The tragic thing is, it wouldn't be hard for the FA to police this. It's simple, you set a list of acceptable squad numbers per position (there's broad agreement), and then dock points for the distance between a player's number, and the nearest acceptable one.

So, Gyan is 3, strikers can be number 7: 4 point deduction.

But will they ever do this? Sadly, I doubt it.

Apparently Yossi Benayoun wore the number 10 for the start of the season, but has changed to 15, with 10 being handed to Juan Mata.

What next the FA? A triangular pitch? Seeing as you have so little interest in the rules.

Apparently Barry Bannan and some other Villa player changed numbers halfway through last season, 47 and 46 to 25 and 21 or somesuch

If Bendtner's rumoured loan move to Sunderland goes through they are likely to be able to play a forward line bearing the shirt numbers 3 & 52.

It's The End Times.

A goal for Cardiff's number 52. What does Harry make of that?

The 47th Element wrote:


To be honest I have always wondered why this could not happen....

How did we ever allow this squad number malarkey to take root........?

Because it's great.

I dream of the day there is one of these for proper football.

Hot Orange wrote:



I'm fine with it but I want to know the story behind Ralls wanting it (and there had better be one).

New Wigan striker Kone has the number 2 shirt, which I think he wears internationally as well. Religious reasons again or just trying to annoy me?

Man United have given van Persie number 20 (Solskjaer's old number) because of Dimitar Berbatov's continued refusal to leave.

Zidane used to wear 5 at Real Madrid, and for the first couple of seasons it was in a Western/US Army type font.

Harry Grindell Matthews wrote:


A lot of African strikers wear 2/3/4 don't they? Not sure why

I'M NOT RACIST THOUGH

In good news, Hart's finally taken 1 at Man City, not sure what has been stopping him in the last few seasons as there was no more senior keeper as the incumbent was there?

After all his Swansea career sporting the annoying (for a centre half) 2 shirt, Ashley Williams finally takes the 6 instead. I presume some other player has moved on to free it up.

Analogue Bubblebath II wrote:


I hated that, spoilt the movie for me.

Analogue Bubblebath II wrote:


Aboutrika wore 5 during the Olympics as a homage to Zidane. These things tend to spread if you don't clamp down on them.

Our league don't use squad numbers so we're 1 to 11 this season which has delighted me. It's been amusing watching younger supporters with no memory of the time before squad numbers trying to figure out which player is which, they really aren't happy about it.

Welcome to life in the SFL.

It's a shame Forfar aren't in your division this year; imagine the young 'uns trying get their heads around not being able to buy burgers, only bridies.

Fraserburgh's third sub on Saturday was wearing 67. I assume that there's a reason for this.

blameless wrote:


Actually the younger guys are surprisingly knowledgable on that type of localised curiosity, they've really engaged with it. It's all a big adventure for them, visiting grounds they've never been too before. Pretty much anyone under 30 has only known all-seater grounds and had to listen to boring sods like me going on about visits to Muirton Park, Brockville, Boghead or Cappielow, places that were regular destinations when I was in my teens.

You'd be surprised how excited a lot of the support is about it.

That sounds pretty encouraging, hope they're able to enjoy the lower league tour as much as possible.

Muirton Park, Brockville, Boghead or Cappielow

Well, they'll be able to do Cappielow (it's not changed much), and they've not missed out on much by not being able to visit Brockville or Boghead. I still miss Muirton Park though; McDiarmid's not in the same class, and it hasn't aged well either.