The Destroying Angel
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30th March 2018 - Blue Plaque unveiled
30th March 2018 - Blue Plaque unveiled
Although the exact house is unknown, Steve Bloomer was born in Bridge Street, Cradley (not Cradley Heath) on 20th January 1874 and Christened 'Stephen' at St.Peter's Church, Cradley on 5th October 1874. Many argue that he was in fact born at The Round House at the corner of Lyde Green and Bridge Street, however there is no definitive proof of this. His father Caleb was a Puddler (wrought iron worker) in a foundry having previously been a Nail Maker. His mother Mareb (maiden name Dunn), registered the birth at Stourbridge Registry Office on 10th February 1874. The certificate stated the birth as being in the county of Worcestershire. Cradley was within the registration district of Stourbridge in Worcestershire.
Steve's parents Caleb and Merab decided to leave Cradley for Derby during 1879 when Steve was about five years of age. Caleb seized the opportunity to better his prospects by working at the Ley's Malleable Castings foundry. The owner and founder Sir Francis Ley also owned the adjacent land which after initially being used to host baseball matches (hence the name 'Baseball Ground') by Ley following his visit to the United States, became the home of Derby County Football Club who were previously playing their matches at the Derbyshire County Cricket Club's 'Racecourse Ground'. In 1886 Steve left St.James' School where he had developed his young footballing skills and joined his father at Ley's as a Smith's Striker (of all things!) working at the forge. While there he joined Derby Swifts between 1888 -1891; a football club within the Derbyshire Minor League, with whom he once scored fourteen goals in one game according to Bloomer, and briefly Tutbury Hawthorn in April 1892. This attracted the attentions of Derby County who snapped him up as an amatuer player for the position of Inside Right (although he was also a Centre Forward), and subsequently as a professional paying him 7/- 6d (37½p) per week.
Steve's first appearance in a Derby shirt was against Darley Dale scoring four goals. He made his 'First Team' debut on 3rd September 1892 against Stoke City and scored his first League goal for the club by way of a penalty on 24th September in a home fixture against West Bromwich Albion which ended in a 1-1 draw. The irony being that it was against 'black country' opposition. Steve went on to play a total of thirty games that season, missing only three games through injury and scoring twelve goals in the process. Just three years later he would make his debut for England whom he would eventually captain and score a total of 28 goals in 23 appearances, although Steve claimed two further goals that were given to others. His only captaincy against Scotland though was marred by disaster at Ibrox Park. On 5th of April 1902 on the 51st minute 25 people lost their lives following a section of wooden terracing at the back of the newly built tall West Tribune Stand collapsing due to the strain above faulty Russian timber. 517 were also injured as people fell up to 12 metres (40 feet) but the game was nevertheless played to its conclusion of a 1-1 draw following a fifteen minute delay due to fears of crowd disruption to rescuers by mass evacuation if the game were to be abandoned. Bloomer scored the England goal. The game was subsequently replayed to a 2-2 draw (in which Bloomer did not score) at Villa Park on the 3rd May and the original result was null and void (Bloomer's goal being struck off) although each player retained their caps for the game. During that era there were no overseas internationals being played around the world other than a very brief continental and South African tour, and the 23 games that Steve played were all against Scotland Ireland or Wales, who in those days were far superior opposition than anything offered overseas. To represent your country 23 times at international level back then was all but a world record. No professional player has achieved that incredible goal to games ratio before or since and the record still stands (as of 2016). Steve represented his Country for 12 years and one month. In that time he actually scored 30 goals in 24 games when factoring in one friendly (unofficial match). Tally that with Wayne Rooney who scored 46 in 101 games in the same period of time as of 2014 and it does not take a mathematician to work out that Steve's ratio could well have been a staggering 120 goals in 96 games at today's rate (and I would suggest something like 125 in 101 games to be pretty much exact). Either way Steve Bloomer would have blown Bobby Charlton's record completely out of the water lock stock and barrel, and to those who may doubt that a player of former times could ever be capable of such a feat these days just consider the reports on how every single press reporter around the globe at the time raved at the genius of Bloomer's play and speed. He was an athlete beyond his days proven by achieving a 100 yard sprint in 11.5 seconds in a mere fun-run at the Baseball Ground. He was undoubtedly at least a century beyond his time with his aforethought and tactical nous. One only has to read the match reports to understand that he not only scored a vast number of goals, but played some part or assisted virtually as many too., just consider how every single press man bar none around the world raved about the lad.
