Arsenal F.C.
| File:Arsenal FC.png | |||
| Full name | Arsenal Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Gunners | ||
| Founded | 1886 as Dial Square | ||
| Ground | Emirates Stadium Holloway London | ||
| Capacity | 60,432[1] | ||
| Chairman |  Peter Hill-Wood | ||
| Manager |  Arsène Wenger | ||
| League | FA Premier League | ||
| 2005–06 | Premier League, 4th | ||
|
| |||
Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. They play in the FA Premier League and are one of the most successful clubs in English football. Arsenal have won thirteen First Division and Premier League titles, ten FA Cups and in 2005–06 became the first London club to reach the UEFA Champions League final. Arsenal are also members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.
Arsenal were founded in Woolwich, south-east London, in 1886, but in 1913 they moved north across the city to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury. In May 2006 they left Highbury, moving to their current home, the Emirates Stadium in nearby Ashburton Grove, Holloway. Arsenal have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, located four miles away in Tottenham, with whom they have contested the North London derby on an almost annual basis since 1913.
History
Arsenal were founded as Dial Square in 1886 by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, but were renamed Royal Arsenal shortly afterwards. They renamed themselves again to Woolwich Arsenal after turning professional in 1891. The club joined the Football League in 1893, starting out in the Second Division, and won promotion to the First Division in 1904. However, the club's geographic isolation resulted in lower attendances than those of other clubs, which led to the club becoming mired in financial problems. In 1913, soon after relegation back to the Second Division, they moved across the Thames to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, North London. They dropped "Woolwich" from their name the following year, thus becoming one of only two Football League teams not named after a place, the other being Port Vale. Arsenal only finished in fifth place in 1919, but nevertheless were elected to rejoin the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, by reportedly dubious means.[2]
In 1925, Arsenal appointed the highly successful Herbert Chapman as manager. Chapman had won the league with Huddersfield Town in 1924 and 1925, and he brought Arsenal their first period of major success. His revolutionary tactics and training, along with the signings of star players such as Alex James and Cliff Bastin, laid the foundations of the club's domination of English football in the 1930s. Between 1930 and 1938, Arsenal won the First Division five times and the FA Cup twice, although Chapman did not live to see all of these achievements, as he died of pneumonia in 1934; George Allison succeeded him. In addition, Chapman was reportedly behind the 1932 renaming of the local London Underground station from "Gillespie Road" to "Arsenal", making it the only Tube station to be named specifically after a football club.
Following the suspension of English professional football during World War II, under Tom Whittaker Arsenal won the league in 1948 and 1953, and the FA Cup in 1950. However, after that their fortunes waned; unable to attract players of the same calibre as they had in the 1930s, the club spent most of the 1950s and 1960s in trophyless mediocrity. Even former England captain Billy Wright could not bring the club any success as manager, in a stint between 1962 and 1966.
Arsenal's second successful era began with the surprise appointment of club physiotherapist Bertie Mee as manager in 1966. After losing two League Cup finals, they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, their first European trophy, in 1970. This was followed by an even greater triumph: their first League and FA Cup double in 1971. However, the following decade was characterised by a series of near misses. Arsenal finished as First Division runners-up in 1973, lost three FA Cup finals (1972, 1978 and 1980) and lost the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final on penalties. The club's only success during this time was an FA Cup win in 1979, with a last-minute 3–2 victory over Manchester United that is widely regarded as a classic.
The return of former player George Graham as manager in 1986 brought a third period of glory. Arsenal won the League Cup in 1987, Graham's first season in charge. This was followed by a League title win in 1989, won with a last-minute goal in the final game of the season against fellow title challengers Liverpool. Graham's Arsenal won another title in 1991, losing only one match, the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993 and a second European trophy, the Cup Winners' Cup, in 1994. However, Graham's reputation was tarnished when it was revealed that he had taken kickbacks from agent Rune Hauge for signing certain players,[3] and he was sacked in 1995. His replacement, Bruce Rioch, lasted for only one season, leaving the club after a dispute over transfer funds.
