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Arsenal’s Greatest Forwards – Day 2

July 10, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we begin our quest for the greatest forwards to include in our team. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite striker from an earlier era by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

4. Alex James: 1929-1937.

Alex made 261 appearances over an 8 year period and scored 27 goals.

Born in Mossend, Lanarkshire, Alex started his career with local youth clubs.

Alex joined Raith Rovers in 1922, where he spent three seasons, recording nearly one hundred League appearances, before moving to Preston North End for £3,000 in 1925.

He spent four years at the Second Division side, scoring 55 goals in 157 appearances; however towards the end of his stay there he fell into several disputes with the club’s management, partly over wages – at the time, the Football League operated a maximum wage of £8 a week – and also because Preston refused to release him for international duty with Scotland.

Alex left Preston and joined Arsenal in 1929 for £8,750, making his debut against Leeds United on 31 August 1929. In order to circumvent the maximum wage rules, Arsenal arranged it so that his employment at the club was supplemented by a £250-a-year “sports demonstrator” job at Selfridges, the London department store. James had an unremarkable first season at Arsenal, in part due to the recovery from injuries he had accrued playing in the Second Division; however, he played in Arsenal’s 1930 FA Cup Final win against Huddersfield Town, scoring the first in a 2-0 win to give Arsenal their first major trophy.

Over time he settled into his role and became part of the dominant side of English football in 1930s. Playing deep as a supporting player, he scored relatively few goals for Arsenal – only 27 in 261 appearances – but created many times that number. Alex’s passing and vision supplied the ammunition that David Jack, Cliff Bastin, Ted Drake and Jack Lambert all put into the net.

He helped Arsenal to their first ever First Division Championship win in 1930-31, but was injured during the title race in 1931-32; without him, Arsenal finished second behind Everton and lost the 1932 FA Cup Final against Newcastle United. He had been passed fit before injuring himself in a pre-match photo call for the press, without him, Arsenal lost 2-1. He recovered to help Arsenal to a second title in 1932-33, as Arsenal scored 118 goals in the League that season. Another spate of injuries marred his1933-34 season, as Arsenal retained their title but scoring far fewer (75) goals in the process, but when he recovered they won a fourth, and their third in a row in 1934-35, with Ted Drake scoring 42 league goals that season, many of them supplied by Alex. The following season he won a second FA Cup winners’ medal, captaining the Arsenal team to their 1-0 win over Sheffield United.

He was famed for the excellent quality of his passing and supreme ball control, leading many modern-day comparisons with Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp. His rheumatism meant he wore “baggy” shorts to hide the long johns he wore to keep warm; the baggy appearance became his trademark.

Despite his form for his clubs, he won just eight caps for Scotland, partly due to Preston’s reluctance to release him for international matches. He made his international debut on 31 October 1925 against Wales, which Scotland won 3-0, his short international career included an appearance for the legendary “Wembley Wizards” team that thrashed England 5-1 at Wembley in 1928, with Alex scoring two goals.

With age and injuries taking their toll in the last two seasons of his career, Alex retired from playing in the summer of 1937. During World War II he served in the Royal Artillery, and after the war he became a journalist, as well as running a football pools competition. In 1949 he was invited back to Arsenal to coach the club’s youth sides.

Alex was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.

He died suddenly, of cancer, when he was just 51 years of age.

5. Joe Hulme: 1926-1938.

Joe made 374 appearances over a 12 year period and scored 125 goals.

Born in Stafford, Staffordshire Joe usually played as a right-winger. He played for Stafford YMCA before starting his career in non-League football with Midland League side York City, he then moved to Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £250. He spent two years at Ewood Park and made 74 league appearances, scoring six goals.

He moved to Arsenal in 1926, becoming one of Herbert Chapman’s first major signings.

Joe made his Arsenal debut on 6 February 1926 away to Leeds United, and remained a regular for the rest of that season. That led him to be picked for the Football League XI that season, and the following season, 1926–27, he made his full England debut, against Scotland at Hampden Park. In between 1927 and 1933 Joe won nine caps for England. That same season he also played in his first FA Cup final, against Cardiff City, which Arsenal lost 1–0.

He remained first choice on the right-wing at Arsenal up until the 1932–33 season, combining with Cliff Bastin (who joined Arsenal in 1929) to form a pair of highly-paced wingers with Joe scoring18 goals in 1931–32 (including hat-tricks against Sunderland and Middlesbrough) and 20 in 1932-33. During this time Joe and Arsenal started winning trophies, taking the FA Cup in 1929–30, and followed it up with a pair of First Division titles in 1930–31 and 1932–33. Injuries deprived him of another title-winning medal, as he only made eight appearances (but still scored five times) in Arsenal’s 1933–34 title-winning season. He returned to the Arsenal side the following season, 1934–35, and won his third league winners’ medal with 16 appearances, although by now injury and losses of form meant he was not an automatic first choice, sharing duties with Pat Beasley and Alf Kirchen.

In 1935–36, Joe played 28 times in the league and cup winning his final honour with Arsenal, a second FA Cup medal after Arsenal beat Sheffield United 1–0 in the final, making him the only player to have played in all of Arsenal’s first four cup finals. He spent his final two seasons at Arsenal (1936–37 and 1937–38) as a bit-part player, making just ten appearances in one-and-a-half years. His final appearance came against Liverpool on 18 December 1937. He scored 125 goals in 374 appearances for the Gunners, making him the club’s tenth-top scorer of all time.

He left Arsenal for Huddersfield in January 1938, where he saw out the rest of his career, picking up an FA Cup runners-up medal in the 1937–38 season before retiring from football at the end of that season. Joe was also a fine all-round cricketer, playing 225 times for Middlesex between 1929 and 1939 as an aggressive middle-order batsman and medium-fast bowler. Capped by Middlesex in 1930, he scored his first century that year, 117 against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. He first passed 1,000 runs for the season in 1932, and in 1934 made his highest aggregate, 1,258 runs at 34.94, including four hundreds. He was an excellent fielder in the deep, and a good runner between the wickets. In 225 matches he made 8,103 runs at an average of 26.56, the highest of his twelve hundreds being 143 against Gloucestershire at Bristol. His useful right-arm medium-pace bowling brought him 89 wickets at 36.40, with a career best of 4 for 44, and he held 110 catches.

After World War II, which he spent working as a policeman; Joe became manager of Arsenal’s fiercest rivals, Tottenham Hotspur from 1945 to 1949. He achieved little actual success at the time, but he did lay the foundations for their championship-winning side of 1950–51. After that, Joe left football altogether, to become a successful journalist.

He died at the age of 87, in 1991.

6. Ted Drake: 1934-1945.

Ted made 184 appearances over an 11 year period and scored 139 goals.

Born in Southampton, Ted started playing at Winchester City, whilst continuing to work as a gas-meter reader. He nearly joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy, but missed the trial match with an injury. In June 1931, he was persuaded by George Kay to join Southampton, then playing in Division Two. He made his Saints debut on 14 November 1931 at Swansea Town, and signed as a professional in November, becoming first-choice centre-forward by the end of the 1931–32 season. In the following season he made 33 league appearances, scoring 20 goals.

After only one full season, his bravery and skill attracted the attention of Arsenal’s Herbert Chapman, who tried to persuade him to move to North London. Ted rejected the chance of a move to Highbury and decided to remain at The Dell. He started the 1933–34 season by scoring a hat trick in the opening game against Bradford City, following this with at least one goal in the next four games, thereby amassing eight goals in the opening five games. By early March he had blasted his way to the top of the Football League Division Two goal-scoring table with 22 goals.

Arsenal, with George Allison now in charge, renewed their interest and Ted eventually decided to join the Gunners in March 1934 for a fee of £6,500. Saints had declined several previous offers, but eventually were forced to sell in order to balance their books. Ted made a total of 74 appearances for Southampton, scoring 48 goals.

He scored on his league debut against Wolves on 24 March 1934, in a 3–2 win. Although he joined too late to qualify for a League Championship medal in 1933–34, he would win one in 1934–35, scoring 42 goals in 41 league games in the process, this included three hat-tricks and four four-goal hauls. With two more goals in the FA Cup and Charity Shield, Ted scored 44 in all that season, breaking Jack Lambert’s club record, one that still holds to this day.

