The History Of The Great Club Arsenal

Arsenal Football Club began life when a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory decided to form a football team in late 1886.

The Club played under the name of Dial Square. Their first match was a 6-0 victory over Eastern Wanderers, on December 11th, 1886. Soon after, the name Royal Arsenal was adopted and the Club continued playing in friendlies and local cup competitions for the next few years. In 1891 the Club turned professional and changed its name to Woolwich Arsenal, finally joining the Football League in 1893.

Following the First World War, the First Division was extended to 22 teams and Arsenal was voted into the top division, a position it has held ever since.

During the 1930s Arsenal won five League Championships (including a hat-trick) and two F.A. Cups and had some of the game's greatest players on its books: Alex James, Ted Drake, Cliff Bastin, David Jack, Eddie Hapgood and George Male were just the pinnacle of one of the greatest sides ever to play in the Football League. Sadly, manager Herbert Chapman died in 1934, but others continued what he had started and only the war stopped Arsenal in its tracks.

In 1947, Tom Whittaker became manager and more success followed. Arsenal were Champions in 1947/48 and 1952/53; F.A. Cup winners in 1950 and runners-up in 1952.

The '60s provided little in the way of silverware at Highbury, with two losing appearances in the League Cup Final in 1968 and 1969 being the closest thing to success. However, the decade did witness Bertie Mee's appointment as manager of the Club in 1966 and in the following decade he was to achieve one of the most significant landmarks in Arsenal's history.

In 1970/71 Mee took the Gunners to the League and F.A. Cup 'Double' for the first time, coming from behind in the Cup Final to beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley. Later in the decade, Terry Neill took Arsenal to three consecutive F.A. Cup Finals, winning the 1979 game 3-2 against Manchester United after a truly memorable last five minutes.

The Gunners also reached the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup Final, with a team that included Graham Rix, Frank Stapleton, Pat Rice, David O'Leary and Liam Brady. In the summer of 1986, former midfield star of the 'Double' winning team George Graham became manager and another spell of success followed.

The catalyst for future triumphs came in 1986/87 when Arsenal became the inaugural winners of the Littlewoods Cup. It was the first time the Club had won the League Cup in any of its guises. League Championships followed in 1988/89 and 1990/91; the domestic Cup 'Double' in 1993 and, finally, the Cup Winners' Cup victory against Parma in 1994.

Graham's departure from the Club was followed by a brief spell at the helm for Bruce Rioch before (in September 1996) Frenchman, Arsene Wenger arrived at Highbury, becoming the Club's first ever manager from outside the British Isles.

In 1997/98, Wenger's first full season at Highbury, Arsenal achieved the domestic 'Double', for the second time in the Club's history. The Frenchman also picked up the Carling Manager of the Year Award. A tremendous season was rounded off perfectly for French Internationals Emmanuel Petit, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires as the Gunners stars played their part in France's victorious World Cup campaign.

The Club also said goodbye to striking legend Ian Wright, who left Arsenal as record goalscorer with 185 goals in all competitions. 1998/99 saw Arsenal win the Charity Shield but finish runners-up in the Premiership and the following season they recorded a similar Charity Shield/runners-up combination.

With Thierry Henry, Davor Suker, Silvinho, Oleg Luzhny and Stefan Malz joining the Club, 1999/2000 started well with the Charity Shield victory over Manchester United but finished with disappointing defeat in the UEFA Cup Final at the hands of Galatasaray.

But the summer did see success for Arsenal's French contingent, current players Patrick Vieira ,Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord and Robert Pires were all involved in France's Euro 2000 success, along with former stars Manu Petit and Nicolas Anelka.

More international stars, Pires, Lauren, Wiltord and Igors Stepanovs, joined in time for the 2000/2001 season, and once again Arsenal pushed Manchester United hard in the Premiership, finishing second for the third consecutive year.

The Gunners also made it to the Quarter-Finals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time, but were eliminated on the away goals rule by eventual finalists Valencia.