The club's success in the late 1990s and 2000s owes a great deal to the appointment of manager Arsène Wenger in 1996. Wenger brought new tactics, a new training regime and several foreign players who complemented the existing English talent. Arsenal won a second league and cup double in 1998 and a third in 2002. In addition, the club reached the final of the 2000 UEFA Cup (losing on penalties to Galatasaray), were victorious in the 2003 and 2005 FA Cups, and won the Premier League in 2004 without losing a single match, which earned the side the nickname "The Invincibles";[4] in all, the club went 49 league matches unbeaten, a national record.
Arsenal have finished in either first or second place in the league in eight of Wenger's ten seasons at the club. They are one of only four teams (along with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers and Chelsea) to have won the Premier League since its formation in 1993, although they have failed to retain the title each time they have been champions. Until recently, Arsenal had never progressed beyond the Champions League quarter-finals; in 2005–06 however, they reached the competition's Final (the first club from London to do so in the competition's fifty year history), but were beaten 2-1 by FC Barcelona.
Crest
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Royal Arsenal's first crest, unveiled in 1888, featured three cannon viewed from above, pointing northwards, similar to the crest of the 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. In 1922, the club adopted its first single-cannon crest, featuring an eastward-pointing cannon. This crest was only used until 1925 when the cannon was reversed to point westward, its barrel was slimmed down and the club's nickname, The Gunners, was inscribed to the left of it. In 1949, the club unveiled a modernised crest featuring the same style of cannon, the club's name set in blackletter above the cannon, and a scroll inscribed with the club's newly adopted Latin motto, Victoria Concordia Crescit (meaning "victory comes from harmony"). For the first time, the crest was rendered in colour – red, green, and gold – which varied slightly over the crest's lifespan.
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,[5] Arsenal 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.[6] 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.[7]
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 similar to burgundy, and was worn with white shorts and blue socks.[8]
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 famous cartoonist Tom Webster, with whom Chapman played golf.[9] 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;[8] 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 one-year commemorative redcurrant shirts similar to those worn in 1913, their first season in the stadium. The club reverted to their traditional colours at the start of the 2006–07 season.
Arsenal's home colours have been the inspiration for at least two other clubs. In 1909, Sparta Prague adopted a dark red kit like the one Arsenal wore at the time; in the 1930s, Hibernian adopted the design of the Arsenal shirt sleeves in their own green and white strip. Both 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 for a short while in the early 1980s. Since the 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 have been either yellow and blue, or two-tone blue designs, although there was a metallic gold and navy strip for the 2001–02 season. The away colours for 2005–06 and 2006–07 are yellow and dark grey; this is an exception to the one-season rule to compensate for the short lifetime of the 2005-06 redcurrant commemorative home kit.[10]
Arsenal's shirts have been sponsored since 1982, when the club agreed a deal with JVC, which lasted until 1999. Since then, the club shirts have advertised SEGA Dreamcast (1999–2002), O2 (2002–06) and current sponsors Emirates (from 2006 until at least 2014). The shirts themselves have been manufactured by Nike since 1994; before that Umbro (until 1986) and Adidas (1986–94) were responsible for clothing the team.
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 there for the next twenty years, 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 East and West stands constructed, and roofs added to the North Bank and Clock End terraces. 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.[11] 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 whose owners objected to expansion. These limitations have prevented the club from maximising the revenue that their domestic form could have brought in recent seasons. After considering various options, Arsenal decided in 1999 to build 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;[12] however some fans refer to the ground as Ashburton Grove, or the Grove, as they do not agree with corporate sponsorship of stadium names.[13] The stadium will be officially known as Emirates Stadium until at least 2021, and the airline will be the club's shirt sponsor until the end of the 2013–14 season.
