A Sporting Common Bond Trivia Quiz

Answer: Frankly, Mr Shankly

'Frankly, Mr Shankly' is an album track from the Smiths' third album, 'The Queen Is Dead', and is thought to be a dig at Geoff Travis, then head of the record label Rough Trade. Travis himself stated that the line in the question referred to a poem he had written for Morrissey. The original demo version featured a trumpet part, but this was dropped.

Answer: Reds

'Reds' is about John Reed (played by Beatty himself), an American journalist who chronicled the Russian Revolution in 'Ten Days that Shook the World'. The film also starred Diane Keaton as Louise Bryant, Reed's second wife and a journalist who also covered the Russian Revolution, and Jack Nicholson as the playwright Eugene O'Neill.

The other answers were all nominated for the same award that year.

Answer: You'll Never Walk Alone

'Carousel' is a musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, about a carnival barker, Billy Bigelow, who falls in love with a mill worker, Julie Jordan. Nettie Fowler, Julie's cousin, sings 'You'll Never Walk Alone' to Julie after Billy dies. It also appears at the end as a reprise.

The song was covered by Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers in 1963; their version was Number One on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks.

Answer: The Liver Birds

Carla Lane and co-writer Myra came up with the idea for 'The Liver Birds' at a writers' club. The first series starred Pauline Collins as Dawn and Polly James as Beryl, two women living in a flat on Huskisson Street in Liverpool and looking for love. Collins was replaced by Welsh actress Nerys Hughes in the second series, who played Beryl's new housemate Sandra.

The sitcom is named after the two birds that sit on the Royal Liver Building at Pier Head, and 'birds' is also Scouse slang for 'women'. (Note: 'Liver' rhymes with 'diver', not the organ.)

Answer: The Battle of Spion Kop

The Battle of Spion Kop was one of the battles of the Second Boer War. Spion Kop, or 'Spioenkop' in Afrikaans, is a mountain near Ladysmith, in what is now the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Ladysmith was under siege by the Boers, and the British sent extra troops out to South Africa to reclaim it.

The British side suffered heavier losses, with 243 dead and 1250 wounded (compared to 68 dead and 267 wounded on the Boer side).

Answer: Istanbul

Istanbul is Turkey's largest and most populous city, and was once known as Constantinople, after the Roman emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the ancient Byzantine Empire. Today, it spans continents, straddling the Bosporus Strait between Europe and Asia.

It was named as a European Capital of Culture in 2010. The centre of Istanbul is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer: Gerrard

Lisa Gerrard met Brendan Perry, the co-founder of Dead Can Dance, through the 'little band scene' in Melbourne; Perry recalled her hitting a yanqqin (a Chinese dulcimer) with bamboo sticks while singing about finding a man in a park. They were signed to 4AD, the label of other experimental bands such as the Cocteau Twins. Outside of Dead Can Dance, Gerrard released several solo albums, and also collaborated on music for films such as 'Gladiator' and 'Faithless'; the latter was a collaboration with Ennio Morricone.

She has sung several songs in a made-up language which she calls 'the language of the Heart'.

Answer: Melanie C

After Geri Halliwell's departure, Melanie Chisholm, aka Melanie C or Sporty Spice, was the first of the remaining Spice Girls to release a solo project. 'Northern Star' saw her working with William Orbit and going in a more indie-rock direction, though it also featured a dance track ('I Turn To You').

She duetted with Lisa 'Left-Eye' Lopes on 'Never Be the Same Again'. Chisholm got herself into trouble with the rest of the group when she said in an interview with 'Q' magazine, "The Spice Girls are just a hobby. [The solo album] is the real me." She has released several albums since, including an album of show tunes, 'Stages', on her own label, Red Girl Records.

Answer: Paisley

Paisley is a pattern of Persian origin, incorporating the buta or boteh ('flower bud'), a shape which resembles a teardrop or almond. It was a popular pattern for shawls in Kashmir during the days of the Mughal Empire, and caught on in Europe during the 18th and 19th century when garments with the pattern were imported into the west, and a young Queen Victoria was seen wearing a shawl with the pattern.

The pattern was given the name of 'paisley' after the Scottish town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, which was a major producer of fabric during and after the Industrial Revolution; many shawls bearing the pattern were manufactured there.

Answer: Liverpool

'Frankly, Mr SHANKLY' is a reference to Bill Shankly, Liverpool's manager from 1959 to 1974. Under him, Liverpool won three League One titles, three Charity Shields, two FA Cups and one European Cup in 1973. He was awarded Manager of the Year in the 1972-73 season. Shankly died in 1981, and in 1997, a statue of him was erected outside the Kop.

The 'REDS' is Liverpool's nickname, due to their red kit.

'YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE' is played at Anfield as the Liverpool team walk onto the pitch, and has become the club's signature song. Fans use 'YNWA' for short as a hashtag on social media.

The LIVER BIRD is the symbol of Liverpool FC, and appears on the club's badge, carrying a branch of seaweed in its beak. It is thought to be based on a cormorant. Mighty Red, the club's mascot, is a Liver Bird.

The SPION KOP, known as the Kop for short, is one of the stands at Anfield, Liverpool's home stadium. It was built in 1906.

Liverpool won their fifth Champions' League against AC Milan in ISTANBUL in 2005 on penalties, after coming back from being 3-0 down.

GERRARD is a reference to Steven Gerrard, a midfielder who spent the majority of his career at Liverpool, and who is often considered to be one of their best players of all time. He was club captain for several seasons, leaving the club in 2015.

MELANIE C is a famous Liverpool supporter, and in her Spice Girls days, often wore a Liverpool shirt for TV performances and interviews. She has covered 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

Bob PAISLEY was Bill Shankly's assistant manager and successor at Liverpool from 1974 to 1983, when he retired. Under him, Liverpool won six First Division titles, three League Cups, three European Cups and one UEFA Cup. He was awarded Manager of the Year several times. He died in 1996, and the Paisley Gates were erected at Anfield in his honour, with an accompanying plaque.