Geography is a curious beast and usually best left well alone. But, sometimes it’s worth poking with a stick – especially if that stick is yellow and green. So, can you name these former Norwich City players with a place name for a surname?
(NB. These quiz questions are accessible to all. Should you feel additional resources are necessary to enable you to fully enjoy this quiz experience, please be reassured access to a) a free compass, b) a rescue beacon, and c) a link to the 24-hr Ordnance Survey helpline will be made available on request. Terms & Conditions apply. Maybe.)
Good luck to all!
Where were we? Oh, yes… The answers we’re looking for are ex-NCFC players with placenames as their surnames…
1. Defender and assistant manager to Martin O’Neill (1981-92 & 1995)
(Hint: Albert Square, fictional London soap location, currently ranked 9,535,425,287th cheeriest place in the world)
2. Goalkeeper (1987-91), long-term understudy to Bryan Gunn
(Hint: Yorkshire; Steel City; The Full Monty)
3. Striker and central defender (1988 & 2006-08), latterly a BBC presenter and summariser
(Hint: Republic of Ireland capital city; birthplace of James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and… Chris de Burgh)
4. Midfielder (1978-87) and winner of the Milk Cup in 1985 and FA Vase with Diss Town in 1994
(Hint: A village in Norfolk South (aka Suffolk) and birthplace of famous horse painter and fan of the colour brown, Sir Alfred Munnings)
5. Midfielder (1989-92) and Premier League winner with Blackburn
(Hint: Robin Hood’s pleasant leafy hide-out. Although the Sheriff of Nottingham can’t have been too pleased about the fly-tipping)
6. Defender (2010-13) and EFL Championship runner-up in 2010/11
(Hint: Famous club chairman/manager combo Stan Flashman and Barry Fry made an entertaining team of this outer north London borough in the 1980s and 1990s. Also rhyming slang for haircut. Note: Although an extra ’t’ has been added to the answer, there will be no additional charge)
7. Midfielder (1986-89) – (I’m sorry about this, but…) Ipswich Town player of the year 1983/84
(Hint: Another London borough; this time on the river and the home of the famous bridge where the annual University Boat Race starts. Too tricky? OK, rhymes with ‘Buttney’)
8. Striker (2009-13) – Prolific charismat; battering ram of a forward who scored 30 goals in the 2009/10 season
(Hint: North Norfolk market town; home to Bakers & Larners, Gresham’s school, and 497 coffee shops)
9. Goalkeeper (1970-76) – Understudy to Kevin Keelan
(Hint: Village near Reepham where Lord Sir Stephen Fry ENT (Exceptional National Treasure) went to school; and the location of the last fatal duel in Norfolk)
10. Winger (1976-79) – Much missed. Also played for Spurs and West Ham
(Hint: Located anywhere and everywhere – especially next-door…)
Of course, it’s not all about where you came from, it’s more often about where you’re going to. And the answer to that is quite clear… the Premier League!
OTBC
Quiz answers below…
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Answers:
1. STEVE WALFORD
2. JON SHEFFIELD
3. DION DUBLIN
4. PETER MENDHAM
5. TIM SHERWOOD
6. LEON BARNETT
7. TREVOR PUTNEY
8. GRANT HOLT
9. MERVYN CAWSTON
10. JIMMY NEIGHBOUR
How did you do?
Did you get more than half?
Hi Chris
I struggled with the first one as I don’t watch EastEnders but as soon as I saw the answer I thought *oh $hit*, as you do sometimes.
9/10 for me – there’ll be somebody who gets the lot, but it won’t be me 🙂
Cheers Martin. 9/10 is pretty good. I would have only got about 7 I reckon.
My experience exactly, although with no. 2 I did wonder when Laurie Sheffield had converted to playing in goal.
I got all the surnames but couldn’t remember some of the first names. The clues helped a lot unlike my Geography A Level.
Good quiz.
Thanks Colin B. Yes, some of the first names were a bit elusive!
6 correct, 2 got the surnames, 2 nowhere near! And for a while I was convinced Mendham was Barnham!
9/10 for me Chris … Jon Sheffield great clues and I still didn’t get it !!
Tim, I remember Jon Sheffield being around for ages, but never getting many games. The lot of a back-up goalkeeper I guess. If the main guy stays fit you just don’t get any games.
Would I be right in thinking said Jon Sheffield was an exponent of the 1980s mullet?
If you ever stumble across a squad picture from, say, 1973-1988 you’ll see some rare old haircuts and that’s for sure.
Worst then? Trevor Hockey. Worst now? Todd Cantwell.
Mario Vrancic is the current king of the smoothies with Emi a close second.
I don’t think Trevor Hockey frequented a barber’s let alone hairdresser. More the unkempt caveman – one of the Boulder Brothers in Wacky races
Thanks Craig. I know exactly what you mean! Mendham is one of those type of place names.
I almost went Chris Sutton for no 5, had to read it twice. Full house, but not easy.
Well done, Don. There were a couple of tricky ones in there. Fortunately ‘Buttney’ saved us from one of them.
Almost convinced myself there was a village near Reepham called Hansbury.
🙄
There should be, Ady, there should be.
Got them all, albeit a couple helped largely by the clues (I initially thought Walton instead of Sheffield, which admittedly does count as a place and also a Gunn understudy!) Leon Barnett was the one I struggled with the most, and for some peculiar reason (like a few of the 2011 squad) has completely dropped off my radar. Not sure why given that they were fine players in a really exciting squad.
Jon Sheffield only made one senior appearance if I remember rightly (Villa in 1989, the week after Hillsborough). I think he played in the Moscow Dynamo friendly the same season as well.
Excellent, thanks Jason M.,
Good to see Jimmy Neighbour get a mention. He also managed my childhood obsession, St Albans City FC back in the 80’s. Saw him play for Spurs & City, rarely talked about and tragically died young. Great winger.
Indeed, Colin M, a great winger. Much missed.