AISA Arsenal History Society: preserving Arsenal's heritage
Editor’s note: on 31 May I’m taking a short holiday, and so won’t be tending the site. I’ll be back shortly. Woolwich Arsenal was born in 1891, and after two years of playing friendlies against those who ignored the FA ban on playing them, they were admitted to the Football League to play their first …
Sam Hollis was not actually Arsenal’s manager but was Woolwich Arsenal’s trainer between 1894 and 1897. He was born in Nottingham in 1866 (exact date not recorded) and died on 17 April 1942 in Bristol where he subsequently spent much of his working life. He had worked for the government in the Probate Office and then …
Read More “Arsenal’s earliest quasi-managers: Sam Hollis and Bill Parr”
Thomas Brown Mitchell Manager of Woolwich Arsenal 1897 – 1898 Thomas Brown Mitchell was Arsenal’s first professional manager (although not the club’s first “manager” in the modern sense of the word) and the first of two managers who only lasted one year joining the club in 1897. Thomas Mitchell was a Doonhamer – that is …
Read More “Thomas Brown Mitchell: Arsenal’s first professional manager”
George Elcoat who is referred to in many Arsenal history books as a manager of Woolwich Arsenal, was in fact nothing of the kind. The manager in question was in fact his brother William Elcoat. I must admit we too fell into the trap initially of getting the names confused, following what others had written …
Read More “George Elcoat: the last of the one-year managers”
by Tony Attwood Henry “Harry” Bradshaw was Arsenal’s first successful manager. There are two totally contradictory stories about Harry Bradshaw before he came to Woolwich Arsenal, in circulation. One was that he was an ex-Burnley player who was invited to become Arsenal’s manager, and the other was that he was Burnley’s manager who left the …
Read More “Arsenal get their first ever successful manager: Harry Bradshaw”
Phil Kelso (26 May 1871 – 13 February 1935), was born near the Firth of Clyde he was part of Arsenal’s early Scottish tradition, as befits a club set up by the Scottish employees of the armaments factory. Although now forgotten at Arsenal he was one of the great innovators, paving the way for the …
Read More “Arsenal’s managers. So what did Phil Kelso do for us?”
As we sit around in 2010 waiting and watching and wondering if Fabregas and Merida are really buzzing off to Spain, 100 years ago to the day those who cared about Woolwich Arsenal wondered about the ownership of the whole club. There was no official announcement anywhere that Norris had now actually taken the club …
Read More “Norris finally takes over Arsenal – but the future is still unclear”
20th May 1910 the funeral of the King. You’d expect that it was a solemn day with everyone paying their respects. Like hell it was. What actually happened was that the pubs were open all day (no licensing laws at this time – they were brought in around the time of the First World War …
Read More “We’re waiting for Arsenal’s future to be resolved, and then once again everything stops.”
So on 18th May 1910 Woolwich Arsenal’s board met the Football League, at the Imperial Hotel in central London, with a view to explaining if the club could go forward for next season. The League were anxious to know because they wanted to settle down and draw up the fixtures for the coming season. Chelsea …
On Wednesday 18th May 1910 the board of Woolwich Arsenal FC turned up at the Imperial Hotel to see the Football League, and to explain whether they would be able to fulfil their fixtures in the 1910/1911 season. Also there were Henry Norris, chairman of Fulham, and two of his fellow directors, plus of course …
Read More “Arsenal saved from financial ruin with minutes to spare”
The days between 13th and 16th May, 1910 were a poker game as far as Woolwich Arsenal were concerned. The club had gone into administration. A new club (Arsenal Football and Athletic Club) had been formed and the shares had gone on sale, but the requisite number had not been sold. As with today, shares …
Read More “Tottenham and Chelsea show an interest in buying Arsenal”
By Tony Attwood 100 years ago, it was not looking good. May 11th – Leavey, the major shareholder in Woolwich Arsenal, admits he has not got enough local people to buy shares, and now must find others from outside the area to buy, or else put the club into administration. May 12th – In a …
William Garbutt – Arsenal’s original Herbert Chapman Tony Attwood Genoa Athletics and Cricket club was formed in 1893 with the football team being added in 1897. James Spensley, a doctor, goalkeeper and later an active member of the scout movement, took over the club and they became champions in six of the first seven seasons. …
Read More “The Woolwich Arsenal player who transformed Italian football”
By Tony Attwood It may have been the death of the King that did it, it may have been the worry over jobs, or it may have been a reaction to a dreadful season, but whatever the reason, local people failed to buy shares in Woolwich Arsenal FC when it was offered for sale in …
If you were at the Ems on Sunday, and bought a programme, you’ll know that there was an article over three pages about Henry Norris, written by “Highly respected football writer Brian Glanville”. I’m commenting on the piece because his version of events is so different from that which appears day by day on this …
Read More “Arsenal finally remember Norris, but get the facts all mixed up”
So there we were, 100 years ago, with the shares in the new Arsenal Football and Athletic Club on sale, and the existing owners anxious to sell to the local populace, when suddenly… Everything had to stop. On 7th May 1910 King Edward VII, son of Queen Victoria, died. And that meant everything but everything …
In fact in 1910 there were two general elections in the UK – which was rather good because in those days general elections took place over a two week period. The first election was in January and the results were Unionists (in effect the Conservative Party) 272 Liberal 274 Labour 40 Irish 71 All for …
Charlie Buchan was known to be an up and coming footballer in 1910. He was also known to have an independent mind, and to be an educated man, who wanted to train as a teacher. Buchan played some reserve matches for Woolwich Arsenal in 1910 but didn’t settle, undoubtedly because of Arsenal’s financial problems, and …
I can’t be 100% sure about this, because while writing this blog I am not only not at home, I am not even in England, so I am lacking the usual reference materials that are at my disposal as I jot down my thoughts. But I think it is true that for those who feel …
Read More “We should sack Wenger: he’s as bad as Herbert Chapman”
The shares in the club we know as Arsenal went on sale 100 years ago this week – it was the third attempt in 1910 to launch a new club – and the one that was the most serious. The new company being formed to replace the club that was teetering into administration 100 years …
Read More “Shares in Arsenal available now. £1 each. Five for the price of three”
Today’s Sponsor: Gooner Gifts – everything for the real Arsenal fan ——————- May 2010: some Arsenal supporters are expressing discontent. Equally many are very happy with the progress of the team, seeing the progress as reaching a moment of great excitement with so many of the youngsters who joined us six or seven years ago …
Read More “End of season feelings, 100 years ago and today.”
The final results of the 1909/1910 season were in and it was indeed Chelsea who went down from the first division. They had simply run out of games while in the final week others were finishing off their unplayed matches. It finished… 18th Woolwich Arsenal 31 points 19th Chelsea 29 points 20th Bolton Wanderers 24 …
Read More “Chelsea relegated, but Arsenal’s future remains in doubt”
