A Brief History of Arsenal Football Club

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Arsenal began as a works team for the Woolwich Armaments. They were founded in 1886 as Dial Square. The name soon became Woolwich Arsenal and they played their first match at Plumstead Common. They soon joined the old Second Division playing regularly against professional clubs.

The problem with South London was that it was difficult to get to; attendances were therefore low. After short spell in the First Division their lack of attendances (and consequent lack of money) meant that they had mediocre players. By 1913 they were back struggling in the Second Division. There would be three turning points in the history of the club that would transform them into one of the most famous in the world.

The first turning point was the move to North London.

The club chairman wanted to merge Woolwich Arsenal with Fulham but that plan fell through. So a ground was found near a theological college in Highbury not far from Gillespie Road Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. Access was good from all parts of London, and the area was residential thus supplying supporters. Tottenham Hotspur, four miles away, objected to the move but were over-ruled; the South London club maintaining that there was enough potential support for both clubs.

In 1915 the move was completed and the club dropped the Woolwich from its name to become Arsenal. However, it was still an average Second Division team. In 1919 Arsenal won election to the First Division when it was expanded to 22 clubs. This was the second turning point in Arsenal's history. Since this election was at the expense of neighbours Tottenham, this set the enmity between the two clubs that lasts to this day.
The 1920s saw Arsenal as an average First Division club usually finishing in the middle of the table. The third turning point in Arsenal's history occurred when Herbert Chapman was appointed manager. He had made Huddersfield Town the dominant team in the 20s.

Highbury was the platform he needed to try out his new ideas. He took Arsenal to 2nd in the First Division in 1926 and to the FA Cup Final in 1927. They lost 0 - 1 to Cardiff City (the only time that the FA Cup has gone out of England). This was still the best that Arsenal had done so far in their history.

It was during the 1930s that Arsenal became a football force. Chapman built a new stadium complete with marble halls, set up under-soil heating so that matches could be played in all weathers, set up the best medical facilities in the country to treat players, and began youth schemes to train young players. His proposals to number shirts and have floodlights were rejected by the football authorities. His innovations showed he was a man ahead of his time. Tactically, Chapman was astute enough to attack the weaknesses of other teams while playing to Arsenal's strengths. Outside of football, Chapman, had the tube station's name changed to Arsenal. Chapman made Arsenal the most successful and richest club in the country. Everybody wanted to beat them.

In 1930 Arsenal won their first trophy, the FA Cup, beating Chapman's old club, Huddersfield Town, 2 - 0. In 1931, Arsenal became the first London club to win the First Division Championship. They set up a new points total which was not bettered for 30 years. In 1932, Arsenal almost became the first club this Century to win both the FA Cup and the League. They finished 2nd in both, losing the FA Cup Final 1 - 2 to Newcastle United. In 1933, 1934, 1935 Arsenal were Champions, one of only three clubs to win three consecutive Championships. They had their upsets however: in 1933 they lost a cup game to Walsall of the old Third Division, a team that cost less than Arsenal's boots. Chapman died during this period, but he is considered to have been the first modern football manager. In 1934, England played an international game with seven Arsenal players, still a record. 1936 saw a second FA Cup win (1 - 0 against Sheffield United). During that season, Ted Drake set a record by scoring 7 goals in an away game at Aston Villa. A fourth Championship was captured in 1938 before World War II stopped competitive football for six years.

In 1947, professional football resumed but the ravages of war left Arsenal weaker. They were almost relegated from the top division. They rallied in 1948 leading from start to finish to capture their fifth Championship. Towards the end of that season, a match against second placed Manchester United attracted over 82,000 people. That remains the highest ever attendance for a league game in England.

1950 saw a third FA Cup win (2 - 0 against Liverpool). Arsenal won the Cup without leaving London. They were back at Wembley in 1952 but lost 0 - 1 to Newcastle United after an injury. This was in the days before substitutes were allowed. In 1953, a win in the final match gave Arsenal their 7th Championship, then a record. They finished equal on points to Preston North End but had scored more goals!

