Bloomer and other research.

Whilst on my travels I have been reading the excellent Steve Bloomer biography by Peter Seddon. I have read parts of it before, but I have yet to read it in it's entirety. It is exchanging hands now for between £30 and £50, which is a shame as it should be more readily available. I guess it's good that the number of books that actually got published have all sold.

Bloomer, was without doubt, a fantastic footballer, the best goalscorer of the era by far. I have enjoyed reading the book and am pleased that him and Fred were such good Friends. I resently found out that Fred did indeed travel to his funeral.

What has amazed me is how many similarities there are between the two players. Apparently Bloomer missed out on playing a 'comeback' international in Derby, he lost a vote 5-6. I learnt today that in 1903 that Fred had had such a fantastic season that he was actually the main contender for the Scotland match in 1903 in Sheffield. This would have been a sensational comeback, considering what he had gone through from 1900-1902. Apparently it was a surprise that he didn't get selected. But he did the English League International that year and scored.