AISA Arsenal History Society: preserving Arsenal's heritage
By Tony Attwood I am not sure if the Kapfenberg Tri-Team Pre-Season Tournament of 2002/3 was unique, but it was certainly unusual. As the name suggests three sides (Arsenal, Panathinaikos and Roma) played each other. What the titles doesn’t suggest is that the games all took place on 1 August 2002, and were games of …
Read More “Arsenal pre-season friendlies 2002/3. Gilberto’s first game.”
James Devlin has always been at best a footnote in the history of Arsenal, playing just one game for the club. But as always when one looks behind the scenes there is a little more to be revealed and it is rather an interesting tale. But there is mystery even as to his place and …
Read More “James Devlin: a tale of wandering and an insight into the early days”
By Tony Attwood The season 1999/2000 started with some high hopes after 1998/9. Arsenal had finished second, just one point behind Man U, who had won the Double, beating Arsenal 2-1 after extra time in the FA Cup semi-final. A return to the 1997/8 style and pomp could be hoped for especially as Arsenal had …
Read More “Pre-season friendlies in days of yore: Arsenal prepare for 1999/2000”
8 July 1997: St Albans 1 Arsenal 4 (Grimandi Rankin Shaw 2) 12 July 1997: Leyton Orient 0 Arsenal 1 (Shaw) 20 July 1997: Stade Nyon 0 Arsenal 4 (Mendez Boa Morte Overmars Bergkamp( 25 July 1997: Strasbourg 1 Arsenal 2 (Garde Wright( 30 July 1997: PSV Eindhoven 1 Arsenal 0 4 August 1997: Norwich …
Read More “Pre-season friendlies 1997 including Norwich 2 Arsenal 6”
By Tony Attwood In 2003 there had been the wretched Confederations Cup, and Arsenal’s French players were by and large absent from most pre-season training. The results are below – but the game that really stood out for me was the first one – I have such vivid memories of Mr Wenger strolling about on …
Read More “Arsenal’s pre-season friendlies. 2 August 2003: Celtic 1 Arsenal 1”
By Tony Attwood Herbert Chapman’s last major signing came four months before he passed away suddenly. Arsenal already had four centre forwards in the club: Lambert, Jack, Coleman and Bowden, but Chapman was always looking to improve and develop, and give competition for those who were in the team. So he chose Jimmy Dunne. In …
Read More “The curious life of Jimmy Dunne: Herbert Chapman’s last big money signing”
I first wrote about Paul Vaessen on this site with an article that had the bleak title The awful tragedy of Paul Vaessen After that article appeared I received an email back from a regular reader asking that if I was going to publish something as moving and ultimately tragic as this, would I mind not …
Read More “Paul Vaessen and FA Youth cup winners remembered. Again.”
By Tony Attwood Jimmy Logie was an Arsenal player from 1939 to 1955, playing 296 league games for the club. It could of course have been many more, of course, but for the war. However he was still there for the club in 1946 and went on to win the FA Cup and the first …
Read More “When the anti-Arsenal menace and their media allies sank to the depths”
By Tony Attwood Benefactors have a long tradition of rescuing football clubs – and Arsenal’s major benefactors (although there were other benefactors of the club before him) was Henry Norris in 1910, and again with the building of Highbury in 1913. But it is interesting in reading Tom Whittaker’s memoires that despite his joining the …
Read More “The day Arsenal directors vigorously attacked the FA in the Arsenal programme.”