His exploits at club level brought him recognition at international level, and he made his England debut against Italy in the “Battle of Highbury” on 14 November 1934; one of seven Arsenal players in the side, he scored the third goal in a heated 3–2 win. In total he won five caps, scoring six times.

The following season, 1935–36 he scored seven in a single match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on 14 December 1935, a club record and top flight record that also still stands. Ted claimed an eighth goal hit the crossbar and went over the line, but the referee waved away his appeal. Drake would go on to win the FA Cup in 1935–36 (scoring the only goal in the final) and the League again in 1937–38.

Despite being injured regularly (he was a doubt up until the last minute for the 1936 Cup Final), his speed, fierce shooting and brave playing style meant he was Arsenal’s first-choice centre forward for the rest of the decade, and he was the club’s top scorer for each of the five seasons from 1934–35 to 1938–39. The Second World War curtailed Drake’s career, although he served in the Royal Air Force as well as turning out for Arsenal in wartime games and also appearing as a guest player for West Ham United later in World War II. However, his career would not last long into peacetime; a spinal injury incurred in a game against Reading in 1945 forced him to retire from playing. With 139 goals in 184 games, he is the joint-fifth (along with Jimmy Brain) all-time scorer for Arsenal.

After retiring as a player, Ted managed Hendon in 1946, and then Reading from 1947. He led the club to the runners-up spot in Division Three South in 1948-49 and again in 1951–52, though at the time only the champions were promoted.

He was appointed manager of First Division Chelsea in 1952. Upon his arrival at Chelsea, he made a series of sweeping changes, doing much to rid the club of its previous amateurish, music hall image. He discarded the club’s Chelsea pensioner crest and with it the Pensioners nickname, and insisted a new one be adopted. From these changes came the “Lion Rampant Regardant” crest and the Blues nickname. He introduced scouting reports and a new, tougher, training regime based on ball work, a rare practice in English football at the time. Within three years, in the 1954–55 season, Ted had led Chelsea to their first-ever league championship triumph. In doing so, he became the first person to win the league title both as player and manager. However, he never came close to repeating that success and left Chelsea to become reserve team manager at Fulham, later becoming a director and then life president.

Ted died aged 82, on 30 May 1995.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

87 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Alex James, Arsenal, Football, Joe Hulme, Strikers, Ted Drake | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Forwards – Day 1

July 9, 2013

1. Jimmy Brain 1923-1931.

Jimmy made 232 appearances over 8 years and scored 139 Goals.

Born in Bristol, England, Jimmy started his career playing in Wales, having an unsuccessful trial at Cardiff City, before gaining a regular place at Ton Pentre.

In 1923, he moved to Arsenal, after a year in the reserve side, Jimmy started his Arsenal first-team career with a goal on his debut, a 1-0 win against local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 25 October 1924.

He was a prolific striker throughout his career, and was the club’s top scorer for four seasons in a row, from 1924-25 to 1928-29; this included 39 goals in the 1925-26 season (second only to Ted Drake’s haul of 45 in 1934-35), which included four hat tricks. The next season, 1926-27, Jimmy scored 34 goals, including two four-goal tallies against Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley. His goal scoring feats helped Arsenal reach their first FA Cup final, in 1926-27.

Jimmy’s form dropped off in 1929-30, and he competed for his position with Jack Lambert, David Jack and Dave Halliday, meaning he only played six league matches in that season. He missed the Gunners’ 1930 Cup final win over Huddersfield Town; David Jack and Jack Lambert led the line that day. However, the following season, 1930-31, Jimmy finally won a medal after playing sixteen matches (scoring four goals) in Arsenal’s first Division one title-winning season. His final appearance in an Arsenal shirt was a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on 21 March 1931.

In total, he scored 139 goals in 232 appearances for Arsenal, making him the Gunners’ joint-fifth top scorer of all time, and he was the first player ever to score 100 goals for the club, a feat he achieved in a 6-3 win over Liverpool on 7 March 1928. However, he never played for England; he managed to secure a trial for the national team but was never actually selected.

Age was now catching up with him, and he had been overtaken in the goal scoring by both Lambert and Jack. He left Arsenal for Tottenham for £2,500 in September 1931, becoming one of the few players to have moved directly between the two rival clubs.

By the time Jimmy had joined Spurs he was in his thirties, and only played 47 times for them, scoring 10 goals, before leaving in 1934.

He played his final years out at Swansea Town and Bristol City. After retiring as a player, he managed first King’s Lynn and then Cheltenham Town from 1939 until 1948, after which he retired completely from football.

He died in 1971, at the age of 71.

2. Jack Lambert: 1926-1933.

Jack played in 161 games over 7 years and scored 109 goals.

Born in Greasbrough near Rotherham, Yorkshire, Lambert was turned down by Sheffield Wednesday after a trial, so started his career playing for Rotherham County in 1922. He soon made a move to Leeds United, but spent three years there with little success. He finally came to prominence after becoming a regular goal scorer for Doncaster Rovers, joining the side in January 1925. Playing in Yorkshire, he had attracted the attention of Herbert Chapman when the latter was manager of Huddersfield Town; when Chapman became Arsenal manager, needing a quality centre-forward, he signed Jack for £2,000 in June 1926.

He made 16 appearances in his first season with the club, but only scored one goal. He also made 16 appearances in the 1927–28 season, but managed to score three times. He became a regular for the club towards the end of the 1929-30 season; scoring 18 times in only 20 league appearances.

The following season (1930-31) he was even more successful, scoring 38 goals in just 34 games in the League, a club record at the time (which was later broken by Ted Drake) that included a total of seven hat-tricks; that season Arsenal won the First Division title for the first time in their history. Jack continued to play for Arsenal over the next few years, scoring regularly (including five goals in a 9-2 defeat of Sheffield United, the most ever scored by an Arsenal player in a single home match); he helped Arsenal reach a third FA Cup final, a 2-1 loss to Newcastle United in 1931-32, and won a second First Division title in 1932-33, scoring 14 goals in just 12 league appearances.

By now Jack was over 30 and only a bit-part player (Ernie Coleman having led the front line through most of 1932-33), and the signing of Jimmy Dunne in September 1933 forced him out of the side; his last game came on 13 September 1933 against West Bromwich Albion.

In all he scored 109 goals in 161 games for the Gunners, a very high ratio, but it wasn’t enough for him ever to be selected for England.

He was sold in October 1933 to Fulham where he played for two seasons before retiring from playing in 1935. The following year he became coach of Margate (who at the time were Arsenal’s “nursery” club) and returned to Arsenal in 1938 as a coach of the club’s reserve side.

Tragically, he died at the age of 38, killed in a car accident in Enfield, Middlesex, on 7 December 1940.

3. David Jack: 1923-1934.

David played in 208 games over 6 years and scored 124 goals.

Born in Bolton, Lancashire, David started his career with his father’s club, Plymouth Argyle in 1919. There he scored 15 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions. In 1920 he returned to the town of his birth, moving to Bolton Wanderers for £3,500. He spent eight seasons with the Trotters, forming a formidable partnership with Joe Smith, and between them they scored over 300 goals. While at Bolton, he made history by being the first person to score a goal at Wembley Stadium, in the 1923 FA Cup Final; Bolton won 2–0 and Jack earned his first medal.

A year later, he won his first England cap, in a 1–2 defeat against Wales on 3 March 1924. In eight years he played eight times for his country and scored three times. He continued to have success with Bolton, winning the FA Cup again in 1925–26, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over Manchester City. He was the club’s top scorer for five of the eight seasons he was there, scoring 144 goals in 295 league matches.

In 1928, with Bolton in financial trouble, he was signed by Herbert Chapman’s Arsenal for £10,890 (nearly double the previous record); famously, Herbert used his usual tactic of plying Bolton’s representatives with liquor, while he pretended to, so he remained sober while they got very drunk, he then haggled the fee down to a price he considered a bargain.

Intended as a replacement for retired captain Charlie Buchan, David was a success at Highbury. He made his debut against Newcastle United on 20 October 1928, and became a regular straight away. He was the club’s top scorer for the 1928–29 season. Although less prolific than centre-forward Jack Lambert, he still scored important goals, including the one in the 1929–30 FA Cup semi-final against Hull City which sent Arsenal through to the final; Arsenal beat Huddersfield Town 2–0 in the final and he became the first player to win the Cup at Wembley with two different clubs.

