Anniversary issue
Wenger—celebrating 13 years at Arsenal The Crest—how it has evolved
Andrey Arshavin—the gifted Russian
THE ARMOURY an illuminating shopping experience
Open Mon–Fri: 9.30am–5.30pm Saturday: 9am–5pm Sunday: 10am–4pm Address: Emirates Stadium, Hornsey Road Telephone: 0207 704 4120
What a year for the Gunners! We are midway into
the 2009/2010 season and Arsenal are
becoming a threat to the Premier League title holders,
Arsene Wenger becomes the longest serving manager in
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Arsenal’s history.
Manchester United.
It’s a mighty race to the top of the
table, with Chelsea on 30 points and
both Arsenal and Man Utd on 25 points each, however, Arsenal have a game in hand and a higher goal difference.
This issue of Red & White Magazine
celebrates the achievements of
Arsenal’s longest serving manager. A
must for all Gooner fans and collector of Arsenal memorabilia.
History of the Crest—a look
at how the badge evolved &
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retains it’s traditional features.
Andrey Arshavin is Arsenal’s superstar, scoring 12 goals to date.
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© 2009 All articles and photographs remain the property of the respective authors.
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THE
MAN WITH THE
GOLDEN
GUNNERS It’s the 13 year anniversary of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. That makes him the club’s longest standing manager and arguably their greatest.
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WENGER’S
13GREATEST
ARSENAL
ACHIEVEMENTS 1. Winning the double in 1997/1998 Arsene Wenger a r r i v e d a t H i g h b u r y i n
September 1996 after notable success at Monaco and a stint in charge of Japanese side Grampus Eight. He was the Club’s first boss from outside the UK. Arsenal’s fans wondered who on earth he was. Now they wouldn’t swap him for anyone. As his players soon realised, Wenger was a different breed of manager. The old-school habits of throwing teacups & tantrums were not for him. Instead the squad grew accustomed to nutrition and new training methods. Off the pitch Wenger has been just as effective, taking an active role in the building of a new training ground and the Emirates Stadium project.
When Arsene arrived at Arsenal, the Evening Standard printed the headline “Arsene Who?” By the end of 1998 they knew exactly who.
2. Doing it again in 2001/2002
This achievement seems even greater when you realise Ray Parlour was in this side...
3. Making Arsenal settle quickly in their new home
So many clubs struggle in a new home, and moving from that compact pitch at Highbury would have been a nightmare for most. It happened in such a dignified and easy manner for Arsenal, and that was down to Wenger.
4. Ditching Arsenal’s long ball roots
It’s almost hard to think that even the great pre-Wenger Arsenal sides were known as hoof merchants... 1–0 to the Arsenal? It’s more like 4–1 these days.
5. Turning Thierry Henry into the world’s greatest striker
Take one mediocre winger from Juventus and turn him into a legend...
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6. Going a season unbeaten
Lehmenn, Lauren, Toure, Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Silva, Viera, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry. In 2003/2004, Wenger’s Arsenal became the first side to go through a league season unbeaten since Preston in 1888/89.
11. Letting Dennis Bergkamp do what he does bes t
For many, Dennis Bergkamp is the greatest ever Premier League player and the space he was gifted to provide his magic was largely down to Arsene’s system and tactics.
7. Winning the Premier League in 2003/2004
12. Knowing when to sell
8. Winning the FA Cup four times
13. 2009 Arsene Wenger joins 1,000-Points Club
The unbeaten year... A special gold version of the Premier League trophy was commissioned to recognise their achievement. 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005. And he’s been runner up once too...
9. Getting to the Champions League final
Sol Campbell scored against Barcelona in the 2006 final, the night remains the closest Arsenal have ever gone to winning the European Cup.
10. Replacing the irreplaceable back four
Though the Premier League has suffered by his sales, unquestionable he got the timing of departures like Petit, Anelka and Henry spot on.
Wenger has become the second person admitted to a very exclusive club: those who have racked up 1,000 points in the Premier League. The 3–0 win against Tottenham on 31st October 2009 has pushed him onto that milestone. The only other manager to have reached it is Alex Ferguson. Arsenal are unbeaten against Tottenham in the league for 10 years .
Dixon, Winterburn, Adams and Keown WERE Arsenal. They simply could not be replaced, but they were...
We will take you all the way to the finals 2010 FIFA World Cup
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OUT WITH
THEOLD I N WITH
THENEW
The new design retains the famous Arsenal cannon but it now points east instead of west. Out go the traditional Gothic script, Latin motto and heraldic badge in favour of a simpler, more modern image.
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HISTORY
OF THE
CREST In 1888, just two years after the formation of the Club, Arsenal, then called Royal Arsenal, adopted its first crest. This was based largely on the coat of arms of the Borough of Woolwich (see main image above) .The Club was based in the Borough from its formation until 1913, playing at Plumstead Common; Sportsman Ground; Manor Ground; Invicta Ground and the Manor Ground again before heading across London to Highbury, Islington prior to the move to Emirates Stadium.
The original badge comprised three columns, which, although they look like chimneys, are in actual fact cannons. The significance of the cannons to the Borough of Woolwich derives from the long military history surrounding the area. The Royal Arsenal, Royal Artillery Regiment and various military hospitals—which still dot the landscape today were all prominent in the Borough. The cannons on the original crest were obviously a reference to the military influence in Woolwich and despite the Club’s ties with the area being cut 89 years ago, the cannon theme has developed throughout the years and has remained prominent on the Gunners different crests down the years, including the new design. In the early days the crest was not as significant a part of a football club’s identity as it is today. Shirts remained plain, unless commemorating a significant match, an FA Cup Final for example, and the crest was generally reserved for official headed stationary, matchday programmes and handbooks.
