History of Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club, as one of the most successful clubs in English football, have a long and detailed history. Founded in 1886, the club had humble origins as a workers' team from Woolwich, and moved to their current location in Highbury in 1913. The club have enjoyed success for much of the past eighty years, including the pioneering success of Herbert Chapman in the 1930s, and the club's first Double win under Bertie Mee in the 1970s. More recently, in the 80s and early 90s, George Graham led the club to two Championships, the Cup Double and the Cup Winners' Cup. Under current manager Arsène Wenger, Arsenal have won two more Doubles and the league unbeaten, and in 2005-06, they reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in their history.
Early years (1886–1910)
Arsenal were founded as Dial Square in 1886 by a group of workers employed by the Dial Square workshop at the Royal Arsenal, an armaments factory in Woolwich, south east London. They were led by a Scotsman, David Danskin, who purchased the club's first football, and amongst their number was former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Fred Beardsley, who would later obtain a set of red kit from his old club, thus giving Arsenal the colours they still wear today.
Dial Square played their first match on December 11, 1886 against Eastern Wanderers on an open field in the Isle of Dogs, which they won 6-0. The club were renamed Royal Arsenal soon after, reportedly on Christmas Day. Royal Arsenal first played on Plumstead Common, but soon sought alternative homes. They first played at the Sportsman Ground in Plumstead and then moved to the adjacent Manor Ground in 1888. Royal Arsenal then moved to the nearby Invicta Ground in 1890, before returning to the Manor Ground three years later.
By now, Royal Arsenal had started to win local trophies, such as the Kent Senior Cup in 1890 and the London Senior Cup the year after. Arsenal also entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1889, where the gulf in quality between Arsenal and the professional sides from the North soon became apparent. In addition, Royal Arsenal faced the threat of their amateur players being lured away by the money professional sides could offer. Therefore, in 1891, the club decided to turn professional, and at the same time changed their name to Woolwich Arsenal.
Woolwich Arsenal's move to professionalism was frowned upon by many of the amateur Southern clubs, and they were banned from participating in local competitions. With friendlies and the FA Cup the only matches available for Woolwich Arsenal, they attempted to set up a southern equivalent of the Football League. The move failed and the club's future looked decidedly bleak, until the Football League came to Woolwich Arsenal's rescue by inviting them to join in 1893. Arsenal were the first Southern club to enter the League, initially joining the Second Division.
Woolwich Arsenal played in the Second Division for eleven seasons; they generally occupied mid-table before the appointment of Harry Bradshaw in 1899; Bradshaw and his star signings, including goalkeeper Jimmy Ashcroft (Arsenal's first England international) and captain Jimmy Jackson, won promotion to the First Division in 1904. However, Bradshaw moved on to Fulham before the Gunners had kicked a ball in the top flight, and despite some strong performances in the FA Cup (the club reached the semi-finals in both 1906 and 1907), they soon faded.
The chief cause of this decline was the club's ongoing financial problems; despite the boom in football during the early 20th century, the club's geographic isolation, playing in the relatively underpopulated area of Plumstead, meant attendances and thus income were low. To stay afloat, Woolwich Arsenal were forced to sell their star players (including Ashcroft, as well as Tim Coleman and Bert Freeman), and slowly started to slip down the table, which did not help their financial situation. The club were close to bankruptcy before being bought out by businessman Sir Henry Norris in 1910.
Move to Highbury (1910–25)
Norris was acutely aware of the problems associated with Woolwich Arsenal's location, and was desperate to improve the club's income. First, Norris tried to merge Woolwich Arsenal with Fulham (he was a director of both clubs at the time). When that was blocked by the Football League, Norris abandoned the merger and looked to move Arsenal elsewhere. In 1913, the same year as the club finished bottom and were relegated back to the Second Division, Woolwich Arsenal moved from south east London to Arsenal Stadium (often referred to as "Highbury") in north London. Despite objections both from Woolwich-based fans and residents of Highbury, Norris tenaciously saw the move through, reportedly spending £125,000 (a huge sum for the time) on building the new stadium. Arsenal's move away from south east London led nearby Charlton Athletic to turn professional.
Now known as "The Arsenal", having dropped the "Woolwich" from their name in 1914, the club rejoined the First Division in 1919, despite only finishing fifth in 1914-15, the last season of competitive football before the First World War had intervened. The First Division was being expanded from 20 teams to 22, and the two new entrants were elected at an AGM of the Football League. One of the extra places was given to Chelsea, who had finished 19th in the First Division and thus had been already relegated. The other spot could have gone to 20th-placed Tottenham Hotspur (also relegated), or to Barnsley or Wolves, who had finished third and fourth in the Second Division respectively.