Having the ability to score from all angles and well known for his 25 yard rockets; once scoring from the opposition's side of the centre circle in the England v. Scotland game in 1907 with a blisteringly powerful shot, he amassed 332 goals in 527 games for the Rams throughout his career and a further 62 goals in 130 games for Middlesbrough between the 1906-1907 to 1909-1910 seasons (with whom he signed for a fee of £750) before once again returning to Derby to continue where he left off. Upon his return to a hero's welcome of thousands at the Derby Midland Railway Station he scored 53 goals in 100 games over three seasons, and a final 2 goals in 6 games during the 1913-1914 season before accepting a coaching role in Germany in July 1914. In all he played 657 games at Club level, scoring 395 times in League, Test (Play-off Match), England trial, and FA Cup matches. Factor in Football League Representative, and England matches, and he scored a mind boggling total of 443 goals in 696 games. That goal tally should have been greater as a further two England goals were also unfairly awarded to the wrong player!
Steve was also well known for his temperamental demanding nature too. Ivan Sharpe, an Outside Left who played alongside him during the Division Two Championship season of 1911-1912, and later well known sports journalist remarked: "He said what he thought, and if things were going wrong he gave his team mates a hard time ... If an attack broke down Bloomer would stand stock still in the centre of the field, strike an attitude by placing his hands on his hips, and fix the offending player with a piercing eye. If that meaningful glare was ignored, he would toss up his head ... and stamp back to his position in a manner intended to demonstrate his disapproval." Described as being 'crafty as an oriental and slippery as an eel' by another journalist and 'the destroying angel' by fans he would feign with both feet before shooting with either in his famous (and some would argue arrogant) white boots before resorting to a cartwheel goal celebration. Indeed the irony is that little did anyone realise the multi-coloured boots and fancy-dan goal celebrations we see today all stemmed from this guy! Steve was an absolute master of the volley who could thread a ball through the eye of a needle to split defences. He took relentless opportunities to nick a rebound or stray ball and was an absolute nightmare to man mark due to his pace and devious manner of play, forcing the opponent to labour rough tactics upon him. They knew that if they didn't he would let rip at some point with the 'daisy cutter' he was famed for that fired toward goal with the power of an exocet missile. To look at him he was pale faced, of average height and lean though definite in frame. He was never one to overreact to the physical and often brutal treatment he received, but gave as good as he got by relentlessly punishing defences.
In July 1914 Steve moved to Germany to coach Britannia Berlin 92. He had only been there for three months when the Great War broke out on 4th August and was interned as a civilian prisoner of war (CPOW). He was sent to Ruhleben Camp in the Spandau district of Berlin which was a disused racecourse. Overall there were about 5,000 men detained there although 353 of them were forced to inhabit stables designed for 27 horses when they first arrived, and Steve Bloomer was one of those men. During that time he became popular with fellow prisoners as he set about helping to form, coach, captain and play competitive football matches as well as contribute to the camp magazine that had also been created. This served as both entertainment and a way of keeping relatively fit on the rations that they were fed. So much so that Steve himself exclaimed that the only thing that kept many alive was the football being played.
In 1918 Steve was sent to Amsterdam to coach Dutch side Blauw Wit Amsterdam, but as the war ended soon after Steve returned to Derby to become player-coach for the reserve team. In January 1920 he retired from playing. He then spent a year coaching the first team in 1921, and in 1922 moved to Montréal, Canada to coach the Grenadier Guards. His last coaching role was with Spanish club Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D. between 1923-1925 where he won the provincial championship followed by the almighty Copa del Rey solid gold 'King's Cup' in 1924 by beating Barcelona 6-1 in the semi-final at the neutral Atocha Stadium, San Sebastian, Spain after the first home leg was won and the second away leg in Barcelona was lost. They then went on to beat Real Madrid in the final 1-0 when Echéveste rolled the ball over the line in the 23rd minute to become Spanish champions. Bloomer was then hailed as 'San Esteban' (Saint Steve) by the fans and media as well as 'Irún Bloomer' and was awarded a special club sash the following year for his and their achievements. He then returned to Derby and was employed as a General Assistant & Groundsman for some years, however due to failing health soon after his wife's death he was sent on a cruise to Australia and New Zealand by a consortium of Derby County and local businessmen from the proceeds of a testimonial match. Three weeks after his return on 25th March 1938 Steve Bloomer died aged just 64 years on 16th April. His packed funeral where huge crowds gathered, took place on the afternoon of Wednesday 20th April 1938 at Derby Cathedral and was later buried at the Nottingham Road Cemetery in Derby.
