AISA Arsenal History Society: preserving Arsenal's heritage
It would be great to report that the new Arsenal – the Arsenal that became the club we know and love today, was launched with a huge fanfare, wild parties in the streets, dancing on the lawn and the rest. But it wasn’t. Saturday 30th April 1910 was the final day of the football season …
Read More “30 April 1910: the day the new Arsenal is launched”
If you have read the book, “Making the Arsenal” you might recall that just after Woolwich Arsenal’s season ends Henry Norris’ house was burgled. The story then goes on to describe who entered the house, what they found, and the insight that it gives into Norris’ life and his political ambitions. The novel is of …
Read More “Henry Norris’ house burgled: at least it says so in the book”
In fact everyone was looking to the heavens 100 years ago today, because Haley’s Comet was in the skies, and so bright that it could be seen all day as well as being the dominant object through the night – brighter even than the full moon. The Earth in fact, was moving in an orbit …
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With one more saturday of the season to go, but no game to play, Woolwich Arsenal could watch the rest of the world of football, and look at the shambles of their own finances, and wonder. In the league itself, Bolton Wanderers were already relegated, and Aston Villa had won the title. At the bottom …
Read More “Arsenal prepare for the close season in fear and trepidation”
23 April 1910 was a curious date for Woolwich Arsenal. It was their last game of the season – one week ahead of most other clubs. The one issue of interest to Arsenal had been settled a week earlier – they were not going to be relegated, and so this match hardly mattered an inch. …
Read More “23rd April 1910. Arsenal safe, but not covered in honour”
Today’s Sponsor: “Making the Arsenal” – the most original book on Arsenal FC ever. . Today if an Arsenal supporter ever does think of Preston North End, it might be in the knowledge that they were the first Invincibles – unbeaten in the very first season of league football. With the black and white 19th …
With the draw at Tottenham in the penultimate game at season, Woolwich Arsenal were safe for one more season. The crowd at Tottenham had finally been published at 39,900, although the feeling was that it was probably much higher. Either way the figure was a record for Tottenham, and revealed that the near London clubs …
Read More “Arsenal safe: but now the real worry. Will they survive the summer?”
The first ever Tottenham v Arsenal match at the White Hart Lane ground ended 1-1, 100 years ago. With that result Woolwich Arsenal were safe for another season – although it had hardly been a classic year. The result also meant that Tottenham were probably safe, but that was dependent on the results in …
By Tony Attwood As a youngster I lived just off White Hart Lane, on Devonshire Hill Lane. If you are not familiar with the area, let me explain. The two Lanes meander, going through sudden 90 degree turns for no apparent reason while roads of different names suddenly take over straight ahead. At one point …
As we build up to Tottenham v Arsenal in 2010, so 100 years ago fans were getting ready for the first ever Tottenham v Arsenal league game at Tottenham, played on 15 April 1910. The importance of the match could not be overplayed. A draw for Arsenal would see them more or less safe in …
Read More “What’s Woolwich like: thinking back to our origins”
Woolwich Arsenal 1, Aston Villa 0. Played early monday evening, in front of a crowd of just 8000. And certain sectors of the footballing establishment went beserk. If you have read the report of the game from two days before when Woolwich Arsenal drew with low-lying Bury, you’ll know that it left the table looking …
Read More “11th April 1910. The football world cries “cheat” as Arsenal beat the champions”
Woolwich Arsenal 0 Bury 0 changed the picture at the foot of the table. Bury……………………… Played 34 Points 29 Middlesbrough……… Played 34 Points 28 Woolwich Arsenal…….Played35 Points 28 Tottenham Hotspur…..Played 34 Points 27 Bristol City………………Played 34 Points 27 —————————————————————- Chelsea……………………Played 35 Points 27 Bolton Wanderers……..Played 35 Points 22 . Total number of games to be …
Read More “April 9th, 1910. Arsenal teetering on the edge 100 years ago”