The next 17 years were barren for Arsenal followers. The lack of trophies was made worse by the fact that Tottenham had their golden period between 1960 and 1967. During those years Tottenham became the first club this century to win the FA Cup and League in the same season (1961), retained the Cup in 1962, became the first English club to win one of the new European trophies (1963), and won the FA Cup again in 1967.
In 1961 the League Cup had started. Arsenal reached the final of this trophy (called the Micky Mouse Cup by some!) in 1968 but lost 0 - 1 to Leeds United. A year later they returned to the final and faced Third Division Swindon Town. Arsenal were hot favourites. In fact they lost 1 - 3 after extra time. A flu virus was partially blamed but this was Arsenal's lowest point in recent times. Little did they know that it was to be the beginning of a new golden age.

Although they'd won nothing, Arsenal had finished high enough in the League to qualify for the one of the European competitions that had began during the late 1950s. In the end they won the European Fairs Cup by beating one of Belgium's best sides, Anderlecht, over two games. Arsenal lost 1 - 3 in Belgium but a packed Highbury saw their team win 3 - 0 to take their first trophy for 17 years.

1971 was a classic year for Arsenal. One Monday in May, thousands were locked out of Tottenham's ground as Arsenal won 1 - 0 in the final League game of the season. This result allowed Arsenal to overhaul Leeds United and take their eighth Championship. Five days later they came from behind to beat Liverpool 2 - 1 in the FA Cup Final to become only the second club this Century to 'do the double'. A year later, Arsenal returned to Wembley but lost 0 - 1 to a Leeds United side looking for revenge.

Arsenal reached the FA Cup Final in three consecutive years during the 70s, the first time a club had done so this Century. The first Final was lost 0 - 1 to Ipswich Town, the second won 3 - 2 against Manchester United, the third lost 0 - 1 to West Ham United after a gruelling four match semi-final against Liverpool.

Most disappointing of all was what happened after the 1980 Final. Arsenal had also reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup, another European competition. The game was against the Spanish club, Valencia. It ended 0 - 0 after extra time and Arsenal lost on penalties.
The early 80s were quiet. In 1986 George Graham became manager of Arsenal. He turned out to be Arsenal's most successful manager. In 1987, Arsenal finally won the League Cup (by this time called the Littlewoods Cup). They beat old rivals Tottenham in the semi-final, and came from behind to take the final 2 - 1 against Liverpool. 1988 saw Arsenal squander a 2 - 1 lead to lose 3 - 2 against Luton Town.

In 1989, Arsenal went to Liverpool for the final game of the season needing to win by two clear goals to be Champions. Leading by only a goal, as Liverpool began to celebrate, Arsenal scored a last minute goal to win 2 - 0 and snatch the Championship from under the noses of the Liverpool supporters.

Two years later (1991), Arsenal lost only one League game (a record for the 20th Century) to take their 10th Championship with a frustrated Liverpool finishing second. Only Liverpool have the won the Championship more times.

In 1993 Arsenal completed a unique cup double by becoming the only club to win the League Cup (now called the Coca Cola Cup) and the FA Cup in one season. They won both finals by 2 - 1 against Sheffield Wednesday, the winning goal in the FA Cup coming in the last minute of extra time. Their appearance in 12 FA Cup Finals was a record.

1994 saw Arsenal win their second European trophy, beating the Italian club Parma, 1 - 0 in Copenhagan. They reached the 1995 final only to lose 1 - 2 to a last minute goal against Real Zaragosa. By this time George Graham had left under a cloud.

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Arsene Wenger became Arsenal's first foreign manager in 1996. In 1998, Arsenal completed the double for the second time in their history. Coming from 12 points behind, Arsenal won ten games on the trot to beat Manchester United to the championship. In the FA Cup final Arsenal beat Newcastle United by 2 - 0.

The following year they finished second in the League and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup.

In 2000 Arsenal again finished second in the League and reached the final of the UEFA Cup. They lost on penalties to the Turkish club, Galatasaray after a 0 - 0 draw. A year later they finished second in the League for the third year running and played in the FA Cup final in Cardiff, losing to Liverpool, 1 - 2.

In 2002 Arsenal returned to Cardiff to win the FA Cup 2 - 0 against Chelsea. A few days later a 1 - 0 win at Manchester United gave Arsenal their 12th Championship and their third double. They completed an entire season without losing away, a feat not done since 1889.

They couldn't quite retain the Championship in 2003, finishing second after a promising start. They did retain the FA Cup beating Southampton 1 - 0 in their third successive final.

In the League, Arsenal's 77 consecutive years in the top division is a League record.