Throughout his career Steve achieved remarkable success. Not only was he a marvellously talented Footballer, but also an accomplished cricketer, baseball, sprinter and cribbage player. When opening with the bat for Ruhleben Camp Cricket Club against the Varsities he once scored an incredible 204 runs, and if he was not scoring runs would almost invariably do well with the ball. He once took 6 wickets while only conceding 15 runs, and a further 5 wickets for 39 runs. He even took 7 wickets on another occasion. He played for the Derby Nomads Cricket Club for some years during the 1890's alongside fellow Derby County legend Jimmy Methven until it finally closed down, and then went on to play for Ley's Cricket Club in the Derby and District League for many seasons. In baseball he played 2nd Base and won the British Cup three times with Derby County Baseball Club. The world's first footballing celebrity superstar; he became an eternal legend for what he achieved on the hallowed turf. So much so that he was even written about in the works of P.G. Wodehouse in the story of 'The Goal-Keeper and the Plutocrat' which read "....Between them the two had cornered, at enormous expense, the curio market of the game. It was Rackstraw who had secured the authentic pair of boots in which Bloomer had first played for England; but it was Dodson who possessed the painted India-rubber ball...." where Steve's boots become a strong motivational force. His devastating prowess on the pitch was something to behold scoring 19 goals in his first 10 England internationals and scoring in every game. He was only on a losing England side twice in the 23 matches that he played. In his first 18 years as a professional footballer he was involved in a cup semi-final or final, or championship runner-up or champion for 15 years out of 18. He also became Derby County's leading scorer for 15 consecutive years plus twice for Middlesbrough of the 22 years he played overall, scoring 21 hat tricks in league and cup for the Rams (which included one game scoring 4 and one game scoring 6 against Sheffield Wednesday) plus one hat trick for Middlesbrough. When including his reserve team Derby County games he played up to January 1920, aged 46 years, and his last medal and competitive game was won when he played for British Cellulose in a cup final as captain in April 1920. He played his last ever game in the Mayor's War Memorial Fund Charity match for the 'Old Internationals v. Derby County' at the Baseball Ground on the 18th April 1923 aged 49 scoring a penalty. Furthermore he scored at least 2 goals in a match no less than 59 times during his time with Derby County. Steve's international playing career stretched an amazing 12 years and 28 days from 9th March 1895 to 6th April 1907, and also played 15 times in the Football League Representative matches from 7th November 1896 to 4th March 1911. He remains the 3rd highest all time 'top division' goal scorer with 314 goals to his credit and stands at 4th highest goal scorer throughout a player's career with 353 (including one Test match).
Steve is the only Player ever to score 6 goals in a first team game for the Rams. He is still the longest serving Player behind Jack Nicholas and Sammy Crooks, playing for a total of 16 years and 312 days and is the oldest forward ever to play for Derby at the age of 40 years and 19 days. Of all 92 league clubs past and present Steve Bloomer is only one of two Players to be a club's record goal scorer who played in the 1800's without anyone else breaking their scoring records, and is the earliest player in history that has such a record that still stands to this day. Vittorio Pozzo, 'Father of Italian Football' as National Team Manager in the 1930's, taught at a Language School in Derby before the Great War. He spoke at length with Bloomer on numerous occasions stating "I formulated many of my ideas for Italian football by talking to such English greats." The name 'Steve Bloomer' was associated with many promotional campaigns on an international scale. His name was associated with clothing, footwear, books, magazines, tonics, tobacco, photography and countless news reports. It was used to endorse 'Phosphoric Tonic' the 'Remedy of Kings'. He appeared on 19 different Cigarette Cards and even had his own 'Steve Bloomer' endorsed 'Lucky Striker' football boots, as well as 'Perfegrippe' football boots, renowned for being the world's first 'moulded stud' boot, for sale in retail outlets the world over, for over four decades after his death. He was truly the David Beckham of his day: an inspirational icon. When the Queen Mary ocean Liner was launched in 1936 Steve's image was used as one of the murals which adorned one of the luxurious public rooms. His name even to this day rings out before every Derby County home game in a song that was was written about him entitled Steve Bloomer's Watchin' - written by Rams fans Mark Tewson and Martyn Miller and sung by Actor Robert Lindsay and the Posse, some 46 years after his death as I write. There are 5 memorials dedicated to the life of Steve Bloomer: 4 in Derby and 1 in Cradley where he was born. Add to that his head stone making 6 and there are not that many people that I can recall that have received such fine tribute.
Mr Surman (Assistant to the Headmaster)
"When Steve Bloomer was at St.James' Road Scool, I well remember his ability with a ball, even when only in the playground. He was so nippy that he could leave all the other lads of his own age standing."
Bloomer's first days of football - circa 1882
"I settled down in the great Midlands town of Derby at quite a tender age and I have a vivid recollection of those days when I first took to football and found out for myself that it was the healthiest, if the most strenuous, of all British pastimes. It was when I was a very small boy at school that I first developed a fondness for the game and I must have met with a fair measure of success judging by the manner in which my youthful opponents fastened themselves upon me and did their utmost to upset my tactics; indeed so attentive were those opponents, and so vicious their kicks, that more than once I decided to abandon the game altogether."
Ex Derby Manager Harry Newbould
" He was just 17 when he first turned out for Derby (6pm Wednesday 26th August 1891 for Derby County Wanderers, Derby's 2nd Team), pale, thin, ghost-like, almost ill-looking, he caused the Derby crowd to laugh when they first saw him."