By Tony Attwood Reading a real manager’s memoires, as opposed to the sanitised rubbish we normally see, one gets some real insights. If you have been following my recent meanders around Arsenal’s history you’ll know I’m writing the annual AISA Arsenal History Society publication which will go out to all members this summer, and it …
Read More “Today’s anniversaries and “the dignity and fairness of the British press””
By Tony Attwood 1945/6 was a strange season. The wartime leagues continued as before, for although the war was over, too many players were still away from their clubs in the armed forces. But the FA Cup came back after its wartime suspension, and for one season only, it was played on a home and …
Read More “When Cup matches continued until there was a result! 1945/6 and today’s anniversaries”
By Tony Attwood When the real success started for Arsenal with the FA Cup victory in 1930, football in England was dominated by a group of regular cup and league winners. The subsequent turnaround for football in general and Arsenal in particular was extraordinary. In the post-first-world-war era before Arsenal’s first triumph in 1930, the …
Read More “The Arsenal Dynasty: 1930 to 1956, and 8th June anniversaries”
By Tony Attwood I was writing before about my lack of knowledge of exactly how Tom Whittaker got a job as a trainer with Arsenal, having been an out of favour player, and then getting injured on an FA tour in Australia. (The article, How did Whittaker get Chapman to believe in him, as the …
Read More “How Tom Whittaker persuaded Chapman to make him a trainer with Arsenal, after his injury”
By Tony Attwood Today’s anniversary list has as its first item, 4 June 1925: Herbert Chapman returned to England early from a tour with Huddersfield, ready for talks with Arsenal about becoming the club’s new manager. And in these last couple of days, that has given me a bit of a problem. Not with the …
Read More “How did Tom Whittaker get Chapman to believe in him, and other anniversaries”
By Tony Attwood Collating the anniversary files makes one very aware of just how fragile a career in football is. Even for those youngsters who play for their country at under 18 level or who win the Youth Cup playing for Arsenal. They must think they have the world in front of them. I was …
Read More “Winning the youth cup in 2009 and what happened next.”
By Tony Attwood It was the favourite knocking copy of the media for around six years – telling us how long it was since Arsenal won a trophy. Now they have the chance to knock other teams – but no, they don’t. I wonder why not. So I thought I would fill in the gap. …
Read More “How many years since they last won a trophy? And 1 June anniversaries.”
Here is a list of all the teams that have won the FA Cup in consecutive years. Where there was a reply only the second game is shown Season Winner Score Runners–up 1871–72 Wanderers 1–0 Royal Engineers 1872–73 Wanderers 2–0 Oxford University 1875–76(R) Wanderers 3–0 Old Etonians 1876–77 Wanderers 2–1 * Oxford University 1877–78 Wanderers …
Read More “Winning the FA Cup two years running – and top scores in finals.”
By Tony Attwood Today, 30 May, is the anniversary of Ted Drake’s passing, as I make mention on Untold Arsenal in the lunchtime preview. And besides the regular look at all our anniversaries it is also rather nice to consider our success in the FA Cup. First the anniversaries 30 May 1952: Alex Forbes made his …
Read More “Remember Ted Drake, a special day for Theo, and Arsenal’s history in the FA Cup”
Below I have selected about 30 Aston Villa related events from history – mostly matches between Arsenal and Aston Villa, but also including a couple of introductory notes that I think are of historical interest. Hope you find it fun. Tony. ———————————– 2 March 1888: Aston Villa write to five other clubs to propose the …
Read More “Arsenal v Aston Villa; the most famous moments in history”
Of course on 26 May the event that catches everyone’s eye still is 1989 and Michael Thomas. Phil Kelso, our first reforming manager won’t get a mention, which is a shame because what he achieved in his four years was remarkable. He took a club that had never got beyond the second round in …
Ralph Guthrie was born in Hartlepool in 13 September 1932 and died September 1996, aged 54. He was a goalkeeper who played twice for Arsenal.. He started out with Tow Law Town and was transferred to Arsenal in December 1952, at a time when the club already had Swindin and Kelsey on its books as …
Read More “Ralph Guthrie: he played twice in goal for Arsenal in 1954”
By Tony Attwood How can one friendly match from the early 20th century against Tottenham be singled out as being of special significance? I’ll try and explain. The match in question was on 24 May 1919, and the fact that it took place tells us a lot about the events of the era, and suggests …
Read More “Arsenal v Tottenham; when friendship broke out on 24 May”
Today 23 May is the anniversary of the great step forwards: Arsenal’s move towards professionalism. It was this move which ultimately caused the differences of opinion in the club (to put it mildly) which started out as a debate on professionalism, and ended as outright class war. In the midst of it all the landlord …
Read More “The moment that changed it all: Arsenal looked towards professionalism”
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Jack Lambert. His name is not widely remembered beyond those who study Arsenal’s history but his story of endurance in the face of early rejection, and his utterly brilliant achievements really should have a wider audience in my view. The story of Jack Lambert was carried on …
These details are taken from the Arsenal Anniversary files that include around 5000 such events taken from across Arsenal’s entire history. The complete Arsenal on this day index is now here and the files for May and June have recently been fully updated. Work is continuing all the time on the data, and when completed …
Read More “20 May Arsenal events: from the king’s funeral to the cup double”
