for Irish outfit Distillery.
In 541 games for Wolves and 105 for England, Billy Wright never once blotted his copybook, while Welsh hero John Charles, 'The Gentle Giant', didn't earn the nickname for nothing; revered around the world for his sporting conduct, he too never saw yellow. The moniker 'Gentleman Jim' was afforded to Jimmy Dickinson, veteran of 812 appearances for Portsmouth and England between 1946 and 1965 without so much a stern stare from an official.
And two Scots also navigated booking-less passages through their careers: Liverpool's Billy Liddell, whose mercurial displays during the 1950s helped win his team the nickname 'Liddellpool'; and Eddie Gray, a member of Leeds's rock-hard side of the 60s and 70s. "We had enough players in our side who could take care of that side of things," said Gray
NEVER BEEN BOOKED
Dave Hollis wants to know: "Has anyone ever rivalled the great jug-eared Gary Lineker for receiving no bookings in their professional career?"
More than you might imagine, Dave. Among them, an Everton legend even greater than Lineker, Dixie Dean; the striker once claimed the only thing he ever received from a referee was a boiled sweet. Another Goodison great, Tommy Lawton, also went through his career without finding his way into the referee's book.
And we can't forget the great Sir Stanley Matthews, often referred to as the 'first gentleman of soccer', whose exemplary sportsmanship during a career spanning around 700 games for Stoke, Blackpool and England saw him go booking-free. Or Sir Tom Finney for that matter, who was never even spoken to by an official in all his years with Preston, England and one game for Irish outfit Distillery.
In 541 games for Wolves and 105 for England, Billy Wright never once blotted his copybook, while Welsh hero John Charles, 'The Gentle Giant', didn't earn the nickname for nothing; revered around the world for his sporting conduct, he too never saw yellow. The moniker 'Gentleman Jim' was afforded to Jimmy Dickinson, veteran of 812 appearances for Portsmouth and England between 1946 and 1965 without so much a stern stare from an official.
And two Scots also navigated booking-less passages through their careers: Liverpool's Billy Liddell, whose mercurial displays during the 1950s helped win his team the nickname 'Liddellpool'; and Eddie Gray, a member of Leeds's rock-hard side of the 60s and 70s. "We had enough players in our side who could take care of that side of things," said Gray