Instead, the League decided instead to promote fifth-placed Arsenal, for reasons of history over merit, much to the chagrin and longstanding enmity of Tottenham, Arsenal's local rivals. It has been alleged that this was due to backroom deals or even outright bribery by Sir Henry Norris, colluding with his friend John McKenna, chairman of Liverpool and the Football League. No firm proof has ever come to light; as a footnote, Norris left the club in 1929 having been found guilty by the FA of financial irregularities, for which he was banned from football for life, though these were not related to the promotion controversy. Arsenal have remained in the top division since then, and as a result hold the English record for the longest unbroken stretch of top-flight football.
Although the move to Highbury brought about much larger crowds and finally warded off the spectre of financial ruin, Arsenal's return to the First Division was not immediately successful. Under Leslie Knighton, the club never finished better than ninth, and in 1923-24 came dangerously close to going down again, finishing 19th and only a point clear of the relegation zone. Arsenal did no better the following season, finishing 20th (although paradoxically the club were a lot safer this time, being seven points clear of the drop), which was the last straw for Norris; he fired Knighton in May 1925, and appointed the Huddersfield Town manager, Herbert Chapman in his place.
The Chapman era (1925–34)
Chapman reformed many of the club's practices, including modernising the training and physiotherapy regimes, adding numbers to the players' shirts, and changing the team's colours, adding white sleeves to the red shirt. It was also during Chapman's era that the club lost the definite article from its name, becoming just "Arsenal", and he was reportedly behind the renaming of the local Tube station, Gillespie Road, to Arsenal. At the same time, Chapman had a large transfer budget by virtue of Arsenal's improved revenue from their new stadium and a change of heart from Henry Norris; previously a highly prudent chairman, Norris now dictated that there was to be lavish spending.
Chapman's first signing was veteran Charlie Buchan from Sunderland; as well as his contributions on the pitch, Buchan would play an important part off it. After Arsenal had been given a 7-0 hiding by Newcastle United in October 1925, Buchan suggested a change to the formation to adapt to a relaxation of the offside law, rejigging Arsenal's formation to the "WM", strengthening the defence by pushing the centre half back into defence and the full-backs out to the wings. Over time, Chapman developed the formation further, putting an emphasis on a pacy forward line, wingers cutting inside, and the role of a creative ball-playing midfielder. Chapman's adeptness at picking the right man for the job proved vital, as he slowly built a team capable of dominating the game in England.
Arsenal came second in Chapman's first season (their best ever finish at that time), but this proved to be a false dawn; for the next few seasons they stayed in mid-table as Chapman took his time to assemble his side, slotting new signings such as winger Joe Hulme, forward Jack Lambert and defenders Tom Parker and Herbie Roberts into his new formation. In 1927, Arsenal reached their first FA Cup final, only to lose, infamously, 1-0 to Cardiff City, after Arsenal's goalkeeper Dan Lewis let a harmless-looking shot slip through his arms and into the net; it was the only occasion in history that the FA Cup has been won by a club from outside England.
Chapman was not deterred, and continued to build his side, signing future captain Eddie Hapgood, as well as three of the club's great attacking players, David Jack, Alex James and Cliff Bastin; it was especially Alex James, Arsenal's playmaker in midfield, supplying the forward line and wingers, who became celebrated as the engine of the team. Three years later, in 1930, Arsenal reached the FA Cup final again, this time against Chapman's old club Huddersfield Town. The match was notable for being "buzzed" by the enormous German airship Graf Zeppelin. Arsenal were not distracted from their task; they won 2-0 with goals from James and Lambert, to bring home the club's first major trophy.
This success was the first in a decade in which Arsenal were the dominant club in England. Under Chapman they won the First Division for the first time in 1930-31, scoring 127 goals in the process. The following year, Arsenal reached the FA Cup final again, losing controversially to Newcastle United. Arsenal had led 1-0 with a Bob John goal, but Newcastle's equaliser came after a long ball had gone over the goal line, and out for a goal kick; Newcastle winger Jimmy Richardson nevertheless crossed the ball back into play and Jack Allen levelled the match for the Magpies; Allen scored again in the second half to win the match 2-1. Arsenal's pain was compounded by the fact that Everton had pipped them to the League title; a poor start to the 1931-32 campaign meant Arsenal played catch-up for most of the season and ended the season two points adrift.