He continued to feature for Arsenal through the early 1930s, recording a personal best of 34 goals in Arsenal’s First Division-winning season of 1930–31. He won two more titles in 1932–33 and 1933–34; however by the time of the latter he was in his mid-30s and reaching the end of his career, with competition for his place from new signing Ray Bowden meant Jack played only 16 matches that season. He retired soon after winning his third league medal, in May 1934. In all he scored 124 times in 208 matches for Arsenal.

After retiring from playing, he went on to become manager of Southend United, and then Middlesbrough. He also managed League of Ireland side Shelbourne from the summer of 1953 to April 1955.

He died in 1958, aged 59.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

80 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, David Jack, Football, Jack Lambert, Jimmy Brain, Strikers | Permalink
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Vote For Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Of The Modern Era

July 5, 2013

This must be the most difficult vote, three from the modern era of midfielders is nigh on impossible, whether its the legend of Rocky the strength and skill of Patrick, the sublimity of Pires or the goals of Ljungberg. To choose three from those four is difficult enough and then we add Parlour, Silva and Davis into the mix for good measure and not forgetting probably the best player to grace the Emirates Cesc Fabregas. Any three or four of those will make a decent midfield.

We did consider extending the vote to 4 players for this section but soon realised that in reality most of us would want 7 votes to make sure we voted for all of our favourites.

Look at this list of players and remember how lucky we have been as Arsenal fans, very few fans of rival clubs can boast anything near the quality we had in this era.

Note from ed……..

Apologies for the superfluous extra ‘s’ in Gilberto Silva

62 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, Brian Talbot, Cesc Fabregas, David Rocastle, Football, Freddie Ljungberg, Gilberto Silva, Lliam Brady, Patrick Vieira, Paul Davis, Ray Parlour, Robert Pires | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 6

July 4, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we continue our quest for the greatest midfielders to include in our team. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite midfielder by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

17. Robert Pires: 2000-2006.

Robert appeared in 284 matches over a 6 year period.

Born in Reims France, he is a graduate of the FC Metz youth academy, making his senior debut in 1993 against Lyon. During his six seasons there, he scored 43 goals in 162 matches, and won the Coupe de la Ligue, prompting a £5 million move to Olympique de Marseille in 1998, where he stayed for two year years.

Robert was signed by Arsenal for £6 million in 2000, after stiff competition from Real Madrid and Juventus. Initially his form was indifferent, and he was criticised for his comments that the English game was too physical. By 2001–02, he had fully got to grips with the English game and had one of his best seasons scoring many excellent goals. He led the Premier League assist charts and was voted both FWA Footballer of the Year and Arsenal’s player of the season, as Arsenal won the league title. This was despite not playing the last two months of the season after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in a FA Cup match against Newcastle United. This also ruled him out of playing in the 2002 World Cup with France.

After a lengthy layoff, he made his comeback in November 2002 and was voted Barclaycard Player of the Month for February 2003 and capping off his season by scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup Final against Southampton. He went on to be a crucial part of Arsenal’s quest for the Premier League title in the 2003–04 season, which they achieved, remaining unbeaten and becoming the first English top flight club to do so in 115 years. Robert along with his Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry was a key player in that season, scoring a combined 57 goals in all competitions. In the 2004–05 season, he finished third in the Premiership goal scorers table and also picked up a second FA Cup winners’ medal after Arsenal beat Manchester United on penalties. His final game for Arsenal was in the UEFA Champions league final against Barcelona, in which he was substituted after goalkeeper Jens Lehman received an early red card.

In May 2006, he agreed to join Spanish side Villarreal. He joined on a free transfer, bringing to an end his six-year career as an Arsenal player. In 2009, he faced Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, Villarreal were defeated 4–1 on aggregate, but Robert received a warm return from the Arsenal supporters, who sang his name throughout both legs. He was told in May 2010 that his contract would not be extended and he would have to look for a new club during the summer.

He won 79 caps for his country and scored 14 goals. He won the Golden Ball (for most outstanding football) and Golden Shoe (for most goals scored) awards at the 2001 Confederations Cup in Korea/Japan.

18. Freddie Ljungberg: 1998-2007.

Freddie appeared in 328 matches over a 9 year period.

He was born in Vittsjö, Sweden. Between when he was 5–14 years old, Freddie was coached by Olle Eriksson. He credits Eriksson for having a profound effect on his career as well as Brazilian football player, Sócrates. Also in his youth, he enjoyed playing ice hockey and developed a talent for handball; but decided to concentrate his attentions on football. Freddie also did well in academic subjects as well as sports and at 18 he decided to attend university, but struggled to balance the hectic academic timetable with the physically demanding commitments of football. Eventually, he quit university to concentrate on his football career.

He made his senior debut for Halmstad in October 1994 in the Allsvenskan against AIK. In 1995, he played 31 games in which he scored his first goal as a professional player. that same year Halmstad won the Swedish Cup. During his time with Halmstad, he made 139 appearances and scored 16 goals and he also won both the Swedish Cup and League title with the club. After two years with Halmstad, his star was on the rise with interest from Barcelona, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Parma and Arsenal.

Freddie was signed by Arsenal in 1998 for £3 million, Arsenal scouts watched him for over a year and Arsenal’s manager, Arsène Wenger, took the unusual step of authorising the signing after watching him play for Sweden in their victory against England on television, without seeing him play live. Freddie scored on his debut on 20 September after coming on as a substitute against Manchester United. He endeared himself to Arsenal supporters by having a bright red stripe in his hair. (A popular chant spawned from this to the tune of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: “We love you Freddie, because you’ve got red hair, we love you Freddie because you’re everywhere, we love you Freddie, you’re Arsenal through and through” Later when he shaved his head this was updated to “We love you Freddie, because you’ve got no hair”).

Freddie became the first player to score a goal at an FA Cup final outside England, when Arsenal lost against Liverpool in 2001 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. A year later, against Chelsea, he became the first player to score in consecutive FA Cup Finals. He also scored a penalty in the shootout in Arsenal’s 2005 FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United. In 2008, he placed 11th in Arsenal.com’s Gunners’ Greatest 50 Players.

After nine years at Arsenal, Freddie joined West Ham United on a four-year contract, later agreeing to terminate his contract only one year into the four-year deal.

On 28 October 2008, MLS team, Seattle Sounders officially announced they had signed Freddie as their Designated Player for the 2009 season. The terms of his contract saw Ljungberg earn $10 million over two seasons with the Sounders. Much like the contract of David Beckham and as is the norm for professional sports stars in the US, Freddie’s contract allowed him to retain all of his private endorsement money. In July 2009, Freddie was selected for starting MLS’ All-Stars; selection for the All-Star team is based upon votes from players, coaches, general managers, members of the media and an online fan voting system. Ljungberg received the most votes among fans, a testament to his popularity in the MLS. He was also appointed captain of the 2009 MLS All-Star Team in their game versus Everton.

He was traded to Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire on 30 July 2010, after 15 league appearances, Freddie announced that he would be leaving Chicago at the end of the 2010 MLS season.

He has represented his country at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup and Euro 2008, and in total he has represented Sweden on 75 occasions.

On 24 August 2012, Ljungberg announced his retirement from football.

19. Gilberto Silva: 2002-2008.

Gilberto appeared in 244 games over a 6 year period.

Born in Lagao da Prata, Brazil, he was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good form earned him a move to Atlético Mineiro in 2000. He became a star player for Atlético, playing for three years in the Brazilian Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. He came to particular prominence when he helped the Brazilian national team win the 2002 FIFA World Cup, playing in all seven of Brazil’s matches.

Arsenal signed Gilberto in August 2002 for a fee of £4.5 million. Upon signing Gilberto, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said, “What I like was the fact that he kept things simple. He can play all across the midfield but the holding role just in front of the defence is what he does best”. After two substitute appearances, he finally broke into the starting eleven on 27 August. He set a new record for the fastest goal scored in the UEFA Champions League, scoring after 20.07 seconds against PSV on 25 September 2002.

Even though he suffered a lapse in form towards the end of the season, he won an FA Cup winner’s medal, playing in the final at the Millennium Stadium as Arsenal beat Southampton 1–0.