The season was to end in disappointment again, as Liverpool turned around a 1-0 deficit to beat the Gunners 2-1 in the first ever F.A. Cup Final held at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

Another busy summer of transfer activity at Highbury has given reason for optimism for the 2001/02 campaign. Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Francis Jeffers, Richard Wright and Junichi Inamoto have been added to the squad, but most of the headlines belonged to England centre-back Sol Campbell, who arrived at Highbury following a nine year spell with north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

2001-02 Saw the Gunners write a new chapter in their illustrious history with a third 'Double'. We clinched the F.A. Cup in style with a 2-0 win against Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium. And won the Title at the sweetest of venues, Manchester United's Old Trafford.

The 2002-2003 saw dissapointment for Arsenal, losing out to Man Utd after leading the table for a long part of the season, there was consolation in winning the FA Cup at Cardiff.

Arsenal bounced back in 2004 clinching the league with plenty of points to spare from 2nd placed chelsea and reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League. The went on to write even more history as the team that remained unbeaten through the whole 2003-2004 season.

Below is the unbeaten run record:
36 win 13 draw 0 lost.
Date Score Skinny
---- ----- ------
May 7, 2003 Arsenal 6, Southampton 1 Pennant, Pires hat tricks
May 11, 2003 Sunderland 0, Arsenal 4 Ljungberg hat trick in FA Cup final
Aug. 16, 2003 Arsenal 2, Everton 1 Henry, Pires score in season opener
Aug. 24, 2003 Middlesbrough 0, Arsenal 4 Three goals in the first 22 minutes
Aug. 27, 2003 Arsenal 2, Aston Villa 0 Campbell breaks 0-0 tie in 57th min.
Aug. 31, 2003 Manchester City 1, Arsenal 2 Two 2nd-half goals erase 1-0 deficit
Sep. 13, 2003 Arsenal 1, Portsmouth 1 Henry penalty kick salvages a draw
Sep. 21, 2003 Manchester United 0, Arsenal 0 Man. U.'s van Nistelrooy misses late PK
Sep. 26, 2003 Arsenal 3, Newcastle 2 Late goal wins it after losing 2-0 lead
Oct. 4, 2003 Liverpool 1, Arsenal 2 Help from Liverpool own goal
Oct. 18, 2003 Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1 Henry scores winning goal
Oct. 26, 2003 Charlton 1, Arsenal 1 Henry scores tying goal
Nov. 1, 2003 Leeds 1, Arsenal 4 Two more from Henry
Nov. 8, 2003 Arsenal 2, Tottenham 1 Pires, Ljungberg score two late goals
Nov. 22, 2003 Birmingham 0, Arsenal 3 1-0 lead through first 80 minutes
Nov. 30, 2003 Arsenal 0, Fulham 0 Fulham rides early season momentum
Dec. 6, 2003 Leicester 1, Arsenal 1 Last-minute Leicester goal by Hignett
Dec. 14, 2003 Arsenal 1, Blackburn 0 Bergkamp scores lone goal
Dec. 20, 2003 Bolton 1, Arsenal 1 Another late goal prevents victory
Dec. 26, 2003 Arsenal 3, Wolves 0 A double from Henry
Dec. 29, 2003 Southampton 0, Arsenal 1 Pires 35th-minute goal
Jan. 7, 2004 Everton 1, Arsenal 1 Fourth draw in last seven matches
Jan. 10, 2004 Arsenal 4, Middlesbrough 1 Henry, Pires, Ljungberg all find net
Jan. 18, 2004 Aston Villa 0, Arsenal 2 Two goals from Henry
Feb. 1, 2004 Arsenal 2, Manchester City 1 Arsenal benefit from another own goal
Feb. 7, 2004 Wolves 1, Arsenal 3 New club record of 24 games unbeaten
Feb. 10, 2004 Arsenal 2, Southampton 0 Another double from Henry
Feb. 21, 2004 Chelsea 1, Arsenal 2 Vieira, Edu overcome 1-0 deficit
Feb. 28, 2004 Arsenal 2, Charlton 1 2-0 lead after four minutes
Mar. 13, 2004 Blackburn 0, Arsenal 2 Henry scores PK, Pires adds insurance
Mar. 20, 2004 Arsenal 2, Bolton 1 Arsenal preserves 2-1 halftime lead
Mar. 28, 2004 Arsenal 1, Manchester United 1 Saha late goal earns draw for Man. U.
Apr. 9, 2004 Arsenal 4, Liverpool 2 Henry hat trick leads comeback
Apr. 11, 2004 Newcastle 0, Arsenal 0 Lehmann's great save preserves draw
Apr. 16, 2004 Arsenal 5, Leeds 0 Henry hat trick, 150th career goal
Apr. 25, 2004 Tottenham 2, Arsenal 2 Arsenal seals championship with draw
May 1, 2004 Arsenal 0, Birmingham 0 Birmingham outplayed but hangs on
May 4, 2004 Portsmouth 1, Arsenal 1 Reyes scores second-half equalizer
May 9, 2004 Fulham 0, Arsenal 1 Lone goal on Fulham 'keeper giveaway
May 15, 2004 Arsenal 2, Leicester 1 Comeback completes undefeated season
Aug. 15, 2004 Everton 1, Arsenal 4 No letdown in season opener
Aug. 22, 2004 Arsenal 5, Middlesbrough 3 Overcome 3-1 2nd-half deficit
Aug. 25, 2004 Arsenal 3, Blackburn 0 Tie league unbeaten record at 42 games
Aug. 28, 2004 Norwich 1, Arsenal 4 Three early goals secure record
Sep. 11, 2004 Fulham 0, Arsenal 3 Three late goals in nine minutes
Sep. 18, 2004 Arsenal 2, Bolton 2 Bolton twice comes back to tie
Sep. 25, 2004 Manchester City 0, Arsenal 1 Lucky bounce helps Cole's game-winner
Oct. 2, 2004 Arsenal 4, Charlton 0 Henry back-heel highlights shutout
Oct. 16, 2004 Arsenal 3, Aston Villa 1 Pires double leads comeback

