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The Football Faithful’s Advent Calendar: December 1st

December is finally upon us. The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder and children and adults alike are getting ready to crack open their advent calendars.

Here at the Football Faithful, we’ve decided to put a football spin on the Christmas tradition. Although our offering isn’t your typically edible advent calendar, we still hope you can feast your eyes upon these festive football facts associated with the first day of December.

Shirt Number: 1

The number one shirt is synonymous with the goalkeeper position, but some outfield players have decided to adorn the number on their back.

During his tenure as player/manager at Barnet, the legendary Edgar Davids chose the number in an attempt to start a trend. We’re not quite sure it caught on, Edgar.

The Bees were relegated from League Two on the final day of the 2012/13 campaign under the Dutchman’s stewardship.

Strange Squad numbers: Davids with number 1

Edgar Davids started the ’13-14 as Barnet player manager and decided to give himself the number 1 shirt.

He said, “I am going to start this trend”. It didn’t go to plan and he was sent off 3 times in 8 games before retiring. pic.twitter.com/sOzB6Kfs03

— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) August 19, 2019

After three red cards by the Christmas period the following season, Davids resigned in January.

After moving to Hibernian in 2008, Scottish forward Derek Riordan was heartbroken when he discovered his beloved Number 10 shirt was occupied.

So what did he do? He chose to flip the numbers around and wear “01” on the back of his jersey and wait for the number to become available next campaign.

Talk about cheating the system.

Incredibly, Ossie Ardiles wore the numero uno for the Argentina national team at the 1982 World Cup.

However, this decision was completely out of the midfielder’s control.

La Albiceleste enforced a policy that the numbers had to correspond alphabetically with the surnames of the players. Diego Maradona was the only exception, to allow the diminutive magician to have his iconic number 10.

Goal on this Day: Alan Shearer’s thunderous volley vs Everton.

Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

Alan Shearer is the Premier League’s record scorer with 260 goals to his name but there is perhaps none better than his sweetly-struck volley against the Toffees.

On this day 22 years ago, the Magpies found themselves 1-0 down in the 85th minute at home to David Moyes’ Everton, only for a moment of pure genius to restore parity.

After a Shola Ameobi’s header dropped invitingly in front of the Geordie, Shearer had no other thought in his mind. He connected with such ferocity and pureness that his volley flew past Everton ‘keeper Richard Wright before he had a chance to react.

Alan Shearer’s greatest ever goal? 🙋🏼‍♂️#OnThisDay in 2⃣0⃣0⃣2⃣, @alanshearer scored this sensational volley as #NUFC beat @Everton 2-1 at St. James’ Park. #NUFC pic.twitter.com/oYfb26rCc4

— Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 1, 2019

That goal inspired Newcastle to go on to win that game 2-1 following a 89th minute own goal by Chinese midfielder Li Tie. Instrumental.

Footballer Born on this Day: Nico Schlotterbeck

Happy 25th birthday to Borussia Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck, who was born in Waiblingen, Germany back in 1999.

The defender was an integral part of the Dortmund side that reached the Champions League final last campaign, where they were beaten by Real Madrid at Wembley.

Schlotterbeck came through the ranks at Freiburg before making the £25 million move to the Signal Iduna Park in 2022. He has since made over a century of appearances for the Black and Yellow, scoring six goals in the process.

Fact: Bill Shankly appointed Liverpool manager

On this day in 1959, Bill Shankly was announced as the new manager of Liverpool – and what a decision it proved to be.

The Scotsman is regarded as one of the best British managers of all time due to his transformation of Liverpool in the 1960s. At the time of his appointment, the club found themselves in the second division of English football but under the guidance of Shankly, the Reds earned promotion into First Division in 1962.

The Merseyside-based club then went on to win three league titles, a UEFA Cup and two FA Cups. Shankly described the club’s maiden FA Cup triumph in 1965 as his greatest day in football. Nine years later, the legendary gaffer lifted the trophy again before retiring shortly after.

He made the people happy ❤️

Remembering the legendary Bill Shankly on what would have been his 111th birthday. pic.twitter.com/wur68TCBAY

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 2, 2024

But perhaps his most important contribution was the foundations he laid for his successors. Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan were able to build upon his tremendous work by winning seven league titles and four European Cups in the ten years after his retirement in 1974. It was also Shankly who first decided Liverpool should wear the club’s iconic all-red colours in 1965.

“[Shankly] thought the colour scheme would carry psychological impact—red for danger, red for power. He came into the dressing room one day and threw a pair of red shorts to Ronnie Yeats,” Ian St John wrote in his autobiography

“‘Get into those shorts and let’s see how you look’, he said. ‘Christ, Ronnie, you look awesome, terrifying. You look 7ft tall. ”

He was awarded an OBE only four months after retiring and sadly passed away in 1981. An absolute icon of the establishment, who was the catalyst for Liverpool becoming European heavyweights.