Steve Bloomer

Stephen Bloomer (January 20, 1874 - April 16, 1938) was an English footballer from 1892 until 1914. He is recognised as one of the best pre-World War I footballers, and still figures strongly on all-time goalscoring charts despite fundamental changes having been made to the laws of Association Football which have made scoring goals easier. He was a top-class baseball player and played cricket. He is generally regarded as Derby County's greatest ever player. Image File history File links Steve_Bloomer. ... Image File history File links Steve_Bloomer. ... January 20 is the 20th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... April 16 is the 106th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (107th in leap years). ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... For the insect, see Cricket (insect). ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ...

Early life

Steve Bloomer was born in Cradley but, presumably, in order to migrate for work, his parents, Caleb and, mother, Merab (family name 'Dunn'), moved the family to Derby when he was still quite young. He displayed sporting talent in his early teens. He played for St. James' School in the Derbyshire Minor Football League (at one time scoring 14 goals for them in one match) and then, between 1888 and 1891, starred for Derby Swifts F.C.. In April 1892 he made a controversial appearance for Tutbury Hawthorn F.C. in a Derby cup competition final; the club falling foul of rules forbidding the use of players registered with other clubs (Bloomer and another had, the previous month, signed professional forms with Derby County F.C.). Fellow Cup finalists Gresley Rovers F.C. protested the result (a 7-2 win for Tutbury) and the match was replayed, honours, finally, being shared. Cradley is a small village in the Black Country of Worcestershire, near Halesowen and the banks of the river Stour. ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... Gresley Rovers Football Club is an English football club based at The Moat Ground, located in the village of Church Gresley, near Swadlincote, South Derbyshire. ...

Bloomer was first employed, ironically, as a striker, at Ley's Malleable Castings, a foundry in Derby, owned by Sir Francis Ley. Following a visit to the United States in 1889, Ley became convinced that, as a way of ensuring a healthier and more productive workforce, an investment should be made in promoting recreation for his workers. During his journey to the States, Ley had seen the way in which baseball fields had been laid out by companies and factories for the use by their workers and decided to follow suit on his return to Derby. Consequently, Ley had the Baseball Ground built; a 12-acre park for the use of workers with cricket and baseball facilities. Later, Bloomer would play second base as a member of the highly successful Derby baseball side that won the English Baseball Cup in 1897. The Derby team that he was a member of won 3 of the 4 national cups that were staged after 1894; his team-mate and England international goalkeeper Jack Robinson (January 22, 1870-October 28, 1931) was third baseman. http://www.sabruk.org/examiner/05/lastgame.html The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, UK. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football (soccer) as the home of Derby County F.C. from 1895 until 1997. ... Derby (pronounced dar-bee ) is a city in the East Midlands of England. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... October 28 is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 64 days remaining. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

Derby County

In his first game for Derby County, against Darley Dale F.C. Bloomer scored four times. He made his Football League debut on September 3, 1892 at Stoke City's Victoria Ground when a previously untried XI gained an impressive away victory 3-1. He scored his first League goal for the Rams on September 24, 1892 in a home fixture to West Bromwich Albion F.C.. Such was the impact of his arrival that the club also decided to trial his brother, Phillip. This proved unsuccessful, Philip was destined to play only once in first team club colours and died of peritonitis in May 1896. http://www.derbycounty-mad.co.uk/news/loadroll.asp?cid=ED31&id=69693. Disagreements with the cricket authorities meant that Derby County would finally move to Ley's Baseball Ground in 1895; Bloomer two goals would see off the challenge of Sunderland F.C. in the first game there that September in front of 10 000. Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Stoke City Football Club (known as Stoke Football Club until 1925) is a football club from Stoke-on-Trent in England. ... The Victoria Ground was the home ground of Stoke City F.C. from 1878. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... West Bromwich Albion Football Club is an English football club that was formed in 1878 by workers from Salters Spring Works in West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire, now part of the West Midlands). ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Sunderland Association Football Club is a football club based in Sunderland, on Wearside in the North-East of England. ...

