First, It is good to mention that British Superiority was widely accepted by experts and specialists all over the world, at least until 1939. Until the beginning of World-War I, British football, mainly England and Scotland were far superior of everyone else in the top tier of the world, the quality of players were outstanding, the game was based on artistic, cerebral, and dynamic game. It said that top aces of British football supposedly played during the pre-World War I. era, names like Ernest Needham, Jimmy Crabtree, Steve Bloomer, Bobby Walker, Gilbert Oswald Smith, Billy Meredith, Nick Ross, were some of players that was often mentioned as "the best of all time" even decades after their retirement. Some important event to note that when the 2nd English division team Tottenham Hotspurs beat the Uruguayan League XI 8-0 in 1909. After the World-War I, however, British football saw a massive decline, especially England. The perspective of the game changed. It was no longer an entertainment for the fans to witnessing the footballing artists show their masterpieces with the ball, but rather as just a game with 22 players chasing the ball for one purpose: score a goal. Furthermore, English teams, fell to the point that even continental and South American teams matched their levels in friendlies, until they rose again in 1930s. However, continental experts such as Hugo Meisl, always believe that England was still the team to beat for every team in the worlds. You beat England then you beat the King of Football. In 1933, Meisl stated that English footballer was still the best in the world as whole - with the Vienna XI' 2-4 lost against Arsenal in December 1933 strengthen that statement.
A. Foster - January 1938 *from right to left* Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Ernest Needham Billy Wedlock Andy Aitken Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer Gilbert Oswald Smith Alex James Cliff Bastin
BEST EVER ELEVEN - By Billy Meredith, Bill Gillespie, Andy Wilson, Jimmy Seed, and Fred Keenor - 1927 *Billy Meredith's XI* : Jack Hillman Bob Crompton Nick Ross Jimmy Gordon Charlie Roberts Peter McWilliam Billy Bassett Steve Bloomer Jimmy Quinn Jimmy McMenemy Ted Vizard *Billy Gillespie's XI* : Elisha Scott Roy Goodall Alex Finney David Meiklejohn Frank Barson Jimmy McMullan Joe Hulme Bobby McKay Dixie Dean Bob McPhail Alan Morton *Andy Wilson's XI* Sam Hardy Alec McNair Jesse Pennington Jack Gordon Andy Jackson Peter Nellies Bobby Templeton Bobby Walker Robert Smyth McColl Jimmy McMenemy Alan Morton *Jimmy Seed's XI* Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Francis Cuggy Charlie Roberts Arthur Grimsdell Jackie Mordue Charlie Buchan Dixie Dean Cairns (?) Alan Morton *Fred Keenor's XI* Ted Taylor Nelson (?) Willie McStay Willis Edwards Tom Wilson Billy Hardy Billy Meredith David Jack Hughie Gallacher Clem Stephenson Alan Morton
https://www.google.co.id/books/edit...ays+think+Needham&pg=PA35&printsec=frontcover Herbert Chapman's Old Timers XI Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Ben Warren Charlie Roberts Ernest Needham* (the finest footballer I've ever seen) Jack Simpson Steve Bloomer Albert Shepherd George Holley Fred Spiksley further explanation about the choices can be seen in the link
https://arfsh.com/article?id=531 Louis T. Kelly's Best ever team - 1936 Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Nick Ross Jimmy Crabtree Alex Raisbeck Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer Dixie Dean Alex James Alan Morton https://arfsh.com/article?id=544 The Corinthian's Best ever XI - 1931 Sam Hardy Bob Crompton James Sharp Peter Dowds Charlie Roberts Jimmy Crabtree Jack Simpson Steve Bloomer Robert Smyth McColl Alex James Alan Morton
The Finest Team of All-time - Leslie Knighton, 1946 Harry Hibbs Bob Crompton Eddie Hapgood Willis Edwards Stanley Cullis Arthur Grimsdell Billy Meredith/Jack Simpson Charlie Buchan Gilbert Oswald Smith Billy Walker Cliff Bastin
Steve Bloomer's Best XI Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jimmy Crabtree Ben Warren Alex Raisbeck Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Bobby Walker John Goodall Edgar Chadwick Fred Spiksley
The Nottingham Evening Post - 01/11/1935 *First Team* Jimmy Trainer Bob Crompton Nick Ross George Howarth Joe McCall Ernest Needham Jack Simpson Steve Bloomer Vivian Woodward Alex James Fred Spiksley *Second Team* John Willie Sutcliffe Walter Arnott Jimmy Crabtree Neil Gibson Alex Raisbeck Jimmy Forrest Billy Bassett Bobby Walker Gilbert Oswald Smith Edgar Chadwick/Grenville Morris William Townley "The striking thing about this species of examination is that James is the only man of present age whose claim to virtuosity is really acclaimed"
Another interesting point that, later in the final paragraph, he admitted that some old giants might not to-day measure up to their standart, at least, in the same way...