The Arsenal Record[/b]

League Champions 1931,1933,1934,1935,1938,1948,
1953,1971,1989,1991,1998,2002,2004

League Runners Up 1926,1932,1973,1999,2000,2001,2003

FA Cup Winners 1930,1936,1950,1971,1979,1993,1998,2002,2003

FA Cup Runners Up 1927,1932,1952,1972,1978,1980,2001

League Cup Winners 1987,1993

League Cup Runners Up 1968,1969,1988

European Fairs Cup Winners 1970

UEFA Cup Runners Up 2000

European Cup Winners Cup Winners 1994

European Cup Winners Cup Runners Up 1980,1995


Arsenal Finals

FA Cup Finals

1927 Cardiff City 0 - 1
1930 Huddersfield Town 2 - 0
1932 Newcastle United 1 - 2
1936 Sheffield United 1 - 0
1950 Liverpool 2 - 0
1952 Newcastle United 0 - 1
1971 Liverpool 2 - 1 aet
1972 Leeds United 0 - 1
1978 Ipswich Town 0 - 1
1979 Manchester United 3 - 2
1980 West Ham United 0 - 1
1993 Sheffield Wednesday 1 - 1 aet
2 - 1 aet
1998 Newcastle United 2 - 0
2001 Liverpool 1 - 2
2002 Chelsea 2 - 0
2003 Southampton 1 - 0

League Cup Finals

1968 Leeds United 0 - 1
1969 Swindon Town 1 - 3 aet
1987 Liverpool 2 - 1
1988 Luton Town 2 - 3
1993 Sheffield Wednesday 2 - 1

European Finals

1970 Fairs Cup Anderlecht (Belgium) A: 1 - 3; H: 3 - 0 (4 - 3 agg)
1980 Cup Winners' Cup Valencia (Spain) 0 - 0 aet; lost on penalties
1994 Cup Winners' Cup Parma (Italy) 1 - 0
1995 Cup Winners' Cup Real Zaragosa (Spain) 1 - 2 aet
2000 UEFA Cup Galatasaray (Turkey) 0 - 0 aet; lost on penalties
2006 Champions League final Barcelona (Spain) 1-2

Other Arsenal Statistics and Records

16 appearances in FA Cup Finals is a record.

9 FA Cup wins is bettered only by Manchester United (10).

One of two clubs to win the League Cup and FA Cup in the same season. The other is Liverpool.

6 European Finals is bettered only by Liverpool (9).

80 consecutive years in the top division . Everton are on 49 years.

Have won the League Championship and FA Cup (The Double) in the same season (three times: 1971, 1998, 2002). The other double winners are Preston North End (1889), Aston Villa (1897), Tottenham Hotspur (1961), Liverpool (1986), and Manchester United (1994, 1996, 1999).

One of four clubs to have won the League Championship three years running (1933, 1934, 1935). The others are Huddersfield Town (1925, 1926, 1927), Liverpool (1982, 1983, 1984) and Manchester United (1999, 2000, 2001).

13 League Championships is bettered only by Liverpool (18) and Manchester United (15).

Arsenal's total of 25 Domestic and European Trophies is bettered only by Liverpool (38) and Manchester United (29) .

External Arsenal Links[/u]


The official Arsenal home page


ArseWeb

Arsenal World

Arsenal-mania

News NOW

[Salem6]

Founded: 1886

Professional: 1891

Former Names:
1886 Dial Square
1886-91 Royal Arsenal
1891-1914 Woolwich Arsenal
1914- Arsenal

Club Nickname: The Gunners

Previous Grounds:
1886 Plumstead Common
1887 Sportsman Ground
1887 Manor Ground
1890-93 Invicta Ground
1893-1913 Manor Ground
1913- Highbury

Ground Capicity: 38,500

Pitch Measurements: 110yd x 73yd

Record Attendance: 73,295 v Sunderland, League
Division 1, 9th March 1935

Record Transfer Paid: 13,000,000 for Sylvain Wiltord from Bordeaux Aug 2000

Record Transfer Received: 23.5m for Nicholas Anelka from Real Madrid, August 1999

League Scoring Record: Ted Drake 42 Division 1, 1934-35




Arsenal were formed in 1886 as Dial Square before becoming Royal Arsenal, Woolwich Arsenal and finally Arsenal. They began playing in South London but eventually moved to their present site in 1913. Arsenal hold the record for unbroken years in the top division having been there since 1919.