Arsenal bounced back the following year, winning their second League title in 1932-33; after another weak start Arsenal went on a long winning run to catch up, culminating in a 5-0 win over second-placed Aston Villa at Highbury in April to clinch the title. By this time Chapman's first set of signings had started to show their age, so with an eye to the future Chapman signed the likes of George Male for Tom Parker and Ray Bowden for David Jack. The only blot on the club's record was an infamous loss to Third Division North Walsall in the FA Cup; five of the first team were out with injury or flu and had their place taken by reserves, but Arsenal still had plenty of top-class players in the side, yet lost 2-0 in one of the greatest Cup upsets of all time. One of the stand-ins, Thomas Black, was particularly to blame (conceding a penalty for Walsall's second), and was sold by an enraged Chapman to Plymouth Argyle within a week of the result.
A hat-trick of League titles (1934–39)
Arsenal had started the 1933-34 season solidly, but tragedy struck out of the blue in January 1934, when Herbert Chapman died suddenly from pneumonia. Under caretaker manager Joe Shaw, they retained the title that season; Hulme and James were both out with injury for a large portion, and so Arsenal were not the attacking side they had been the previous season (scoring only 75 in the League, compared with 118 in 1932-33).
New full-time manager George Allison (who had formerly been a director) signed new blood for the side, including midfielders Jack Crayston and Wilf Copping, and goalscorer Ted Drake. With these new signings Allison oversaw the completion of a hat-trick of League titles in 1934-35, and Arsenal were back to their attacking best; Drake scored a club record 42 goals that season. Such was Arsenal's strength that in November 1934, seven players started in the England side that beat World Champions Italy 3-2 (in the so-called "Battle of Highbury") were on Arsenal's books, a record that still stands.
Arsenal's ongoing success attracted larger and larger crowds. Arsenal's home, Highbury, was completely redeveloped, with the stands (designed by Archibald Leitch) demolished and replaced with modern Art Deco stands, which remain to this day; the East Stand is now a Grade II listed building. Meanwhile, the North Bank and Clock End terraces had roofs installed. The new stadium saw its largest ever attendance, 73,295, on March 9, 1935 for a match against Sunderland.
Arsenal's dominance of the decade was sealed with a second FA Cup victory in 1936, beating Sheffield United 1-0 with a goal from Drake. Arsenal faded in the League somewhat after the 1935 title victory, and were weakened by the retirement of Alex James and others such as Bastin being past their peak, but they still won a fifth League title in 1937-38.
The war (1939–45)
With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, all first-class football in Britain was suspended. Arsenal Stadium was requisitioned as an ARP station, with a barrage balloon operating behind the Clock End. During the Blitz, a 3,000lb bomb fell on the North Bank, destroying that stand's roof and setting fire to the scrap that was being stored on the terrace. With Highbury closed, Arsenal instead played all of their home matches at White Hart Lane, home of their rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Wartime matches do not count in official statistics; competitions were played on a regional basis and teams often did not complete a full season; many footballers served in the armed forces as trainers or instructors and were away from their clubs for long periods of time, so they would often star as "guests" at other clubs. Arsenal won the Football League War Cup South in 1943 and the London or Southern league titles in 1941, 1943 and 1944.
In November 1945 Arsenal played one of the most extraordinary and controversial matches in their history, against a Dynamo Moscow side touring the country. With many players still serving abroad, Arsenal were severely depleted and used six guest players, including Stanley Matthews and Stan Mortensen, which led Dynamo to declare they were playing an England XI (though three of the side were actually Welsh). The match kicked off in thick fog and the slick and technically proficient Dynamo won 4-3, after Arsenal had led 3-1 at half-time. Though the score is generally agreed upon, after that accounts of the match diverge; English reports alleged Dynamo fielded twelve players at one point, and pressurised the referee into abandoning the match when they had been behind; in turn, the Soviets accused Arsenal of persistent foul play and even alleged George Allison had bet money on the result (a claim that was later retracted). With the fog obscuring much of the action (even the identity of the goalscorers is disputed), not to mention the language barriers and mutual suspicion (the match took place with the Cold War brewing in the background), it is unlikely that any accurate account of what really went on will ever emerge.
The post-war years (1945–66)
The war had cut short the careers of many of the club's star players, including Bastin and Drake. Additionally, the debts from the construction of Highbury and the costs of repairing war damage were a heavy financial burden, and Arsenal struggled when competitive football resumed. They lost 6-1 on aggregate to West Ham United in the third round of the 1945-46 FA Cup, and upon the league's resumption in 1946-47 the club finished a disappointing 13th. George Allison decided to retire from football at the end of that season, and was replaced by his assistant Tom Whittaker, who had been trainer under Chapman.
Whittaker enjoyed immediate success with the club, winning the League in 1947-48; led by captain Joe Mercer and with goals from attacking front two of Reg Lewis and Ronnie Rooke, Arsenal topped the table from October and never looked back. Given the age of the Arsenal side at the time (Rooke and Mercer were both over thirty, as were Denis and Leslie Compton), long-term success was never on the cards. In response, Whittaker brought in younger players such as Doug Lishman, Alex Forbes and Cliff Holton. Although Arsenal were unable to sustain any challenges for the League title, with the new blood they won the FA Cup in 1950, with Reg Lewis scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Liverpool.