The next season he was an important member of the squad that won Premier League title whilst going the entire season unbeaten. He played in 32 of Arsenal’s 38 unbeaten games during the season. In October 2005, Gilberto made his first appearance for Arsenal as captain, against Sparta Prague. Although Gilberto had a period of bad form during the winter months of the season, his form returned and on 17 May 2006 he played for Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Final against FC Barcelona, which Arsenal lost 2–1. On 19 August 2006 he scored Arsenal’s first competitive goal at the newly built Emirates Stadium and was made vice-captain of Arsenal in 2006.

Gilberto was called “the invisible wall” his play often went unnoticed as he positioned himself between the two centre backs and the rest of midfield, breaking up opposition attacks before they could gather momentum. He played this role as part of the defensive unit for both club and country. Both Arsenal and Brazil are both attack minded teams, and he created cover for attacking wing-backs and other midfielders who had a poor record of dropping back to help the defence.

According to ProZone (a data analysis system used by football managers) figures cited by The Sunday Times in January 2007, Gilberto was one of the few midfielders in England to attain “the elite Champions League level” of performance.

He made his international debut against Chile on 7 October, coming on as a substitute. On 7 November, in total he played in 93 games for Brazil.

20. Cesc Fabregas: 2003-2011.

Cesc appeared in 303 matches over an 8 year period.

Cesc was born in Arenys de Mar, Barcelona, he had supported FC Barcelona since childhood and went to his first match when he was nine months old with his grandfather. He began his club football career with CE Mataró, before being signed for Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy aged 10 in 1997. His initial training was as a defensive midfielder playing alongside notable names such as Gerard Piqué and Lionel Messi. He was a prolific scorer, sometimes scoring more than 30 goals in a season for the club’s youth teams.

Sensing that he would have limited opportunities at Barcelona, he joined Arsenal in their Academy, when he was just 16 years old, signing on 11 September 2003. He made his debut for Arsenal not long after, on 23 October 2003, in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United. In doing so he became Arsenal’s youngest ever first team player, aged 16 years and 177 days. He then became the youngest goal scorer in Arsenal’s history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring in a 5–1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in September 2004. He concluded that first season by gaining his first honours with Arsenal when he was in the starting eleven that defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup Final.

After the departure of Patrick Vieira, to Juventus, Cesc was given the number 4 shirt and featured regularly in the Arsenal central midfield alongside Gilberto Silva. He made 49 appearances in all competitions during the 2005–06 season. He also played in the Champions League Final against his former club Barcelona, Arsenal were defeated 2–1. His increased exposure drew transfer speculation during the summer; Real Madrid expressed a desire to sign him despite his long-term contract with Arsenal. On 24 November 2008, he was named as the Arsenal club captain. However he was ruled out for four months after sustaining a knee injury against Liverpool.

In August 2011, he signed for Barcelona, ending one of the most protracted transfer sagas in recent times. Statistics show that in the 5 years prior to his departure from Arsenal he created 466 goal-scoring chances, made 75 assists and scored 30 goals.

His international national career began when he represented the Under-17 side at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. As a result of his club performances, he was called up to the senior squad in 2006. He has played in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2012, helping Spain to become eventual winners in the three most recent tournaments.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

96 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, Cesc Fabregas, Football, Freddie Ljungberg, Gilberto Silva, Midfielders, Robert Pires | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 5

July 3, 2013

14. Paul Davis: 1978-1995.

Paul appeared in 447 matches over a 17 year period.

Born in Dulwich, London, Paul signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1977 and turned professional the following year, he made his debut in 1980 in a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, and within a year he was a regular in the Arsenal side, as well as a member of the England U21 team.

He was a key member of the successful Arsenal side of the late 1980s, winning the League Cup in 1987 and the First Division in 1989 and 1991. Paul will arguably be best remembered for an incident in 1988 when, during a match, he punched Southampton player Glenn Cockerill in the jaw. Cockerill’s jaw was broken and following the FA’s analysis of TV footage he was given a then unprecedented 9-match ban and £3,000 fine.

In spite of a disagreement with Manager George Graham he still appeared 447 times for Arsenal, scoring 37 goals. Paul played in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals wins in 1993 as Arsenal chalked up their Cup Double. He also featured in Arsenal’s Cup Winners’ Cup win against Parma F.C the following year.

Paul was released by Arsenal on a free transfer in the summer of 1995. After leaving Arsenal, he briefly joined Norwegian side Stabæk Fotball in 1995 and flopped. He returned to London to join Brentford signing on a free transfer in September 1995, but he retired within a year after just five appearances for the Griffin Park side. He returned to Arsenal to become a youth coach in 1996, before leaving the club in 2003.

In September 2003 he joined The Professional Footballers’ Association coaching department. On 27 October 2005, he was invited to become assistant manager of Kettering Town F.C. by new manager Paul Gascoigne, he left Kettering at the same time as Gascoigne’s departure from the club on 5 December 2005, but continues to work for the Professional Footballer’s Association coaching department. He has studied and gained the FA and Pro UEFA Coaching awards, the highest coaching award in the U.K. along with his UEFA ‘A’ Licence and the FA Diploma in Football Management from Warwick University, as well as his coach educators awards. Paul is now a senior coach/coach educator for the organisation and he is also an ambassador for the ‘Kick It Out’ and ‘Show Racism the Red Card organisations’.

15. Ray Parlour: 1988-2004.

Ray appeared in 466 matches over a 16 year period.

Born in Barking, London, Ray is most famous for his time at Arsenal, where he played for 14 years. He joined Arsenal as a trainee in 1989, and made his debut for the Gunners against Liverpool in 1992. He was only used sporadically in his initial few years, and was more noted for his disciplinary problems; however he made 12 appearances for the England U21 team during this time.

His breakthrough came in 1994–95, when he played in Arsenal’s European Cup Winners’ Cup final loss to Real Zaragoza. However, his real development, as a player, only came to fruition after the arrival of Arsène Wenger as manager in 1996; he became a regular fixture playing on the right wing or in central midfield for Arsenal. In 1997–98 Arsenal won the Double and Ray proved to be instrumental; he was man-of-the-match in the Gunners’ FA Cup Final win over Newcastle United, that season, where he set up Nicolas Anelka for Arsenal’s second goal in a 2–0 win. He continued to enjoy success with Arsenal for another four years but generally received little acclaim in the media compared with many of his more illustrious Arsenal team-mates, especially as he was almost constantly living in the shadow of Patrick Vieira.

In March 2000, he hit a hat trick in a 4–2 away win at Werder Bremen in a UEFA Cup quarter final tie. Seven months later, he followed it up with another hat trick in a 5–0 demolition of Newcastle United at Highbury. In April 2001, he struck a spectacular 30-yard winner as Arsenal beat Valencia 2–1 in the UEFA Champions’ League Quarter Final 1st leg tie at Highbury. One of the crowning moments of his career was his goal from 30 yards in the 2002 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, which Arsenal won 2-0. Another one of Ray’s finest moments in Arsenal colours came in November 2003, when as stand-in captain, he led Arsenal to a famous 5–1 win against Internazionale at San Siro. Performances like these have led many Arsenal fans to believe that he was one of the most underrated players at the club, and of his generation

In total, with Arsenal, Ray won three FA Premier League titles, four FA Cups, (which included two Doubles) one League Cup and one European Cup Winner’s Cup.

During his Arsenal career he was nicknamed “The Romford Pelé”; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but unglamorous image.

He moved to Middlesbrough in mid-2004, (but he still has remained a fans’ favourite at Arsenal and was recently named the 19th greatest player in the club’s history), he played 60 games for Boro in two and a half years but he was released from his contract in January 2007.

For a brief period he trained with Arsenal in order to regain fitness with a view to finding a new club. On 9 February 2007, he signed for Hull City until the end of the 2006–07 season. After helping City avoid relegation, it was confirmed on 1 June that he was not offered a new contract and this meant he was released.

He made his England debut as a substitute in a Euro 2000 qualifier against Poland on March 27, 1999. He won ten caps for England but did not score any goals.

Ray emerged as one of the most influential players for The England Legends, a 16-man squad of former internationals who have played Italy, Germany, Scotland, Ireland and The Rest of The World.