It is arguable that he was first 'spotted' by Preston North End double-winner John Goodall since his talent for scoring brought him quickly to the attention of various figures in the game (one of those seeking fame as the 'discoverer' of Bloomer was the administrator Arthur Kingscott), but Bloomer did make his League debut at Goodall's insistence and was soon popular with the public and an obvious target for opposition defences. Preston North End Football Club (AIM: PNE) is a professional English football team. ... The Double is a term in football, meaning to win a countrys top division and its main cup competition in the same season. ... This article or section needs to be wikified. ...

The treatment meted out by Newton Heath F.C.'s Clements in 1893 received especial coverage. Derby County won the inaugural United Counties League in 1893-94 (http://www.btinternet.com/~a.drake/owls/early/ucl.htm) season but there were signs of discontent. One cause of this was Bloomer's attitude to authority and his team-mates, an attitude which had its basis in his own sense of self-worth. No one could deny his place in the Derby side or, for that matter, the England side (for instance, there was quite an outcry when he was dropped in favour of an amateur XI for the Auld Enemy clash in 1896 following an international trial game), but there was a down side. 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

Character

He was at times quite an outspoken character; suspended by the Football Association following a match at Goodison Park in 1904 despite presenting his own defence in the form of 4 foolscap pages, railing unsuccessfully against his treatment. Yet, in the alternative, he felt no need to involve himself with the nascent Players' Union (his absence from the first 'England' v 'Scotland' Players' Union game on April 28, 1898 was badly attended). The Football Association (The FA) is the governing body of football in England (and the Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). ... Goodison Park is the home ground of Everton F.C. in Liverpool. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 28 is the 118th day of the year (119th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 247 days remaining. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

But Bloomer was sometimes a frustrated individualist, summed up undoubtedly in his playing philosophy: "I try to get there first". His recalcitrance could be felt keenly at the club. Several times he would find himself fined and suspended for insobriety and neglect of training. (pp. 80-81 European Heroes' (ed. Holt, et al.) London, 1996). Commentators remarked that his character note appeared to be indolent but his worth to the team (as is the gold standard in all matches) was his unerring ability at putting the ball.

Taken, as a young boy by his father to see the 'great' Steve Bloomer Don Davies, the Guardian's 'Old International' (who perished in the Munich Air Disaster in 1958) recalled a player with a pale complexion and, notably, the fact that toward the end of the match Bloomer snapped at a chance and turned immediately having scored the winner. Other than that, Davies noted that Bloomer's impact on the game had been negligible. Later, fellow team-mate and writer, Ivan Sharpe would remark: "If after a breakdown in attack, one studied the crowd, the sky, or any other useful object out of line of Bloomer's glare - as was the rule in the Derby ranks of that day - he would stand stock still, in the centre of the pitch, strike an attitude by placing his hands on his hips, and fix the offender with a piercing eye. If the glare, as was the rule etc, was still ignored, he would toss up his head, as if beseeching the recording Angel to make a note of this most awful blunder, then stamp back to his position in a manner intended publicly to demonstrate his disapproval". A plaque at Old Trafford Football Ground commemorating the Munich air disaster The Munich air disaster occurred on February 6, 1958, when Flight BE609, a British European Airways Elizabethan class Airspeed Ambassador charter aircraft G-ALZU Lord Burghley, carrying players and backroom staff of Manchester United F.C., plus a... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Whether this debatable behaviour was a partial cause of Derby's continual failure to convert their collective talents into trophies (or whether it was the apocryphal Gypsy curse, visited upon the club after supposedly moving on travellers from the Baseball Ground) is arguable. What is indisputable is that Derby County remained a 'nearly' club in the League in the decade after 1895 and were ill-starred in the Cup. Twice a FA Cup runner-up (in 1898 and 1899) (the first of which, to Nottingham Forest, came after County had defeated them 5-0 in a League game a week shy of the Final (Bloomer scoring a hat-trick)); Bloomer went onto play in a further four semi-finals, yet he neither won a First Division Championship or FA Cup winners' medal. Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English football club, based at the City Ground, which is just outside the official boundary of Nottingham on the south side of the River Trent. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ...