1951-52 saw the club nearly win the Double, but it ultimately ended in disappointment; a series of injuries and a fixture pile-up at the end of the season saw Arsenal lose their last two matches, including the title decider against eventual champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on the last day of the season; the Gunners finished third, equal on points with Tottenham. A week later, Arsenal played Newcastle United in the FA Cup final, with several recovering players rushed back into the first team; Walley Barnes was taken off injured with a twisted knee after 35 minutes (no substitutes were allowed then), and ten-man Arsenal suffered further injuries so that by the end of the match they had only seven fit players on the pitch; Newcastle took full advantage and won 1-0.
Unbowed by the disappointment of the previous season, Arsenal won their seventh League title in 1952-53; in one of the closest title races ever, they beat Preston North End to the title on goal average after finishing level on points. That proved to be Arsenal's last trophy for seventeen years; unable to attract many stars, the club's fortunes began to wane, particularly after the unexpected death of Tom Whittaker in 1956. Apart from finishing third in 1958-59, Arsenal usually figured around mid-table. Nor did the club have much luck in the FA Cup – after reaching the final in 1952, Arsenal would not get beyond the quarter-finals again until 1971.
Jack Crayston and George Swindin, both former players, followed Whittaker but could not replicate his success. In 1962, Arsenal made the bold but ultimately unsuccessful step of appointing England legend Billy Wright as manager, despite his lack of managerial experience. Like his predecessors, Wright could not achieve much either, although it was under his leadership that the club made their debut in European competition, in the Fairs Cup after finishing seventh in 1962-63. In his final season, Arsenal finished 14th, their lowest position in 36 years, and recorded the lowest-ever attendance at Highbury (4,554). The only Arsenal player to figure in England's
-winning squad was George Eastham, who didn't play at all during the tournament.
The first Double (1966–76)
The club appointed physiotherapist Bertie Mee as Wright's successor, a move that brought surprise to some, not least Mee himself. Nevertheless, Mee's appointment brought a brief period of glory. Arsenal's youth team had won the FA Youth Cup in 1966, and talented attacking players such as Charlie George, John Radford and Ray Kennedy graduated to the first team. Mee complemented this attacking ability with some more experienced heads; captain Frank McLintock at centre half marshalled a strong defence, while the hard-tackling Peter Storey filled the vital defensive midfield position. The team showed early signs of promise, reaching two successive League Cup finals in 1968 and 1969. Both times the Gunners went home empty-handed; the first to Don Revie's Leeds United 1-0; the second was an infamous upset – Arsenal losing 3-1 to Third Division side Swindon Town.
That season was not a total disaster for Arsenal; they had also finished fourth, which won them a place in Europe, and led to the club collecting their first silverware in seventeen years and their first European trophy, the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Arsenal beat Ajax in the semi-finals, and then staged a famous comeback against Anderlecht in the final. Arsenal were 3-0 down after 74 minutes of the first leg, but Ray Kennedy got a late away goal to give the Gunners a glimmer of hope; in the second leg in front of a packed Highbury, Arsenal won 3-0 with goals from John Radford, Eddie Kelly and Jon Sammels, to win the tie 4-3 on aggregate.
The highlight of this period was the club's first FA Cup and League Double win in 1970-71. Arsenal had started poorly, losing 5-0 to Stoke City in September. They recovered to put a strong run-in to the title in a tight race with Leeds United. Arsenal were pushed all the way to the title, and needed to beat deadly rivals Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on the last day of the season to overtake Leeds; they did just that, winning 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ray Kennedy. Five days later, Arsenal beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley; Arsenal went 1-0 down early in extra time, before substitute Eddie Kelly's equaliser, and then Charlie George scored the winner.
The Double proved to a premature high point of a decade characterised by a string of near-misses. Despite signing World Cup winner Alan Ball in the close season, Arsenal began 1971-72 badly, losing three matches in August, and were forced to play catch-up for the rest of the season, ultimately finishing fifth. Their debut in the European Cup started encouragingly, but they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by a Johann Cruyff-inspired Ajax playing at the very top of their game. Arsenal also reached the FA Cup final for the second year in a row; this time they lost 1-0 to Leeds United in an ill-disciplined and at times ugly match.
Arsenal finished as First Division runners-up in 1972-73, but within a year the Double-winning side had been broken up, and Mee was unable to build a new team in its place. The club's form declined sharply, finishing 16th in 1974-75 and 17th in 1975-76, their lowest in more than forty years, which prompted Mee's resignation. Tottenham manager Terry Neill, a former Arsenal player, was appointed in his place, even though he had never got Spurs anywhere beyond mid-table.