Arsenal unbeaten record was broken by Manchester united when they lost 2-0 at the Old Trafford Stadium.


In the 121 years since it's foundation,Arsenal has won;

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

League Runners Up -- 1926,1932,1973,1999,2000,2001,2003,2005

FA Cup Winners -- 1930,1936,1950,1971,1979,1993,1998,2002,2003,2005

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

League Cup Winners -- 1987,1993

League Cup Runners Up -- 1968,1969,1988

European Fairs Cup Winners -- 1970

UEFA Cup Runners Up -- 2000

European Cup Winners Cup Winners -- 1994

European Cup Winners Cup Runners Up -- 1980,1995

UEFA Champions League Winners/Runners Up -- 2006 cool.gif
Arsenal FA Cup Finals
1927 Cardiff City 0 - 1
1930 Huddersfield Town 2 - 0
1932 Newcastle United 1 - 2
1936 Sheffield United 1 - 0
1950 Liverpool 2 - 0
1952 Newcastle United 0 - 1
1971 Liverpool 2 - 1 aet
1972 Leeds United 0 - 1
1978 Ipswich Town 0 - 1
1979 Manchester United 3 - 2
1980 West Ham United 0 - 1
1993 Sheffield Wednesday 1 - 1 aet 2 - 1 aet
1998 Newcastle United 2 - 0
2001 Liverpool 1 - 2
2002 Chelsea 2 - 0
2003 Southampton 1 - 0
2005 Man Utd 0-0 (5-4 on penalties)

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

European Finals
1970 Fairs Cup Anderlecht (Belgium) A: 1 - 3; H: 3 - 0 (4 - 3 agg)
1980 Cup Winners' Cup Valencia (Spain) 0 - 0 aet; lost on penalties
1994 Cup Winners' Cup Parma (Italy) 1 - 0
1995 Cup Winners' Cup Real Zaragosa (Spain) 1 - 2 aet
2000 UEFA Cup Galatasaray (Turkey) 0 - 0 aet; lost on penalties
2006 UEFA Champions League Final Barcelona (Spain) 2 - 1 lost in second half
Other Arsenal Statistics and Records

* 17 appearances in FA Cup Finals is a record.

* 10 FA Cup wins is bettered only by Manchester United(11).

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

* 5 European Finals is equalled by Leeds United and bettered only by Liverpool (9).