Burton Chronicle - 1911
Bloomer describes his most memorable goal
“It is not a League goal that stands out in my memory but one I scored in an international. It was at Crystal Palace against Scotland in 1901. The ground was in a fearful condition; a mixture of mud and water several inches deep, while the ball was as heavy as so much lead. Ten minutes from the end Scotland were leading 2-1 and, if the truth must be told, both the players and spectators had given up the game as lost to England, for goals are not often scored at the end of such a game under such conditions. I was feeling almost done when the ball came to me but, when it did, I saw a chance. I found some energy from somewhere. I seized on the ball and away I went for goal through the mud. Of course I was quickly challenged but somehow or other I managed to retain possession and to plod on my course till within shooting range. Then, with a last effort, I steered the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net. A lost international was drawn at the last gasp. It was the hardest run I ever did in my life. Never was I more tired than I was that night but I slept the sleep of a happy man."
In another article W.T. Reneville, an Irish International, describes Bloomer
"As for Steve Bloomer, well, no words or mine can add to such a reputation. It almost savours of the insulent to dare to say anything about the hero of 23 Internationals. When one thinks of the enthusiasm with which Bloomer's play was always greeted on English grounds and of the tremendous sensation he made in his first representative game in 1895 and of the way in which he had, for 15 years, continued to add to his reputation, well, the best thing one can do is to salute the genius of the football world and turn to others."
Burton Observer - 12th October 1912
Bloomer talks wages transfer fees and football over 20 years in the game
"Perhaps of all the changes most noticeable is the advance made in the status of the Professional Footballer. In the old days, he was looked upon somewhat as an outcast; a man who was low down enough to earn money for playing a game that was a fine object for abuse. You could see a professional team going to play at a game, and never noticed one who sported a collar. A scarf was good enough to go to a match in, with the rest of the attire to match, of course. Then he was a lucky man if he got 7s.6d (37½p) per week for playing. That was the sum I first got when I first played as a professional. Now he get's his £4 a week and even more and his calling has come to be considered quite a respectable one. He stays at the biggest hotels in the biggest towns, wears the latest cut of suit and a collar and tie as good as any to be bought in London's West End shops. Only last season I was walking along the corridor of a hotel where we were staying in the company of several others, when I heard the following conversation:
"I say said a lady to her companion. Who are these men? Professional Footballers was the reply. There was a look of astonishment on the lady's face. Why, they look like gentlemen she said."
If you had suggested 20 years ago that $2,000 would ever be paid for a footballer, you would have been dispatched to an asylum for the mentally deficient! In many respects the growth of the game has brought with it some disappointments. There are thousands more professionals than there were when I first started and they got much better wages but the game has certainly not improved as one would naturally expected under such conditiona. I should not like to say it is as good now as it was 20 years ago but on the other hand, I am quite certain it is very little better. It has grown without developing. Why not make it a punishable offence to deliberatley kick the ball out of play. A free kick might be awarded instead of the harmless throw-in which would stop the kicking out tendency, sharpen up the game and, I think, lead to more goal-scoring chances. But I was asked about the changes I had seen, not to suggest changes which are required. Really, the rules of the game are all right. We must look to the players to improve the game."
"I say said a lady to her companion. Who are these men? Professional Footballers was the reply. There was a look of astonishment on the lady's face. Why, they look like gentlemen she said."
If you had suggested 20 years ago that $2,000 would ever be paid for a footballer, you would have been dispatched to an asylum for the mentally deficient! In many respects the growth of the game has brought with it some disappointments. There are thousands more professionals than there were when I first started and they got much better wages but the game has certainly not improved as one would naturally expected under such conditiona. I should not like to say it is as good now as it was 20 years ago but on the other hand, I am quite certain it is very little better. It has grown without developing. Why not make it a punishable offence to deliberatley kick the ball out of play. A free kick might be awarded instead of the harmless throw-in which would stop the kicking out tendency, sharpen up the game and, I think, lead to more goal-scoring chances. But I was asked about the changes I had seen, not to suggest changes which are required. Really, the rules of the game are all right. We must look to the players to improve the game."
Mentor and inspiration
" Johnny Goodall was a wonderful footballer, brilliant captain and Nature's gentleman, but little did I think when all the fuss was made over his arrivale from Preston what an influence for good was being brought into my life. As my early mentor he talked to me and passed on his learnings... straight to the point he told you what to do and he expected it to be done and I always maintain that no player has ever known so much about football and its methods and policies than this old friend of mine. The two fundamental virtues he passed on to me were complete ball control and an ability to think a moment ahead of the other fellow. Times without number he impressed that upon me, to think all the time the game was in progress, even when play was not actually near me. There is nothing better than being taken under the wing of an old player and I had the additional slice of luck of being endowed with a temperament which allowed me to enjoy my football lessons with relish. I'm sure I owe more to John Goodall than to anybody else for my ultimate success on the football field." ~ Steve Bloomer ll
Ernest Needham - England Captain
"Another great forward is Stephen Bloomer, who is said by a good many judges to stand in a class by himself. He plays to get goals, when he is in form woe to the back and half-back who may have to tackle him. He has a good turn of speed, and at the present time he is, without doubt, the quickest man to receive the ball and make for goal."