The legendary Herbert Chapman brought the glory years to North London during the 1930s when the Gunners won the league championship 5 times and the FA Cup twice and although the 1940s brought more trophies, their finest hour didn't come until 1971 when they became only the fourth team to win the league and FA Cup double, repeating that feat in 1998.



Managers

1996- Arsene Wenger
1995-96 Bruce Rioch
1986-95 George Graham
1984-85 Don Howe
1976-83 Terry Neill
1966-76 Bertie Mee
1962-66 Billy Wright
1958-62 George Swindon
1956-58 Jack Crayston
1947-56 Tom Whittaker
1934-47 George Allison
1925-34 Herbert Chapman
1919-25 Leslie Knighton
1908-15 George Morrell
1904-08 Phil Kelso
1899-04 Harry Bradshaw
1898-99 George Elcoat
1897-98 Tom Mitchell
1894-97 Sam Hollis


Honours

Premier League

Champions
1997-98
2001-02

Runners-up
1998-99
1999-00
2000-01
2002-03

Division 1

Champions
1930-31
1932-33
1933-34
1934-35
1937-38
1947-48
1952-53
1970-71
1988-89
1990-91

Runners-up
1925-26
1931-32
1972-73

Division 2

Runners-up
1903-04

FA Cup

Winners
1930
1936
1950
1971
1979
1993
1998
2002
2003

Runners-up
1927
1932
1952
1972
1978
1980
2001
League Cup

Winners
1987
1993

Runners-up
1968
1969
1988

European Cup-Winners' Cup

Winners
1993-94

Runners-up
1979-80
1994-95

European Fairs Cup

Winners
1969-70

[Salem6]

Written by by Alastair Wood


Tracing back the roots of Arsenal Football club is a somewhat complex task to undertake. The club has taken on many different names and indeed forms and while it came into existent in 1886, it was not until 1893 that it entered the Football League for the first time. However the best place to start the club's history is with a Scotsman named David Danskin in the year 1886. Being a Scotsman, he had no passion for rugby or cricket, the two games played in Woolwich, Kent where his local works were situated. As a result he sought to start a work's football team. As luck would have it, two Nottingham Forest players Fred Beardsley and Morris Bates arrived in Woolwich and they along with Danskin and three friends managed to persuade nine other men to start a club with them.


Their first game was arranged for 11th December 1886, when they would take on a team called Eastern Wanderers. However three problems threatened to undermine the occasion, for the team had no kit, no pitch and in fact no name. On the day they went by the name of one of their workshops (Dial Square) and they found a playing area and suitable attire for the match (which they won 6-0). However they needed long term solutions to these problems and these were shortly found. Beardsley and Bates wrote to Nottingham Forest to see if they could spare any kits for the team and they generously provided a full set of kits for the team. The club decided that Dial Square was not a suitable name for the team and they decided to call themselves The Royal Arsenal. This was later changed to fully reflect the works they were situated at and in 1891 they became Woolwich Arsenal. For a couple of years they played on Plumstead Common before finding a more permanent home at The Manor Ground next to Plumstead station in 1888. Finally, after seven years of playing in junior competitions, in 1893 Woolwich Arsenal were elected to the Football League and started the season in the Second Division.


The next twenty years were fairly unspectacular for Woolwich Arsenal. Despite flirting with promotion on a few occasions, on the whole they were stuck in mid table mediocrity. The only real incident of note was the club moving to Highbury in 1913. But by the time that came around the club was starting to look in financial trouble. Being stuck in the Second Division threatened to send the club into bankruptcy and they needed promotion fast. Luckily the squad of players they had that season looked as if they were going to achieve this, but ultimately they did not quite have enough and finished 5th. However, the footballing world was thrown into chaos with the start of World War One and the League was suspended for five years. By the time the League was ready to restart in 1919 things were not looking good for the club as their debts had worsened dramatically. With certain bankruptcy looming Chairman Sir Henry Norris made one last desperate attempt to get the club into the First Division.


It had been agreed the top flight would expand from 20 to 22 teams from 1919 and Norris was determined to make Arsenal one of the two teams who were included. What made this attempt all the more audacious was the fact that Arsenal, who had come 6th in Division Two before the war had started, had no business being at the meeting in the first place! But whatever Norris did or said it clearly worked as Arsenal were elected into the First Division and to that day they have remained there. In recognition of this the club decided that it should simply be called The Arsenal, the name it also retains today.