Supporters
Arsenal have a large and generally loyal fanbase, with virtually all home matches selling out; in 2005-06, Arsenal had the sixth-highest average attendance in England (38,184,[14] which is 99.4% of Highbury's capacity). Arsenal fans often refer to themselves as "Gooners", the name being derived from the team's nickname, "The Gunners". The club's location, adjoining both wealthy areas such as Canonbury and Barnsbury, mixed areas such as Finsbury Park and Highbury, and largely working class areas such as Holloway and Stoke Newington has meant that Arsenal's supporters have come from across the usual class divides. Additionally, Arsenal have the highest proportion (7.7%) of non-white attending supporters of any club in English football, according to a 2002 report.[15]
Like all major English football clubs, Arsenal have a number of domestic supporters' clubs, including the Official Arsenal Football Supporters Club, which is affiliated with the club, and the Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association, which maintains an independent line. The club's supporters also publish fanzines such as The Gooner, Highbury High, Gunflash and the less cerebral Up The Arse!. In addition to the usual English football chants, Arsenal's supporters sing "One-Nil to the Arsenal" (to the tune of "Go West") and "Boring, Boring Arsenal", which used to be a common taunt from opposition fans but is now sung ironically by Arsenal supporters when the team is playing well.
In recent times, a supporter's attachment to a football club has become less dependent on geography, and Arsenal now have many fans not just from London but all over England and the world. While there have always been small pockets of supporters abroad, Arsenal's support base has widened considerably with the advent of satellite television, and there are now significant supporters' clubs worldwide. A 2005 report by Granada Ventures, which owns a 9.9% stake in the club, estimated Arsenal's global fanbase at 27 million, the third largest in the world.[16]
Arsenal's longest-running and deepest rivalry is with their nearest major neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur, with matches between the two being referred to as North London derbies. Matches against other London sides, such as Chelsea and West Ham United are also derbies, but the rivalry is not as intense as that between Arsenal and Tottenham. In addition, Arsenal and Manchester United have had a strong on-pitch rivalry since the late 1980s, which has intensified in recent years when both clubs have been competing for the Premier League title.
Ownership
Arsenal's parent company, Arsenal Holdings plc, operates as a non-quoted public limited company. Arsenal's ownership is considerably different from that of other football clubs. Only 62,217 shares in Arsenal have been issued, and they are not traded on a public exchange such as the FTSE or AIM; instead, they are traded infrequently on PLUS, a specialist market. As of December 2006, Arsenal's market capitalisation value is £304.9m,[17] and the club made a pre-tax profit of £15.9m in the year ending May 31 2006.[18]
Arsenal's board of directors hold the majority of the club's shares, controlling over 60% of share capital. Currently, the club's largest shareholders are Danny Fiszman (a London diamond dealer) and Nina Bracewell-Smith (wife of the grandson of former chairman Sir Bracewell Smith), who hold 25.2% and 15.9% respectively. Vice-chairman David Dein holds 14.6% and fellow director Richard Carr has 4.4%, while club chairman Peter Hill-Wood owns less than 1%.[18] In recent years, with Arsenal becoming a significant media asset, outside organisations have bought into the club. These include entertainment firm Granada Ventures (a subsidiary of ITV plc) (9.9%) and hedge fund Lansdowne Partners (2.7%); Lansdowne used to have a stake in Manchester United before selling it to Malcolm Glazer.[19] In September 2006 an unknown investor bought 700 shares (just over 1% of the club), prompting speculation of a takeover bid,[20] but ultimately no bid was forthcoming.
Arsenal in popular culture
As one of the most successful teams in the country, Arsenal have often featured when football is depicted in British culture and have appeared in a number of media "firsts". On January 22 1927, their match at Highbury against Sheffield United was the first English League match to be broadcast live on radio.[21] A decade later, on September 16 1937, an exhibition match between Arsenal's first team and the reserves was the first ever football match to be televised live.[22]
Arsenal also formed the backdrop to one of the earliest football-related films, The Arsenal Stadium Mystery (1939). The film is centred on a friendly match between Arsenal and an amateur side, one of whose players is poisoned whilst playing. Many Arsenal players appeared as themselves, although only manager George Allison was given a speaking part.