Middlesbrough FC

It is possibly on account of this enduring frustration at not collecting silverware that Middlesbrough were able to prize Bloomer from Derby in a sensational transfer deal worth £750 in March 1906 (a make-weight, Ransford, was included in the transaction). There Bloomer was to join Alf Common, the first £1,000 footballer, at Ayresome Park. Middlesbrough Football Club are an English football club, commonly known as The Boro, currently in the FA Premier League. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Alf Common (died April 3, 1946 in Darlington) was an English footballer, most famous for being the first player to be transferred for £1000. ... Ayresome Park was a football stadium in the United Kingdom, and was the home of Middlesbrough F.C. from its construction in time for the 1903/1904 season, until the Riverside Stadium opened in 1995. ...

It is not an unrelated fact that Derby County were relegated in 1907 but for Middlesbrough his transfer represented a considerable coup. In 1906 Andy Atkins' men survived relegation barely on goal average (they finished level on points with relegated Nottingham Forest F.C.). The following year, when Bloomer topped scored for the club (19 in League and Cup), they were 9 points safe. In 1907-08 season 'Boro finished only 2 points down on 2nd placed Aston Villa F.C.. Bloomer again top-scoring with 14. Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English football club, based at the City Ground, which is just outside the official boundary of Nottingham on the south side of the River Trent. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Aston Villa Football Club play at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, England. ...

The Prodigal Son Returns to Derby County

Not that it was all plain sailing.

A January 1907 F.A. Cup defeat at Brentford F.C. lead to an embarrassing moment outside Griffin Park when 'Boro's charabanc, fully loaded with their international stars, lost a wheel in the High Street. In 1909 Bloomer developed pneumonia and was listed as 'critical' but made a full recovery and it appeared in light of his final England appearance in 1907 that ill-health would trigger a decline. However, Bloomer rejoined Derby County in 1910 (by which stage they were still playing in League Division Two) and the fortunes occasioned by his return became self-evident. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The FA Cups trophy is also known as the FA Cup. ... Brentford Football Club (nicknamed the Bees or The red and white army) are an English association football club from the town of Brentford, Hounslow, Greater London and are currently playing in Football League One. ... 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Not only did he score 2 goals in a triumphal home coming against Lincoln City F.C. but Derby County won the Division Two Championship the following season; Bloomer's only career silverware. His talismanic form even lead to serious calls for an international return, although he narrowly missed out on selection for the international match against Ireland in 1911 by a single vote. His place was eventually taken by Swindon's Harold Fleming. Lincoln City F.C. are an English football team currently playing in Football League Two (the fourth tier of the English football league system). ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Swindon is a large town in the South West of England. ... Harold Fleming (April 30, 1887 – 1955) was a footballer for St. ...

Bloomer's last League goal for Derby County was against Sheffield United F.C. on September 6, 1913 and his last match was against Burnley F.C. on January 31, 1914 when he was 40 years and 11 days. Sheffield United Football Club are a professional English football club based in the City of Sheffield, South Yorkshire. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Burnley Football Club is a professional football club based in Burnley, in north-east Lancashire, England. ... January 31 is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Career Summary

In total, Bloomer scored 352 League goals in 598 games during his playing career, and was Derby's leading scorer for consecutive 14 seasons, scoring 291 goals in 473 appearances. He is still the record career goalscorer for the Rams.