The next major milestone in the history of Arsenal was the appointment of Herbert Chapman as the club's manager in 1925. It took Chapman a few years to get things going at the club but Arsenal reached their first ever FA Cup final in 1927 where they lost to Cardiff City 1-0. However they were to return to Wembley in 1930 and this time they defeated Champman's old team Huddersfield Town 2-0 to lift the trophy for the first time. This started a golden period of football for the club, with stars like Bastin, Drake, Jack and James all setting the game alight. The club won the League Title in 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935 and 1938, while they also picked up the FA Cup in 1936. This was despite the tragic death of Chapman in 1934, where he was replaced as manager by George Allison. However his time in charge of the team was interrupted by World War Two and when League football restarted in 1946 he resigned after the first season back and was replaced by Tom Whittaker. This was another successful period for the club as they won the First Division in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950. Sadly tragedy was again to strike the club in 1956 when Whittaker suddenly died. He was replaced by Jack Crayston who took charge of the team until 1958. His replacement George Swinton made a good start to his Highbury career by steering the team to 3rd in the League in his first season in charge at the club. However three seasons stuck in mid table spelled doom for Swinton and he resigned in March 1962. The club's choice of successor was somewhat unusual but was nonetheless popular at the time. Legendary England International Billy Wright took charge at Highbury, in an attempt to bring the glory days back to the club. Sadly if anything the club started to decline further under Wright and after four miserable years in charge the Arsenal board sacked him in 1966. Luckily for the club a far less well known man was about to turn things around for them.


Quite why Arsenal turned to the club's physiotherapist for their next manager is unsure. However it turned out to be an inspired decision as Bertie Mee was to turn the club around. After a couple of average seasons Arsenal started to show their potential by reaching the 1968 and 1969 League Cup finals. Despite losing them both, one of which embarrassingly to Third Division Swindon Town, real improvement in the team was being shown. Then in 1970 the club did the unthinkable by winning the European Fairs Cup (modern day UEFA Cup), beating none other than Ajax on the way to the final where they overcame a 3-1 first leg deficit to beat Anderlecht 4-3 on aggregate. This paved way for season 1970-71. In far and away Arsenal's best post World War Two season they went on to win the League and Cup double. Legends were made that year and moments were etched in the annals of Arsenal time for years to come. But none more so than Charlie George smashing the winning goal past Ray Clemence in FA Cup Final extra time to win the double for Arsenal. Sadly this was to be the peak of the side's achievements and despite reaching the Cup Final again the following year (losing 1-0 to Leeds) the club was to go into a serious slide which saw them finish as low as 17th in season 1975 - 1976.

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This led to Bertie Mee's resignation and the appointment of Terry Neill. Neill's appointment saw a marked improvement in Arsenal's performances and by 1978 they were back in the FA Cup Final, sadly once again being on the losing side. But the side proved they were not down and out by bouncing straight back to the following years final and in one of Wembley’s most dramatic games beat Manchester United 3-2 to lift the Cup once more. Having led 2-0 until the 85th minute of the game, Arsenal went into suicide mode and allowed United to scored 2 goals in the last five minutes to tie the score at 2-2. But amazingly Alan Sunderland went straight up the other end and scored to bring the cup back to Highbury. It could well have stayed there a following year as Arsenal once again reached the final but the side lost 1-0 to West Ham United and it was not to be. This was sadly also the case in the 1980 European Cup Winners' Cup final which Arsenal heartbreakingly lost on penalties to Valencia of Spain. Another couple of solid seasons in the league followed with the side finishing 3rd in 1981 and 5th in 1982.However the club started to slide down the league table and in mid late 1983 Neill was sacked. Don Howe took charge for the next 3 years and despite the team playing some good football at times they just could not find the winning formula. In March 1986 Howe resigned, to make way for George Graham.

Success was quickly to return to Highbury. In his first season in charge Arsenal led the First Division at Christmas and although they could not hold on, they did manage to defeat hot favourites Liverpool in the League Cup Final. Arsenal also came within 10 minutes of retaining this trophy the following year, but they let a 2-1 lead slip to Luton Town and it was not to be. However season 1988-89 was to be the year Arsenal fans had waited for since 1970-1971. It had looked as if it had all gone wrong for Graham's team after having led for most of the season they found themselves needing to go to Anfield on the last game of the season and win by two clear goals. Baring in mind no side had done this for nearly two years it was always going to be difficult.

