Month: June 2020

It was the research that was undertaken for the writing of the book “Woolwich Arsenal, the club that changed football” that revealed the previously lost story of Royal Arsenal splitting in two, over a dispute as to who should run the club and whether players should be paid. From its earliest days the club had …

Read More “When Arsenal split into two clubs…”

That first Emery signing was not an event to rouse excitement among supporters or the media – it was Stephan Lichtsteiner.  He left Arsenal after one year having played 14 times for the club, and moved on to Augsburg, where he has since played 17 games. This is also the anniversary of an event which …

Read More “The anniversary of Unai Emery’s first Arsenal signing”

Back in 2013 I wrote an article on this web site with the title “The very strange story of Alex Manninger“.  I think of that today as it was on this day in 1997 that the goal keeper joined Arsenal. You can read the “very strange story” via the link above, but what happened to …

Read More “Whatever happened to Alex Manninger?”

As we are now in a time when football is rarely played (2020 being an exception as the Premier League prepares to restart) we find the anniversary files dominated by administrative changes and international matches.  Penalties were created on this day in 1891 to stop rugby style pushing at free kicks awarded close to the …

Read More “When English referees decided only they knew how to handle a match”

On this day in 1953 the great Alex James – the genius creative midfielder of the great Arsenal teams of the 1930s – passed away.  But apart from his magnificence on the football pitch, Alex was also known for being mentioned in a 1934 popular song by Stanley Holloway, “With her head tucked underneath her …

Read More “When Alex James was celebrated in a music hall song… (recording included)”