BigSoccer's Players of the Season: 1911-1912

Additions in red.


ARG-URU 0-2, 15.8.1911, Buenos Aires, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Piendibene, Dacal

Football League, Newcastle United-Everton 2-0, 6.9.1911, Newcastle, Attendance: 18,000
goals: Low, Stewart
best players: Waugh, Hay, Whitson, Duncan / Holbein, Scott (gk)

URU-ARG 2-3, 17.9.1911, Montevideo, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Canavessi, Romano / A. Brown, E. Brown 2

Challenge Cup Final, Wiener SC-Ferencváros 3-0, 24.9.1911, Vienna, Attendance: 2,000
goals: Neubauer 2, Mayringer
The best Austrian club, Wiener AC, who has beaten Hungarian champion Ferencváros in May, does not participate.

FA Charity Shield, Manchester United-Swindon Town 8-4, 25.9.1911, Stamford Bridge, London, Attendance: 10,000
goals: Halse (6), Turnbull, Wall / Fleming, Wheatcroft, Tout, Jefferson
best players: Halse

Football League, Everton-Newcastle United 2-0, 30.9.1911, Liverpool, Attendance: 20,000
goals: Burton, Davidson
best players: Young, Maconnachie, Burton / Whitson

Football League, Blackburn 2 Manchester United 2, 30.9.11, Attendance: 30,000
Goals: Orr 2 / West 2
Best Players: Crompton / Roberts

URU-ARG 1-1, 8.10.1911, Montevideo, Attendance: 12,000
goals: Piendibene / Watson

Football League, Newcastle United-Blackburn Rovers 4-2, 21.10.1911, Newcastle, Attendance: 30,000
goals: Stewart 2, Wilson, Hay / Latheron, Davies
best players: Rutherford, Hibbert /

Scottish League, Rangers-Celtic 3-1, 21.10.1911, Glasgow, Ibrox Park, Attendance: 40,000
goals: Bowie 2, Gordon / McAtee
best players: Lock (gk), Hendry, Bennett / Johnstone, Loney

ARG-URU 2-0, 22.10.1911, Buenos Aires, Attendance: 18,000
goals: Piaggio 2

URU-ARG 3-0, 29.10.1911, Montevideo, Attendance: 8,000
goals: Piendibene 2, Canavessi

HUN-SUI 9-0, 29.10.1911, Millenáris Sporttelep, Budapest, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Bíró, Koródy 2, Schlosser 6
best players: Schlosser

HUN-AUT 2-0, 5.11.1911, Üllői út, Budapest, Attendance: 25,000
goals: Bodnár, Koródy

Football League, Blackburn Rovers-Everton 2-1, 9.12.1911, Blackburn, Attendance: 12,000
goals: W Bradshaw (pen), Chapman / F Bradshaw
best players: Crompton

Football League, Liverpool 0, Newcastle 1, 9.12.1911, Attendance: 20,000
Goal: Higgins
Best Players: Hardy (gk) / Higgins

Scottish League, Celtic-Rangers 3-0, 1.1.1912, Glasgow, Celtic Park, Attendance: 70,000
goals: Quinn 3
best players: Quinn

British Home Championship, IRL-ENG 1-6, 10.2.1912, Dublin, Dalymount Park, Attendance: 15,000
goals: Hamill 35'/ Fleming 12', 40', 64', Holley 17', Freeman 50', Simpson 85'
best players: / Crompton, Wedlock, Fleming
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1900-39/1911-12/M0111Ire1912.html
An accident to Frank Thompson soon after the second half started meant he had to retire, but he returned and Ireland effectively played with ten men for the rest of the match.

Football League-Scottish League 2-0, 17.2.1912, Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, Attendance: 25,000
goals: 1-0 Freeman (52 min.), 2-0 Mordue (87 min.)
best players: Wallace, Williamson (gk) / Quinn

British Home Championship, SCO-WAL 1-0, 2.3.1912, Tynecastle Park, Edinburgh, Attendance: 32,000
goals: Quinn (87)
best players: Brownlie (gk), McNair / Meredith

British Home Championship, WAL-ENG 0-2, 11.3.1912, Wrexham, Racecourse Ground, Attendance: 14,000
goals: Holley 2', Freeman 41'
best players: Meredith, Vizard / Williamson (gk), Freeman, Brittleton
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1900-39/1911-12/M0112Wal1912.html
Holley replaced Swindon Town FC's Harold Fleming, who was carrying an injury, at inside-left.