100 years ago to the day, Arsenal revealed just how much money was needed to buy the club and pay off the debts in an honourable fashion (rather than go into administration and leave everyone out of pocket – in the style that Leeds did a few years back). Arsenal’s debt was clocked in at …
Tottenham Hotspur: the dark history How an underhand strategy and a desire to rewrite history has transformed how people think about football in London. To begin, somewhere near the start, and take you into an interesting world of politics and sport unlike anything you’d see today in football, poker online or any professional sport… In …
100 years ago we were desperate to get out of relegation trouble. The club had looked doomed in March 1910, but then a victory away at Chelsea on Bank Holiday Monday, and a draw at Bristol City (two other clubs near the bottom) made it possible for us to get out. Next up was Bury. …
Read More “As Woolwich Arsenal try to escape relegation we meet Bury”
. On 2nd April 2010 Woolwich Arsenal went to Bristol, to play City, and came back with a 1-0 victory. McGibbon, the hero of the previous weekend (which was Easter, 100 years back) was not playing, presumably with an injury picked up at Chelsea. The goal was scored by Lawrence, the inside left, playing number …
Read More “100 years ago we also won 1-0, but we were after something very different”
Bristol City away So having given ourselves a lifeline by beating Chelsea away, and with just a handful of games to go, Woolwich Arsenal had to take on Bristol City. As an away trip this was a rarity since leaving aside the two London clubs Arsenal’s away games were long distance affairs to the north. …
Charles Edward McGibbon was a sergeant with the Royal Engineers who played football for Royal Artillery, and then signed for Woolwich Arsenal. However he couldn’t get into the first team so went on loan to Eltham and then to New Brompton (now Gillingham) of the Southern League where he became their top scorer. McGibbon then …
Read More “Arsenal’s greatest forgotten hero: the man who saved our club”
28th March 1910. 100 years ago. On that day Woolwich Arsenal played Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. I don’t think anyone had invented the phrase “four pointer” at that time, but that is exactly what it was. Chelsea had had a good Easter programme and had pulled ahead of Woolwich Arsenal – whose dreadful run had …
Read More “The day the modern Arsenal was born – and the club doesn’t even know when it was!”
100 years ago London had three Division I clubs – Woolwich Arsenal (who were actually in a small town in Kent), Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. All three were having a tough time of it, and the only things that were keeping all three from being relegated were a) In those days, only two clubs went …
Read More “London football in crisis: but only two can go down. Chelsea v Arsenal 1910.”
. On Thursday March 24th 1910, Woolwich Arsenal players travelled 285 miles to Newcastle on Tyne. On Friday March 25th 1910 (Good Friday), they played Newcastle and drew 1-1 That same day they took a train back to London – another 285 miles. On Saturday March 26th 1910, the self same players (with just one …
Read More “285 miles and a match on friday; defeat on saturday”
. The Wednesday, whom Woolwich Arsenal played on Easter Saturday, 1910, came out of The Wednesday Cricket Club – a club which, as we can all guess, played cricket on a Wednesday. They turned to football to have something to do in the winter. They predated the Arsenal by 19 years – although they started …
. And guess what – we drew 1-1 in front of a crowd of 20,000. Wholly unexpected, but a point is a point, (especially in the days of only two points for a win) and it kept us out of the relegation zone. As I mentioned before, Woolwich Arsenal had to play on Good Friday …
Just about the longest journey that there was in football took place 100 years ago today, as Woolwich Arsenal set out from Kent, into London, across London, and then on the train to Newcastle. Arsenal v Newcastle in the FA Cup semi final 1906 Newcastle United started out in 1881, as a spin off of …
Easter 100 years ago ran from 25th March (Good Friday) through to 28th March (Easter Monday). Nothing spectacular there you might say, and I would thoroughly agree with you, save for the fact of the fixture list. For Woolwich Arsenal it read… 25th March – Newcastle United away 26th March – The Wednesday home 28th March …
Read More “Three matches in four days: what would today’s players say to that”