He is still the second highest goalscorer of all-time in England's top division and lies in fourth place in the rankings for goals scored in all English league divisions. Bloomer was the First Division's top-scorer on 5 occasions (in 1896 (joint with another player), 1897, 1899, 1901 and 1904). This is a list of the top goalscorers of all-time in each countrys top football division. ... From 1889 until 1992, this was the highest division overall of organized football in England. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1896-7 he scored 31 goals in 33 League and F.A. Cup games hitting 5 hat-tricks; between November 14, 1896 and April 5, 1897 he scored 21 goals in 20 games. He scored 6 goals for the Rams against Sheffield Wednesday F.C. on January 2, 1899 which is still the highest single game tally in County's history. The FA Cups trophy is also known as the FA Cup. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (often abbreviated as SWFC), nicknamed The Owls, is one of the oldest football clubs in the English Football League. ... January 2 is the second day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

In total he scored 17 hat-tricks in the League for Derby and 1 for Middlesbrough (4 against Woolwich Arsenal on January 5, 1907). In the F.A. Cup competition proper Bloomer scored 41 goals (38 for Derby County), and scored 1 Test match goal in the 1 Test match in which he played in 1895. http://www.derby.org/jeff/derby/play/bloomer.html January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The FA Cups trophy is also known as the FA Cup. ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

He won 23 England caps over the course of his career; scoring twice on his debut against Ireland at the Baseball Ground. On March 16, 1896 Bloomer scored 5 goals for England against Wales, a feat recorded by the journalist J.A.H. Catton (Old International)) and on March 18, 1901 he scored 4 goals against the same opposition. Therefore Bloomer became the first player to score two hat-tricks for England, was also the first to score at least 4 goals for England twice. That is still a national record. First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Cap (sport). ... The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, UK. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football (soccer) as the home of Derby County F.C. from 1895 until 1997. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto: (Welsh for Wales forever) Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau Capital Cardiff Largest city Cardiff Official language(s) English, Welsh Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM Unification    - by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn 1056  Area    - Total 20,779 km² (3rd in... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

He scored 19 times in his first 10 matches for England and scored 28 goals in all his 23 internationals which leaves him as one of the 10 highest scorers for his country. His goals:game ratio (1:1.2) still betters that of Jimmy Greaves, Gary Lineker or Bobby Charlton. James Peter Jimmy Greaves (born 20 February 1940) was an English football player, and more recently a television pundit. ... Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960 in Leicester) is a former English international football striker who scored ten World Cup goals for the England national team and is currently a sports broadcaster for the BBC. Lacking refined technical skills, it was his sense of positioning and opportunism in... Sir Robert Bobby Charlton, CBE (born 11 October 1937 in Ashington, Northumberland) is a former English professional football player who won a World Cup medal and the European Footballer of the Year award in 1966. ...

His 8 goals against Scotland's national football team in peace-time internationals is still a national record. His last goal for 'King and Country' at St. James' Park against Scotland, in 1907 (where he picked up an Alex Raisbeck clearance and drilled it into the net from 35 yards) figured highly in the recollections of past internationals in the Association Football (Caxton, 1960) and was the probably the best of the lot. First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) Worst defeat Uruguay 7 - 0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... St James Park (despite being grammatically incorrect, it does not take an s after the apostrophe) is a 52,500 capacity football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England and is the home of Newcastle United F.C. The four sides of the ground are known as the Gallowgate end (officially... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Alex Raisbeck (December 26th 1878 - March 12th 1949) was a Scottish international footballer who played for Liverpool Football Club in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leading them to two Football League Championships. ...

The Way the Game was Played

Yet the wonder of his feats is to be found in the way in which the game was played during his career. Two instances illustrate this:

1. Offside

When Bloomer was playing, a player was offside if he was closer to the opposition goal-line than the third last defender. This was only changed to two defenders in 1925. It was irrelevant what half of the field the player receiving the ball was in when the offside decision was made, a situation that only changed in 1907 when offside was limited to the opponent's half of the field. In December 1910 the FA Council issued an edict that the awarding of offside must not be conferred simply because a player was in an offside position. 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Little wonder that it was not until the offside Law had been altered in favour of attacking play that any inroads were made into Bloomer's League total. Indeed of the 7 footballers who have gone on to score 350 League goals in England and Scotland, Bloomer is the only one whose career finished before the change in the offside law came about. There can be no reasonable comparison made with his contemporaries in terms of goalscoring - the likes of Harold Fleming at Swindon Town F.C. and Harry Hampton at Aston Villa simply did not score with his frequency for such a long period - after all, Bloomer's League career lasted over 21 years. Harold Fleming (April 30, 1887 – 1955) was a footballer for St. ... Swindon Town Football Club are an English football team. ... Harry Hampton was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ... Aston Villa Football Club play at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. ...

2. Goalkeepers

Between 1891 and 1905 goalkeepers could move up to six yards from their goal-line when a penalty kick was being taken and until 1913 they were able to handle the ball anywhere in their own half of the field. 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Wider Influences

In 1936 William 'Dixie' Dean overtook Bloomer's League record, a week before which Bloomer had visited Goodison Park to see the record fall only to be sent away, disappointed, but with a bottle of Scotch from an affectionate Dean (injured and therefore unable to play against Preston North End; the historic meeting pictured in the Liverpool Echo. Bloomer's international record took even longer to be overhauled, a surprising fact considering the increase in international fixtures that occurred shortly after his retirement from the game. Nat Lofthouse eventually recording his 29th goal for England in 1956 against Finland. 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... William Ralph Dean (January 22, 1907-March 1, 1980), popularly known as Dixie Dean, was an English football player, one of the most prolific centre forwards in English football history, who is best known for his legendary exploits at Everton. ... Goodison Park is the home ground of Everton F.C. in Liverpool. ... Preston North End Football Club are a professional English football team. ... The Liverpool Echo and Liverpool Daily Post are two newspapers published by Trinity Mirror on Merseyside in the United Kingdom. ... Nathaniel Lofthouse, OBE, (born August 27, 1925), better known as Nat Lofthouse, was an English footballer who played for Bolton Wanderers for his whole career. ...

Such was Bloomer's fame that a one time visitor to Derby was the anglophile Vittorio Pozzo, later the Italian national coach during the period in which the Italians became World (1934 and 1938) and Olympic champions (1936). Pozzo, ostensibly, was in Derby in 1910 to teach language but his interest in English football was immense and sought out both Charlie Roberts, Manchester United's half-back and Bloomer for advice on the game during his stay. An Anglophile is a non-English person who is fond of English culture and England in general. ... Vittorio Pozzo (born March 12, 1886 in Turin, Italy – died December 21, 1968) was a football (soccer) coach who was most famous for leading the Italian national team to win the 1934 and 1938 World Cup, as well as the 1936 Olympic gold medal. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Pozzo is a character from Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot. ... Charlie Roberts (born April 6, 1883 in Darlington, died August 7, 1939 in Manchester) was an English football player. ... Manchester Uniteds emblem Manchester United F.C. (often abbreviated to Man United or just Man U, pronounced man-yoo) is an English football club based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. ...