More recently, the book Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby was an autobiographical account of Hornby's life and relationship with football and Arsenal in particular. Published in 1992, it formed part of, and may have played an active part in, the revival and rehabilitation of football in British society during the 1990s. The book was later made into a film starring Colin Firth, which centred on the club's 1988–89 title win. The book also inspired an American film adaptation, about a fan of Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox.
Arsenal have often been stereotyped as a defensive and "boring" side, especially during the 1970s and 1980s; many comedians, such as Eric Morecambe, made jokes about this at the team's expense. The theme was repeated in the 1997 film The Full Monty, in a scene where the lead actors move in a line and raise their hands, deliberately mimicking the Arsenal defence's offside trap, in an attempt to co-ordinate their stripping. Another film reference to the club's defence comes in the film Plunkett & Macleane, in which there are two characters named Dixon and Winterburn, named after Arsenal's long serving full backs - the right-sided Lee Dixon and the left-sided Nigel Winterburn.
The club have also been mentioned in several Monty Python's Flying Circus sketches, and in Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where a barman remarks that the impending end of the world is a "lucky escape" for Arsenal. Additionally, in the 2004 film Ocean's Twelve, the main characters don Arsenal tracksuits as a disguise, in order to escape from a hotel during one of their European heists.
Arsenal have featured in popular music as well; Joe Strummer wrote the song "Tony Adams", dedicated to the then Arsenal captain, which appeared on his 1999 album Rock Art and the X-Ray Style. Strummer was also known to wear an Arsenal scarf during gigs. Additionally, Arsenal (along with arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur) receive a mention in The Pogues song "Billy's Bones", which appears on the band's second album, Rum, Sodomy and the Lash.
Arsenal Ladies
Arsenal Ladies are the women's football club affiliated to Arsenal. Founded in 1987, they turned semi-professional in 2002 and are the most successful team in English women's football today. They are managed by Vic Akers, who is also kit manager for the men's side, and play in the FA Women's Premier League; Arsenal Ladies are currently reigning champions, having won their eighth title in 2006.
They also won the FA Women's Cup seven times, the Women's League Cup eight times, and in 2006-07 reached the final of the UEFA Women's Cup, the furthest any English women's club has ever got. While the men's and women's clubs are formally separate they have quite close ties; Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein is president of Arsenal Ladies, and they are entitled to play once a season at the Emirates Stadium (they usually play their home matches at Boreham Wood).
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 Tony Adams comes second, having played 668 times. The record for a goalkeeper is held by David Seaman, with 563 appearances.
Current Arsenal captain Thierry Henry is the club's top goalscorer with 220 goals in all competitions (as of October 25, 2006), having surpassed Ian Wright's total of 185 in October 2005. Wright's record had stood since 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 (169, as of October 25 2006), 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 November 25, 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. The capacity of Emirates Stadium is 60,432,[1] so it is unlikely that these records will be broken in the foreseeable future.
Arsenal have also set records in English football, most notably the most consecutive seasons spent in the top flight (80 as of 2006-07) and the longest run of unbeaten League matches (49 between May 2003 and October 2004). This included all 38 matches of the 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 Barcelona, when Samuel Eto'o scored Barcelona's equaliser in the 76th minute.
