AISA Arsenal History Society: preserving Arsenal's heritage
By Tony Attwood 10 consecutive league games without a win. In eight of those games Arsenal failed to score. In the other two games Arsenal got one goal, in each. It wasn’t Arsenal’s worst ever run – that was in 1977 and was 11 without a win, including seven consecutive defeats under Terry Neill. But …
Read More “1987 – the trophy, the awful games, the modest signings”
Jackie Henderson – the key dates 17 January 1932: Jackie Henderson born 6 May 1953: Jackie Henderson’s first international cap 3 October 1958: Jackie Henderson signed from Wolverhampton for £17,500 4 October 1958: One day after signing Jackie Henderson makes his Arsenal debut v WBA where he scored twice as Arsenal beat WBA 4–3 at …
Read More “Jackie Henderson: the Arsenal man who moved to my village”
16 January 1976 Gavin McGowan born in Blackheath 6 May 1993: Sheffield W 1 Arsenal 0. First game for Gavin McGowan and Scott Marshall – the last in a run of five without a win. ? May 1994: Gavin played in the FA Youth Cup final v Millwall held over two legs Arsenal winning 5-3 overall. 21 …
Read More “Gavin McGowan. One of the talents defeated by injury”
Matthew Thomas Martin Connolly was born on 24 September 1987 in Barnet, and joined Arsenal Academy, graduating through the academy teams, becoming captain of the senior academy team, and then moving into the League Cup team for whom he played on 24 October 2006, in the match against West Brom. Having made his breakthrough on 23 November …
Read More “Matthew Connolly: Arsenal academy man who won the Championship 3 times.”
Today’s stories from the Arsenal Anniversary Files 27 December 1902: Arsenal start their record breaking 10 match unbeaten run with 5-1 home defeat of Burnley 27 December 1904, Nottingham Forest (away). One of five games in eight days. We won two of the five including this one (0-3) but lost our next three without scoring a goal, …
Read More “27 December: from the man who saved the stadium to the man who saved the season”
By Tony Attwood Albert Sigurður Guðmundsson is said to have been the first ever Icelandic professional footballer, and he included in his varied footballing career a couple of league games for Arsenal, as well as playing in France and Italy. He was born on 5 October 1923 and is first found playing for Valurootball Club of …
Read More “The Arsenal player who became Minister of Finance and stood for President”
By Tony Attwood The fact that we know so little about Henry Edward King is an absolute tragedy of overwhelming proportions. For he was a true hero of Arsenal, scoring 26 goals in 37 league games in one season. He also scored the first ever hat trick at Highbury on 14 November 1914 and undoubtedly …
Read More “Harry King – our greatest hat trick scorer of them all”
23 December 2000 Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0 By Tony Attwood There is a tendency in the season 2014/15 to imagine that when the great players of the Invincibles era played together, Arsenal always won, or at the very least, did well. Put out a team including Henry, Bergkamp, Vieira, Dixon, Keown, Parlour, Ljungberg, then even if …
Read More “When Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira played we could still lose 4-0”
9 April 2004: Arsenal come back from 2-1 down to beat Liverpool 4-2 in the 31st league game of the unbeaten season. Henry scores a hat trick It was the moment when all the press turned out in order to knock Arsenal and their “pretentiousness” of thinking they could win the league without …
Read More “The Unbeaten Season: Henry hat trick destroys Liverpool”
Laurie Brown – one of the few players who played for Arsenal and Tottenham, and indeed surely the only player who signed for Tottenham from Arsenal and then played for Tottenham against Arsenal the next day. Plus a player who played in two of the most memorable Arsenal – Tottenham matches of the 1960s. So, …
Read More “From Arsenal to playing for Tottenham v Arsenal, in one day.”
By Tony Attwood The trouble with looking into the lives of players no longer with us is that quite often you find the same story in several places, but with no source and no verification, repeated on site after site. And just because it is there, does not make it true. So we have …
Read More “George Curtis: the Arsenal player who managed Norway”
Don Roper: the key dates… 14 December 1922 Don Roper born in Botey, Hampshire 11 August 1947: Dan Roper signs from Southampton (See background article here) 23 August 1947: League Debut for Archie Macauley and Don Roper. Arsenal 3 Sunderland 1. 4 September 1956: Final Arsenal match for Don Roper 8 January 1957: Don Roper …
David Nelson: the vital dates… 3 February 1918 David Nelson born, Douglas Water, Scotland ?May 1936: David Nelson joins Arsenal (exact date unknown) 28 December 1936: David Nelson’s first game, a 3-1 win over Preston 9 November 1946: David Nelson last match Preston 2 Arsenal 0 12 December 1946: David Nelson and Cyril Grant to …
Read More “David Nelson, an Arsenal career interrupted by war”
Here are the key dates for Alex Mackie’s footballing career 23 February 1903: John Mackie born in Co Antrim 10 February 1922: John Mackie signed from Forth River Belfast and the infamous monkey incident 9 December 1922: First league game for John Mackie 14 April 1923: Mackie plays his first international for Ireland against Wales …
Read More “Ending the story about Alex Mackie – the man who didn’t demand a monkey for signing on.”
