TWITTER QUIZ: Monday, 31 December

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which club was the (at least joint) main provider to all three of France’s Euro and World Cup squads from 1982 through 1986?

Today’s answer: Girondins Bordeaux

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @___10___

4 – @sportzeloot

3 – @G_o_s_h_a

2 – @Badgerous1

1 – @segunafc

Weekly standings:

5 – @___10___

4 – @sportzeloot

3 – @G_o_s_h_a

2 – @Badgerous1

1 – @segunafc

ASSOCIATION QUIZ: 31 December-4 January

FOOTBALL – Our daily quiz returns to Twitter at 14:00 CET and the answers to the five daily questions this week are clues that lead to the association. You can only submit one association per week. We will give you this for this week: the answers are all European club teams. That is NOT the association, which is much more specific. Click Read More for tips on the right strategy!

Strategy when it comes to answering association quiz

If you guess the association quiz on Monday, a correct answer will get you 10 bonus points. However, it would be more or less a shot in the dark. A correct answer on Tuesday gets you 8 bonus points and is still a ‘high risk high reward’ situation. On Wednesday, the available bonus points will be 6, and by that time you will have three clues to work with. The bonus points to be won on Thursday and Friday are 4 and 2 respectively. The ideal strategy is up to you. Do you want to gamble at the risk of earning zero? Or do you opt to pocket a relatively safe 4 or 2? Good luck!

AWARDS SHOW: December Quiz champion unveiled

QUIZ – This weekend, the four weekly winners of our December quizzes have matched their wits in our December Grand Final Quiz. Whereas each contestant has registered a fantastic answer sheet, our winner is @G_o_s_h_a with a smashing perfect score! Congratulations! You will advance to our Apertura Championship final in March 2013. Not qualified for the December final and still want to play the quiz? Click this link and see how you match up against our champions!

December Grand Final Quiz – Final Standings

100 – @G_o_s_h_a

95 – @CoquelinFrancis

95 – @Yusuf_Official

80 – @sportzeloot

Monthly winners Infostrada Sports Twitter Quiz

Oct – @markvanrijswijk

Nov – @matuts22

Dec – @G_o_s_h_a

IN THE NEWS – There is no place like Luton

FOOTBALL – Everton was defeated at home by Chelsea in the English Premier League on Sunday (2-1). This ended a 13-match home unbeaten run, which started in March this year, leaving Stoke City as the only team still unbeaten in all their home matches this Premier League season.

The last team to beat Stoke in a league match at the Britannia Stadium is Sunderland in February 2012.
The second longest running streak in the English top flight now belongs to Luton Town, which did not lose their last eight at home before being relegated to the second tier in the summer of 1992.
If Chelsea beat Stoke at the Britannia on January 12 and Liverpool beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on January 13, a team from the Blue Square Premier (5th tier) will have the longest ongoing home unbeaten run in the English top flight.
See below the longest current streaks with from each team their last home defeat.

Longest current home unbeaten streaks – English top flight

17 – Stoke City (8 wins, 9 draws) – vs Sunderland (04 Feb 2012) 0-1

8 – Luton Town (5, 3) – vs West Ham United (18 Jan 1992) 0-1

7 – Manchester United (7, 0) – vs Tottenham Hotspur (29 Sep 2012) 2-3

4 – Tottenham Hotspur (3, 1) – vs Wigan Athletic (03 Nov 2012) 0-1

4 – Chelsea (1, 3) – vs Manchester United (28 Oct 2012) 2-3

4 – Carlisle United (3, 1) – vs Luton Town (15 Mar 1975) 1-2

Gunners shoot for Premier League club record

FOOTBALL – Arsenal defeated Newcastle United 7-3 in their Premier League match on Saturday. This was the first time ever in 157 league matches they scored seven goals against Newcastle. Arsenal equalled their club record of scoring seven Premier League goals in a match.

They also netted seven PL goals against Everton in 2005 (7-0), Middlesbrough in 2006 (7-0) and Blackburn in January 2012 (7-1).
They are the second team to score seven PL goals in two different matches in one year. Chelsea achieved this feat in 2010, when they scored at least seven goals in four different matches.
Arsenal’s top flight goalscoring record in a match is nine. In 1931 they defeated Grimsby Town 9-1 and in 1932 the Gunners won 9-2 over Sheffield United.

