The X Files

<< Crewe: Last team standing

Hurrah, that beanie bloke's not on the page anywhere. He was starting to get on my nerves. Some of the learning of late has probably bent the rules a little bit - it's become more like a vaguely topical magazine than a font of knowledge. Well, sue me, cos that's how it's staying. Tonight I'm going back to the lowest common denominator of learning - football trivia. The trouble with football trivia is that's a pit with it's bottom very much intact. I don't lead much of a social life, so I've heard them all. Only league team without any of the letters of the word mackerel? Swindon Town. Why mackerel? It may as well be 'name a fish that doesn't have any of the letters of the words Swindon Town in'.

Another one that's constantly bandied about is that Hull is the biggest city in Europe to have never had a top-flight football team. Thankfully, Hull may yet be promoted, and can revel in their other claims to fame - being the crappest town in the country, and being the home of the world's fattest bulimic. A third tiresome titbit relates to the number of Football League teams with an 'X' in their name. Five, I believe is the answer. Although seeing as Wrexham have just been shown the door, it must be four. It was then I realised that my trivia recollection is past it's sell-by-date. The true figure is, in fact:

There is one team in the Football League with an 'x' in their name - Crewe Alexandra.

This is only true now that Wrexham have been relegated from the bottom division, and may not stay true for long, as Exeter may trade places with them. But it seems odd that while there were 5 but a handful of seasons ago, Exeter, Halifax and even moderately successful Oxford United have all since fallen out of the pyramid. Wrexham following them, along with Hull's rise from last in League 2 to third in the Championship, suggests that even footballers themselves are growing weary of football trivia, and are trying to mix things up a little. Anyway, here's the best new trivia question I could come up with at this late hour: What's the only Football League team that contains all the letters of the words 'Manchester United'? Answers on a postcard please.