9 November 1886: Chris Buckley born in Manchester, quoted in some sources as 1888. 22 May 1914: Christopher Buckley signed 1 September 1914 first game for Frank Bradshaw and Christopher Buckley (a 3-1 home win over Glossop) 5 January 1974: Christopher Buckley died. Also quoted in some places as 11 January. Christopher Sebastian Buckley was born in Urmstone, …
Read More “Chris Buckley: the Arsenal player who became Villa chairman”
Here are the key dates… 17 May 1901 Thomas Briercliffe signed from Stalybridge Rovers 2 September 1901: First appearance for Thomas Briercliffe in a home win against Burnley 15 April 1905: Last game for Thomas Briercliffe Tommy Briercliffe was born in Chorley, Lancashire in 1874, and played for St Luke’s Whealton, Clitheroe, Blackburn Rovers, Stalybridge …
Read More “Tommy Briercliffe: part of the team that won promotion”
This is the second part of the report on the George Davie case and how it was reported. Part one, which deals with Davie and his contract can be found here. The George Davie legal case of 1893 im which the player sued Royal Arsenal in order to get his salary paid during a lay …
Read More “Football consumes twice as much as the royal family. The view from 1893.”
By Tony Attwood If you think about the key changes to players’ contract law across the years you’ll think about George Eastham and how in 1963 he brought about the end of the long running “retain and transfer system” through going on strike until he pushed through his transfer to Arsenal, with the court finally …
It is a varied mix for 22 November at Arsenal including a change of name from our fourth name (The Arsenal) to the fifth (Arsenal) 22 November 1899: Alexander Main signed from Hibs 22 November 1913: Last senior game for Roddy McEachrane 22 November 1913: Last senior game for Joseph Fidler 22 November 1919: Programme for Arsenal versus …
Publication of articles here has been a little erratic of late as I have been resident in Australia – and thus without many of the reference books that I like to check with on writing a piece. However as I am leaving today for the 36 hour trip via ferry, train, plane, plane and car, …
Read More “From the first Tottenham game to bad Novembers in the league.”
Here are the Trevor Ross dates… 16 January 1957: Trevor Ross born, the son of William, who played for Bradford City. 15 June 1974: Trevor Ross signed as a professional for Arsenal, having joined as a schoolboy in May 1972 2 October 1974: Testimonial match v Reading gives O’Leary, Ross and Rostron first games 1 February …
Read More “Trevor Ross: tough player, nice guy (but don’t get on the wrong side of him).”
Edward Patrick Kelly was born 7 February 7 1951 in Glasgow. He played for Possilpark Depot (or Possilpark YMCA depending on who you listen to), and went straight to Arsenal as an apprentice in July 1966 where he found a growing group of Scottish players including Ian Ure, Frank McLintock and George Graham. He turned professional in February 1967. …
Read More “Eddie Kelly: from Europe and the Double to Torquay”
By Tony Attwood Paul Charles Merson was born in Harlesdon in the London Borough of Brent, on 20 March 1968 and played 289 league matches for Arsenal , plus 29 FA cup matches, and 38 League Cup matches, plus 22 European games in the various cups. It is strange to think that while I was …
4 May 2003 It was a day to remember. Arsenal needed to beat lowly Leeds to still have a chance of winning the league, and getting another Double. Victory would not have given Arsenal the title, but at the time of the match it would have kept our hopes alive. Likewise defeat for Leeds …
Read More “4 May 2003. The lesson of reading too much into a single game”
Approaching the Swansea by Arsenal game this is what we find… Swansea City Swansea have won just one of their last seven Premier League games, drawing three and losing three. But only Chelsea and Southampton have earned more points at home than Swansea’s 10 before this weekend’s game. Swansea only averaged 33% ball possession against …
