7 clubs have won the Double. Can Arsenal do it for a record 4th time

 

• Why on earth would some supposed Arsenal fans turn on a young player?
• How journalists invented and exploit the “Arsenal are cheats” fantasy

By Tony Attwood

For many decades, doing the double (which is to say winning the league and FA Cup in the same season) was thought to be impossible because of the demands of the modern game.   Yes, the double was achieved twice in the 19th century, once by Preston and once by Aston Villa, but the competition each team faced was feeble compared with the situation in later years, and of course, the number of games played in each season was far lower in the 19th century.

In Aston Villa’s double season of 1896/7 they played 30 league games and five FA Cup games excluding replays, whereas today a double-winning side will play 38 league games and seven FA Cup games excluding replays.  In short, today’s clubs play a third more games all told if they reach the cup final than their ancestors did.

Two clubs have won both he FA Cup and League in the same season, three times, Arsenal and Manchester United.   One club has achieved this twice – Manchester City, and excluding those who did the double in the 19th century, playing many fewer games, three clubs have achieved the double once: Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hots.

In terms of managers, Ferguson did it three times, Wenger twice and Guardiola twice.

Of copurse much depends not just on the team, but the luck of the draw, including the question of whether teams are drawn at home or away, and how often a top team plays a team from the lower league, as Arsenal have just done.  Incidentally, if you would like to read about Arsenal’s first double, that storyhas been reached in our “100 seasons in the top division” series, which is currently running on the Arsenal History Society website.

The tale of that season is spread over half a dozen articles, starting with this post.

So, to come back to this season, Arsenal have won through the fifth round and have the sixth, semi-final and final to go if they are to win it once again.  At the time of writing, Chelsea and Manchester City have also made it through.

In terms of FA Cup wins and appearances in the final, Arsenal are currently out in front on that score, having won the FA Cup 14 times and been runners up seven takes, making, rather obviously, 21 appearances in the final.

In fact, prior tothis season, Manchester United have made 22 final appearances but they have only won 13 of them, leaving Arsenal, for the moment at least, still top of the list of multiple winners.  Chelsea are in third place in that table with eight wins, equal to Liverpool and Tottenham Hots, with Manchester City on seven wins out of 14 finals.   Tottenham have the best record of winning the trophy, having made it to the final, being in nine finals and having won eight of them.   But although they started winning the cup in 1901, they last won the cup in 1991, so they seem to have lost their touch.   If they actually ever had it.

All told 33 clubs have won the FA Cup more than once.  Another 22 have won it just once and another dozen have made it to the final at least once, but have not won the pot.

So whatever happens this season, Arsenal will remain the most successful FA Cup team in history with 14 wins in the final, although Manchester United, if they were to win it this season, would then equal that record number of wins.  But Cheslea in third place with eight triumphs are a long way behind, and seem unlikely to catch us up for years to come.  

Arsenal have not been in the FA Cup final for five years, so it does seem like it is time to turn up again.

But there is one other little point we can make, and that is that Arsenal have won the FA Cup seven times this century.   Chelsea have won it five times, Liverpool and Manchester United have each won it three times since 2000.  Manchester City has won it twice.   

But perhaps aside from all of this, we might have a special thought for the final of 2013 in which Wigan Athletic beat Manchester City.  It was, after all, rather amusing.

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