Frederick Wall - President of the FA
"He was a great marksman, and his splendid passes were generally made with one touch. He had no time for fancy work. Bloomer, of course, made mistakes like everyone else, but he was the superior of everyone I ever saw as a scorer. A great volleyer in front of goal, he placed his ground shots at a fast pace, out of the reach of the keeper and slantwise. But the keepers used to say that it was difficult to tell which foot he would use for a shot."
Footnote
"In the 1895-1896 season Derby finished runners-up to Aston Villa in the championship race and Bloomer scored 22 in 25 games to become Europe's leading marksman. A year later they finished 3rd behind Aston Villa and Sheffield United, and again Bloomer scored 24 in 29 games to become Europe's leading hot-shot. It was also very much laced with deep sadness for Bloomer and indeed the Derby County family, as on the 5th June 1896 Steve's brother Phillip who played Left Back for Derby County died of Peritonitis."
Honours and achievements
England
British Championship Winners 1895, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903 (Shared), 1904, 1905 (Shared), 1906
British Championship Runners-up 1896, 1897, 1902, 1907
Tour Match (Friendly) Winners 10 - 0 (Bloomer 2) England v. Germany (25th Sep 1901) Venue: Manchester City Football Club, Hyde Road, Manchester
1905: First player to be honoured with a portrait by the Football Association for breaking G.O. Smith's appearances and goal scoring record
1905: National Subscription Benefit Match. First player to be awarded such an honour by the FA to celebrate his record breaking 21st England Cap
28 goals in 23 games (30 goals in 24 games when including tour match)
Football League Representative
(Best players from each Football League playing other Football Leagues)
1896-1897 Winners 2-0 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 07th Nov 1896 Glentoran, The Oval, Belfast
1896-1897 Lost 0-3 Scottish Football League 27th Apr 1897 Rangers, Ibrox Park, Glasgow
1897-1898 Winners 8-1 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 06th Nov 1897 Manchester City, Hyde Road
1898-1899 Winners 5-1 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 05th Nov 1898 Lisburn, Grosvenor Road, Belfast
1898-1899 Winners 4-1 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 01st Apr 1899 Celtic, Celtic Park, Parkhead, Glasgow
1899-1900 Winners 3-1 Bloomer 2 Irish League of Football 11th Nov 1899 Bolton Wanderers, Burnden Park
1899-1900 Draw 2-2 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 31st Mar 1900 Crystal Palace Sports Stadium
1900-1901 Winners 4-2 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 10th Nov 1900 Cliftonville, Solitude, Belfast
1901-1902 Winners 9-0 Bloomer 4 Irish League of Football 09th Nov 1901 Woolwich Arsenal, Manor Ground
1901-1902 Winners 6-3 Bloomer 2 Scottish Football League 08th Mar 1902 Newcastle Utd, St.James Park
1902-1903 Winners 3-2 Bloomer 2 Irish League of Football 11th Oct 1902 Cliftonville, Solitude, Belfast
1903-1904 Winners 2-1 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 10th Oct 1903 Bradford City, Valley Parade
1903-1904 Winners 2-1 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 04th Apr 1904 Newton Heath, Bank St, Manchester
1904-1905 Winners 3-2 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 11th Mar 1905 Queens Park, Hampden Park
1910-1911 Draw 1-1 Scottish Football League 04th Mar 1911 Rangers, Ibrox Park, Glasgow
19 goals in 15 games
All Clubs (Derby County unless otherwise stated)
1882-1886 Runner up Six-a-side football team (St.James' Road Board School The Roadites')
1886-1887 Runner up Derbyshire Under 15's Junior Shield (St.Chads' Choir 'The Saints' 1886-1888
1889-1890 Winner Derbyshire Under 15's Junior Shield - 07th April 1890 (Derby Swifts 1886-1892)
1890-1891 Runner up Derbyshire Under 17's Shield (Derby Swifts)
1890-1891 Derby Midland Football Club (played one game 27th March 1891 v. Burton Swifts at Peel Croft Ground)
1891-1892 Winner Derbyshire Under 17's Shield (Derby Swifts)
1891-1892 Winner Captain's Gold Medal - Derbyshire Under 17's Senior Shield (Derby Swifts)
1891-1892 Winner Burton & District Junior Football Association Challenge Cup (Tutbury Hawthorn) †
1891-1892 Winner Midland Alliance League (Derby County Wanderers 'Derby County 2nd Team)
1892-1893 Winner Derbyshire Charity Cup (Derby Town 'Derby County 2nd Team')
1893-1894 Winner United Counties League
1893-1894 Third League Division One
1894-1895 Runner up United Counties League