Players
Current squad
As of January 1, 2007.[23] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Players out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserves
Notable players
Managers
As of December 10, 2006. Only competitive matches are counted.
| Name | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | F | A | ||||
| Sam Hollis |
|
August 1894 | July 1897 | 95 | 43 | 14 | 38 | 213 | 181 |
| Thomas Mitchell | 
|
August 1897 | March 1898 | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 66 | 46 |
| George Elcoat |
|
March 1898 | May 1899 | 43 | 23 | 6 | 14 | 92 | 55 |
| Harry Bradshaw |
|
August 1899 | May 1904 | 189 | 96 | 39 | 54 | 329 | 173 |
| Phil Kelso |
|
July 1904 | February 1908 | 151 | 63 | 31 | 57 | 225 | 228 |
| George Morrell |
|
February 1908 | May 1915 | 294 | 104 | 73 | 117 | 365 | 412 |
| Leslie Knighton |
|
May 1919 | June 1925 | 267 | 92 | 62 | 114 | 330 | 380 |
| Herbert Chapman |
|
June 1925 | 6 January 1934 | 403 | 201 | 97 | 105 | 864 | 598 |
| Joe Shaw[27] |
|
6 January 1934 | June 1934 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 44 | 29 |
| George Allison |
|
June 1934 | June 1947 | 283 | 131 | 75 | 77 | 543 | 333 |
| Tom Whittaker |
|
June 1947 | 24 October 1956 | 428 | 202 | 106 | 120 | 797 | 566 |
| Jack Crayston |
|
24 October 1956 | May 1958 | 77 | 33 | 16 | 28 | 142 | 142 |
| George Swindin |
|
21 June 1958 | May 1962 | 179 | 70 | 43 | 66 | 320 | 320 |
| Billy Wright |
|
May 1962 | June 1966 | 182 | 70 | 43 | 69 | 336 | 330 |
| Bertie Mee |
|
June 1966 | 4 May 1976 | 539 | 241 | 148 | 150 | 739 | 542 |
| Terry Neill | 
|
9 July 1976 | 16 December 1983 | 414 | 187 | 117 | 112 | 601 | 446 |
| Don Howe |
|
16 December 1983 | 22 March 1986 | 116 | 56 | 32 | 31 | 187 | 142 |
| Steve Burtenshaw[27] |
|
23 March 1986 | 14 May 1986 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 15 |
| George Graham |
|
14 May 1986 | 21 February 1995 | 460 | 225 | 133 | 102 | 711 | 403 |
| Stewart Houston[27] |
|
21 February 1995 | 15 June 1995 | 19 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 29 | 25 |
| Bruce Rioch |
|
15 June 1995 | 12 August 1996 | 47 | 22 | 15 | 10 | 67 | 37 |
| Stewart Houston[27] |
|
12 August 1996 | 15 September 1996 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 10 |
| Pat Rice[27] |
|
16 September 1996 | 30 September 1996 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 4 |
| Arsène Wenger |
|
1 October 1996[28] | Present | 581 | 335 | 143 | 104 | 1046 | 524 |
Honours
- First Division and Premier League[29] titles: 13
- 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004
- FA Cups: 10
- 1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005
- League Cups: 2
- 1987, 1993
- Charity Shields and Community Shields[30]: 12
- 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991 (shared), 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004
- Inter-Cities Fairs Cup: 1
- 1970
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1
- 1994
Arsenal's tally of thirteen League Championships is the third highest in English football, after Liverpool and Manchester United, while the total of ten FA Cups is the second highest, after Manchester United. Arsenal have achieved three League and FA Cup "Doubles" (in 1971, 1998 and 2002), a joint record shared with Manchester United, and were the first side in English football to complete the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993.
Arsenal have one of the best top-flight records in history, having finished below fourteenth only seven times. Arsenal also have the highest average league finishing position for the period 1900–1999, with an average league placing of 8.5.[31] In addition, they are one of only five clubs to have won the FA Cup twice in succession, in 2002 and 2003.
