I have found 3 anniversaries for 2 June…
- 1947: Tom Whittaker becomes manager
- 1934 Wilf Copping joined Arsenal from Leeds United
- 1991 Gus Caesar moved to Cambridge United.
Anyone who saw our league cup final against Luton Town will remember Gus Caesar, and perhaps no more should be said.
Tom Whittaker does deserve coverage of course, and we have an article on him that may be of interest from the iconic moments series.
There is no article on Wilf Copping as yet, but the basics are…
George Allison introduced Wilf Copping to the team, after taking over from Joe Shaw as manager, in the summer of 1934 for £8,000, as a replacement for Bob John at left half.
Tom was a rarity in that in his first year of managership, Arsenal won the Division 1 Championship.
The team was a mixture of experience and youth as football struggled to recover from 5 years of war. Top professionals coming to the end of their careers were brought in. Legends like Joe Mercer from Everton and Ronnie Rooke from Fulham.
My first experience of Arsenal was 1947 when Tom was appointed manager. George Swindon was my hero back then, he always wore a green rolled neck sweater and carried a flat cap and gloves, which he would throw into the back of the net before taking his first practice shot from Logie or Rooke. Always felt we were save when he was between the sicks.
That should read `sticks` not `sicks`…sorry!
@Aussie Jack,
I share your view about George Swindin. I first saw him play in 1940 and he was magnificent. Only wish his managership had been as successful as his goalkeeping.
Lucky you, Aussie Jack.
We had to wait until 1964 for our first ‘Match Of The Day’, and you were following the Gunners in Adelaide, or Melbourne (or wherever) back then. Was the broadcast in black and white? I presume so, as it was still black and white in England, even in the 60s.
Big Al….No I wasn`t in Adelaide or Melbourne in 1960 I was production manager of Bush Radio making black and white TV receivers in Chiswick, West London. Even up until the mid 1990`s there was no live coverage of UK football in Australia and for twenty years I would scour the Sydney Morning Herald for English football results..probably a tiny piece in the `stop press`. Now in the twilight of my years I can enjoy live coverage from Emirates, what a transition?