Harry Hampton - Best ever team (21/10/1961) "Joe Bache was the finest inside-forward I ever Saw" Sam Hardy Howard Spencer Jesse Pennington Ben Warren Charlie Roberts Collin Veitch Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer Albert Shepherd Joe Bache Ted Vizard
Ireland's Saturday Night - Best Ever Team (04/05/1940) Elisha Scott John Maconnachie Jesse Pennington Willis Edwards Mick Hamill Jimmy Hay Billy Meredith Charlie Buchan Jimmy Quinn Peter Doherty Marshall McEwan *some great players* Walter Scott Billy McCracken, Bob Crompton Collin Veitch, Charles Thomson, Billy Wedlock, Evelyn Lintott Dickie Bond, Alex Jackson, Hogg (?), Stanley Matthews, David Jack, Steve Bloomer, Patsy Gallacher, Vivian Woodward, Hughie Gallacher, Alex James, Alan Morton
https://arfsh.com/article?id=233 Watchman - Eleven to beat the World (1931) Jimmy Trainer Nick Ross Donald Gow Frank Forman Alex Raisbeck Jimmy Crabtree Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer John Goodall Grenville Morris Bobby Templeton
Another Steve Bloomer's best XI - quite different from the one i posted earlier. Still interesting, though Jack Robinson Howard Spencer Billy Williams Ben Warren Alex Raisbeck Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Bobby Walker Gilbert Oswald Smith Joe Bache Fred Spiksley
Robert Blyth - Best Ever Team (1928) Peter McBride Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Hughie Wilson Alex Raisbeck Jimmy Crabtree Bobby Templeton Bobby Walker Gilbert Oswald Smith Sandy MacMahon Alex Smith
A Manchester correspondent - (27/11/1926) *Pre-World War I.* Jimmy Trainer / John Willie Sutcliffe Howard Spencer Jimmy Crabtree Andy Aitken Alex Raisbeck Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer Robert Smyth McColl Fred Wheldon Fred Spiksley *Post-World War I.* Ted Taylor Alex McNair Sam Wadsworth Neil Gibson Joe McCall / Frank Barson Arthur Grimsdell Alex Jackson Charlie Buchan Hughie Gallacher Alex James Alan Morton "but I think we just admit that the pre-war eleven is 'some' team, and probably would be voted a better side than any that could be selected to-day"
A lot of valuable material here thank you. Enough to prompt a re-think of the relative standing of pre-WW1 players. Although most of the teams were chosen during the 1920s and 1930s, it is clear that their focus was on the period up to 1914. The most striking observation is the lack of consensus around who the best players were. Excluding the purely post-war selection, one 2nd XI and Bloomer's second, verbal, effort, there are 17 all-time teams here. With more than sixty pre-war nominations, only three men appear in half the teams: Crompton (10), Bloomer (9) and Meredith (9). Bloomer and Meredith didn't pick themselves. Six different players from this era were at one stage described as the greatest of all time: Arnott, Cobbold, Nick Ross, GO Smith, Needham and Crabtree. Yet Arnott and Cobbold do not appear in a single all-time eleven. This could be because some writers' experience did not go back that far. There are no inclusions before 1880. Based on these teams a pre-1914 eleven would look like this (number of inclusions in brackets): Hardy (8) - Crompton (10), Pennington (7) - Crabtree (6), Raisbeck (5), Needham (6) - Meredith (9), Bloomer (9), GO Smith (3), McMenemy (2), Spiksley (4). In those days players did not get picked outside their normal positions. There are two tie-breaks. Raisbeck beats Roberts on one 2nd XI inclusion, and Smith is preferred to McColl for the same reason and also because he received nominations for greatest-ever footballer. When the scope is widened to footballers from the inter-war period, there are only two changes to the combined best XI, James (4 out of 6 possible inclusions) and Morton (6 out of 14) coming in at inside-left and outside-left. Arguably Dean ought also to be centre-forward since his three inclusions were out of a possible twelve. Players from the 1920s and 1930s at one time named the greatest-ever were Buchan, Hugh Gallacher and James. No fewer than eight judges reckoned Alex James was the best footballer they ever saw. This is the only instance where there is a strong consensus.