16. Patrick Vieira: 1996-2005.

Patrick appeared in 406 matches over a 9 year period.

Born in Dakar, Senegal, his family moved to Dreux, France, when he was eight. He first played for AS Cannes, where he made his debut at the age of 17 and captained the team aged just 19.] In the summer of 1995, he was signed by the Italian team Milan, though he played mainly in the reserves and made only two first-team appearances.

In August 1996, he joined Arsenal, in a £3.5 million move, Patrick later revealed he signed for Arsenal because his compatriot Arsène Wenger was going to be the club’s next manager; Arsene was officially manager of Arsenal by the start of October. His performances for Arsenal in the subsequent months made him a fans’ favourite. He ended his first season with 38 appearances in total and Arsenal finished in third place, missing out on a spot in the UEFA Champions League via goal difference. His partnership with French international team-mate Emmanuel Petit the following season was instrumental in helping Arsenal complete a domestic league and cup double. After a successful 1998 World Cup campaign with the national team, Patrick had another productive season at Arsenal in 1998–99. Although Arsenal failed to retain the Premier League, Vieira’s endeavour was rewarded as he was named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Disciplinary problems beset Patrick during his time with Arsenal and it was feared that he was prepared to turn his back on English football as he felt victimised. Wenge, several Arsenal players and fans supported him publicly, amid speculation that Italian club Juventus were prepared to offer Vieira an escape route. However Patrick stayed and Arsenal finished second in the league for a third consecutive season and runners-up to Liverpool in 2001 FA Cup Final. He was later named the club vice-captain, to ensure he would succeed Tony Adams as captain. In the 2001–02 season; Arsenal regained the league and beat Chelsea in the 2002 FA Cup Final to complete a second double. In 2003, Patrick missed Arsenal’s title run-in, due to a knee injury, and they were overtaken by Manchester United who took first place. He was also ruled out of the 2003 FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won, but jointly lifted the trophy with captain for the day, David Seaman.

In spite of growing interest to sign Vieira, not least from Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea in the summer of 2003, he agreed terms to stay at Arsenal and signed a deal which ran until 2007. The 2003–04 season was a successful one for Arsenal, as they reclaimed the league title and became the first English team in more than a century to go through the entire league season unbeaten. He endured a mixed start to the campaign, as he was sent off against Manchester United in September 2003, banned for one match and later fined £20,000. However he scored the opening goal against Tottenham Hotspur, in what ended a 2–2 draw which was enough for Arsenal to regain the title. In the 2005 FA Cup Final, he scored the winning penalty in a penalty shoot-out after a 0–0 draw with Manchester United, which proved to be his final goal for Arsenal.

In July 2005, representatives of Juventus met with Arsenal, with a view to signing Patrick, and on 15 August 2005, he signed a five-year contract, in a deal worth £13.75 million, making his debut on 28 August 2005. Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury he helped Juventus retain the Scudetto, however Juventus were stripped of their 2004–05 and 2005–06 titles after it was revealed they were involved in a match-fixing scandal and were relegated to Serie B and had 17 points deducted.

On 2 August 2006, he officially signed a four-year deal for Internazionale. In his first season at Inter, he added to his trophy cabinet the Italian Super Cup as well as the 2006–07, 2007–08, and 2008–09 Serie A. On 6 January 2010, José Mourinho stated that Vieira had played his last game at Inter.

On 8 January 2010, he signed a six month contract at Manchester City and, subsequently agreed to a one-year extension. He made a late substitute appearance in May 2011, as City won the FA Cup with a 1–0 win over Stoke City at Wembley Stadium.

On 14 July 2011, he announced his retirement from playing and accepted a training and youth development role at Manchester City with the title of Football Development Executive.

Vieira made his debut for France and was part of the France squad in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute in the final against Brazil, and set up Arsenal team mate Emmanuel Petit for France’s third goal in a 3–0 win. He, with the rest of the squad, was declared a Knight of the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest decoration, in 1998.

He subsequently played as a first choice midfield player in France’s successful campaign in Euro 2000, which they won, beating Italy in the final. He helped France to victory in the 2001 Confederations Cup, ending the tournament as joint top scorer with two goals, including the winner, a header, in the final against Japan. He also played in all three games in the 2002 World Cup, in which France were eliminated in the group stage, failing to score a goal. He was injured and missed France’s defeat to Greece at Euro 2004. He won a total of 107 caps for France, scoring six goals.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

73 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, Football, Midfielders, Patrick Vieira, Paul Davis, Ray Parlour | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders – Day 4

July 2, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we continue our quest for the greatest midfielders to include in our team. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite defender by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

11. Liam Brady: 1971-1980.

Liam appeared in 307 games over a 9 year period

Born in Dublin, he started his career at Arsenal, joining the club on schoolboy forms in 1971, at the age of 15, turning professional on his 17th birthday in 1973.

He made his debut on 6 October 1973 against Birmingham City as a substitute. Manager Bertie Mee decided to use him sparingly and Liam ended the 1973–74 season with just 13 appearances, four as a substitute.

In 1974–75 he was a first-team regular and shone a bright light in a side that hovered close to relegation. He found his best form under new manager, Terry Neill – his passing provided the ammunition for Arsenal’s front men and Arsenal reached three FA Cup finals in a row between 1978 and 1980. Arsenal won only the middle of the three, against Manchester United in the 1979 final, with Liam starting the move that ended in Alan Sunderland’s famous last-minute winner. He was nicknamed “Chippy”, not for his ability to chip the ball but for his fondness for fish and chips.

Liam was now at the peak of his form and during this time he was voted the club’s player of the year three times, and chosen as the PFA Player of the Year in 1979. Being from the Republic of Ireland, he was the first player from beyond Britain’s borders to win that award. He was the most talented player in what was then a promising young Arsenal side, which was looking to consistently challenge for honours like the Division One title.

But rumours persisted that he was unhappy. And in 1980, Juventus, who were impressed with his performances against them in the semi-finals of the Cup Winners Cup, signed him in for just over £500,000. He spent two seasons with Juventus, picking up two Italian Championship medals, in 1981 and 1982 and he scored the only goal (a penalty) in the 1–0 win against Catanzaro that won the 1982 title. After the arrival of Michel Platini in summer 1982, he moved to Sampdoria, and went on to play for Internazionale (1984–1986) and Ascoli (1986–1987), before returning to London to play for West Ham United.

He won 72 international caps for the Republic of Ireland, 70 in the starting line-up, scoring 9 goals.

After retiring from playing in 1990, he managed Celtic between 1991 and 1993, and then Brighton & Hove Albion between 1993 and 1995. He rejoined Arsenal in July 1996, as Head of Youth Development and Academy Director. On 30 January 2013, Arsenal announced that he would leave his role as Director of the Arsenal Youth Academy in May 2014.

He is fondly remembered as one of Arsenal’s all-time greats, playing 307 matches for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals and setting up many more.

12. Brian Talbot: 1979-1985

Brian made 327 appearances over a 6 year period.

Born in Ipswich, Brian was a midfielder and began his football career as an apprentice with Ipswich Town in 1968, turning professional in 1972; in the meantime he had spent two seasons on loan with Canadian club Toronto Metros.

He made 227 appearances for Ipswich winning the 1978 FA Cup, in the semi-final against West Bromwich Albion, he scored Ipswich’s first goal after just eight minutes. However he was injured on the play when he collided head-to-head with Albion’s skipper, John Wile and he left the field on a stretcher.

In January 1979, he was transferred to Arsenal for a fee of £450,000, immediately becoming first-team player. He played for the Gunners in the FA Cup final of that year, scoring a goal in a 3–2 victory over Manchester United; Brian thus achieved the unique distinction of winning the FA Cup with two different teams in consecutive seasons. The following year he set a club record, as an ever-present in Arsenal’s marathon 1979–80 season, when he played a total of 70 matches in a single season (the club reached the finals of both the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, but lost them both).

His impressive stamina and fitness meant he played nearly every Arsenal first-team game for the next five seasons, missing fewer than half a dozen League games. In all, the strong and sturdy midfielder played 327 first-team matches for the Gunners, scoring 49 goals. He also played for England, five times while at Ipswich and once as an Arsenal player.

