Today is Robin van Persie. It comes just at the moment when he is moving into TV work with BT Sport, a task he seems well suited for since his memory of his own career seems a little hazy, as he has of late been speaking of his time with Manchester United as if he scored more goals per game there, than at Arsenal. The data suggests that this is quite untrue. But then, not quite knowing one’s facts is part of the job for the TV commentator.
Here are the anniversaries. There’s more on RVP at Robin van Persie fantasy; another reason to avoid BT Sport
6 August 1923: Arsenal published its annual report showing a profit for the year of £5000. That would be over a quarter of a million pounds in today’s money just based on inflation. But £5000 in 1923 was also the world record for a transfer which by 2018 was £198m, so in reality Arsenal was doing incredibly well.
6 August 1926: Harry Woods transferred to Luton. Although he had played regularly under Knighton, Chapman did not use him at all, and he moved on after a season in the reserves.
6 August 1926: John Clack, who had transferred to Arsenal from Bo’ness was transferred to Luton after a total of six appearances.
6 August 1930: Leslie Compton signed as an amateur. Of the brothers he was the one who was a footballer who played cricket, as opposed to Dennis who was the reverse.
6 August 1936: An underground explosion at the Wharncliffe Woodmoore Colliery in South Yorkshire resulted in 58 men losing their lives.
6 August 1966: Rangers 2 Arsenal 0 – continuing the tradition started under Chapman of the club that held shares in Arsenal (Rangers) playing Arsenal.
6 August 1977 Pat Jennings signed for £45,000. He had played 591 games for Tottenham but his club seemed to think at at 32 he was too old to continue. Also cited as several other dates up to 11 August.
6 August 1983: Robin van Persie born. According to Jonathan Northcroft, a Times journalist, Van Persie joined SBV Excelsior’s youth squad when he was five, but left at the age of 15, due to the relationship between the coach and his mother, and signed for Feyenoord.
6 August 1989: Arsenal beat Independiente in the Zenith Data Systems Challenge Trophy in Miami but had Gus Caesar and Gary Lewin sent off.
6 August 2007: Ryan Garry joined Bournemouth. He had won the youth cup in 2001 and played in the first game of the “49” but then got shin splints, and there was the thought he would never play again. He did play for Bournemouth, and became under 13 coach for Arsenal.
6 August 2008: Arsenal beat Huddersfield 1-2 for the Chapman Cup with goals from Sanchez Watt and Nacer Barazite. Some reports suggest Chapman won triple league trophies with each club, but actually he achieved this with neither.
6 August 2010: Fàbregas says he “will be 100% focused on playing for Arsenal”. He did survive the season, playing 36 games all told, but on 15 August 2011 signed for Barcelona.
6 August 2016: Ilias Chatzitheodoridis released by Arsenal and joined Brentford on a free transfer. On 23 July 2018, Chatzitheodoridis returned to Greece to join Panathinaikos on a free transfer.