1894-1895 Winner English Cup (Derby Baseball Club) v. Fullers Brewery
1895-1896 Runner up League Division One
1895-1896 Semi final FA Cup
1895-1896 European top goal scorer in all leagues - 20 (equivalent of Golden Boot)
1896-1897 European top goal scorer in all leagues - 22 (equivalent of Golden Boot)
1896-1897 Third League Division One
1896-1897 semi final FA Cup
1896-1897 Winner English Cup (Derby Baseball Club) v. Middlesbrough Football Club
1897- Winner 100 Yard Professional Sprint Handicap (11.5 seconds)
1897-1898 Winner English Cup (Derby Baseball Club) v. Nottingham Forest Football Club
1898- Winner Derby & District Championship (Ley's Cricket Club)
1897-1898 Runner up FA Cup
1898-1899 Runner up FA Cup
1900-1901 European top goal scorer in all leagues - 24 (equivalent of Golden Boot)
1901-1902 Semi final FA Cup
1902-1903 Winner Bass Charity Vase
1903-1904 Semi final FA Cup
1904-1905 Winner Bass Charity Vase
1904-1905 Winner Robey Charity Cup
1905- Awarded with an honorary portrait by the FA
1905- Testimonial benefit match for services to Derby County Football Club
1905-1906 Winner Robey Charity Cup
1911-1912 Winner League Division Two
1915- Winner Ruhleben Football League Championship (First League)
1915- Approx Sprint (awarded German made cup)
1915- Ruhleben Cup (Tottenham Hotspurs XI 'Captain' v. Oldham Athletic XI)
1917- Approx Awarded a silver stone mounted cigarette case
1920- Winner Derbyshire Football Association Medals Competition (British Cellulose) 10th April 1920
1922- Awarded gold signet ring by Army & Navy Club, Montréal for coaching the Grenadier Guards
1923-1924 Winner North Championship (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1923-1924 Winner Campeonato de Guipúzcoa (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1923-1924 Winner Copa del Rey 'King's Cup' (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1925- National Assembly Sash for National Sporting Merit (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1935- Strettons & Altons Cribbage League Championship
1936- Honoured with mural image of himself painted on the Cunard ocean liner Queen Mary 1
1938- Post Memorial plaque at the Baseball Ground for services to Derby County and England
1984- Honoured with a tribute song 'Steve Bloomer's Watchin'
1996- Honoured with a memorial bench at Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby
1996- Honoured with a memorial plaque in Bridge Road, Cradley (place of birth)
1996- Honoured with a memorial plinth and plaque at the Lock-up Yard, Derby
1998- Football League 100 Legends award
2008- Inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame
2009- Bust (and prototype) permanently erected at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium
2014- Honoured with a blue plaque (erected in Derby 16th February 2018)
2017-2018 Annual Cup competition named in honour of Steve Bloomer: 'Steve Bloomer Trophy'
2019- Steve Bloomer Star - Mosaic built into 'Walk of Fame' pavement in the Cathedral Quarter, Derby
2020- Theatre production - 'An Evening with Steve Bloomer (sort of)' by Lost Boys Theatre Company at Old Bell Hotel
2020- Book - 'The Ruhleben Football Association' - by Paul Brown
Other statistics and facts at Derby County (unless otherwise stated)
Scored 16 penalties
Scored 21 hat-tricks, (includes one double hat-trick)
Scored 25 hat-tricks in total (2 England, 1 FL, 21 Derby, 1 Middlesbrough)
Scored Derby's 12th ever hat-trick
Scored his 1st and 3rd hat-trick against Nottingham Forest
Scored 3 hat-tricks against Nottingham Forest
Scored a hat-trick in a run of 9 out of 11 seasons
Scored 13 hat-tricks in 4 seasons: 1895-1896 (3), 1896-1897 (5), 1897-1898 (2), 1898-1899 (3 'one was 6')
Scored 293 goals in 474 games out of 594 league games that Derby played up to his last match for the club
Scored 1 goal in Derby's only ever *Test Match in a 2-1 win against Notts County at Walnut Street (Filbert Street)
Sent off once on the 2nd December 1899 in a 0-3 loss away to Everton in front of 15,000 fans
Played number 7 (9 times), 8 (428 times), 9 (17 times), 10 (11 times), 11 (9 times)
Out injured or ill et al 120 times
First player to wear non brown or black boots (White)
First player to celebrate goals other than shaking hands (Cartwheels)
Spoke with a Derby accent (can be seen in his only 'silent' footage saying "Bye"
† Tutbury Hawthorn later disqualified for fielding Bloomer as an ineligible Player due to being a Professional Player with Derby County, although both sides allowed to retain Winners medals.