He left Arsenal in June 1985 and joined Watford, he spent a season and a half at Vicarage Road before joining Stoke City in October 1986. His presence helped to inspire the side as Stoke climbed the table and fell six points short of a play-off place. In 1987–88 he made 27 appearances before he left in January 1988 after being offered a player-manager role at West Bromwich Albion. He spent two and a half years in that role before leaving for Fulham in March 1991. After a short spell there he ended his playing career at Aldershot.

He then moved abroad and managed Maltese club Hibernians, where his team won the island’s Premier League in 1993 and 1994, returning to English club football as part of the coaching staff of Rushden and Diamonds, then in the Football Conference, in 1997. After a spell as head coach he was appointed club manager, and at the end of the 2000–01 season Rushden secured promotion to the Football League. In March 2004 he left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, his spell there ended with him resigning at the end of February 2005.

In 2011, he joined English Premier League side Fulham as a scout where he mostly watches matches in the top leagues for the London club, for example in France or Germany.

13. David Rocastle: 1982-1992

David made 277 appearances over a 10 year period.

David was born in Lewisham, he spent the majority of his football career playing for Arsenal, joining in May 1982 and turning professional in December 1984. In his early career he faced problems with his eyesight, according to his team mate Martin Keown “They couldn’t work out why David was running around dribbling with his head down. So they took him to the halfway line and said: ‘Can you see the goal?’ and he couldn’t. His eyesight was terrible. They sorted him out with contact lenses and his career took off.”

He made his Arsenal debut against Newcastle United in the 1985-86 season and made 26 league appearances, scoring once. He remained a regular player in the first team following the departure of Don Howe and the appointment of George Graham as manager at the end of the 1985–86 season. In 1987, just before his 20th birthday, he won a League Cup winners medal after Arsenal beat Liverpool in the final at Wembley. He was a member of the Arsenal side which reached the final against Luton Town the following year and he was ever present in the league in 1987–88.

“Rocky” won two league championship medals with Arsenal. The first came in 1989, when he played in every game. Arsenal’s success was sealed when they beat Liverpool 2–0 in the final game of the season at Anfield, snatching the title from the hosts on goals scored. But Arsenal were unable to compete in the 1989–90 European Champions Cup because the ban on English clubs in European competition after the 1985 Heysel tragedy still had one year to run. In 1990–91, a knee injury restricted him to just 18 league appearances but he still played his part in Arsenal winning the league championship – losing only one league game all season. The following season he only missed three out of 42 league games.

On 23 July 1992, after nearly a decade at Arsenal, he was sold to league champions Leeds United in a £2million deal, making him their most expensive signing. But the good form of Gordon Strachan and injuries kept him out of the side. He was transferred to Manchester City for £2million, but the move to Maine Road was not a success for him and he only managed two goals from 21 Premier League games. At the start of the 1994–95 season, he was transferred to Chelsea in a £1.25million deal.

In 1994–95, David played in nearly 40 games for Chelsea and scored two goals in the European Cup Winners Cup. The following season his injuries returned, and he played just one more game for the club, in October 1995. On completing his contract with Chelsea in 1998, he joined the Malaysian team Sabah on a free transfer but was unable to stay clear of injury and retired in December 1999.

During his time with Arsenal, David was capped 14 times for England, but did not make the squad for either 1990 World Cup or Euro 92.

In February 2001, he announced that he was suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive form of cancer which attacks the immune system. He underwent a course of chemotherapy and was hopeful of a recovery. He died in the early hours of 31 March 2001, aged 33.

The David Rocastle Trust is a charity based in London, England founded in memory of Rocastle.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders : Early Era’s Vote Time

June 29, 2013

Time for another vote in our summer quest to find our greatest squad. And as in previous weeks you have the chance today to vote for midfielders from our earlier era’s. Don’t worry your recent heroes come next week.

You can vote for up to 3 players if you find the decision difficult,

If you’ve missed out on reading the excellent articles earlier this week check out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s posts.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

60 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Alex Forbes, Alf Baker, Arsenal, Billy Blyth, Football, Frank McLintock, George Eastham, George Graham, Joe Mercer, John Dick, Jon Sammels, Roddy McEachrane | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 3

June 27, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we continue to highlight the midfielders. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite midfielder by voting in the poll at the end of the week

7. George Eastham: 1960-1966

George played in 223 games over a six year period.

Born in Blackpool, Lancashire, he was part of a football family — his father George Eastham, Sr., was an England international who played for Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool, while his uncle Harry Eastham played for Liverpool and Accrington Stanley.

George junior first played for Northern Irish club Ards, where his father was player-manager, and the two played together on the pitch. A skilful midfielder/inside forward, he was signed by Newcastle United in 1956, and made his debut in October 1956. He spent four seasons with the Magpies and during his time there he won caps for the Football League and the England U23 side. He played 125 games for Newcastle, scoring 34 goals.

However, during his time at Newcastle United he fell out with the club over the house they had supplied him to live in and their attempts to stop him playing for the England U23 team.

With his contract due to expire in 1959, he refused to sign a new one and requested a transfer. However, Newcastle refused to let him go. At the time, clubs operated a system known as retain-and-transfer, which meant that teams could keep a player’s registration (thus preventing them from moving) while refusing to pay them if they had requested a transfer. Unable to leave, George went on strike at the end of the 1959–60 season, eventually taking the club to the High Court in 1963. As a result, although he did not gain personally, he succeeded in reforming the British transfer market. The “retain” element of retain-and-transfer was greatly reduced, providing fairer terms for players looking to re-sign for their clubs, and setting up a transfer tribunal for disputes.

After winning his case he signed for Arsenal and made his debut in 10 December 1960, scoring twice. Throughout his six seasons at Arsenal, he was a regular for the side; though not a prolific goal scorer, George was one of the most talented players in an average Arsenal team. Under manager’s George Swindin and Billy Wright, Arsenal never finished higher than 7th during his time there. His time at Arsenal was often turbulent; as well as the court case against Newcastle United, he fell out with Arsenal after asking for a pay rise following the maximum wage’s abolishment in 1961. In both 1963–64 and 1964–65 he scored ten goals, the most per season during his Arsenal career, which included two in a 4–4 draw in a memorable North London derby match against Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury in 1963.

It was at Arsenal that his international career flourished; he joined the England squad for the 1962 FIFA World Cup as an uncapped player; his England debut finally came in 1963, against Brazil. In the 1966 World Cup final only the 11 players on the pitch at the end of the 4–2 win over West Germany received medals. Following a Football Association led campaign to persuade FIFA to award medals to all the winners’ squad members, George was presented with his medal by Gordon Brown at a ceremony at 10 Downing Street on 10 June 2009.

In February 1971, at the age of 34, George took a break from playing in order to develop his coaching ability, with the view of going into management. He embarked on a trip to South Africa, playing on loan with Cape Town City before having a spell as player-manager of Hellenic, who had previously been managed by his father.[ He returned to Stoke in October 1971, to continue his playing career. He made 194 league appearances for Stoke City in total, scoring four goals.

George retired from playing in 1974, having been awarded the OBE for services to football the previous year.

He quit professional football completely, and emigrated to South Africa in 1978. where he set up his own sportswear business as well as being a football coach for local black children. He is also chairman of the South African Arsenal Supporters’ Club.

8. Jon Sammels: 1961-1971.

Jon appeared in 270 matched over a 10 year period.

Born in Ipswich, Suffolk, Jon joined Arsenal, the club he supported as a boy, in 1961, he was a regular in the reserves and a successful youth international winning seven caps for England.

He scored on his first-team debut for the Gunners on 27 April 1963, against Blackpool. However, he only played sparingly, twice in 1963-64 and not at all in 1964-65 and he did not secure a place in the side until the departure of Geoff Strong, and later George Eastham.

Not many footballers can say they’ve scored twice in a win over Brazil but Jon can, some of the world’s finest players descended on Highbury in November 1965 (although Pele and his fellow Santos internationals did not make the trip) but Jon stole the show with a goal in either half. And he was only 20 at the time.

