In the past we’ve looked at the players with the most own goals, but we haven’t looked at those who ended their professional career in debit. We could only find a couple of OGs for Benali, the other being against Manchester United in 1999-2000. But we were unable to find a comprehensive Southampton database, so there’s a chance we’ve missed some beauties.
Another unsentimental defender, Riccardo Ferri, the formidable stopper in Internazionale’s title-winning side of 1988-89, scored six goals and eight own goals in Serie A. He may be in credit overall – he scored three more goals in cup competitions, but we only have his OG data for Serie A. Some sources credit Carragher with five goals at the right end, including an equaliser against Middlesbrough in August 2008.
But the official Premier League site puts that down as an Emmanuel Pogatetz own goal. ESPN provided a ‘highlight’ reel here.” Van Beek is still playing in Qatar, and appears to have netted five goals at the right end for Al-Shahania. Another player on minus three is Luigi Zannier, a defender who played for several Italian clubs, including Milan, in the 1950s and 1960s.
In Serie A matches, he scored three and put in six at the wrong end. Zannier and co have nothing on Everton’s Billy Balmer, however. The concept of a trophy has changed in the last 15 years, particularly since Arsène Wenger referred to fourth place – and Champions League qualification – as a trophy.
But this is The Knowledge, not La Vibe, so we are only referring to actual shiny things you can lift above your head in triumph. In England, the flicker of a trophy is often extinguished at the start of January, when Premier League teams play in the third round of the FA Cup. Tom Reed cites the example of Bournemouth last season.
Despite having a good season, they had no realistic expectation of winning the Premier League, and weren’t in Europe either.” But, as Tom points out, Bournemouth were not mathematically out of the title race at that time. Tom has calculated that Derby County, who finished the 2007-08 season with only 11 points, are the earliest case of an English top-flight team being mathematically unable to win a trophy. Their inability to win the Premier League was officially confirmed in their 26th league match of the season, on 9 February, when a 3-0 defeat by Tottenham – coupled with a victory for the leaders Arsenal – made the gap between top and bottom insurmountable.” Other countries start their main cup competition earlier in the season, which means many clubs have been forced to embrace their trophyless-ness before Christmas (realistically, if not mathematically).
Extract — continue reading at the source.