Neill and Howe's mixed fortunes (1976–86)
Under Neill, Arsenal moved back into the top half of the table, inspired in part by the emergence of Irish superstar Liam Brady. Brady formed part of a large Irish contingent at Highbury, which included Pat Rice, Frank Stapleton, Pat Jennings and the young David O'Leary. Although they could not challenge the League dominance of Liverpool at the time, towards the end of the decade they proved their mettle in the FA Cup. Arsenal reached three finals in a row (1978, 1979, and 1980), but won only one, the 1979 final against Manchester United. Largely inspired by Brady, Arsenal went 2-0 up through Brian Talbot and Frank Stapleton and looked to be coasting to victory; with five minutes to go, United scored twice in quick succession to level the match. Extra time loomed, but Alan Sunderland converted Graham Rix's cross in injury time to secure a famous 3-2 win.
The next season, 1979-80, proved to be cruel as Arsenal played a record-breaking 70 matches and reached two cup finals, only to end the season empty-handed. Arsenal were favourites to beat Second Division West Ham United in the FA Cup final, but lost 1-0 to a Trevor Brooking header. Meanwhile, they had also reached the Cup Winners' Cup final against Valencia, after Paul Vaessen's goal had given them a famous victory over Juventus in the semi-finals; the final finished goalless and Arsenal lost on penalties, with Brady and Rix missing from the spot.
Liam Brady left Arsenal for Juventus in the summer of 1980, and the team entered another barren period. They continued to finish in the top four at the start of the eighties, though Arsenal were never title challengers, and could not rediscover their FA Cup form either; their best season was when they reached both cup semi-finals in 1982-83, only to be knocked out in both by Manchester United.
Towards the end of Neill's tenure, he fell out with several senior players; team spirit was at a low as the squad split into factions. In addition many of his signings, such as Charlie Nicholas, tended to be disappointing flops. Neill was sacked in December 1983 after a poor start to the 1983-84 season, which included a shock defeat in the League Cup at the hands of Walsall.
Don Howe, a long-time servant of the club, succeeded Neill but he could not get the side anywhere near a trophy either. Although Arsenal were never terrible (finishing sixth and seventh) under Howe, the fans were getting increasingly disillusioned with the club's muddling performances and attendances started to dip beneath 20,000. In March 1986, after hearing rumours he was to be replaced by Terry Venables, Howe resigned.
The George Graham years (1986–95)
In the summer of 1986, Millwall manager George Graham, a former Arsenal player, was appointed as Howe's long-term replacement, and it was the beginning of a new golden era at Highbury. Graham cleared out much of the old guard and replaced them with new signings and promoted youth players, while imposing much stricter discipline than his predecessors, both in the dressing room and on the pitch. Arsenal's form immediately improved, so much so that the club were top of the League at Christmas 1986, for the first time in a decade – an appropriate way of celebrating the club's centenary.
Though Arsenal finished fourth in Graham's first season in charge, Arsenal did win the League Cup, in a campaign marked by comebacks. After going 2-0 down on aggregate in the second leg of their semi-final against Tottenham, Arsenal scored twice to force a replay; in the replay Spurs went 1-0 up, only for Arsenal to come back again with late goals from Ian Allinson and David Rocastle to win. The final against Liverpool was a repeat performance; after Arsenal had gone 1-0 down, two Charlie Nicholas goals brought Arsenal their first League Cup triumph.
While Arsenal lost the League Cup final the following year (a shock defeat to Luton Town), their League form steadily improved. Graham's side was characterised by tight defensive discipline, embodied by his young captain Tony Adams, along with Lee Dixon, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn, who together formed the basis of the club's defence for over a decade. Contrary to popular belief, during this time Graham's Arsenal were not a defensive side; Graham also employed quality midfielders such as David Rocastle, Michael Thomas and Paul Merson, and striker Alan Smith, whose prolific goalscoring regularly brought him more than 20 goals per season.
At the end of Graham's third season (1988-89), the club won their first League title since 1971, in highly dramatic fashion. Having led the League since Christmas, Arsenal were overtaken by Liverpool after losing to Derby County and drawing at home to Wimbledon in May. Arsenal had seemingly thrown away the title, but the final game of the season, on May 26, was against Liverpool at Anfield; Arsenal needed to win by two goals to take the title; Liverpool had already won the FA Cup and were favourites to complete the Double. Alan Smith scored for Arsenal early in the second half to make it 1-0, but as time ticked by Arsenal struggled to get a second. With 90 minutes gone on the clock, Arsenal still needed another goal, and the title looked to be Liverpool's. With only seconds to go, a Smith flick-on found Michael Thomas surging through the Liverpool defence; the young midfielder calmly lifted the ball over Bruce Grobbelaar and into the net, and Arsenal were League Champions.