British Home Championship, IRL-SCO 1-4, 16.3.1912, Windsor Park, Belfast, Attendance: 12,000
goals: 0-1 Aitkenhead (8), 0-2 Aitkenhead (23), 1-2 McKnight (42) penalty, 1-3 Reid (60), 1-4 R.Walker (70)
best players: Hanna (gk) / Sinclair, Templeton, McNair, John Walker

ENG*-NED 4-0, 16.3.1912, Kingston upon Hull, Attendance: 12,000
goals: Bailey 2, Woodward, Wright
The match is a full international for Netherlands, but not for England, who played with their amateur side.

British Home Championship, SCO-ENG 1-1, 23.3.1912, Glasgow, Hampden Park, Attendance: 127,0300
goals: Wilson 7' / Holley 13'
best players: Bobby Walker, Wilson, Gordon, Hay / Holley, Crompton, Pennington, Simpson
http://www.englandfootballonline.com/Seas1900-39/1911-12/M0113Sco1912.html

NED-GER 5-5, 24.3.1912, Zwolle, Attendance: 10,000
goals: Thomée 2, Francken 2, (o.g.) / Fuchs, Hirsch 4

FA Cup Semi-final, Barnsley-Swindon Town 0-0, 30.3.1912, Stamford Bridge, London, Attendance: 48,000
best players: Moore / John Walker, Fleming

FA Cup Semi-final, West Bromwich Albion-Blackburn Rovers 0-0, 30.3.1912, Anfield, Liverpool, Attendance: 30,000
best players: Pennington / Simpson

FA Cup Semi-final replay, Barnsley-Swindon Town 1-0, 3.4.1912, Meadow Lane, Nottingham, Attendance: 18,000
goals: Bratley
best players: Downs, Taylor /

FA Cup Semi-final replay, West Bromwich Albion-Blackburn Rovers 1-0, 3.4.1912, Hillsborough, Sheffield, Attendance: 20,000
goals: Pailor
best players: Pennington

Scottish Cup Final, Celtic-Clyde 2-0, 6.4.1912, Glasgow, Ibrox Park, Attendance: 45,000
goals: Gallacher, McMenemy
best players: Mulrooney (gk), Dodds / Blair, McAndrew

Football League, Everton-Blackburn Rovers 3-1, 1-3, 13.4.1912, Liverpool, Attendance: 35,000
goals: Davidson / Clennell 2, Latheron
best players: / Clennell

British Home Championship, WAL-IRL 2-3, 13.4.1912, Cardiff, Attendance: 10,000
goals: T. Davies, D. Davies / McCandless, Brennan, Thompson

HUN-GER 4-4, 14.4.1912, Üllői út, Budapest, Attendance: 25,000
goals: Schlosser, Bodnár 3 / Möller, Kipp, Worpitzky, Jäger (pen.)

FA Cup Final, Barnsley-West Bromwich Albion 0-0, 20.4.1912, Crystal Palace, London, Attendance: 54,400
best players: Downs, Taylor /

Football League, Woolwich Arsenal 5 Blackburn Rovers 1, 22.4.1912, Plumstead, Attendance: 9,000
Goals: Flanagan 2, Grant 3 / og
Best Players: Grant, Shaw, Peart / Robinson (gk)

FA Cup Final replay, Barnsley-West Bromwich Albion 1-0, 24.4.1912, Bramall Lane, Sheffield, Attendance: 38,500
goals: Tufnell 118'
best players: Cooper (gk) /

Football League, Blackburn Rovers-Newcastle United 1-1, 27.4.1912, Blackburn, Attendance: 12,000
goals: Latheron / Peart
best players: Simpson / Lawrence (gk)

NED-BEL 4-3, 28.4.1912, Dordrecht, Attendance: 10,000
goals: van Berckel, Francken 3 / Musch, Nisot 2