With the game in injury time Arsenal led 1-0 and despite an excellent performance it all looked too little too late. But amazingly the side spread the ball from back to front in a few seconds, finally feeding in Michael Thomas to fire the ball past Bruce Grobbelar in Liverpool's goal to win the game and the title. It has, and forever will, go down as the most dramatic moment in the League Championship history. Arsenal could not defend their crown the following year but come the start of season 1990-91 they were ready to reclaim it. In a truly amazing season in which they only lost one league game and just let in 18 goals they romped to the League Title again, playing fantastic football on the way. Unfortunately for Graham the remainder of his reign in charge did not see Arsenal win the Championship again. They were however very successful in the Cups, winning the FA and League Cups in 1993 and the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1994. His last season in charge, season 1994-1995 was to prove very traumatic indeed. Arsenal's domestic performances were often shambolic and the club lumbered to 12th in the League finishing only 6 points off relegation. To make matters worse star player Paul Merson admitted he was addicted to cocaine and subsequently missed half the season through joining rehab. If this was not bad enough Graham was later sacked for financial irregularities and caretaker manager Stewart Houston had to over see the business end of Arsenal's Cup Winner's Cup defence.

Amazingly after displays of great courage and inner strength Arsenal made it back to its final, to face Spaniards Real Zaragoza. With the match deadlocked at 1-1 in extra time injury time the match seemed to be heading for penalties. However ex-Tottenham player Nayim had other ideas as he lobbed the ball over Arsenal's goalie David Seaman from 50 yards to win the game for his team. It was a cruel end to a cruel season for Arsenal. The close season saw the appointment of relative unknown Bruce Rioch as Arsenal's new manager. However this was tempered by the signings of top European star Dennis Bergkamp and England Captain David Platt. Despite these signings Arsenal had an average season and at the start of the following season Rioch was sacked. The club went for another relative unknown as his replacement, a certain Arsene Wenger.

Wenger instantly set about transforming Arsenal. The long ball game they had used for years was out and a new cultured style of play was in. Arsenal finished season 1996-1997 in 3rd place in the league, but more crucially had done so in a manner that suggests they could challenge perennial winners Manchester United for the Championship. This theory was proven to be correct the following year as the team stormed to the league and cup double, winning 10 league games in a row to pick up the Championship. Season 1997-1998 also saw Ian Wright becoming Arsenal's all time top goal scorer but sadly injury caused him to miss the World Cup that year. Arsenal who had only had one representative at the World Cups in 1990 and 1994 combined now had two players in the winning French team in 1998 alone!

The following year saw Arsenal come agonisingly close to repeating the double, but an FA Cup Semi Final defeat to Manchester United and last day of the League Season heartbreak, again to Manchester United saw them miss out. The next season Arsenal flattered to deceive, while again finishing second in the Premiership, they were a long way off Manchester United who won it at a canter. However Arsenal did manage to make the UEFA Cup final, but were denied on penalties by Galatasary of Turkey. Season 2000-2001 was a similar story, with Arsenal again trailing in second in the Premiership, a long way behind Manchester United and them also missing out in a major final, this time 2-1 to Liverpool. But these disappointments were put behind them in 2001-2002 as Arsenal once again won the double, beating Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup final and putting on a 13 game winning run to win the Championship. They carried this form into season 2002-2003, breaking records for most consecutive League Wins (14) and most League games unbeaten (30). Sadly this was to count for little in the end as the side throw away an 8 point lead to let Manchester United re-claim the Championship. Arsenal did however win the FA Cup, beating Southampton 1-0 to ease the pain slightly.

So there it is, 117 years of history condensed into a few paragraphs of text. However, for an in depth look at the club's history, please click the link on the navigation menu which will take you to a fascinating and thorough account of Arsenal's life through the ages. It is well worth the read!

