On 31 August 2003 The Times reported the league match against Man City as containing “the worst 45 minutes [by Arsenal] that any of their fans could remember”. It ended Man City 1 Arsenal 2. On 8 November 2003 Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 in the 11th league match of the season. The Observer in its review called it “another stuttering performance” from Arsenal.
As you may recall, Arsenal not only won the league this season, they also did so unbeaten. Strange that the newspapers should be knocking Arsenal from the off, unable to see what was developing in the team.
One wonders who “any of their fans” actually were, and if they were there in the last match of the season, shouting their support for the glorious achievement.
Here are today’s anniversaries.
8 November 1913. Fulham 6 Arsenal 1. It was the final game for Matthew Thomson in what was easily the worst defeat for the club in the season. It was also the largest away crowd of the season for Arsenal – 35,000.
8 November 1919: Arsenal drew 2-2 with Bolton leaving Arsenal 13th in the league There were 30,000 in the crowd – a great relief to the management that in this first post war season the numbers were holding up well.
8 November 1920: Many of the senior members of the club attended a dinner given at the House of Commons hosted by Baldwin Raper, Arsenal’s local MP who was a regular at Highbury and an avid fan. Sir Henry Norris’ speech reflected his view that Arsenal had to be seen as a business if it was to survive.
8 November 1924: Robert Turnbull, Arsenal’s record scorer of the era (with 20 goals in 35 league games in 1922/3), transferred to Charlton Athletic. In all he played 59 league games and scored 26 goals.
8 November 1927: Len Wills born. He first played for Eton Manor FC, an amateur club formed by well-to-do families to support young men and boys in the East End of London. Len joined Arsenal as an amateur from Eton Manor in March 1946, but had to leave the club in 1948 to do his National Service in the RAF. He then returned to Arsenal in October 1949.
8 November 1930: Arsenal 5 Aston Villa 2. This was the first of nine games during the season where Arsenal scored five or more. Bastin and Jack got two each and Lambert one. It was also the first match of the season where kick off was moved back to 2.30pm.
8 November 1932: Gordon Nutt born. He played for Sheldon, Coventry City, Royal Artillery National Service British Army XI (during his National Service) and Cardiff City, before joining Arsenal.
8 November 1971: Sheffield United 2 Arsenal 0; Football League Cup 4th round replay. It looked like Stoke had passed the mantle of being Arsenal’s voodoo team to Sheffield United.
8 November 1980: Leeds United 0 Arsenal 5. It was the only league game in the season in which Arsenal scored more than three goals. Hollins (2), Gatting, Talbot, Sunderland got them.
8 November 1998: Anelka scored for the fifth game running in a 1-0 home victory over Everton. Arsenal won four and drew one of those five games.
8 November 1999: Arsenal 3 Real Madrid 1. Lee Dixon’s testimonial.
8 November 2003: Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 in the 11th league match of the Unbeaten season. The Observer in its review called it “another stuttering performance” from Arsenal.
8 November 2006: Arsenal beat Everton 0-1 away in league cup round 4 only to find their reward in the next round was away to Liverpool in January. (But it turned out ok as in that game Song scored his first goal as Arsenal beat Liverpool 6-3.). Matt Poom made his Arsenal debut at half time and took on captaincy. It was his only Arsenal appearance and at the end of the season he moved to Watford.
8 November 2008: After losing 2-1 to Stoke, Arsenal beat Man U by the same score with Nasri scoring both goals.
8 November 2018: Arsenal 0 Sporting 0, was the first point dropped by Arsenal in the Europa League group stages, but the club recovered to win the group. However Welbeck was seriously injured in the game.