FA Charity Shield, Blackburn Rovers-Queens Park Rangers 2-1, 4.5.1912, White Hart Lane, London, Attendance: 7,000
goals: Aitkenhead, Clennell / Revill
best players: Bradshaw / Revill

Glasgow Charity Cup Final, Celtic-Clyde 0-0 (Celtic won 7-0 on corners), 11.5.1912, Hampden Park, Glasgow, Attendance: 25,000
best players: McAtee, McNair, Dodds / Collins, McAndrew, Carmichael, Blair

AUT-HUN 1-1, 5.5.1912, Hohe Warte, Vienna, Attendance: 11,000
goals: Fischera / Bodnár

Copenhagen Select-Celtic 1-3, 3.6.1912, Copenhagen, Attendance: ?
Goals: ? / Gallacher, og, Quinn
Best Players: / Gallacher, McMenemy

Copenhagen Select-Celtic 4-1, 5.6.1912, Copenhagen, Attendance: ?
goals: ?
Celtic tour of Denmark & Norway

Olympic Games, SWE-NED 3-4, 29.6.1912, Stockholm, Attendance: 14,000
goals: Swensson 2, E. Börjesson / Bouvy 2, Vos 2

Olympic Games, GBR*-HUN 7-0, 30.6.1912, Stockholm, Attendance: 12,000
goals: Walden 6, Woodward
best players: Walden
Great Britain played with their amateur side.

Olympic Games, NED-AUT 3-1, 30.6.1912, Stockholm, Attendance: 7,000
goals: Bouvy, Vos, ten Cate / Müller

Olympic Games, DEN-NED 4-1, 2.7.1912, Stockholm, Attendance: 6,000
goals: Olsen 2, Jørgensen, Poul Nielsen / (o.g.)
best players: Nils Middelboe, Poul Nielsen / Gobel (gk)

Olympic Games Final, GBR*-DEN 4-2, 2. 4. 7.1912, Stockholm, Attendance: 25,000
goals: Walden, Hoare 2, Berry / Olsen 2
best players: Walden
Great Britain played with their amateur side.


Newspaper sources: The Sportsman, Athletic News, Birmingham Daily Gazette, Derby Daily Telegraph, Leeds Mercury, Leicester Daily Post, Liverpool Evening Express, Manchester Courier, Newcastle Daily Chronicle, Nottingham Evening Post, Nottingham Journal, Sheffield Daily Telegraph, Sports Argus, Sunderland Daily Echo, Yorkshire Post, Dundee Courier, The Scotsman, Scottish Referee, Dublin Daily Express, Irish News, Northern Whig.

Sources are from the British Newspaper Archive, managed by the British Library Board.

 

Suggested best XI 1911-12 (2-3-5):

Williamson - Crompton, Pennington - Gordon, Roberts, Hay - Meredith, Bobby Walker, Andy Wilson, Pilat, Vizard.

 

Meredith and Russell for Wales. Hanna (gk), Houston and McCandless for Ireland.

 

Just came across a report of this game. Celtic goal was scored by McMenemy. Copenhagen goalscorers unknown.

Tour report states that Denmark's best players were Nils Middelboe and the goalkeeper, presumably Sophus Hansen. Both were said to be on a par with the best of their British counterparts.

Given that the same was said about Middelboe the previous year, I would put him in the best XI for the season in place of Jimmy Gordon.

 

Revised best XI 1911-12 (2-3-5):

Williamson - Crompton, Pennington - Nils Middelboe, Roberts, Hay - Meredith, Bobby Walker, Andy Wilson, Pilat, Vizard.

A few words of explanation.

Further investigation leaves no doubt that Charlie Roberts was left out of England teams by the FA from 1908 onwards because of his union activities. He was regarded as the ringleader in challenging the authority of the FA, who also ensured that he did not receive the benefit match he had been promised.

The FA were fortunate that in Wedlock they had a centre-half who was probably as good as Roberts defensively. But Wedlock had little creative skill whereas Roberts was a fine passer and header of the ball. After Alex Raisbeck, Roberts was arguably the best all-round centre-half the game had seen to this point.