Van Persie back-to-back calendar year PL top scorer

FOOTBALL – Robin van Persie scored his 27th Premier League goal in 2012 when he netted in the final minute against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. The closest player who can still score more in this year is Luis Suarez. He needs 11 goals at Queens Park Rangers to overtake Van Persie on Sunday.

Last year, Van Persie also was the PL top scorer, when he netted 35 goals for Arsenal.
The only other player who ended back-to-back PL years as top scorer is Alan Shearer. He achieved this feat in three successive years (1994 to 1996).
Shearer also was the top scorer in 1992 and 2002.
The only other players who ended a calendar year as top scorer more than once are Thierry Henry (3 times) and Andy Cole (2).

TWITTER QUIZ: Friday, 28 December

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Italy and which other country/team are the only ones to have lost a penalty shootout in successive World Cups (final tournaments)?

Today’s answer: Romania

Association quiz answer: Born in 1967, Romania‘s Gheorghe Popescu represented among others PSV, FC Barcelona and Galatasaray at club level.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @G_o_s_h_a

4 – @poirot986

3 – @JoostNederpelt

2 – @MHjortshoej

1 – @bigcarlos71

Weekly final standings:

@CoquelinFrancis wins tiebreaker with most points from association quiz

14 – @CoquelinFrancis (8 bonus points via association quiz)

14 – @G_o_s_h_a (4 bonus points via association quiz)

13 – @poirot986 (4 bonus points via association quiz)

8 – @Yusuf_Official (6 bonus points via association quiz)

6 – @JoostNederpelt

6 – @marcobinnekamp_ (6 bonus points via association quiz)

5 – @HEGS_com

5 – @___10___

4 – @SeanGilmore99

4 – @ahmadibrahim442

4 – @ayush_1901

3 – @Jasper_

3 – @ImmoralBastardd

3 – @thoford75

3 – @Gurpal_1

2 – @elliasajadi

2 – @MHjortshoej

2 – @Marie-Thérèse (2 bonus points via association quiz)

1 – @DermotODonnell1

1 – @JacoKoster1

1 – @tatapitra

1 – @bigcarlos71

TWITTER QUIZ: Thursday, 27 December

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which is the only club that has won the Dutch domestic league Eredivisie in a record four successive seasons?

Today’s answer: PSV

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @poirot986

4 – @ayush_1901

3 – @JoostNederpelt

2 – @CoquelinFrancis

1 – @Gurpal_1

Weekly standings:

6 – @CoquelinFrancis

5 – @HEGS_com

5 – @___10___

5 – @G_o_s_h_a

5 – @poirot986

4 – @SeanGilmore99

4 – @ahmadibrahim442

4 – @ayush_1901

3 – @Jasper_

3 – @ImmoralBastardd

3 – @thoford75

3 – @JoostNederpelt

3 – @Gurpal_1

2 – @elliasajadi

2 – @Yusuf_Official

1 – @DermotODonnell1

1 – @JacoKoster1

1 – @tatapitra

REVIEW: Comebacks bring United from 16th place to first

FOOTBALL – Where would Manchester United be ranked if the match ended after the first goal? The comeback kids of this season’s Premier League would be ranked 16th if it was not for the eight matches they won after conceding the opening goal. Read more to find out where your team would be after the opening goal.

Premier League standings after first goal in match

TWITTER QUIZ: Wednesday, 26 December

FOOTBALL – Today’s question: QUIZ – Which club has played most matches (485) in European club competitions (CC/CL, CWC, FC/UC/EL and ESC)?

Today’s answer: FC Barcelona

Want to guess the association? Click this Link.

Points earned in today’s quiz:

5 – @G_o_s_h_a

4 – @CoquelinFrancis

3 – @thoford75

2 – @Yusuf_Official

1 – @tatapitra

Weekly standings:

5 – @HEGS_com

5 – @___10___

5 – @G_o_s_h_a

4 – @SeanGilmore99

4 – @ahmadibrahim442

4 – @CoquelinFrancis

3 – @Jasper_

3 – @ImmoralBastardd

3 – @thoford75

2 – @Gurpal_1

2 – @elliasajadi

2 – @Yusuf_Official

1 – @DermotODonnell1

1 – @JacoKoster1

1 – @tatapitra