Newcastle United's Golden Era

The 11 seasons from 1900 marked a golden age for Newcastle United.
Let's take a look at their league positions and FA Cup performance:

season	League	FA Cup
1900–01	6th	R1
1901–02	3rd	R3
1902–03	14th	R1
1903–04	4th	R1
1904–05	Champions	Runners-up
1905–06	4th	Runners-up
1906–07	Champions	R1
1907–08	4th	Runners-up
1908–09	Champions	Semi-final
1909–10	4th	Winners
1910–11	8th	Runners-up

In the League a 7 season spell in which they were never lower than 4th, winning 3 titles.
A 7 year period in which they reached 5 FA Cup Finals , but won only 1. Four major honours- it could have been 8, but for The FA Cup Final hoodoo.

Here are the FA Cup Final teams:

	1904–05	1905–06	1907–08	1909–10	1909–10 (r)	1910-11	1910-11 (r)
G	Jimmy Lawrence
FB	Andy McCombie		Billy McCracken
FB	Jack Carr		Dick Pudan	Tony Whitson	Jack Carr	Tony Whitson
HB	Alex Gardner			Colin Veitch (c)
HB	Andy Aitken		Colin Veitch (c)	Wilf Low
HB	Peter McWilliam					David Willis
F	Jock Rutherford
F	James Howie					George Jobey
F	Bill Appleyard	Colin Veitch (c)	Bill Appleyard	Albert Shepherd		Jimmy Stewart
F	Colin Veitch (c)	Ron Orr	Finlay Speedie	Sandy Higgins
F	Bert Gosnel		George Wilson
Mr.	Frank Watt					committee

The journalist Jimmy Catton claimed to have seen Andy Aitken penning an acceptance speech on the eve of the 1905 Final.

Catton also offered the explanation that rather than simply being serial chokers, Newcastle were hampered by the lush surface at Crystal Palace, more so than other teams because they were particularly reliant on pinging short fast passes and also because the St James' Park pitch was virtually grassless by comparison. The players themselves were notably superstitious, believing that passing a wedding on the way to the ground would guarantee a victory, whereas seeing a funeral meant defeat!

Hirsch and Fuchs

Julius Hirsch and Gottfried Fuchs, the 2 Jewish footballers who represented Germany. During the Third Reich era Fuchs went into exile and Hirsch was murdered at Auschwitz.
The memory of these 2 remarkable men has been kept alive by historian Werner Skrentny, and the city of Karlsruhe has a Gottfried-Fuchs-Platz and a Julius-Hirsch-Straße.  The DFB's Julius Hirsch Prize honours those who promote freedom , tolerance and humanity.

Their finest hour for Karlsruher FV came in 1910- winning the German National Championship.
The Karlsruher FV team who beat Holsten Kiel on 15.05.10 was:
Adolf Dell – Carl Hübner, Ernst Hollstein – Hans Ruzek, Max Breunig, Max Schwarze – Fritz Tscherter, Fritz Förderer, Gottfried Fuchs, Julius Hirsch, Hermann Bosch
Trainer: William Townley

Max Bruenig scored the winner from the penalty spot in the 114th minute at Köln.

It was in 1912 that Hirsch and Fuchs first played together for the German national team.  On 04.03.12 
at Zwolle Netherlands and Germany played a 5-5 draw. Fuchs scored Germany's first goal in the 13th minute, but Juller was the star of the show, scoring 4 goals. 


26.05.12- in a repeat of the 1910 final Holstein Kiel beat Karlsruher FV 1-0 (a penalty) at Hamburg. 

They next featured together in the consolation round of Olympic tournament on 03.07.12, 2 days after Fuchs scored 10 goals in a 16-0 demolition of Russia , Hirsch returned to the side for the match with Hungary. Hungary won 3-1 (an Imre Sclosser hat trick).

Hirsch and Fuchs final appearance together for Germany came  on 23.11.13. at Antwerp. Belgium thrashed Germany 6-2. Fuchs got Germany's second, but Belgium had already scored 5 by then. 

In all Julius Hirsch played 7 internationals, scoring 4 goals.
Gottfried Fuchs played 6 matches for the national team, scoring 14 goals.

                                              Fuchs seated far left, Hirsch far right. 

Fuchs 4th from left Hirsch far right. 

Genoa Cricket & Athletic Club

When Genoa Cricket & Athletic Club won the first of its national championships in 1898 it retained many features of its origins as an English institution. The club jerseys for example, were white, and the manager was an Englishman- Dr James Richardson Spensley.  Dr Spensley's association with the club began in  1897, effectively heralding its beginnings as a serious football club (from the foundation in 1893 the football had been casual, secondary to cricket and athletics). Initially membership of the club had been open only to Englishmen (I'm assuming this covered all Britons), but by 1898 there was a more cosmopolitain air- the championship winning side being made up as follows:

William Baird	England
Ernesto De Galleani	Italy
Fausto Ghigliotti	Italy
Edoardo Pasteur	Italy
James R. Spensley	England
Ettore Wallys Ghiglione	Italy
Robert Al Leaver	England
Giovanni Bocciardo	Italy
Henri Arthur Dapples	Switzerland
Silvio Pietro Bertollo	Italy
John Quertier Le Pelley	Guernsey

France v Switzerland 1930

The card shows the France team that lined up against Switzerland at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
(Colombes). 
The match ended in a 3-3 draw. Switzerland were 2-0 in 13 minutes (both goals by Lehmann).Chueva (17 min) and Anatol (34) leveled the score. In the 58th minute  Libérati put France ahead and Romberg  completed the scoring with a 68th minute equalizer. 

