Some wonderful facts about Arsenal Football Club
- Arsenal FC was formed in a pub and the guy who thought of starting a football club was a Scot
- they were originally a south london club and then shifted north as it was thought to be commercially viable
- the first team to get an underground station named after a football team
- Sir henry Norris the chairman of the club was originally the chairman of Fulham and there was a time he was the chairman of both teams till the FA asked him to choose one
- Through the 30s Arsenal had a Chelsea type image..they were setting record transfers almost every year..they played a team in the FA once which was worth 2000 pounds and just the Arsenal players shoes was worth 1800 pounds at that point !!!
- Closely associated with both world wars since most team players were working in the ammunitions factory, a lot of players went to serve in the wars.During this team as a goodwill gesture stars from other teams stepped in to play for Arsenal ..including one Bill Shankly ( the great Liverpool legend)
- The legendary cricket player Dennis Compton and his younger brother Leslie both played for Arsenal.During the second world war Dennis Compton served in India
Just some of the wonderful facts contained in the beautifully written “The Official Biography Of Arsenal” by Steve Stammers
Stammers is a respected football journalist in London who has been writing for leading dailies for nearly 35 years now.He has a wealth of knowledge and wonderful way of writing.I finished this 300 + page book in just 2 sittings.
The best part of this book is that it is not just a celebration of a football club but a tribute to the working class's beautiful game.It talks about how football has been interlinked with the British culture from the early 1900s ,through the two world wars, the swinging sixties, through the seventies and eighties till what it has become today.
In fact the story of football in the UK is quite similar to that of hockey in india except that unfortunately in our case hockey got lost in layers of bureaucracy and the general public was ignored.Of course everyone wanted to make a buck out of football in the UK too but public interest was never forgotten ( similar to the Bundesliga in Germany)
The best part about this book is apart from the brilliant way in which the history of the club unfolds before your eyes you also get a glimpse into how football in Britain was affected through the ages because of
- the two world wars
- unemployement
- hooliganism through the 80s
- the Munich Air Disaster
- The Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies
- professionalism
- entry of foreign players into the league
Wonderfully written,almost like a fairy tale, the outstanding classic photographs of the club,London,Highbury, supporters and of course players greatly enhance the reading experience.
I think this is one of the best football books i have read.If you are an Arsenal supporter you should read this and if you are not i still encourage you to read it. You will fall in love with the beautiful game all over again.
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