Footnotes
- ^ a b "The real capacity of Emirates Stadium". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ It has been alleged that Arsenal's promotion, on historical grounds rather than merit, was thanks to underhand actions by the then Arsenal chairman, Sir Henry Norris (see History of Arsenal F.C. (1886-1966) for more details). These allegations range from political machinations to outright bribery; no firm proof has ever been offered. A detailed account of what is known can be found in Spurling, Jon (2004). "Chapter Two: Sleaze and the Tory MP". Rebels for the Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club. Mainstream. ISBN 0-575-40015-3. A more speculative account is available from: "How Arsenal got promoted in 1919". Unofficial Emirates Stadium webpage. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ Graham was banned for a year by the Football Association for his involvement in the scandal after he admitted he had received an "unsolicited gift" from Hauge. Reference: Collins, Roy (2000-03-18). "Rune Hauge, international man of mystery". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) The case is given a detailed treatment in Bower, Tom (2003). Broken Dreams. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7434-4033-1. - ^ Hughes, Ian (2004-05-15). "Arsenal the Invincibles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Free, Dominic (2003). "Arsenal v. Reed in the Court of Appeal". Michael Simkins LLP. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Arsenal go for a makeover". BBC Sport. 2004-02-01. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Crestfallen" (PDF). Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ a b "Squad Photos Gallery". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Arsenal Kit Design". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Club Charter". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Highbury". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-09.
- ^ "Arsenal name new ground". BBC Sport. 2004-10-05. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Dawes, Brian (2006). "The 'E' Word". Arsenal World. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ Kempster, Tony (2006). "Premiership 2005-06 Attendances". Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Soccer violence declining say fans". BBC News. 2002-02-27. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Pearlman, Julia (2005-08-05). "Arsenal named the Premiership's fastest-growing brand". Brand Republic. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Arsenal Holdings plc". PLUS Markets Group. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ a b "Statement of Accounts and Annual Report 2005/2006" (PDF). Arsenal Football Club. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ Bose, Mihir (2005-10-13). "Arsenal fans fear takeover as share price continues to rise". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Jacob, Gary and Kempson, Russell (2006-09-26). "Mystery investors start to build Arsenal stake". The Times. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "It Happened at Highbury: First live radio broadcast". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Happened on this day - 16 September". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ "Arsenal Squad 2006/07". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ The nature of Baptista's transfer to Arsenal is uncertain. Arsenal state that the transfer was for "an undisclosed fee" (Reference: "Baptista moves to Arsenal as Reyes joins Real Madrid". Arsenal.com. 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)) However most news sources, including the BBC, reported it was a one-year loan with a view to a permanent transfer at the end, like José Antonio Reyes' move in the opposite direction at the same time (Reference: "Baptista wants to stay at Arsenal". BBC Sport. 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2006-12-08.{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)) - ^ In a press conference Reyes confirmed he was on loan for the 2006-07 season with a view to a permanent transfer at the end. Reference: ""The thought of wearing this shirt has always excited me"". RealMadrid.com. 2006-09-08. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "El mexicano Carlos Vela, a un paso de llegar cedido al Salamanca". Marca (in Spanish). 2006-08-05. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e Served as caretaker manager.
- ^ Although Wenger's appointment was announced before Arsenal's match against Sunderland on September 28 1996, Pat Rice remained in charge of the first team for that game and Wenger did not officially take over until October 1. Reference: Clarke, Richard (2006). "Wenger 1996 to 2006: the French evolutionary". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- ^ Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the FA Premier League.
- ^ The trophy was known as the Charity Shield until 2002, and as the Community Shield since then.
- ^ Hodgson, Guy (January 2000). "Arsenal: Team of the Century 1900-1999". The Independent. Archive copy available at: "Arsenal: Team of the Century 1900-1999". Arseweb. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help)
References
- Hornby, Nick (1992). Fever Pitch. Indigo. ISBN 1-84018-900-2.
- Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin (2000). The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal. Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-60175-7.
{{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 0-575-40015-3.
- "The Club". Arsenal.com. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- "Arsenal statistics". Arseweb. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
- "Arsenal Shirts". Retrieved 2006-12-08.
External links
- Official websites
- Arsenal.com Official club website
- Arsenal at the FA Premier League official website
- Arsenal at the UEFA official website
- General fan sites
- News sites
- Arsenal on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures
- Arsenal news from The Independent
- Arsenal news from Sky Sports
- Fanzines
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Template:Champions League 2006-07
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