France:                                                        Switzerland:

Antonin Lozès	F.C. Sochaux	GK	Charles  Pasche	Grasshopper
Manuel Anatol	R.C. France	RB	Max Weiler	Grasshopper
André Chardar	F.C. Sète	LB	Rudolf Ramseyer	F.C. Bern
Louis Cazal	F.C. Sète	HB	Paul De Lavallaz	Grasshopper
Alexandre Villaplane	R.C. France	HB	Adolfo Spiller	F.C. Zürich
Henri Pavillard	Stade Français	HB	Charles Regamey	Grasshopper
Ernest Libérati	Amiens A.C.	F	Adolf Stelzer	F.C. Zürich
André Cheuva	Olympique Lillois	F	Willy Baumeister	F.C. Zürich
Paul Nicolas	Amiens A.C.	F	Jacques Romberg	F.C. Zürich
André Maschinot	F.C. Sochaux	F	August Lehmann	F.C. Zürich
Pierre Korb	F.C. Mulhouse 93	F	Rene Grimm	F.C. Biel

Villaplane,  Libérati and  Maschinot were in the squad that represented France in the 1930 World Cup.

Alexandre Villaplane was Algeria born. He captained France in Uruguay. As his career waned he became more involved in criminal activities. In 1944 he was executed for  war crimes having collaborated with the Nazis. 

                                                              Switzerland

Los grandes centre- forwards

This page is taken from an edition of Mundo Uruguayo published in 1930, the centenary of the nation. The issue was titled 'The Resurgence of the Nation' and focused on the triumphs of the Uruguay national team in the 1920s. The magazine was published on July 18th, the day of the hosts' first ever World Cup match.

The 4 centre forwards featured are:

Jose Piendibene (Peñarol )
Over 500 games for Peñarol . 
40 Uruguay caps (1909-21), 20 goals. 
South American Championship Winner 1916, 1917 & 1920

Pedro Petrone (Nacional) 
29 international appearances (1923-30, his last appearance being on the day the article appeared, 18.07.30).
24 goals.
World Cup winning squad 1930.
Olympic Gold Medalist 1924,1928.
South American Championship Winner 1923,1924.

Carlos Scarone (Nacional) 
25 appearances (1909-22) 18 goals
South American Championship Winner 1917 


Rene Borjas (Wanderers)
7 appearances (1923-28) 3 goals.
Olympic Gold Medalist 1928.
South American Championship Winner 1926.

Sheffield and England in the 19th Century...

The City of Sheffield was a major centre of footballing development , and its influence on the evolution of the Association game cannot be overlooked.  There were Sheffield men present in the England XI right from the very start. Charlie Clegg played in the 5th 'Alcock International' and also in the first official international in 1872. Clegg, who went on to be a massively influential administrator, later complained about the snooty attitude of his southern teammates. 
During the 19th century 7 Sheffield based clubs had players capped by England:

Reverend John Robert Blayney Owen

Jack Hunter - in the 7 internationals in which he played England won only once and conceded 31 goals! He went on to lead Blackburn Olympic to FA Cup victory, being largely responsible for the professional approach they took to the game. 

Billy Mosforth-The Little Wonder, often described as England's first working class player (more on this matter in the near future) and the first player to represent both Wednesday and Sheffield United.

United's first international- Harry Lilley

 Michael Whitham

Raby Howell- the first Roma to play for England.

England's most famous 1 cap wonder? Billy Foulke

The Wednesday
Charles Clegg	Forward	1 cap	1872
William Clegg	Half Back	1 cap	1873
Billy Mosforth	Outside Left	5 caps	1877-82
Teddy Brayshaw	Centre Half	1 cap	1887
Billy Betts	Centre Half	1 cap	1889
Fred Spiksley	Outside Left	7 caps	1893-98
Tom Crawshaw	Centre Half	10 caps	1895-1904
Sheffield FC
John Owen	Forward	1 cap	1874
John Hudson	Half Back	1 cap	1883
Owlerton
William Carr	Goalkeeper	1 cap	1875
Heeley
Jack Hunter	Half Back	7 caps	1878-1882
Sheffield Albion
William Clegg	Forward	1 cap	1879
Billy Mosforth	Outside Left	4 caps	1879-80
Thursday Wanderers
Thomas Heathcote Sorby	Forward	1 cap	1879
Sheffield United
Harry Lilley	Left Back	1 Cap	1892
Michael Whitham	Right Back	1 Cap	1892
Ernest Needham	Half Back	16 Caps	1894-1902
Raby Howell	Right Half	1 Cap	1895
Billy Foulke	Goalkeeper	1 Cap	1897
Tommy Morren	Centre Half	1 Cap	1898
Harry Thickett	Right Back	2 Caps	1899