With thanks to "The Official History of Arsenal 1886-1995" by Phil Soar and Martin Tyler

[Salem6]

CREST

Royal Arsenal’s first crest, unveiled in 1888, featured three cannons viewed from above, pointing northwards, similar to the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich. These can sometimes be mistaken for chimneys, but the presence of a carved lion’s head and a cascabel on each are clear indicators that they are cannon. This was dropped after the moved to Highbury in 1913, but in 1922, the club adopted their first single-cannon crest, featuring an eastward-pointing cannon, with the club’s nickname, The Gunners, inscribed alongside it; this crest only lasted until 1925, when the cannon was reversed to point westward and its barrel slimmed down.

In 1949, the club unveiled a modernised crest featuring the same style of cannon, the club’s name set in blackletter above the cannon, the coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington and a scroll inscribed with the club’s newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit (meaning “victory comes from harmony”), coined by Harry Homer, the club’s programme editor. For the first time, the crest was rendered in colour, which varied slightly over the crest’s lifespan, finally becoming red, gold and green.

Because of the numerous revisions of the crest, Arsenal were unable to copyright it. Although the club had managed to register the crest as a trademark, and had fought (and eventually won) a long legal battle with a local street trader who sold ‘unofficial’ Arsenal merchandise, Arsenal eventually sought a more comprehensive legal protection. Therefore, in 2002 they introduced a new crest featuring more modern curved lines and a simplified style, which was copyrightable. The cannon once again faces east and the club’s name is written in a sans-serif typeface above the cannon. Green was replaced by dark blue. The new crest received a critical response from some supporters; the Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association claimed that the club had ignored much of Arsenal’s history and tradition with such a radical modern design, and that fans had not been properly consulted on the issue.

COLOURS

For much of Arsenal’s history, their home colours have been bright red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts, though this has not always been the case. The choice of red is in recognition of a charitable donation from Nottingham Forest, soon after Arsenal’s foundation in 1886. Two of Dial Square’s founding members, Fred Beardsley and Morris Bates, were former Forest players who had moved to Woolwich for work. As they put together the first team in the area, no kit could be found, so Beardsley and Bates wrote home for help and received a set of kit and a ball. The shirt was redcurrant, a dark shade of red, and was worn with white shorts and blue socks.

In 1933 Herbert Chapman, wanting his players to be more distinctly dressed, updated the kit, adding white sleeves and changing the shade to a brighter pillar box red. The origin of the white sleeves is not conclusively known, but two possible inspirations have been put forward. One story reports that Chapman noticed a supporter in the stands wearing a red sleeveless sweater over a white shirt; another was that he was inspired by a similar outfit worn by the cartoonist Tom Webster, with whom Chapman played golf. Regardless of which story is true, the red and white shirts have come to define Arsenal and the team have worn the combination ever since, aside from two seasons. The first was 1966–67, when Arsenal wore all-red shirts; this proved unpopular and the white sleeves returned the following season. The second was 2005–06, the last season that Arsenal played at Highbury, when the team wore commemorative redcurrant shirts similar to those worn in 1913, their first season in the stadium; the club reverted to their normal colours at the start of the 2006–07 season.

Arsenal’s home colours have been the inspiration for at least three other clubs. In 1909, Sparta Prague adopted a dark red kit like the one Arsenal wore at the time; in 1938, Hibernian adopted the design of the Arsenal shirt sleeves in their own green and white strip. In the 1930s, Sporting Clube de Braga’s coach returned from a game at Highbury and changed his team’s green kit into a duplicate of Arsenal’s red with white sleeves and shorts, giving rise to the team’s nickname of Os Arsenalistas. These teams still wear these designs to this day.

Arsenal’s away colours are traditionally yellow and blue, although they wore a green and navy away kit between 1982 and 1984. Since the early 1990s and the advent of the lucrative replica kit market, the away colours have been changed regularly; the general rule currently is that they are changed every season with the outgoing away kit becoming the third choice kit for the following season.

Generally, the away colours in this period have been either two-tone blue designs, or variations on the traditional yellow and blue, such as the metallic gold and navy strip used in the 2001–02 season, and the yellow and dark grey used in 2005–06 and 2006–07. Arsenal’s current third kit for the 2008–09 season, which is used for games where both the first and second choice colours clash with those of their opponents, consists of white shirts with redcurrant shorts and hooped white and redcurrant socks; it was previously the away kit for the 2007–08 season.

