https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibli...D2V5H?query=Buchan+Woodward&hit=2&issuepage=3 The Cologne Post, 02/04/1920 by an ex-International CURRENT BRITISH XI Sam Hardy Billy McCracken Jesse Pennington Jimmy Gordon Joe McCall Arthur Grimsdell Billy Meredith Jimmy McMenemy Andrew Wilson Joe Smith Alan Morton ALL-TIME ENGLAND XI Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Ben Warren Billy Wedlock Ernest Needham Billy Bassett Steve Bloomer Vivian Woodward Edgar Chadwick Arthur Bridgett
Some relevant selections here maybe (due to when some of the players were born or started their careers): https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/interesting-best-xi.325564/page-64#post-41987995
02/12/1938 - Jimmy Gordon' teams Artists Harry Rennie Alex McNair Tanny Craig Neil Gibson Willie Lonie Peter McWilliam Alex Jackson Bobby Walker R. S. McColl George Holley Alan Morton Go-Getters Jimmy Brownlie Bob Crompton Joe Dodds Ben Warren Alex Raisbeck James "Fister" Walls Jock Simpson Patsy Gallacher Jimmy Quinn Tommy Cairns Alex Smith
08/03/1924 - George Robey's best team Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Frost (?) Billy Wedlock Thomson (?) Billy Meredith Bobby Walker Steve Bloomer George Robey Arthur Bridgett THREE BEST FOOTBALLERS : BLOOMER, MEREDITCH, CHADWICK
24/11/1934 - published on Evening Dispatch T. Palmer - Best team since 1920 Sam Hardy George Shaw Jesse Pennington J. P. Murphy (?) Thomas Griffiths Billy Hardy Samuel Chedgzoy Charlie Buchan Dixie Dean Alex James Jimmy Dimmock some comments on whether Alex James the best footballer since the war or Charles Buchan deserves that title.
14/04/1960 - Billy Walker' team Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington James Gibson Frank Barson Jimmy Mcmullan Stanley Matthews Peter Doherty Hughie Gallacher Alex James Alan Morton
14/03/1923 - Ernest Needham' XI Sam Hardy Bob Crompton W. J. Oakley Frank Forman Joe McCall Jimmy Crabtree Jock Rutherford Steve Bloomer John Goodall Dennis Hodgetts Fred Spiksley
01/07/1952 Bob McGrory All-time XI Jerry Dawson Alex McNair Jesse Pennington James Young (born 1882) Willie Loney Jimmy Hay Stanley Matthews Harold Fleming Freddie Steele Andy Cunningham Alan Morton
07/12/1919 - Jock Rutherford XI Sam Hardy Billy McCracken Herbert Burgess Alec Gardner Colin Veitch Peter McWilliam Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer Robert Smyth McColl Jimmy Windridge Arthur Bridget
Herbert Smith All-time XI - 08/11/1931 L. R. Roose Bob Crompton Howard Spencer Ben Warren Billy Wedlock Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer G. O. Smith Joe Bache Fred Spiksley
by "Cri" - Team of Stars 14/11/1928 Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Jimmy Crabtree Stewart (?) Ernest Needham Billy Meredith Steve Bloomer G. O. Smith Edgar Chadwick Ted Vizard
"best soccer team of all time" from a Hemel Hempstead reader 07/02/1935 Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Eddie Hapgood Fred Keenor Billy Wedlock Arthur Grimsdell Billy Meredith Charles Buchan Steve Bloomer Alex James Alan Morton
Joe Bradford "best ever team" 15/10/1960 Elisha Scott Warney Cresswell Ernest Blenkinsop Matt Busby Frank Barson Arthur Grimsdell Stan Chedgzoy Johnny Crosbie Dixie Dean Billy Walker Fred Tunstall
Alf Quantrill - best team played with/against 14/01/1953 Sam Hardy Jesse Pennington Sam Wadsworth Willis Edwards Joe McCall Arthur Grimsdell Sam Chedgzoy Bob Kelly Dixie Dean "Bert" Bliss Jimmy Dimmock
Stan Cullis - All-time XI 13/12/1959 Probables : Frank Swift Johnny Carey - Eddie Hapgood Matt Busby - Billy Wright - Joe Mercer Stanley Matthews - Raich Carter - Tommy Lawton - Peter Doherty - Tom Finney Possibles : Bert Williams Tom Cooper - Andy Beattle Eddie Colman - Jack Barker - Duncan Edwards Garrincha - Didi - Alfredo Di Stefano - Ferenc Puskas - Cliff Bastin
Sam Bartram selection 15/09/1956 Harry Hibbs Warney Cresswell Eddie Hapgood Cliff Britton Stan Cullis Joe Mercer Stanley Matthews Raich Carter Ted Drake Jimmy Hagan Cliff Bastin
07/08/1922 - by four of the "heads" past 15 years team (England, Scotland, Ireland) Elisha Scott Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Jimmy Gordon Charlie Roberts Peter McWilliam Jock Simpson Charles Buchan Andy Wilson Joe Bache Alan Morton
Billy Wedlock - England All-time Xi 09/01/1945 Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Ben Warren Charlie Roberts Colin Veitch Jock Rutherford Harold Fleming Vivian Woodward George Holley George Wall
Charles Buchan English All Stars XI (1955) published in his book - A lifetime in football pre-1925 Hardy Crompton, Pennington Veitch, Roberts, Grimsdell Simpson, Fleming, Shepherd, Holley, Smith post-1925 Hibbs Cooper, Hapgood Edwards, Cullis, Weaver Matthews, Kelly, Dean, Walker, Dimmock
26/03/1931 - best England and Scotland team since 1900 by "MAN IN THE STREET" England XI Sam Hardy Bob Crompton Jesse Pennington Colin Veitch Billy Wedlock Arthur Grimsdell Dicky Bond Steve Bloomer Albert Shepherd Billy Walker Billy Smith Scotland XI Ned Doig Andy McCombie Watson (?) (probably John Watson of Tottenham ?) Andy Aitken Alex Raisbeck Peter McWilliam Bobby Templeton Bobby Walker R. S. McColl Andy Cunningham Alan Morton
Maybe good here to refer back to this post: https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/british-football-best-xis-1863-1939.2124483/page-5#post-41190409 Jock Simpson played for England of course and Bobby Templeton didn't, but as I said before "better with the ball" and "better player" are not necessarily the same thing so hard to be sure he would think Templeton was better I guess. Re: Matthews and Finney, the book being from 1955/1956 (I found a date for the book of the latter but not sure if that's right) means it's after the article I'd posted, so whether he rated Matthews higher than ever in the mid 50s is hard to be sure of too but a possibility I suppose (but it could be he gave Matthews the nod based on longevity/'greatness' etc anyway). Whether he only considered Finney for right wing, not left wing too, I don't know (in theory he played enough on the left in England games to be considered there I guess, and that's where he's quite often placed and even in one of Nils Liedholm's XIs - picked from players of his playing days and also including Frank Swift in goal). Interesting to see that Don Revie alluded to similarities between Peter Doherty and Colin Bell. This XI by Revie does seem more in the mold of his aggressive-style Leeds teams overall though, especially in the midfield which is not where he put Doherty himself (with several Leeds players in that section and the overall XI) than the XI he picked from just his playing days that was in the Golden Heroes book that I referred to on the 'Interesting Best XI' thread (Trautmann; Hall, Charles, Byrne; Carter, Edwards, Mannion; Matthews, Mortensen, Taylor, Finney).