Whatever happened to Kyle Bartley?

Kyle Bartley never played for Arsenal’s first team but had loan spells with Sheffield United and Rangers before moving on to Swansea City on 16 August 2012 for £1 million.   

On 2 July 2013, Bartley agreed a season-long loan move to Birmingham City. The loan was ended the following January after he had played 19 times for Birmingham, and he was given a new three year contract by Swansea.  

On 1 July 2016, Bartley joined Leeds where the former Swansea manager Garry Monk was now based and was appointed captain.  He played 50 times for Leeds and returned to Swansea in August 2017 signing a new contract, but picked up a serious injury which kept him out for much of the season.

On 16 July 2018, Bartley joined West Bromwich Albion on a three-year contract.  He has since played 56 times for them. 

Here are the anniversaries…

9 February 1883: Birth of Bob Benson, the man who tragically died while playing a wartime friendly for Arsenal in 1916.  In all he played 52 league games for Arsenal between 1913 and 1915.

9 February 1889: Arsenal 3 Gravesend 3.  Arsenal refused to play extra time because of the late starting of the game and were disqualified from Kent Senior Cup.

9 February 1895: Arsenal played their last game (against Rotherham Town) before the Manor Ground was shut for 6 weeks because of unruly behaviour by spectators.  An identical episode at Wolverhampton Wanderers the following season led to their ground being closed for only 2 weeks.

 9 February 1901:  Arsenal’s first ever victory in FA Cup Competition Proper: 2-0 against Blackburn.

9 February 1903: The final Woolwich Arsenal friendly against Millwall Athletic.  These games between the local rivals had been a major source of income and local interest since 12,000 turned up to a game in 1892

9 February 1918: Arsenal continued their up and down wartime campaign by losing to Fulham at home 0-3 in the London Combination with a crowd of 8000 at Highbury.  The following Wednesday margarine rationing was introduced.

9 February 1933: Amidst hunger marches and social unrest the members of the Oxford Union voted “That this House will in no circumstances fight for its King and country.”

9 February 1935: Even in the all-conquering 1930s there could be upsets.  Birmingham were on a run of six defeats and three draws in the last ten and 19th in the League.  But on this day they beat Arsenal 3-0.

9 February 1946: Arsenal 1 Tottenham 1 in the wartime Football League South.  Asenal had won six straight games scoring 20 goals in the process before suddenly losing 0-3 at home to Birmingham the previous weekend.  A return to form was hoped for with 38927 in the crowd, but it was not to be. Worse Tottenham beat Arsenal 2-0 the following weekend, and the run went on to four defeats and just this one draw, before Arsenal found their form again.

9 February 1957: Having taken over from Tom Whittaker in October, Jack Crayston suffered only his 4th defeat – Man U 6 Arsenal 2.  In the previous game Arsenal beat Sheffield W 6-3.

9 February 1984 Paul Mariner signed by Don Howe for Arsenal from Ipswich for whom he had played 260 league games, for £150,000.   He played 60 league games for Arsenal and scored 14 goals, before moving on to Portsmouth.

9 February 1961.  Tommy Docherty transferred to Chelsea (to become player coach) from Arsenal.  He had played 83 league games for Arsenal but only played four times for Chelsea in the league.

9 February 2003: Bobby Robson outrageously accused Bergkamp (without the slightest piece of evidence) of deliberately getting Laurent Robert sent off in 1-1 draw with Newcastle.

9 February 2007: Arsenal signed a deal with Colorado Rapids owned by Stan Kroenke; Arsenal’s first venture into the USA and the first meeting with the man who eventually bought the club.

9 February 2009: Joe Haverty died aged 72.  (Also reported as 7 Feb). He played 114 games for Arsenal and scored 25 goals, before moving on to Millwall, Celtic and Bristol Rovers and Shelbourne, and then the USA in December 1966.  He returned to Ireland in 1969, with Shamrock Rovers before moving on to Drogheda.

9 February 2010: Kyle Bartley loaned to Sheffield Utd.  He then went on to Rangers before permanently signing for Swansea in 2012.

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