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Following Arsenal’s move north to Highbury in 1913, it wasn’t immediately apparent that the Club would embrace the Woolwich Arsenal legacy and keep the cannon as a recognisable motif. The Club soon became just ‘Arsenal’, the Great War affected football for four seasons and recommencing in 1919/20 ‘normal’ football took some time to settle. During all of this period there was no sign of a crest as such but, in the first matchday programme of the 1922/23 season, when the Gunners played Burnley, a new club crest was revealed—a fearsome looking cannon—that would have sat proudly in the Royal Arsenal of Woolwich. As can be seen the vertical cannons have gone with the new design featuring a single eastward pointing cannon. Whoever designed this robust looking weapon saw his handiwork used by the Club for just three seasons however, and for the start of the 1925/26 season, the Gunners changed to a westward pointing, narrower cannon with the legend ‘The Gunners’ remaining next to it. The derivation of the narrower cannon has never been officially confirmed, but the cannons on the crest of the Royal Arsenal Gatehouse in Woolwich are uncannily similar to that used as the Gunners’ symbol. This cannon crest remained prominent in the Arsenal matchday programme and other publications for 17 seasons. It changed slightly through the years with the wording eventually disappearing, but, despite being
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usurped by the Victoria Concordia Crescit crest in 1949 it has remained a basic symbol of the Club ever since, featuring on official merchandise and stationary throughout the years right up until the present day. The VCC crest, which the current crest replaced, had been Arsenal’s symbol since appearing in the first programme of season 1949/50. It would appear to have been in the minds of the Gunners hierarchy for at least a year prior to this. In the final matchday programme of the 1947/48 League Championship winning season, ‘Marksman’ (aka Harry Homer), the programme editor of the day, wrote: “...my mind seeks an apt quotation with which to close this season which has been such a glorious one for Tom Whittaker, Joe Mercer and all connected with The Gunners. Shall we turn for once to Latin? ‘Victoria Concordia Crescit’. Translation: ‘Victory grows out of harmony.’” Two seasons later and Arsenal unveiled its new crest which incorporated Marksman’s Latin maxim. Tom Whittaker explained in the 1949/50 handbook (which also included the new crest) that the Club had been impressed by Marksman’s motto
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and it had now been officially adopted by the Club. The new crest also featured ‘Arsenal’ in a gothic style typeface, the westward facing cannon, the Borough of Islington’s coat of arms and ermine. For the next 53 years this crest remained largely unchanged, though at the start of the 2001/02 season it was ‘cleaned up’ somewhat for commercial reasons, with a solid yellow replacing the different tones of gold and Victoria Concordia Crescit written in a less ornate typeface. The Club’s identity has thus evolved over the years and the decision to formulate a new crest in 2002 was two-fold. Firstly, as the VCC crest incorporated many separate elements introduced over a number of years, there was uncertainty surrounding its exact origination. Consequently, the Club was unable to copyright the crest. Secondly, it had always been one of the Club’s primary objectives to embrace the future and move forward. With Emirates Stadium on the horizon and the Gunners consistently challenging for domestic and European honours, the Club believed it was the ideal time to introduce a new crest.
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FROM
RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Arshavin has enjoyed a successful start to his career at Arsenal, becoming Premier League Player of the Month in April 2009 and Arsenal’s player of the month in March and April 2009. During the 2008–09 s eason, he scored 6 goals in 12 league appearances for Arsenal. Red & White
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Andrey arrived at Emirates Stadium in one of last season’s most protracted transfer sagas. He was definitely worth the wait. The Russian playmaker proved almost instantly that he is a world-class talent who can make a big difference to this Arsenal side. He scored an outstanding goal against Blackburn to open his account—finding the top corner from an improbable angle—and hit all four in arguably the match of the season as Arsenal and Liverpool shared eight goals at Anfield. Andrey’s vision, technical ability and eye for goal gave Arsenal an extra dimension and one stat
“I LIKE ARSENAL’S
STYLE”
summed up his impact perfectly. When the Russian was in the side last season, Arsenal averaged 2.42 goals per game. When he was sidelined, that dropped to 0.5. Andrey moved to Arsenal from his home-town club, Zenit St. Petersburg after helping them lift the UEFA Cup in 2007. He captains the Russian national side and stood out with his exceptional displays at Euro 2008, scoring twice and earning a place in the Team of the Tournament. Andrey’s versatility is another big plus for Arsenal. He started his Gunners career on the flank but can also play through the centre, as he does for his country. At 28 the diminutive forward is at his peak. That is a mouth-watering prospect for anyone who follows Arsenal.
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“I LIKE
WENGER
AS A COACH”
October
Andrey scored twice for Arsenal in October. He netted the third goal in the 6–2 win over Blackburn and secured the points against Birmingham by scoring the final goal in a 3–1 win. He also bagged Russia’s only goal in their final World Cup qualifying game, a 1–1 draw away to Azerbaijan.
September
Andrey aggravated a groin injury while on international duty with Russia, ruling him out until the end of the month. Andrey made his return in the 1–0 win over Fulham and then backheeled home Arsenal’s second goal in the 2–0 win against Olympiacos.
August
Andrey started the new season where he left off in May. The Russian was in superb form and had two goals to show for it. The first was Arsenal’s third in the Champions League Play-Off second leg at home to Celtic, and the second was stunning. With five minutes to go until half time at Old Trafford, the match was goalless. But Arshavin wasn’t content with being level with Manchester United at the break. Picking up the ball 25 yards out on the left side, Andrey unleashed a thunderous shot into the top corner of Ben Foster’s net.
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