The 1912 Olympic tournament in Stockholm did no favours to the standing of non-British players. England's amateur team (officially United Kingdom) won the competition easily on foreign soil. They played three matches, beating Hungary 7-0, Finland 4-0 and Denmark 4-2. Fourteen players featured, of which only Harold Walden of Bradford City had appeared in the First Division during the season just finished. Five played in the Second Division with the remainder drawn from Bromley, Ilford, London Caledonians, Northern Nomads, Oxford City, Portsmouth, Reading and Stockton. One would expect reasonably strong opposition to beat this team without difficulty. A similar England amateur XI, with three changes, had also defeated Denmark 3-0 in London in October 1911.

Ten countries entered the Olympic tournament, the other seven being Austria, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Russia and Sweden. Those that won a game also suffered a comprehensive defeat. The tournament was taken seriously. After Russia lost 16-0 to Germany in what was effectively the Plate competition, Tsar Nicholas refused to pay for the Russians' journey home.

Apart from Nils Middleboe and Sophus Hansen, who had performed notably against Celtic, one has to look elsewhere for non-British candidates for the Best XI. Bohemia did not participate in the Olympic tournament. A Bohemian XI beat Corinthians 4-2 in April. That same month Sparta Prague twice defeated a London Select amateur team 5-1 and 2-1 in an Easter tournament in San Sebastian, Spain. Slavia Prague were less successful against British opponents, beaten 5-1 by Corinthians and twice by Celtic Belfast. They did beat Corinthians 3-1 in the return match. Pilat of Sparta therefore looks a stronger candidate than Kosek of Slavia.

Southern League Swindon Town toured Argentina and Uruguay in June and July, winning six of their eight matches and drawing the other two against the Argentine League and a Northern Buenos Aires combination. They beat an Argentina XI 1-0, and defeated the Uruguayan league 3-0. Swindon had reached the FA Cup semi-finals that year, and standards in South America appeared to be improving, if still behind those in Britain.

 

Billy Scott was selected for Ireland's next game against Scotland but withdrew shortly beforehand. He then made himself unavailable for the match against Wales as Everton were playing Blackburn the same day, and Everton still had a chance of winning the league championship.

Agree with Crompton and Pennington in the Top 3. Pennington was the better performer this season although Crompton captained Blackburn to the league title.

My third choice would probably be goalkeeper Williamson, who continued to keep Sam Hardy out of the England team. Hardy played against Ireland, but only because Williamson was involved in a cup replay two days before the game and was not able to travel with the rest of the party.

Williamson's real name was Reg. He was nicknamed Tiny because he was small for a goalkeeper. His nickname then evolved to Tim after Tiny Tim, the fictional character in Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol.

 

I would like to make my modest contribution to this list:
Jan Vos: bronze medal in the Olympic games getting 5 goals in that match. In that tournament he scored 8 goals in the 4 games he played. I don't have much more information about this player. Any chance of entering the top 23?
Anton Olsen: silver medal in the 1912 Olympic games with 7 goals in 3 games, including two in the semifinal against Holland. Could you live up to your partner Middelboe?
Gottfried Fuchs: I know that this fact is fundamentally anecdotal, but for history there are 10 goals scored by Russia in the consolation phase of the Stockholm Olympics.
Harold Walden: Top scorer and gold medal in the Olympic Games with the amateur team of Great Britain. According to some sources, he scored 11 goals in 3 games, including 6 for Hungary. Don't you really deserve to be at least in the top 23?
Imre Schlosser: Your records this season are spectacular again. Between October 1911 and July 1912 he plays 12 games with the Hungarian national team, scoring 22 goals. Hungary had the misfortune of playing the quarterfinals of the Olympic games against Great Britain, losing decisively (7-0). For the rest, no doubt of being one of the best selections of the international season. Win the league with Ferencvaros. Play 17 games and convert 34 goals! (5 hat tricks and 8 goals in the last league match). Isn't there a possibility to include this player in the top 3?

 

Thank you for your input.

The issue is that standards in the Olympic tournament appear to have been several levels below those in the English and Scottish leagues. The Great Britain winners were effectively an England 5th XI at best. Of the 14 who played for the team, only Woodward had ever been chosen for the main game of the season, England v Scotland, and that was three years previously.

