Is It Nobby's 300 or 299th Appearance?

Posted by Luke on February 21, 2007 1:20 PM | Permalink

Nolberto Solano will celebrate his 300th appearance for Newcastle United against Zulte Waregem on Thursday night - or maybe it's just his 299th.

Nobody is actually entirely sure, not even the club, but sod it, we may as well just say it's his 300th because that's what we all thought and what's the odd substitute run out between friends eh?

Football is full of statisticians, there is even an official Association of Football Statisticians somewhere in London - probably in a dimly lit room with no windows, lots of computers and pictures of Lara Croft and Albert Einstein on the wall - to track all the interesting and not so interesting facts and figures of our beloved national sport.

But when it comes to Solano's appearances for Newcastle the term piss up and brewery spring to mind. Then again, maybe that's why nobody in the exciting world of stats is clear on the subject - they had organised a rather good piss up in a brewery....

For the record, the match day programme says that Thursday's Uefa Cup second leg against the Belgium part timers will be Nobby's 299th appearance for the club, as does Soccerbase, the journalist's favourite facts and figures website and the club's official website. However, the club's "official" appearance records clearly show that this will be his 300th appearance.

I wonder if General Elections are run in this way. Oh dear, I'm not sure if I added that last vote to the tally. Oh well, never mind, nobody will mind the odd mistake, no one will even notice, it's not important, it's just a rough estimate after all.

Perhaps Nobby made a secret appearance on the pitch, nipping on as substitute when nobody was looking. Perhaps Alan Shearer's shorts had fallen down or a top heavy streaker had invaded the pitch or, or or we have all been caught up in a time travel scam where history has been altered - Newcastle actually won the FA Cup in 1999 - but the official appearance data of Nolberto Solano has stayed the same.

Anyway, whatever, what is important is that Nobby has been one of the most successful foreign imports to the Premiership and one of the most popular players at Newcastle United in the last twenty or thirty years.

He has been a dedicated servant to the club and a thoroughly decent character as well - obviously he's enjoyed the city's nightlife along the way, but who wouldn't in his position - and I sincerely hope he gets a new contract at the end of the season.

While the legs have gone - not that he was ever blessed with blistering pace - the mind has stayed sharp and I don't think there are many better passers or crossers of the ball in the Premiership.

There aren't many players who would be able to slip so effortlessly from right wing to right back, as Nobby has done this season and, as I've said before, I regard the Peruvian as Glenn Roeder's first choice at right back rather than Stephen Carr.

So congratulations Nobby on your landmark appearance, even if it actually comes against Wigan on Sunday....