Noted for his accurate passing and strong shooting, he broke through in 1965-66 and was an ever-present during the 1966-67 season. As well as being a regular for Arsenal, Jon played for the England U23 side nine times. He played in both of Arsenal’s League Cup final defeats in 1968 and 1969, before finally claiming a medal in the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup; he scored Arsenal’s winning goal in their 4-3 victory on aggregate over RSC Anderlecht, after Arsenal had trailed 3-1 after the first leg.

However, he lost his first team place in the 1970-71 season, thanks to an ankle injury and the emergence of George Graham; although he played enough games to win a First Division winner’s medal, but did not take part in the Gunners’ FA Cup Final win over Liverpool that completed their Double-winning season.

He submitted a transfer request, and he was duly sold to Leicester City for £100,000, Jon was a regular in the Leicester side for the next seven seasons, playing 265 matches for the Foxes, scoring 25 goals. Under Jimmy Bloomfield, Leicester were a talented and exciting side, but the only trophy they won was the 1971 Charity Shield, and they never finished above seventh in the League. He left Leicester on a free transfer in 1978, and played for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the NASL for a single season.

After that, he retired from the game and returned to the UK.

9. George Graham: 1966-1972.

George appeared in 308 games over a 6 year period.

Born in Bargeddie, Glasgow, Scotland, the youngest of seven children, George grew up in poverty in Bargeddie, near Coatbridge. He showed considerable promise as a footballer, and clubs like Newcastle United, Chelsea and Aston Villa showed an interest in his talent.

He signed for Aston Villa in 1961, on his 17th birthday and spent three seasons at the Birmingham club, making only eight appearances. Chelsea signed him in 1964 for £5000. George scored 35 goals in 72 league games for the club and won a League Cup medal in 1965, but he fell out with the Chelsea’s manager, Tommy Docherty. At the same time, Arsenal were looking for a replacement for Joe Baker, and paid £75,000 plus Tommy Baldwin in 1966 to bring George to Highbury. He made his debut on 1 October 1966 at home to Leicester City and soon became a regular in the Arsenal side. He was Arsenal’s top scorer in both 1966–67 and 1967–68, having started out as a centre forward for the club, but later moved to inside forward.

He was a runner-up in both the 1968 and 1969 League Cup finals, before finally winning a medal in the 1969–70, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. He followed it up with being an integral part of Arsenal’s Double-winning side of 1970–71, and even had a claim to scoring Arsenal’s equaliser in the FA Cup Final against Liverpool, although Eddie Kelly is officially credited with the goal.

Winning the “Double” brought the attention of Scotland and he was selected for the national side for the first time against Portugal in 1971. He would go on to win twelve caps over the next two years for Scotland, scoring three goals, his final one coming against Brazil, by this time he was no longer an Arsenal player. The arrival of Alan Ball made his position at Arsenal less assured so he moved to Manchester United in December 1972 for £120,000. He spent two years at United, and was relegated to Division Two, before seeing out his career in England at Portsmouth and Crystal Palace. He played the summer of 1978 in America for the California Surf.

After retiring from playing, he became a coach at Crystal Palace and then later Queens Park Rangers. With the dismissal of Don Howe as Arsenal manager in March 1986, the Arsenal directors were interested in appointing Alex Ferguson, as their new manager with Graham as his assistant. However, Ferguson decided to wait until after the World Cup that summer before making a decision on his future, and so the Arsenal directors appointed Graham as their new manager on 14 May 1986.

In total, he played 308 matches for Arsenal, scoring 77 goals.

10. Frank McLintock: 1964-1973.

Frank appeared in 403 games over a 9 year period.

Frank was born in Glasgow and brought up in the Gorbals, he started his career in the Scottish Juniors with Shawfield, before moving to Leicester City in 1957 as a wing half, making his debut for them in 1959. He spent seven years at Filbert Street and he reached, but lost, two FA Cup finals (1961 and 1963) and a winning League Cup final (1964) During this time he also made his debut for Scotland, against Norway on 4 June 1963.

In October 1964, he was signed by Arsenal for a club record £80,000 and went straight into the first team. He spent the next nine seasons with the Gunners, moving from midfield to centre half. He was a first-choice player throughout, and became the club’s captain in 1967, and would go on to skipper the club during their period of success under Bertie Mee. He reached two League Cup finals (losing both, in 1968 and 1969), and became so disheartened that he handed in a transfer request in 1969, but manager Bertie Mee persuaded him to stay, and he went on to win three major trophies in the space of two years. In 1969-70, Frank led Arsenal to an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final win beating Anderlecht 4–3 on aggregate. The following year, 1970-71 , he lifted the club’s first League and FA Cup Double.

He went on to play for Queens Park Rangers and spent four seasons with them making a total of 127 League appearances before finally retiring from the game in the 1977 close season. In all, he played over 700 times for his three clubs combined.

After retiring from playing, he joined his old club Leicester City as manager in 1977. However, he endured a difficult time in charge, and City went through a spell where they had one win in 26 matches. He was later manager of Brentford between 1984 and 1987, and then a coach at Millwall, helping the club gain promotion to the old Division One.

In 1971 he won the Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year award. In 1972 he was made an MBE and in 2009 he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.

In total, he had played 403 matches for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 2

June 26, 2013

4. Alf Baker: 1919-1931.

Alf made 351 appearances over a 12 year period.

Born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, Alf was originally a miner and played for various clubs in Derbyshire as an amateur.

During World War I he \was a guest player for Chesterfield, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town, and in 1919 he turned professional signing for Arsenal; according to Arsenal folk lore, manager Leslie Knighton signed Alf after meeting him at the pit where he worked, beating rivals for the player’s signature who were waiting at his home. He made his debut for Arsenal in 1919 playing in the first-ever top flight game at Highbury. He played seventeen matches that season, becoming a first team regular in 1920-21.

“Doughy”, as he was nicknamed, played in every position for Arsenal, including as emergency goalkeeper, but he usually played as right half.

He was made club captain in 1924, however when new manager Herbert Chapman arrived at the end of that season, he made Charlie Buchan captain instead of Baker, but he continued to play for Arsenal for another five years.

In 1927, he played in Arsenal’s first ever FA Cup final; however Arsenal suffered an infamous 1-0 loss to Cardiff City after a mistake by Arsenal goalkeeper Dan Lewis. The following season, he was finally capped for England, appearing against Wales on 28 November 1927; England lost 2-1. It was his only international appearance.

Alf finally won a major medal when he played in Arsenal’s 1930 FA Cup final win over Huddersfield Town; by now he had nearly reached the end of his career. He played only one more game for the club (also against Huddersfield, on 7 March 1931) before retiring from the game aged 33 in the summer of 1931, later working as a scout for Arsenal.

In all, he played 351 matches for Arsenal, scoring 26 goals.

He passed away in 1955, at the age of 56.

5. Joe Mercer: 1946-1954.

Joe made 275 appearances over an 8 eight period.

Joe was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, the son of a former Nottingham Forest and Tranmere Rovers footballer.

He first played for Ellesmere Port Town as a left half; he was a powerful tackler and good at anticipating an opponent’s moves. He joined Everton in September 1932 at the age of 18 becoming a first team regular in the 1935–36 season. He went on to make 186 appearances for Everton, scoring two goals and winning a League Championship medal in the 1938–39 season. While playing for Everton he gained five England caps between 1938 and 1939.

During WW11 he became a sergeant-major and played in 26 wartime internationals, many of them as captain. He was transferred to Arsenal for £9,000, in 1946 and commuted from Liverpool. He made his Arsenal debut against Bolton Wanderers on 30 November 1946 and soon after joining Arsenal he became club captain. As captain, he led Arsenal through their period of success in the late 1940s and early 1950s, helping to haul the side from the lower end of the table to win a League Championship title in 1947–48.

Joe went on to win an FA Cup winner’s medal in 1950 and was voted FWA Footballer of the Year the same year. He led Arsenal to Cup final in 1952, which they lost 1–0 to Newcastle United, but the following year bounced back to win his third League title with Arsenal winning the 1952–53 League Championship on goal average. Initially he decided to retire in May 1953, but soon recanted and returned to Arsenal for the 1953–54 season. However, he broke his leg in two places after a collision with team-mate Joe Wade in a match against Liverpool on 10 April 1954, and finally called time on his football career the year after.

After retiring he ran his own green grocery business in Wallasey and he became known as the Football Grocer in football annuals of the late forties and fifties.

