Do you really know Arsenal’s history? Try the first of our 1971 quizzes

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The first Arsenal History Society Quiz: Before the Double

By Tony Attwood

Rather than write a piece about the first Arsenal Double in 1971, I thought that since everyone knows the tale of 1971, I’d prepare a few little quizzes, just for the hell of it.  I don’t know if they will stretch you or not, but I can tell you that the knowledge level needed varies from the “generally interested in football history” to “total anorak”.

The idea is not to go looking up the answer – anyone can do that.  It is to see what you actually know.

I plan to do four or five quizzes of ten questions each covering the immediate pre-Double years, the 1970/71 season itself, and what happened after.  As each new quiz is published, I’ll put the answers to the previous quiz up.  If you want to fill in the answers and publish them yourself in the normal correspondence section below the article – please carry on.  And if you don’t want to see if anyone else has written up any answers, just stop at the end of the questions.  Don’t scroll down.

So, here we go: Before we did the Double. 

1.  Arsenal won the double for the first time in 1970/1.  What was the only team before then to have won the double in the 20th century?

2.  There were two winners of the double in the 19th century – which clubs were they, and what was particular about the first club’s achievement?

3.  Arsenal’s victory in 1970/1 was a surprise to the footballing world, not least because of Arsenal’s position in the league in 1969/70.  Where did the club end up in the league in 1969/70?

4.  The same might be said in terms of the FA Cup.  We won the Cup in 1971, but what happened in the FA Cup in 1969/70?

5.  Several famous Arsenal players either retired or left the club in 1969/70 and thus missed out on one of the club’s most famous achievements.  Name them.  As a clue here are their initials (although not all these players used their formal first names as footballers.

  • JGR
  • WJTN
  • RAG
  • DJC
  • IFU

6.  One player who became central to Arsenal’s achievements in 1970/71 made just two starts and two appearances as a sub in 1969/70, playing the rest of the season in the reserves.  Here’s a clue: he had been previously rejected by Port Vale where the chief scout and youth development officer was Sir Stanley Matthews.  Who was this?

7.  Arsenal famously won the league in 1970/1 at Tottenham in the last game of the season.  What was so curious about the last game of the 1969/70 season?

8.  Arsenal had little success in 1969/70, the year before the glorious Double, but one year before that (1968/9) there was hope of something better – although it all ended in tears.

9.  Away from the first division 1969/70 saw the end of the league career of a famous old club.  Who was it?

10.  1968/69 saw a change of goalkeepers.  Who was our number 1 in 1967/68, and who became our number one in 1968/69 – and on into the Double season?

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I am currently working with a few colleagues on what we hope will be the definitive book of Arsenal in the 70s.  Details will be published on this site soon.

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Welcome to the History Wing of the Anti-Arsenal Arsenal.  Re-writing Arsenal’s history wrongly.

The Series: Arsenal and Tottenham – a history of dislike

The Series: The iconic moments that defined Arsenal

Other series on this site are indexed on the Home Page

9 Replies to “Do you really know Arsenal’s history? Try the first of our 1971 quizzes”

  1. Like the quizz subject. Not too sure of the 2nd club to do the duble. What was curious about the last game of 1969=70?
    Only one player who missed out on the duble.

  2. Am doing this by memory alone – be kind.I only started following Arsenal the season after the double – glory seeker that I was !

    1) Aston Villa

    2) Wanders & Preston NE

    3) 10 th ?

    4) Knocked out in the 3rd round ?

    5) Bobby Gould , David Court , Ian Ure

    6)Eddie Kelly ?

    7)Played after the Fairs cup final ?

    8)1970 – Fairs cup winners
    1969- lost to Swindon( 3rd. division ) 3-1 in the League cup.
    9)Accrington Stanley ?

    10) Bob Wilson was the double winner.

  3. 1 Tottenham 2 Preston Royal Engineers Least amount of goals conceded 3. 8th 4.no idea 5.Jimmy Robertson Terry Neill Bobby Gould David Court Ian Ure 6. Ray Kennedy 7.no idea 8.Loss to Swindon in League Cup 9.Accrington Stanley 10.Furnell and then Bob Wilson.

    I went to my first game v Aston Villa 1962.Away to QPR on the 31st will be 50 years to the day.

  4. Number 9 – Could it be Bradford Park Avenue ? Just came to mind .Not going to check and will await your answers .

  5. Answers
    1) Tottenham Hotspur
    2) Preston North End and Aston Villa. Preston went through the season unbeaten.
    3) 11th?
    4) 3rd Rd?
    5) Bobby Gould, Ian Ure
    6) George Graham
    7) No idea
    8) Lost the League Cup Final
    9) No idea
    10) Bob Wilson in goal in 1970-71

  6. OK you are a clever bunch. Will confirm all the answers later, but clearly will have to try and make the next quiz harder.

  7. Before checking my uncertainties I got two more players who missed out. kicking myself for not getting RAG should have got that. I just had to know the anns to Q 7. Brillant Q. 71 was also ‘sweet revenge’
    Bring on the next 10 questions please.

  8. 1 – Tottenham Hotspur
    2 – Preston North End and Aston Villa
    3 – 12th position
    4 – Arsenal was eliminated by Blackpool in the 3rd Round
    5 – David Court, Terry Neill, Jimmy Robertson, Ian Ure and Bobby Gould
    6 – Ray Kennedy
    7 – Arsenal lost to Hotspur
    8 – Arsenal lost to Swindon on League Cup Final
    9 – Bradford Park Avenue
    10 – 1967/68 – Jim Furnell, 1968/69 to the double season – Bob Wilson

    I love quizzes!

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