Arsenal could not retain the title the following season; they finished fourth in 1989-90 and fell behind champions Liverpool, runners-up Aston Villa and third-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the title challenge. They also failed to make their mark in the cups, and the post-Heysel ban on English clubs in European competition was still in force at that time, so Arsenal were unable to represent England in the European Cup.
Graham sought to improve his side and signed goalkeeper David Seaman and Swedish winger Anders Limpar in the close season; both players proved vital as Arsenal retook the title in 1990-91, despite two major setbacks. Arsenal had two points deducted in October 1990 after ten of their players were involved in a brawl with Manchester United players in a match at Old Trafford, and captain Tony Adams was sentenced to four months' imprisonment for drink driving in December. These did not hinder Arsenal's progress; they lost only one league match all season and finished seven points clear. Arsenal also reached the FA Cup semi-finals, where they faced Tottenham Hotspur; Paul Gascoigne scored with a free kick from 30 yards after just five minutes and Tottenham ran home 3-1 winners, dashing hopes of a second Double.
1991-92 saw the Gunners sign striker and second all-time top scorer Ian Wright from Crystal Palace in October, and the club's first entry in the European Cup since 1971-72. The European venture went badly; Arsenal were knocked out by SL Benfica in the second round and failed to make the lucrative group stage. The season went from bad to worse when the Gunners were knocked out of the FA Cup by lowly Wrexham, though Arsenal recovered to finish fourth in the League.
After this season, Graham changed his tactics; he became more defensive and turned out far less attack-minded sides, which depended mainly on goals from Wright rather than the whole team. Between 1986 and 1992 Arsenal averaged 66 League goals a season (scoring 81 in 1991-92), but between 1992 and 1995 only averaged 48 (including 40 in 1992-93, when the club finished 10th in the inaugural season of the FA Premier League, scoring fewer than any other team in the division).
Arsenal's League form was disappointing, but the team saved their best for the cups, and in 1992-93 became the first side to win the FA Cup and League Cup double. In the League Cup final, Arsenal faced Sheffield Wednesday; a Merson-inspired Arsenal side came from 1-0 down to win 2-1 thanks to a Steve Morrow goal. In the FA Cup, Arsenal beat Spurs 1-0 in the semis (avenging their defeat of 1991), and played Sheffield Wednesday in the final, again. It ended 1-1 and went to a replay; Wright opened the scoring for Arsenal but Chris Waddle equalised. Extra time came, and still no goal broke the deadlock until the 120th minute, when Andy Linighan powered home a header from a corner to win the match and the cup double for Arsenal.
In 1993-94, Arsenal won their second European trophy; a side missing key players (John Jensen and Martin Keown were injured, Ian Wright suspended) beat favourites and holders Parma 1-0 in the Cup Winners' Cup final in Copenhagen, with a tight defensive performance and Alan Smith's 21st minute goal from a left foot volley. The 1994 Cup Winners Cup proved to be George Graham's last trophy at the club; the following February the Scot was sacked after nearly nine years in charge, after it was discovered he had accepted an illegal £425,000 payment from Norwegian agent Rune Hauge following Arsenal's 1992 acquisition of John Jensen, one of Hauge's clients.
The interregnum (1995–96)
Assistant manager Stewart Houston took charge until the end of the 1994-95 season. Arsenal finished a disappointing 12th in the Premiership, but did reach the Cup Winners Cup final again, after a titanic semi-final against UC Sampdoria, which they won on penalties after drawing 5-5 on aggregate. Arsenal faced Real Zaragoza; Juan Esnaider scored for the Spaniards and John Hartson equalised for Arsenal. The game was heading to a 1-1 draw and penalties, before midfielder Nayim struck from near the halfway line in the 120th minute, in virtually the last kick of the game. David Seaman, who had been Arsenal's hero in the semi-final shootout, couldn't backpedal fast enough and only got a hand to the ball as it went in. It was a cruel end to a disappointing season.
In June 1995 Arsenal appointed Bruce Rioch, who had just guided Bolton Wanderers to the League Cup final and promotion to the top flight, as manager. He (briefly) broke the English transfer record by paying Internazionale £7.5million for Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp, and the new signing formed an impressive partnership with Ian Wright. Arsenal reached the League Cup semi-finals and finished fifth in the Premiership at the end of 1995-96, securing a place in the following season's UEFA Cup and giving hope for an eventual title challenge. The Rioch era ended abruptly, however; in August 1996, just before the start of the new season, Rioch was sacked after a dispute over transfer funds with the board of directors, triggering a couple of months' turmoil at the club. Stewart Houston was once again put in temporary charge; he remained at the helm for a month, before resigning to take over at QPR. Youth team coach Pat Rice held the fort for several games, before making way for the Frenchman Arsène Wenger at the end of September.
