AISA Arsenal History Society: preserving Arsenal's heritage
By Tony Attwood On 10 March 1919 The Arsenal were elected to the First Division of the Football League. Arsenal has been in the top division ever since. We have dealt with this issue of Arsenal’s election at great length many times – the most comprehensive article being Andy Kelly’s piece which you can find …
Read More “10 March 1919, Arsenal elected. Find the bribery and get the reward”
by Andy Kelly 9th March 1935 saw the top two teams in the First Division play each other at Highbury. Free scoring Arsenal were averaging almost 3 goals per game and going for their third consecutive title. They had just beaten neighbours Tottenham 6-0 at White Hart Lane. Sunderland, although not as potent in front …
By Mark Andrews @royalarsenalMRA Richard Thomas Horsington: 1889-1890 On the anniversary of Royal Arsenal’s defeat in their first London Senior Cup Final on 8th March 1890, we highlight the player whose serious injury at the start of the game unfortunately contributed to their defeat by Old Westminsters 0-1. It is worth mentioning that all the …
Read More “8th March 1890 – Royal Arsenal Players: Richard Horsington, the injury prone businessman”
By Tony Attwood I guess we mostly focus on this site on events from 30 years ago or more, because that is what we are taught history is about. The past, and the further back in the past, the better. But this match in 2012 does need to be remembered, not least for the phenomenal …
Read More “7 March 2012. Arsenal 3 Milan 0. A victory, a defeat”
By Tony Attwood I have a memory as a child being given a copy of Tottenham Hotspur’s last programme of their Double Winning season, which (if my memory is correct, and it was a long time ago) had the headline “An Eventful Season”. If remembered aright, it was a masterpiece of understatement, and I think …
Read More “Tottenham Hotspur 0 Arsenal 6: March 6th 1935. An eventful season”
By Tony Attwood Ask an Arsenal supporter to name Arsenal’s worst ever player and the answer is likely to be Gus Caesar (or Pogus Cassius Caesar as Wikipedia totally erroneously calls him – unless they have changed it, having seen this article). The birth register (dutifully consulted by Andy Kelly of the Arsenal History Society …
By Tony Attwood The Football League confirmed on 1st March 1913 that it would not stop Woolwich Arsenal moving to Highbury, by rejecting the final appeal of Tottenham against the move. So the way was clear for Arsenal to move, and Henry Norris made his first public statement on the matter on 4th March 1913 …
Read More “Why Arsenal should celebrate March 4th as HIGHBURY DAY”
By Tony Attwood Our one recent encounter with Birmingham in the league cup final, is not only not one to remember, it is also one that has nothing to do with March 3rd – so we’ll move on. Because Birmingham on March 3rd has an importance of its own. March 3rd 1906 Woolwich Arsenal 5 …
Read More “March 3: beating Birmingham, losing to Birmingham; worst runs without trophies”
By Tony Attwood The season 1998/9 ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal one place and one point behind. It was a season in which part of the new order began to be established, with Manchester City gaining promotion from the second division (ie level 3) to the first division (level 2) by coming …
Read More “2 March 2000. Arsenal 5 Deportivo la Coruña 1, but sadness was to come”
By Tony Attwood Continuing with the events of 100 years ago, to the day, I noted previously that no sooner had the story come out in the press that Arsenal were moving to Highbury, than Tottenham Hotspur and Clapton Orient went to the management committee of the Football League, demanding action. But as the League …
Read More “1 March 1913: Woolwich Arsenal defeat Tottenham without a ball being kicked”
By Tony Attwood If you are a regular reader you will know that the Arsenal History Society has managed to influence Arsenal FC occasionally. The two biggest such influences being the Arsenal Uncovered series that we provided for the club programme last season, to mark 125 years of Arsenal’s history, and the Arsenal statues. The …
By Tony Attwood Albert Beasley, known as Pat, was one of Chapman’s signings, as he worked on creating his perfect team. Here is an analysis of the number 11 slot during the Chapman reign 25/6 26/7 27/8 28/9 29/30 30/31 31/32 32/3 33/4 Haden 25 14 Toner 2 Lawson 5 Hulme 7 Voysey 1 Paterson …
Read More “Pat Beasley – one of Chapman’s signings – died 27 February 1986”
The idea behind the Arsenal Anniversary Files is to give us something to celebrate or remember with affection, each day of the year. The file is being compiled on a daily basis, as we move through the year, and the whole file can be seen on the link above. Sometimes when we reach a date …