* 77 consecutive years in the top division (up to 2003). Everton are on 49 years.

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

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

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

* Arsenal's total of 26 Domestic and European Trophies is bettered only by Liverpool (38) and Manchester United (30) .

* Went Unbeaten in All 38 domestic matches in the English Premier League in the 2003/2004 season.


Currently,Arsenal is at 8th place with 11 points and a game in hand which means if Arsenal wins the game in hand Arsenal wlii have only have 2 points difference with money-rolled club Chelsea and the current leader Manchester United which they both have earned same point in Premiership.Arsenal has the new 60,000 capacity stadium,namely Emirates Stadium replacing the historical Highbury stadium which leaves a lot of sweet memory for Arsenal fans.

I hope Arsenal will produce even more great football for us and nurturing more football players into super football players such as Henry,Fabregas and many nore which I couldn't list then all.

The current Arsenal's home,Emairates Stadium.

Eduardo da Silva signs for Arsenal

So then, we have finally signed a player after all this time and im pretty sure that nobody expected it to be Da Silva in all honesty as i know i didnt. All these names flying about like Anelka, Tevez, Torres etc etc and then Arsene pulls out a signing that pretty much everyone was aware of.

Ill be honest, i dont know a great deal about our new signing but im sure we will hear alot more about him once the new season is up and running. The 24 year old moved from his native Brazil to Croatia at the age of 15 and as well as making a name for himself at club level in Croatia, it seems that getting the chance to play for the Croatia national team has also done the 24 year old more good than bad. He enjoys a prolific record at international level with seven goals from 12 games for his adoptive country, including a header against England in their 2-0 Euro 2008 qualifying defeat in October. Also last season for his club Dinamo Zagreb he was the top scorer in the Croatian domestic league with 34 goals in 32 games which again is a great record no matter what league you play in. His total goal scoring record for Dinamo Zagreb before he left for North London stands at 71 goals in 100 games.

The fee was rumoured to be around the £16m mark but it now looks like its around the £8m mark which if you compare to what he has done for his club and country, then thats a bargain. Darren Bent worth £16m ?!, Dont make me laugh !

Of course there is no way that this man can fill the boots of Henry as he has not been bought into the club for that reason, it proves that Wenger sees this man as a very good striker that can give us some extra quality up front if needed. Maybe he will become a all time great of Arsenal and only time will tell but its far too early for that sort of thinking.

Here are a few vids of our new man in action -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfXGOGzEAwk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nREh1bD0HsY

Bakari Sagna to Arsenal ?

With fierce speculation in recent weeks, surrounding the future of Bakari Sagna, Arsenal are understood to be leading the chase for the French International's signature, who is priced inthe region of ₤6 milllion. His chairman revealed earlier this week that "Sagna has a deepdesire to play in England and he genuinely wants to wear the Arsenal shirt". For those who are not aware of who he is, he was voted the best right sided full back in Ligue 1 last season. He is extremely versatile, being able to play all across the back line. He recently won his first cap against Georgia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. His only triumph as a professional came in 2005, when he won the Coupe de France with Auxerre.
Now many Gunner's may be bemused as to why Arsene is spending his time chasing afull back rather than a striker to replace the recently departed, Thierry Henry. Manyquestion's have been raised, do we really need a rightback when we already have two ? Could Eboue be moved to right midfield? He may be used for cover on the leftside, with Traore deemed too inexperienced to be 2nd choice leftback. Could it be as simple as him being bought in to add squad depth, afterall championships are won on strong defences. Wenger may feel that constant defensive injuries over the last 2 seasons, had hindered our chances to compete, and a good versatile defender is his number 1 priority.
I would prefer he is bought in for squad cover because with Eboue going away for African Nation's duty, he may prove vital. Armand Traore is still extremely young, so it would'nt be wise to use him as the 2nd choice leftback, so Sagna again could provide cover. This would also avoid having to move Gallas, out of his preffered central role.
If he is the first of many new signings at the Emirates, I would be more than glad to seehim come through the revolving doors, but if speculation is true about Arsenal's finances being restricted, I would be extremely concerned that the money is not put to better use. With Wenger returning from holiday sometime next week, we should have a better understanding of our current activities.