Two more Doubles (1996–2003)
The team immediately improved under Wenger's management, coming third and winning a UEFA Cup place in 1996-97, missing out on second (and a Champions League spot) on goal difference. Wenger rebuilt the Arsenal squad with a crop of French players who were seemingly unknown in the UK. Patrick Vieira had been signed on Wenger's recommendation before he had officially taken up the reins, and Wenger added Nicolas Anelka and Emmanuel Petit, as well as Dutch winger Marc Overmars in the summer of 1997. Wenger melded the new arrivals with some of the "old guard", retaining Adams, Dixon, Winterburn, Keown and Bould, and he kept Pat Rice on as assistant manager.
Wenger got his first silverware, and became the first foreign manager to win the English league, the following season, when he steered the side to their second double. It had looked like Arsenal were out of the title race by December after losing 3-1 at home to Blackburn, but they overcame a twelve point deficit to overtake Manchester United; a 4-0 home win over Everton on May 3 won the title with two matches to spare. On May 16, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2-0 in the FA Cup final to complete the double. To top it off, the same season Ian Wright broke Cliff Bastin's goalscoring record, bringing his tally to 185 goals before leaving the club in the summer of 1998.
Despite the signing of Fredrik Ljungberg in 1998 and Thierry Henry a year later, a more barren period followed for Arsenal over the next few years, though they came close several times. Arsenal led the League for much of 1998-99, until a 1-0 loss to Leeds United allowed Manchester United to overtake them; Arsenal beat Aston Villa on the last day of the season but United's victory over Spurs meant they took the title. To rub it in further, Arsenal also lost the last ever FA Cup semi-final replay to Manchester United; Dennis Bergkamp had missed a penalty in normal time, and Ryan Giggs scored the winner in extra time after a mazy solo run through the Arsenal defence. Arsenal's return to Champions League for the first time in seven years was also a disappointment, as they failed to get past the group stage.
Arsenal came second again in 1999-2000; this time, there was never any real title race and Arsenal finished the season 18 points behind winners Manchester United. Arsenal had another poor season in the Champions League, finishing third in their group; this won them a consolation place in the UEFA Cup, and Arsenal got all the way to the final, where they faced Galatasaray in Copenhagen, the scene of their 1994 Cup Winners' Cup triumph. The match was a tepid affair, a 0-0 draw with few chances; it went to penalties and Arsenal lost after Davor Šuker and Patrick Vieira missed their spot-kicks.
2000-01 was also disappointing. Arsenal again finished second, this time ten points behind Manchester United; the title race had been as good as over since February, when Arsenal lost 6-1 at Old Trafford. Arsenal's season gave priority to the Cups and Europe. They beat Spurs in the semi-finals and met Liverpool in the final in Cardiff; Arsenal dominated most of the match, and were denied a goal by the hand of defender Stephane Henchoz, which went unpunished. Arsenal finally did go 1-0 up through Ljungberg but succumbed to two late Michael Owen goals and lost 2-1. In Europe, Arsenal made it to the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 1972, only to be eliminated on the away goals rule by eventual finalists Valencia.
By now Wenger had been forced to rebuild much of the Double-winning side of 1998; Anelka, Overmars and Petit had all left for Spanish clubs in return for hefty fees, while age was finally catching up with the famous back line; Bould and Winterburn had already left, and Adams and Dixon would only last another season before retiring. In their place, Wenger signed the likes of Sol Campbell and Lauren in defence, as well as promoting Ashley Cole from the youth ranks. In midfield, Wenger added the talismanic Robert Pirès and signed his compatriot Sylvain Wiltord in attack, while in the meantime Thierry Henry had adapted to the English game to become one of the Premiership's best strikers.
Attack was definitely Arsenal's forté as they won a record-equalling third Double in 2001-02 season; the Gunners were the only team to score in every game of the Premiership season, and went unbeaten in domestic away games. After an initially tight title race (just three points separated the top four in February), Arsenal pulled away from the pack with a 13-game winning streak, finishing seven points ahead of runners-up Liverpool. Arsenal secured the title in the penultimate game of the season with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford, the goal coming from Wiltord. The previous weekend, Arsenal had wrapped up their eighth FA Cup, beating Chelsea 2-0 with goals from Ray Parlour and Freddie Ljungberg.