* Test matches were games played post season (although Derby's match was played with 3 league games still to be played), as a Play-off Final at the home teams neutral venue. The format was 1st place in the 2nd Division plays the bottom team in the 1st Division. 2nd place in the 2nd Division plays the 2nd from bottom in the 1st Division (where Derby finished). 3rd place in the 2nd Division plays the 3rd from bottom in the 1st Division. The winner of each tie was then invited to remain in or be promoted to the 1st Division, and the losers relegated or remained respectively.
British Championship Winners 1895, 1898, 1899, 1901, 1903 (Shared), 1904, 1905 (Shared), 1906
British Championship Runners-up 1896, 1897, 1902, 1907
Tour Match (Friendly) Winners 10 - 0 (Bloomer 2) England v. Germany (25th Sep 1901) Venue: Manchester City Football Club, Hyde Road, Manchester
1905: First player to be honoured with a portrait by the Football Association for breaking G.O. Smith's appearances and goal scoring record
1905: National Subscription Benefit Match. First player to be awarded such an honour by the FA to celebrate his record breaking 21st England Cap
28 goals in 23 games (30 goals in 24 games when including tour match)
Football League Representative
(Best players from each Football League playing other Football Leagues)
1896-1897 Winners 2-0 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 07th Nov 1896 Glentoran, The Oval, Belfast
1896-1897 Lost 0-3 Scottish Football League 27th Apr 1897 Rangers, Ibrox Park, Glasgow
1897-1898 Winners 8-1 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 06th Nov 1897 Manchester City, Hyde Road
1898-1899 Winners 5-1 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 05th Nov 1898 Lisburn, Grosvenor Road, Belfast
1898-1899 Winners 4-1 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 01st Apr 1899 Celtic, Celtic Park, Parkhead, Glasgow
1899-1900 Winners 3-1 Bloomer 2 Irish League of Football 11th Nov 1899 Bolton Wanderers, Burnden Park
1899-1900 Draw 2-2 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 31st Mar 1900 Crystal Palace Sports Stadium
1900-1901 Winners 4-2 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 10th Nov 1900 Cliftonville, Solitude, Belfast
1901-1902 Winners 9-0 Bloomer 4 Irish League of Football 09th Nov 1901 Woolwich Arsenal, Manor Ground
1901-1902 Winners 6-3 Bloomer 2 Scottish Football League 08th Mar 1902 Newcastle Utd, St.James Park
1902-1903 Winners 3-2 Bloomer 2 Irish League of Football 11th Oct 1902 Cliftonville, Solitude, Belfast
1903-1904 Winners 2-1 Bloomer 1 Irish League of Football 10th Oct 1903 Bradford City, Valley Parade
1903-1904 Winners 2-1 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 04th Apr 1904 Newton Heath, Bank St, Manchester
1904-1905 Winners 3-2 Bloomer 1 Scottish Football League 11th Mar 1905 Queens Park, Hampden Park
1910-1911 Draw 1-1 Scottish Football League 04th Mar 1911 Rangers, Ibrox Park, Glasgow
19 goals in 15 games
All Clubs (Derby County unless otherwise stated)
1882-1886 Runner up Six-a-side football team (St.James' Road Board School The Roadites')
1886-1887 Runner up Derbyshire Under 15's Junior Shield (St.Chads' Choir 'The Saints' 1886-1888
1889-1890 Winner Derbyshire Under 15's Junior Shield - 07th April 1890 (Derby Swifts 1886-1892)
1890-1891 Runner up Derbyshire Under 17's Shield (Derby Swifts)
1890-1891 Derby Midland Football Club (played one game 27th March 1891 v. Burton Swifts at Peel Croft Ground)
1891-1892 Winner Derbyshire Under 17's Shield (Derby Swifts)
1891-1892 Winner Captain's Gold Medal - Derbyshire Under 17's Senior Shield (Derby Swifts)
1891-1892 Winner Burton & District Junior Football Association Challenge Cup (Tutbury Hawthorn) †
1891-1892 Winner Midland Alliance League (Derby County Wanderers 'Derby County 2nd Team)
1892-1893 Winner Derbyshire Charity Cup (Derby Town 'Derby County 2nd Team')
1893-1894 Winner United Counties League
1893-1894 Third League Division One
1894-1895 Runner up United Counties League
1894-1895 Winner English Cup (Derby Baseball Club) v. Fullers Brewery
1895-1896 Runner up League Division One
1895-1896 Semi final FA Cup
1895-1896 European top goal scorer in all leagues - 20 (equivalent of Golden Boot)
1896-1897 European top goal scorer in all leagues - 22 (equivalent of Golden Boot)
1896-1897 Third League Division One
1896-1897 semi final FA Cup
1896-1897 Winner English Cup (Derby Baseball Club) v. Middlesbrough Football Club
1897- Winner 100 Yard Professional Sprint Handicap (11.5 seconds)
1897-1898 Winner English Cup (Derby Baseball Club) v. Nottingham Forest Football Club
1898- Winner Derby & District Championship (Ley's Cricket Club)
1897-1898 Runner up FA Cup
1898-1899 Runner up FA Cup
1900-1901 European top goal scorer in all leagues - 24 (equivalent of Golden Boot)
1901-1902 Semi final FA Cup
1902-1903 Winner Bass Charity Vase
1903-1904 Semi final FA Cup
1904-1905 Winner Bass Charity Vase
1904-1905 Winner Robey Charity Cup
1905- Awarded with an honorary portrait by the FA
1905- Testimonial benefit match for services to Derby County Football Club
1905-1906 Winner Robey Charity Cup
1911-1912 Winner League Division Two
1915- Winner Ruhleben Football League Championship (First League)
1915- Approx Sprint (awarded German made cup)
1915- Ruhleben Cup (Tottenham Hotspurs XI 'Captain' v. Oldham Athletic XI)
1917- Approx Awarded a silver stone mounted cigarette case
1920- Winner Derbyshire Football Association Medals Competition (British Cellulose) 10th April 1920
1922- Awarded gold signet ring by Army & Navy Club, Montréal for coaching the Grenadier Guards
1923-1924 Winner North Championship (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1923-1924 Winner Campeonato de Guipúzcoa (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1923-1924 Winner Copa del Rey 'King's Cup' (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1925- National Assembly Sash for National Sporting Merit (Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.)
