500 Club (fao Dutch Uncle)

[The Red Baron]

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2018/february/the-500-club/

[Dutch Uncle]

Excellent TRB, many thanks.

[glosterred]

An excellent read, thanks


COYR

[bobjimwilly]

Great work; well done! Bet Scholes is gutted

[Dutch Uncle]

Great work; well done! Bet Scholes is gutted

One more appearance for Scholes and Copps would have been the 100th to achieve the feat.

[BillyStubbsTears]

TRB/Dutch

Excellent piece of work. Nice one!

I have to say through gritted teeth that Leeds factoid is impressive. No wonder Clough had such trouble when he went there and told them they'd never achieved what they should have done.

[Dutch Uncle]

A few extra comments:

•   A rough attempt at a categorisation of the 99 players currently on the 500 Club list into playing positions suggests there are probably 17 Goalkeepers, 50 Defenders, 23 Midfielders and 9 Strikers. It is of course sometimes difficult to pigeon-hole players into these categories because playing systems have changed and evolved so much over the years, and also some players played significant numbers of games in different positions during their career. A classic example was Paul Madeley of Leeds of whom it was famously said he played every position for Leeds except Goalkeeper. Two more examples are Billy Bonds and Steve Perryman who both played significant parts of their playing career in defence and midfield. In the list above Madeley has been classified a Defender and Bonds and Perryman as Midfielders since these correlate with their most frequent positions.

•   If a notional 1-4-4-2 team structure is assumed, all other factors being equal, the expected numbers for each position would be approximately 9 Goalkeepers, 36 Defenders, 36 Midfielders and 18 strikers. This would back up an intuitive feeling that role of Goalkeepers and Defenders can probably be played at a high level for longer than Midfielders and Strikers.

•   For the above categories the highest appearance for each position is as follows:
o   Goalkeeper: Alan Knight, 683 appearances, 5th on the overall list
o   Defender: John Trollope, 770 appearances, 1st on the overall list
o   Midfielder; Terry Paine, 713 appearances, 4th on the overall list
o   Striker: Steve Fletcher, 628 appearances, 14th on the overall list   

•   It is interesting to look at the distribution of these 99 players over time. The careers of the 99 finished in the following time intervals:
o   Zero pre-World-War 1 (27 seasons, but smaller leagues and fewer matches)
o   11 between the two World Wars (20 seasons)
o   3 in the period 1946-1959 (nearly everyone starting new playing careers)
o   18 in the 1960’s
o   28 in the 1970’s
o   18 in the 1980’s
o   10 in the 1990’s
o   11 post-2000

•   It is tempting to suggest the lifting of the maximum wage in 1961 enticed many players to extend their playing careers in the period from the 1960’s to the 1980’s. Prior to that eyes are likely to have been on a second career earlier. Equally, since the 1990’s the spiralling transfer market and wages may have tempted many players to change clubs more often, which allied to a higher tempo game possibly reducing career length, may explain the lower numbers reaching 500 games for one club since the Millennium.

[roversdude]

Excellent facts guys I doff my cap to you

[Donnywolf]

Excellent facts guys I doff my cap to you

I would too but I never won one !

My most appearances for one Club was 8. All the others rumbled my inability pretty sharpish