He returned to football in 1955, becoming manager of Sheffield United, who was relegated in his first season in charge. The rest of his time as manager was spent in the Second Division and in December 1958, he resigned and moved to Aston Villa who was bottom of the First Division. Although he led them to the FA Cup semi-finals he was relegated to Division Two for a second time, but led Villa to victory in the inaugural League Cup in 1961.

He suffered a stroke in 1964 and upon his recovery he was sacked by the Aston Villa board. Despite this setback his health improved and he went on to enjoy great success as a manager with Manchester City between 1965 and 1971. In his first season at Maine Road, the club won the 1966 Second Division title to regain top-flight status. Two seasons later he led Manchester City to the 1968 First Division championship, going on to win the FA Cup in 1969, the League Cup in 1970 and European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970. Later he became embroiled in a club takeover bid which led to his departure to become manager of Coventry City, during the same time Mercer was also caretaker manager of the England national football team for a brief period in 1974 after Sir Alf Ramsey’s resignation.

In 1976 he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to football.

Later in life he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and passed away, sitting in his favourite armchair, on his 76th birthday.

Joe played 275 times for Arsenal and scored two goals.

6. Alex Forbes: 1948-1956

Alex appeared in 240 games over an 8 year period.

Born in Dundee, he started his career playing wartime matches with Dundee North End, before signing for Sheffield United. He was a regular for Sheffield in the first two seasons of competitive football after the war ended, and made his debut for Scotland, against England on 12 April 1947.

Transfer-listed by the Blades, he signed for Arsenal in 1948 for £15,000, after being persuaded by his friend, and Arsenal player, Archie Macaulay. He made his debut against Wolves on 6 March 1948. Nicknamed “Red” (for the colour of his hair) and known for his hard tackling, he picked up a First Division winners’ medal in his first season at Arsenal (1947–48), making 11 appearances that season.

He eventually managed to displace his friend Macaulay from the Arsenal side, becoming a regular for the next seven seasons. He went on to win a second title in 1952–53, and picked up an FA Cup winners’ medal in 1949-50. He continued to also play for Scotland, eventually picking up 14 caps for his country.

Injury blighted his final season with the Gunners; a problem with his knee cartilage demanded an operation, which restricted him to five appearances in 1955–56. Having lost his place to Dave Bowen, he moved to Leyton Orient in August 1956, where he spent a season before finishing his playing career with Fulham.

After retiring from playing, Alex spent time coaching the Arsenal reserves and youth teams. He later immigrated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where he now lives in retirement, to coach children at a local private school, Yeshiva College of South Africa. He is also chairman of the South African branch of the Arsenal supporters’ club.

Alex is the last surviving player from Arsenal’s 1950 FA Cup Final winning team.

In all, Alex played 240 games for Arsenal, scoring 20 goals.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

42 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Alex Forbes, Alf Baker, Arsenal, Football, Joe Mercer | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 1

June 25, 2013

Continuing our Summer series of articles in search of Arsenal’s greatest ever team, this week we begin our quest for the greatest midfielders to include in our team. Don’t forget to take the opportunity to choose your personal favourite defender by voting in the poll at the end of the week.

1. John Dick: 1898-1912.

John made 284 appearances over a 14 year period.

Born in Eaglesham, Renfrewshire, John first played for Airdrieonians, but in 1898 he was signed by Woolwich Arsenal as one of manager William Elcoat’s many Scottish signings. A strong muscular centre half, he made his debut for the Gunners on the first day of the season on 3 September 1898, missing only four games of his first season.

He was also a competitive cross-country runner and was known for his formidable endurance, once recording a time of 33’ 45” for a six-and-a-half mile race. He was a near constant in the Woolwich Arsenal side for the next six seasons, missing only one game in 1899-1900. Although he was not known for his scoring, he did manage to score thirteen times in his Arsenal career, including scoring twice in a 12-0 demolition of Loughborough on 12 March 1900, the Gunners’ record win in a competitive match.

He was moved to right half, in 1993 but continued to be a first team fixture as Arsenal won promotion from the Second Division to the First Division in 1903-04. In the meantime he had also become club captain, though by the time promotion had come round, fellow Scot Jimmy Jackson had taken over as skipper.

He played as first-choice right half for in Gunner’s first season in the top flight, becoming one of the first Arsenal players to play in over 200 matches. At the beginning of the 1905-06 season his place was taken by John Bigden, and he stepped down to the reserves. He continued to play sporadically for the first team for the next five years, but never regained a regular place.

In the summer of 1912 he left Arsenal to coach abroad in Prague, and became known for being one of the early pioneers of football in Czechoslovakia, where he coached Sparta Prague. Little is known about John after this period.

In all, he played 284 games for Arsenal in the League and FA Cup, and 30 in other first-class matches.

2. Roddy McEachrane 1902-1915.

Roddy made 346 appearances over a thirteen year period.

Roddy was born in Inverness and moved to Canning Town, London at the age of 20, to work at the Thames Iron Works, and joined the works football team the Thames Ironworks FC.

He was a left half-back with a reputation for tough tackling and was a regular for The Irons in the 1898-99 season, helping them to win the Southern League Division Two title. He was again an ever-present the following season, and again during Thames Ironworks’ first season under their new name, West Ham United.

Roddy was also one of the Irons’ first players to turn professional and during his time as a player for the club he appeared in 113 matches scoring 6 goals. In May 1902, he moved south of the River Thames to join Second Division side Woolwich Arsenal, later being joined by ex-West Ham team mates James Bigden and Charlie Satterthwaite.

He made his debut against Preston North End on 6 September 1902, which was Woolwich’ first period of success, finishing third in the 1902-03 season, and then second in 1903-04, which won them promotion to the First Division. Roddy, playing at left half, was near ever-present, and although the Gunners were only a mid-table team in their first stint in the top flight, they reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1905-06 and 1906-07.

Roddy continued to be a stalwart in midfield for the next four seasons, as Woolwich Arsenal finished sixth in 1908-90, with him missing only two games that season, but by 1911 he was 33 and was displaced by fellow Scot Angus McKinnon. He remained at the club for another three seasons as McKinnon’s understudy, although by now the club had fallen on hard times, and were relegated in 1912-13. He played his last first-team match for Woolwich Arsenal on 22 November 1913.

The arrival of World War I suspended all first-class football in England, and with it his career finished. In all he played 346 games for Arsenal in thirteen years, every single one at left half – never scoring a goal.

He holds the Arsenal club record for the most appearances by a player without winning a cap or a medal.

He died in 1952 aged 74.

3. Billy Blyth: 1914-1929.

Billy made 343 appearances over a fifteen tear period.

Born in Dalkeith, Midlothian, Billy played as a schoolboy for local junior side Wemyss Athletic. For a short period of time he played for Manchester City before signing for Arsenal in May 1914.

He made his debut for the Gunners, in a Second Division match against Huddersfield Town on 21 November 1914, a game that Arsenal lost 3-0. He made twelve appearances in 1914-15 but by then World War I had broken out, and he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, serving in France.

When football resumed, at the end of WW1 hostilities, he returned to Arsenal and immediately became a regular in the newly-promoted side. An energetic midfielder, he usually figured on the left of midfield, as a left half or inside left. He became a mainstay in the side, with over 300 league games in ten seasons, becoming club captain in 1925. He also played in the 1927 FA Cup Final, Arsenal’s first cup final, which they lost 1-0 to Cardiff City.

He was transferred to Birmingham in May 1929, playing his last first-team game in September 1930 before retiring at the end of the 1930–31 season. Billy also starred in one of the first football-related films, the 1930 production The Great Game. After retiring, he moved back to Scotland, and ran a pub in Port Seton.

In total, he played 343 matches for Arsenal, scoring 51 goals.

He died in Worthing, West Sussex in 1968 at the age of 73.

Written by GunnerN5 and compiled by Gooner in Exile

79 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: Arsenal, Billy Blyth, Football, John Dick, Midfielders, Roddy McEachrane | Permalink
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Arsenal’s Greatest Forwards – Day 2

Arsenal’s Greatest Forwards – Day 1

Vote For Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Of The Modern Era

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 6

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 5

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders – Day 4

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders : Early Era’s Vote Time

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 3

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 2

Arsenal’s Greatest Midfielders Day 1

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