Yeah, it does seem like inside rights being picked there and inside lefts picked as such too. On number of picks as an inside forward I guess Bobby Walker would take a place ahead of McMenemy (but then James would get in anyway afterwards), but I don't know whether he only ever played as inside right and/or tended much more to the right hand side of the pitch. Some interesting comments cited on Walker's Wikipedia page I see (whether the Football Encyclopedia one is applicable as a call for best ever player I'm not quite sure): Bobby Walker (footballer, born 1879) - Wikipedia Billy Walker on the other hand is being regarded as an inside left, but yeah it looks like players are assigned to one of those positions rather than being available for either I think doesn't it? I know that Grenville Morris did have a nickname 'Prince of the Inside Lefts' at one point. I don't know whether some of the candidates did switch between those positions a bit though in their careers (I'd have thought it wouldn't be particularly unlikely).
W. N. Cobbold, Vivian Woodward, Gilbert Oswald Smith were considered amateur players, so that explain why sometimes they were not chosen
MY TWO BEST TEAMS James Mason, 25/10/1930 https://arfsh.com/article?id=554 - First Team - Jimmy Trainer Nick Ross Walter Arnott Jimmy Crabtree Alex Raisbeck Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer John Goodall Dennis Hodgetts Fred Spiksley - Second Team - John Willie Sutcliffe Howard Spencer Herbert Burgess Frank Forman Charlie Roberts Peter McWilliam Billy Bassett Bobby Walker Jimmy Quinn Grenville Morris Bobby Templeton
The Bobby Walker citation is valid thanks. Meredith also once said Walker was the greatest footballer, but since he left him out of his all-time XI I ignored it. Meredith also placed Walker first for versatility. This seems to have referred to the various things he could do with the ball, rather than his position on the field. It seems Walker virtually always played inside-right.
It may well have been a factor. Cobbold was active before the league started. Woodward's international goalscoring record was inflated by a lot of goals in one-sided contests.
Here’s something I find very interesting: For the pre-WWI players, only 2 out of the 6 players named as the greatest are attacking-minded (GO Smith, Cobbold), whilst the other 4 (Arnott, Nick Ross, Needham and Crabtree) are all Half-Backs and Full-Backs. When we look at the players of the post-war that had been named as such, we see that all 3 (Buchan, Hughie Gallacher, and Alex James) are all attackers, and this is really the way great players are ranked till this day. I wonder if there’s something interesting here.
Good point. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the half-back line was considered the most important part of the team, acting as both first line of defence and a link to the forwards. Aston Villa's successful spell during the 1890s owed much to their half-back line of Reynolds, Cowan and Crabtree. Scotland's middle three of Aitken, Raisbeck and Robertson was also influential. Some full-backs were just bulky physical stoppers. But those who used the ball well could dictate the play. Arnott was noted for his class and elegance while Ross spent a season at centre-forward for Preston and finished the league's joint leading goalscorer.
Great to see that the articles are helping with the post. I will give my own XI regarding the era: Hardy — Crompton, N. Ross — Crabtree, Raisbeck, Needham — Meredith, Bloomer, G.O. Smith, James, Morton.