In 2002-03, Arsenal became the first club in more than 20 years to retain the FA Cup, with a 1-0 victory against Southampton thanks to a Pirès goal. Their joy was soured by the fact that they narrowly missed out on retaining the Premiership title. Arsenal had led eventual winners Manchester United by eight points at one stage, but their form collapsed late on in the season; they drew 2-2 away to Bolton Wanderers after leading 2-0, and then lost 3-2 at home to Leeds United a week later, which gave United the title.
The "Invincibles" and a Champions League Final (2003–)
Little did they know it at the time, but the defeat to Leeds would be Arsenal's last in the League for over a year. 2003-04 was a record-breaking season for Arsenal, as they won the Premiership unbeaten (26 wins, 12 draws, 0 defeats), finishing a clear 11 points ahead of second-place Chelsea. They became only the second team to do so, the first having been Preston North End in 1888-89. Their rivals for the title gained revenge in other competitions – Arsenal were defeated in the Champions League quarter-finals and FA Cup semi-finals by Chelsea and Manchester United, respectively, in successive matches. Faced with the potential collapse of their season, Arsenal recovered from being 1-0 and 2-1 behind to Liverpool in their next league match to win 4-2, thanks to a Thierry Henry hat-trick, and went on to win the league with a 2-2 draw away to Tottenham Hotspur, mimicking their success in 1971.
Arsenal were unable to retain the title in 2004-05, finishing second, 12 points behind a record-breaking Chelsea side. However, the Gunners did stretch their unbeaten run to 49 consecutive matches, an English league football record; the record was equalled with a dramatic 5-3 win over Middlesbrough (Arsenal having trailed 3-1 shortly after half-time) and then surpassed with a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers, before it was ended with a 2-0 away defeat by Manchester United. This defeat arguably upset the team's form and they fell away from title contention before recovering with a late flourish to finish second, sealed with a 7-0 drubbing of Everton. Champions League glory eluded them again, with the club getting knocked out 3-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the second round. Arsenal did not end the season empty-handed; they came away with their third FA Cup in four years, winning 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw against Manchester United.
Weakened by the sale of skipper Patrick Vieira to Juventus in the summer of 2005, Arsenal's 2005-06 season was comparatively disappointing domestically and the club failed to challenge for any trophies at home. In the league, their poor away form dogged them and despite recording some impressive wins at home (5-0 over Aston Villa, and 7-0 over Middlesbrough), Arsenal spent much of the latter stages of the season in fifth place or lower, and looked set to miss out on the Champions League for the first time since 1997. However, they won their last three matches of the season, culminating in a 4-2 victory over Wigan Athletic in the last ever match at Highbury; coupled with Tottenham Hotspur's loss at West Ham United the same day, this meant Arsenal pipped Spurs to fourth place and a Champions League spot.
In contrast to their domestic form, Arsenal's form in Europe in 2005-06 was much stronger; they reached the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in their history, becoming the first London club ever to do so. Arsenal finished top of their group unbeaten, above Ajax Amsterdam, FC Thun and Sparta Prague; in the knockout stages they beat Real Madrid (becoming the first British team to beat Real at the Bernabéu), Juventus and then Villarreal to reach the final, setting a competition record of ten matches without conceding a goal in the process. In the final, against Barcelona, Arsenal were reduced to ten men early on when goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was sent off for a professional foul; nevertheless they were the ones who scored first, Sol Campbell scoring with a header from a free kick in the 37th minute. Arsenal doggedly defended their lead, but two late goals from Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti meant Barcelona ran out 2-1 winners.
References
- Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin (2005). The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal. Hamlyn. ISBN 0600613445.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Spurling, Jon (2004). Rebels For The Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club. Mainstream. ISBN 0575400153.
- "Arsenal.com - The Club". Retrieved July 27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - "ArseWeb statistics page". Retrieved July 27.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - "Arsenal-Mania : History of Arsenal FC". Retrieved March 9.
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Further reading
- Adams, Tony with Ridley, Ian (1998). Addicted. HarperCollins. ISBN 0002187957.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Hornby, Nick (1992). Fever Pitch. Indigo. ISBN 1840189002.
- Joy, Bernard (1952). Forward Arsenal!. Phoenix House.
- Lawrence, Amy (1997). Proud to Say That Name: The Marble Hall of Fame. Mainstream. ISBN 1851588981.
- Maidment, Jem (2005). The Official Arsenal 100 Greatest Games. Hamlyn. ISBN 0600613763.
- Roper, Alan (2003). The Real Arsenal Story: In the Days of Gog. Wherry. ISBN 0954625900.
- Tossell, David (2002). Seventy-One Guns: The Year of the First Arsenal Double. Mainstream. ISBN 1840185899.
- Weaver, Graham (2005). Gunners' Glory: 14 Milestones in Arsenal's History. Mainstream. ISBN 1840186674.
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