Read More “The Anniversary Files – Arsenal’s history day by day”
by Andy Kelly Having turned professional in 1891, Royal Arsenal organised a number of high-profile friendlies against the big clubs from the north and Midlands. They also, contrary to popular belief, continued to play friendlies against clubs from London and the south. The friendlies proved to be lucrative for Royal Arsenal but the committee knew …
Read More “24 February 1892: Arsenal attempt to form the Southern League”
By Tony Attwood One hundred years ago today, on 23 February 1913, Tottenham Hotspur went on the attack, demanding that the Management Committee of the Football League state that Woolwich Arsenal could not move to Highbury. The story of Woolwich Arsenal’s move to Highbury had broken in the press on the day before (for details …
By Tony Attwood 100 Years Ago Today 22 February 1913. Gillespie Road (later re-named “Highbury”) named in the press for the first time as the site of the new ground. Yes, today is the 100th anniversary of the naming of what became known as the Gillespie Road ground (and later “Highbury”) in the press …
Read More “22 February 1913 – Gillespie Rd named as new Arsenal stadium”
By: Mark Andrews @royalarsenalmra H Simmons – The one armed reserve As part of the research into the new book we have uncovered previously unknown, unheard of and some strange events and people. Here is the first player’s story. We have included H Simmons for one major and quite incredible reason, despite him never …
Read More “Royal Arsenal Players: H Simmons, the one armed reserve”
We have already presented quite a lot of the George Graham story, particularly in “George Graham: Arsenal’s second most successful manager” which includes details of his dismissal which occurred on this day in 1995. But this site does more than record anniversaries. There are many other special sections, but the most important, and the one …
Read More “George Graham relieved of his duties; 21 February 1995”
By Tony Attwood Bobby was first spotted in 1931, playing for local club a Fife team called Bowhill Rovers. He moved on to St Bernards in Edinburgh, who, according to the site St Johnston Legends was thought to be “the next Alex James”. In March 1933 Saint Johnston bought him, although local commentaries noted he …
Read More “Bobby Davidson’s first match for Arsenal 20 February 1935”
By Tony Attwood On February 18th 1987 Tony Adams made his international debut for England in a 4-2 win over Spain. He was the first player to be born after England’s one and only world up victory in 1966 who played for England. We already have, as you would anticipate, an article on Tony Adams …
Read More “Tony Adams, and the building of the famous back four”
By Tony Attwood I sometimes think that many of the fans who moan about the current (2013) state of Arsenal, and make their comments about “the worst Arsenal team ever” have no concept of history at all. Perhaps because I have lived there and been through them, any new ones that come along are less …
Read More “Remembering Arsenal disasters – cup shocks are more common than you might think”
Mark Andrews – @royalarsenalmra As part of the ongoing research into our next book in the next few months we will be producing a series of historiographies and reviews of issues and books that have been written about Arsenal in their early years. Among the items covered will be: What kit the club wore in their …
Read More “Royal Arsenal : Foundations – Ta ra ra Boom de ay The Arsenal’s Won Today”
By Tony Attwood Dan Lewis has been mentioned on this site quite a few times, but hasn’t had his own article thus far. The reason for this is that prior to Herbert Chapman’s arrival at the club, Knighton (our previous manager) had been using Jock Robson in goal with Dan Lewis as reserve keeper. Now …
Read More “Daniel Lewis: the goalkeeper who lasted from Knighton to Chapman”
By Tony Attwood Of course I don’t have to say which Liam – even if we had had several first team players called Liam, there would only be one Liam Brady. Liam was born in Dublin on this day, and joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1971 aged 15. His first game was on 6 …
Laurie Scott was born on 23rd April 1917 in Sheffield, and was signed by George Allison for Arsenal from his first club, Bradford City, on 12th February 1937. Arsenal quickly changed him from being a winger to being a right back, and played in the reserves for two years, until the outbreak of war. He …
Read More ““Laurie” Scott; signed by Arsenal on 12 Feb 1937″