1935- Strettons & Altons Cribbage League Championship
1936- Honoured with mural image of himself painted on the Cunard ocean liner Queen Mary 1
1938- Post Memorial plaque at the Baseball Ground for services to Derby County and England
1984- Honoured with a tribute song 'Steve Bloomer's Watchin'
1996- Honoured with a memorial bench at Nottingham Road Cemetery, Derby
1996- Honoured with a memorial plaque in Bridge Road, Cradley (place of birth)
1996- Honoured with a memorial plinth and plaque at the Lock-up Yard, Derby
1998- Football League 100 Legends award
2008- Inducted into the National Football Museum Hall of Fame
2009- Bust (and prototype) permanently erected at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium
2014- Honoured with a blue plaque (erected in Derby 16th February 2018)
2017-2018 Annual Cup competition named in honour of Steve Bloomer: 'Steve Bloomer Trophy'
2019- Steve Bloomer Star - Mosaic built into 'Walk of Fame' pavement in the Cathedral Quarter, Derby
2020- Theatre production - 'An Evening with Steve Bloomer (sort of)' by Lost Boys Theatre Company at Old Bell Hotel
2020- Book - 'The Ruhleben Football Association' - by Paul Brown
Other statistics and facts at Derby County (unless otherwise stated)
Scored 16 penalties
Scored 21 hat-tricks, (includes one double hat-trick)
Scored 25 hat-tricks in total (2 England, 1 FL, 21 Derby, 1 Middlesbrough)
Scored Derby's 12th ever hat-trick
Scored his 1st and 3rd hat-trick against Nottingham Forest
Scored 3 hat-tricks against Nottingham Forest
Scored a hat-trick in a run of 9 out of 11 seasons
Scored 13 hat-tricks in 4 seasons: 1895-1896 (3), 1896-1897 (5), 1897-1898 (2), 1898-1899 (3 'one was 6')
Scored 293 goals in 474 games out of 594 league games that Derby played up to his last match for the club
Scored 1 goal in Derby's only ever *Test Match in a 2-1 win against Notts County at Walnut Street (Filbert Street)
Sent off once on the 2nd December 1899 in a 0-3 loss away to Everton in front of 15,000 fans
Played number 7 (9 times), 8 (428 times), 9 (17 times), 10 (11 times), 11 (9 times)
Out injured or ill et al 120 times
First player to wear non brown or black boots (White)
First player to celebrate goals other than shaking hands (Cartwheels)
Spoke with a Derby accent (can be seen in his only 'silent' footage saying "Bye"
† Tutbury Hawthorn later disqualified for fielding Bloomer as an ineligible Player due to being a Professional Player with Derby County, although both sides allowed to retain Winners medals.
* Test matches were games played post season (although Derby's match was played with 3 league games still to be played), as a Play-off Final at the home teams neutral venue. The format was 1st place in the 2nd Division plays the bottom team in the 1st Division. 2nd place in the 2nd Division plays the 2nd from bottom in the 1st Division (where Derby finished). 3rd place in the 2nd Division plays the 3rd from bottom in the 1st Division. The winner of each tie was then invited to remain in or be promoted to the 1st Division, and the losers relegated or remained respectively.
Photograph taken in 1905 as a unique award from the FA
for setting a new goal scoring and appearance record (the only
player to receive such an award) previously held by O.S. Smith.
for setting a new goal scoring and appearance record (the only
player to receive such an award) previously held by O.S. Smith.
Coat of Arms
Coercendas Pilam Praeconcipientes
'Control the ball and think ahead'
Steve's saying and belief
'Control the ball and think ahead'
Steve's saying and belief