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Work's over, kick-off is ticking closer and you're first to the pub. Before long hazy memories and almost-accurate stats will be filling the air. Brush-up for your Arsenal pre-match below.
Didn’t they once… Help Palace turn professional. And, no, you haven’t picked up the Villa programme early. When ‘north London is red’ Arsenal were a south London club, the Crystal Palace Company coveted the crowds gathering in Woolwich. As an amateur club in the 19th century, Palace struggled to draw numbers large enough to drive meaningful revenue from football at the Crystal Palace. However Arsenal, a professional side, were playing in front of thousands. As historian Peter Manning puts it: “Rumours of Crystal Palace turning into a professional club appeared in the press in late 1904.
Gabriel Jesus may have scored seven in pre-season, but Stephen Dobbie scored four in a single half in July 2014
“The Crystal Palace Company remained fully behind the project as they cast envious eyes over then-south London rivals, Woolwich Arsenal, the only Football League club south of Birmingham to average crowds of 25,000. The company hoped professional football would bring these sort of numbers to Sydenham.” Sure enough Palace did eventually turn professional in 1905 and Arsenal upped sticks to Highbury in 1913, leaving the path clear for Croydon to host south London’s largest club.
Didn’t he once… Play for Palace. Iconic Arsenal man George Graham, considered one of the Gunners’ most successful managers, joined the south Londoners in 1976. He played 51 times and scored four goals while coming to the end of his playing career. As such, Graham began coaching under Terry Venables, who he later followed to Queens Park Rangers. His path to managing Arsenal, who he represented pub talk
a whopping 30% of palace players who played over summer had a name beginning with J. You won’t find facts like that elsewhere 308 times, was short: after Palace he coached at QPR and managed Millwall for four years. Following Don Howe’s departure, Arsenal then reportedly approached Venables for the vacant role, and then Alex Ferguson. Both didn’t accept, and Graham successfully interviewed in May 1986. He left in 1995 with two league titles, two League Cups, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup behind him. Gunners can thank El Tel.
Pub talk tidbit: Gabriel Jesus may have scored seven in pre-season, but Stephen Dobbie scored four in a single half in July 2014; one shy of his entire competitive haul in club colours. It’s all relative until the league begins.
