29.7.12

1908 Olympics

Great Britain

So, the first Olympic tournament to be contested by International representative sides took place in London in 1908. Eight teams entered. A disagreement between FIFA and Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques regarding which body was responsible for French Olympic Football,France entered two teams in the tournament, one under the direction of each body. Hungary (financial constraints) and Bohemia (lost FIFA membership) withdrew before the tournament began. 
This left:
Great Britain (The squad consisting entirely of players from the England national amateur football team (formed in 1906).
Denmark. 
Netherlands.
France (A&B)
Sweden. 

Six matches were played and a total of 48 goals scored
High scoring games indeed, an  average of 8 goals per match. England thumped Sweden (playing only their 3rd international) 12–1, and Sophus Nielsen bagged 10 in Denmark's 17–1 demolition of France A. It was a miserable outing for the French, their B team having lost 9-0 to Denmark in the previous round and the A's having reached the semis by virtue of a walkover. They were so humiliated by their defeat by the hands of the Danes that they declined to play the bronze medal match.
Great Britain won the gold, beating Denmark 2-0 in the final, and The Netherlands claimed bronze, beating Sweden by the same score. 
Netherlands might be considered fortunate to come away with bronze from a record of  played 2 won 1 lost 1 for 2 against 4 .
The attendance at  White City for the Gold Medal  match was 8000. To put this into context the  attendance at the 1908 FA cup final was 74,967, whilst a crowd in excess of 120,000 watched that years Scotland England clash at Hampden.
 Stapely was Great Britains top scorer with 6, finishing behind  Denmark's Wolle Wolfhagen (8) and Nielsen (11).

Great Britain team:
Horace Bailey  (Leicester Fosse, goalkeeper, age 27)
Herbert Smith (Reading F.C., left back, 28)
Walter Corbett (Birmingham City F.C., right back, 27)
Frederick Chapman (South Notts F.C., half back, 25)
Robert Hawkes (Luton Town F.C, half back, 28)
Kenneth Hunt (Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C., half back, 24)*
*Harold Hardman (Everton F.C., forward, 26)
Harold Stapley (Glossop North End A.F.C, forward, 25)
Arthur Berry (Oxford University, forward, 20)
Vivian Woodward (Tottenham Hotspur F.C., captain,forward, 29)
Clyde Purnell (Clapton F.C., forward, 31)

* The greatest name of any England International? Reverend Kenneth Reginald Gunnery Hunt