Gordon Wright had made a solitary appearance against Wales in 1906, and Arthur Berry one against Ireland in 1909. The rest had never been anywhere near a full England side. And yet this team was able to beat Hungary (with Schlosser) 7-0 and defeat Denmark twice during the season.

You are right that non-British players should not be ignored. The reputations of Middleboe and Schlosser, for example, have survived the years. Two years running the British press have said that Middelboe, when playing against their teams in Denmark, was as good as the best half-backs in Britain. So far we have not found similar contemporary anecdotal evidence about Schlosser. His reputation for the moment rests upon what was said about him later. He certainly scored a lot of goals, but the standard of opposition at this stage of his career is questionable.

Do you have any information about Spanish players around this time? There were 16 matches between Spanish and British teams this season, all in Spain. The Spanish teams won four and five were drawn. The wins were by Barcelona against United Hospitals and HMS Exmouth (Navy), by Bilbao also against United Hospitals, and by Español against Woolwich Polytechnic.

 

I have some books that I can consult and that way I can answer your question about Spanish football.

 

Auckland Wanderers Vs. Barcelona



Regarding the best Spanish soccer players, impossible to say with certainty. A Spanish team had not yet been organized and the various teams used to act in their corresponding region. Sometimes matches were organized between clubs from different regions with the logical expectation to judge by the chronicles of the time, and what did exist was a Spanish championship for qualifiers, in which many times there were multiple problems such as fortaits, mass withdrawals, Organizational chaos in general ... Keep in mind that football was still a very young sport is Spain. Therefore, when they were combined from amateur teams, there was a stir among fans.
Returning to the players, here are some of the most popular in this time interval, or at least, the most cited in the bibliography of this sport in Spain:
Real Madrid / Real Sociedad: Alberto Machimbarrena.
Barcelona: Amechazurra, José Rodríguez. Highlighted the Scottish Alexander Steel. This team was the champion of Spain.
Athletic de Bilbao: José María Belauste.

 

Yes, sounds reasonable.

 

Same formula as posted in last season a few days ago:

Dream 23 squad, 1911-12

Goalkeepers
Billy Scott (Everton)
James Brownlie (Third Lanark)
Tim Williamson (Middlesbrough)

Full backs
Jesse Pennington (West Bromwich)
Robert Crompton (Blackburn)
Alec McNair (Celtic)
Bill McCracken (Newcastle)

Half backs
Charles Roberts (Manchester United)
Charles Thomson (Sunderland)
Billy Wedlock (Bristol City)
James Hay (Newcastle)
James Gordon (Rangers)

Wingers
John Simpson (Blackburn)
Billy Meredith (Manchester United)
Robert Evans (Sheffield United)

Inside forwards
George Holley (Sunderland)
Harold Fleming (Swindon Town)
Walter Aitkenhead (Blackburn)
Danny Shea (West Ham)
Andrew Wilson (Sheffield Wednesday)

Strikers
Bertram Freeman (Burnley)
David McLean (Sheffield Wednesday)
Harry Hampton (Aston Villa)

Nationality
England (10/23), Scotland (9/23),
Ireland (2/23), Wales (2/23).

Club
Blackburn (3/23), Newcastle (2/23),
Manchester United (2/23), Sunderland (2/23),
Sheffield Wednesday (2/23), Everton (1/23),
Third Lanark (1/23), Middlesbrough (1/23),
WBA (1/23), Celtic (1/23), Bristol City (1/23),
Rangers (1/23), Sheffield United (1/23),
Swindon Town (1/23), West Ham (1/23),
Burnley (1/23), Aston Villa (1/23).

League
English League (20/23) [Southern League (2/23)]
Scottish League (3/23)

Robert Evans played first years for Wales, and then England because of a technicality. I consider him Welsh.

I should probably have found room for Danny Shea last season already in the Dream 23; most likely on expense of Harold Fleming.

Dream Team 1911-12, 2-3-5:
Billy Scott (Everton) - Bob Crompton (Blackburn), Jesse Pennington (WBA) - Charlie Thomson (Sunderland), Charlie Roberts (Manchester United), Billy Wedlock (Bristol City) - Jock Simpson (Blackburn), Harold Fleming (Swindon), Bert Freeman (Burnley), George Holley (Sunderland), Walter Aitkenhead (Blackburn).