Life beyond Playing

This may have inspired Bloomer to pursue a more international outlook. It is certainly the case that when his playing career ended in 1914, he went to coach in Germany, provisionally to coach the Britannia club of Berlin, but was interned in a civilian detention camp in Ruhleben, 10 km west of Berlin in Eastern Germany for the duration of World War I. There were other footballers interned there (Fred Pentland, Samuel Wolstenholme, Fred Spiksley and John Cameron, a Scotland international and goalscorer of the goal that won Tottenham Hotspur F.C. the 1901 FA Cup) and they set up a League competition between teams of inmates, Bloomer's side ('Tottenham Hotspur' evidently) winning one of them. [1]. Immediately after the War Bloomer coached in Rotterdam and while in Amsterdam, Bloomer wrote a letter to Francis Middleton, a club colleague which stated: 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Ruhleben P.O.W. Camp was a civilian detention camp during the World War I. It was located in Rubleben, then a village 10 kilometre to the west of Berlin, now a district of the city called Ruhleben-Spandau. ... Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... Eastern Germany refers to: East Germany (communist state) Historical Eastern Germany Eastern provinces of Imperial Germany: East Prussia West Prussia Provinz Posen Silesia (Prussian province) Lower Silesia (Prussian province) Upper Silesia (Prussian province) Pomerania (Prussian province) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that... Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von... Frederick Beaconsfield Pentland (born Wolverhampton, England, May 5th 1883, died Lytchett Matravers, Dorset, England, March 16th 1962 ) was an English footballer and manager during the early 1900s. ... Samuel Wolstenholme (born 1878, Little Lever; died January 28, 1933, Wigan) is a former English footballer who played for, among others Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and England. ... Fred Spiksley (born January 25, 1870, Gainsborough - died July 28, 1948, Goodwood ) is a former English footballer and coach, who played as a forward for Sheffield Wednesday F.C. and England. ... John Cameron (born April 13, 1872, Ayr, Scotland; died 1935) is a former Scottish footballer and manager. ... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... Tottenham Hotspur Football Club are an English football club which plays in the FA Premier League. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Note: for the full results of all FA Cup finals, see FA Cup Final The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ... Rotterdam Location Flag Country The Netherlands Province South Holland Population 588,718 (2006) Coordinates 51° 55 N.; 4° 30 E. Website www. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 743,905 (1 April 2006) Demonym Amsterdammer Coordinates Website www. ...

"My dear Frank, It is with the greatest of pleasure I have in writing you a few lines and I hope and trust that they will find you and wife and family in good health. Well old sport, I have been in some queer places since I left good old England, and one place I was at I shall live the longest day I live. But I will tell you about it some day. I left Ruhleben in March and, after being at the Hague for a few weeks, I am here in Amsterdam. I arrived on May 1 and I am very glad to tell you, I have got a good situation coaching and training a team and I'm doing all right. "I have some good players, but they want tuning up a bit and I think I can do that for them- what do you say, eh? "But I have one drawback, there is none of them what can speak English. But we get by fairly well together so far. They are a very nice lot of young men. Most of my directors can speak English very well, so this is a great help to me. "Well Frank, when I arrived from that sh*t-hole and got amongst a crowd of people and traffic I was a bit nervous at first. But now I am quite used to it, for after having all that time penned up, you can only imagine my feelings for what we went through. Only ourselves know. I had three and a half years of it and still there are some there. They have my deepest sympathy. I hope they all will soon be free. "I am comfortable here now but I am anxious to get home, for since I have been a prisoner, I have lost one of my dear girls, the second one of the girls, she was 17. You know what a blow that would be to me. She died in April 1917 but I am trying to bear up as best I can. They tried to break my spirit somewhere else for three and a half years--but they could not. I only wish I had the chance to break some of theirs. I would do it gladly." [2]

Later Life

After World War I, he played for and then coached Derby reserves. After that, he went to coach abroad, again, in northern Spain, and, later, in Canada but came back to become a general assistant at Derby during the managerial era of George Jobey and alongside Harry Storer (a later important, influence of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor), and maintained a healthy interest in the game, attending the famous Austrian international at Stamford Bridge in 1936 (England beat the fabled Wunderteam 4-3) and turning his hand to writing about the game for local newspapers in Derby. Combatants Allied Powers: France Italy Russia Serbia United Kingdom United States Central Powers: Austria-Hungary Bulgaria Germany Ottoman Empire Commanders Douglas Haig John Jellicoe Ferdinand Foch Georges Clemenceau Luigi Cadorna Nicholas II Aleksei Brusilov Woodrow Wilson John Pershing Wilhelm II Paul von Hindenburg Reinhard Scheer Franz Josef I Conrad von... George Jobey (1886 – May 1962) was an English football player and manager. ... Harry Storer (February 2, 1898 – September 1, 1967) was an English football player and manager, and a cricketer as well. ... Brian Howard Clough, OBE (21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was a successful footballer and subsequently football manager, most notable for his success with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. ... People called Peter Taylor include: Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, author, winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction Peter Taylor, editor of The Bridge on the River Kwai and winner of the 1957 Academy Award for Film Editing Peter Taylor, former goalkeeper for Nottingham Forest F.C. and assistant manager... Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham that is home to Chelsea Football Club. ...