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STADIUMS

For the majority of their time in south-east London, Arsenal played at the Manor Ground in Plumstead, a three-year period at the nearby Invicta Ground between 1890 and 1893 excepted. The Manor Ground was initially just a field, but the club installed stands and terracing in time for their first Football League match in September 1893. They played their home games there for the next twenty years (with two exceptions in 1894–95), until the move to north London in 1913.

Arsenal Stadium, widely referred to as Highbury, was Arsenal’s home from September 1913 until May 2006. The original stadium was designed by the renowned football architect Archibald Leitch, and had a design common to many football grounds in the UK at the time, with a single covered stand and three open-air banks of terracing. In the 1930s, the entire stadium was given a massive overhaul, with new Art Deco West and East stands constructed, opening in 1932 and 1936 respectively; in addition, the North Bank terrace had a roof added, which was later bombed during World War II and not restored until 1954.

At its peak, Highbury could hold over 60,000 spectators, and had a capacity of 57,000 until the early 1990s. The Taylor Report and Premier League regulations forced Arsenal to convert Highbury into an all-seater in time for the 1993–94 season, reducing the capacity to 38,419 seated spectators. This capacity had to be reduced further during Champions League matches to accommodate additional advertising hoardings, so much so that for two seasons (1998–99 and 1999–00) Arsenal played Champions League home matches at Wembley, which could house more than 70,000 spectators.

Expansion of Highbury was restricted because the East Stand had been designated as a Grade II listed building and the other three stands were close to residential properties. These limitations prevented the club from maximising matchday revenue during the 1990s and early 2000s, leaving them in danger of being left behind in the football boom of that time. After considering various options, in 2000 Arsenal proposed building a new 60,000-seater stadium at Ashburton Grove, since renamed the Emirates Stadium, about 500 metres south-west of Highbury. The project was initially delayed by red tape and rising costs, but construction was completed in July 2006, in time for the start of the 2006–07 season.

The stadium is named after its sponsors, the airline company Emirates, with whom the club signed the largest sponsorship deal in English football history, worth approximately £100 million; however some fans refer to the ground as Ashburton Grove, or the Grove, as they do not agree with corporate sponsorship of stadium names. The stadium will be officially known as Emirates Stadium until at least 2012, and the airline will be the club’s shirt sponsor until the end of the 2013–14season.

Arsenal’s training centre is in Shenley, Hertfordshire, at a purpose-built facility which opened in 2000. Before that the club shared training facilities with University College London Student Union nearby, having trained at Highbury up until 1961.[38] It is also where Arsenal’s Academy teams play their home matches, while the Reserves play their games at Underhill, home of Barnet FC.

STATISTICS AND RECORDS
David O’Leary holds the record for Arsenal appearances, having played 722 first-team matches between 1975 and 1993. Fellow centre half and former captain To
ny Adams comes second, having played 669 times. The record for a goalkeeper is held by David Seaman, with 563 appearances.

Thierry Henry is the club’s top goalscorer with 226 goals in all competitions between 1999 and 2007 having surpassed Ian Wright’s total of 185 in October 2005. Wright’s record had stood since September 1997, a feat which overtook the longstanding total of 178 goals set by winger Cliff Bastin in 1939. Henry also holds the club record for goals scored in the League – 174 – a record that had been held by Bastin until February 2006.

Arsenal’s record home attendance is 73,707, for a UEFA Champions League match against RC Lens on 25 November 1998 at Wembley Stadium, where Arsenal formerly played home European matches because of the limits on Highbury’s capacity. The record attendance for an Arsenal match at Highbury is 73,295, for a 0–0 draw against Sunderland on 9 March 1935, while that at Emirates Stadium is 60,161, for a 2–2 draw with Manchester United on 3 November 2007.

Arsenal have also set records in English football, most notably the most consecutive seasons spent in the top flight (82 as of 2008–09) and the longest run of unbeaten League matches (49 between May 2003 and October 2004). This included all 38 matches of their title-winning 2003–04 season, making Arsenal only the second club ever to finish a top-flight campaign unbeaten, after Preston North End (who played only 22 matches) in 1888–89.

Arsenal also set a UEFA Champions League record during the 2005–06 season by going ten matches without conceding a goal, beating the previous best of seven set by A.C. Milan. They went a record total stretch of 995 minutes without letting an opponent score; the streak finally ended in the final against FC Barcelona, when Samuel Eto’o scored Barcelona’s equaliser in the 76th minute.

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