It was while as a member of the groundstaff at the Baseball Ground in the mid 1930s that one of the famous stories of Bloomer was recorded by Storer. "A group of players were training and a ball was miss-hit and the call of 'duck' went out. I did but Bloomer spotting the falling ball, and perfectly balanced volleyed it first time straight back into the goal. We were 40 yards from goal." He died three weeks after returning home from a cruise in April 1938. His grave can been seen in Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby. 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Career Statistics

(Bloomer scored 16 penalties in League matches for Derby County F.C.) (* Includes Football League representative matches: [3]; **includes both FL representative matches and the English professionals v Germany 'international' played in 1901 (Bloomer scored 2 goals) italics indicate seasons in which Bloomer was the highest goalscorer in the League. bold indicates top scorer at club). [Statistics supplied by the Association of Football Statisticians and IFFHS].

Steve Bloomer is still famous at the club to this day, the opening game theme tune rings to the sound of his name. To this day, Derby's club anthem is 'Steve Bloomer's Watching' and is played before every home game.

Outside football

• He was a member of the England national team that drew with Scotland on the occasion of the Ibrox disaster, April 5, 1902.
• In 1905 he was the first international to be presented with an FA authorised portrait to mark the occasion of him breaking the international appearance and goalscoring record.
• Bloomer was also a very successful baseball player, winning the English Baseball Cup 3 times with Derby in the 1890s.
• As well as being a top-class footballer and baseball player, Bloomer was a talented cricketer and scored a number of centuries in amateur games.
• Outside sport, Bloomer was also a top celebrity of the time and was used to sell products such as 'Bloomer's Lucky Strikers' football boots and 'Phosferine Tonic,' which was also endorsed by C. B. Fry.
• When the Queen Mary made its maiden voyage, Bloomer's image was used in a mural in one of the public rooms, 22 years after he had retired from playing.
• Steve Bloomer married Sarah in 1896 and they had 4 daughters; two of whom died before they reached the age of 18, one died in 1917 while he was still in Germany, one married Alf Quantrill, the Indian-born Derby County F.C. outside-left and England international football (capped twice in 1920, scoring 1 goal in the 5-4 defeat of Scotland) on June 16, 1921.
• Bloomer lived with another of his daughters, Doris Richards, toward the end of his life, after the death of his wife in 1936. Mrs Richards' son, Steve Richards, is a Political columnist for The Independent newspaper in London.
• Bloomer's nephew, Ted Measures, signed for Arsenal F.C. in 1932.

First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First in... There have been two accidents leading to major loss of life at Ibrox Park in Glasgow, Scotland. ... April 5 is the 95th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (96th in leap years). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The 1890s were sometimes referred to as the Mauve Decade, because William Henry Perkins aniline dye allowed the widespread use of that colour in fashion, and also as the Gay Nineties, under the then-current usage of the word gay which referred simply to merriment and frivolity, with no... In the sport of cricket, a batsman reaches his century when he scores 100 or more runs in the innings. ... A celebrity is a person who is widely recognized (famous) in a society and commands a high degree of public and media attention. ... For more coverage of cricket, go to the Cricket portal. ... RMS Queen Mary was a Cunard Line (then Cunard White Star Line) ocean liner that sailed the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Derby County Football Club are an English football club based in Derby, currently playing in the Football League Championship. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... June 16 is the 167th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (168th in leap years), with 198 days remaining. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ...

Quotes

• On how he was so effective: "I try to get there first."

External link

• Steve Bloomer