- How did Arsenal collapse so quickly after the first double of 1971
- 100 seasons in the top division: 1971/2 and 1972/3
By Tony Attwood
‘“A Tottenham fan is not just supporting a club, he is entering a long-term relationship with hope deprivation, public humiliation and the occasional burst of beauty designed purely to keep the bond alive,” explains Alistair MacCallum, a Spurs season-ticket holder of 40 years…’
So begins an article in the Telegraph newspaper. And for me, it raises a question.
There are many ways in which we each might choose our football club. I chose Arsenal because my family lived in a flat (apartment) that was, by chance, equidistant between Arsenal’s and Tottenham’s stadiums. It was made clear to me that we were an Arsenal family, and various things were said about Tottenham which are not acceptable today, but were commonplace in the 1950s. So Arsenal it was.
And in the early days of my support, I think there was a lot of hope, deprivation and public humiliation surrounding the club, alongside not too much of the “occasional bursts of beauty”. And in those early years of support, we came third in 1958/9, but it was all pretty gruesome otherwise til the end of the 1960s. (If you want to know more about the era in detail, we are tracking Arsenal’s 100 years in the top division on the Arsenal History Society website).
Now I don’t remember anyone saying too much about how tough it was being an Arsenal fan, although there was lots of public humiliation because of Tottenham’s doings in 1961 which were very, very strongly supported by the London media.
My point here is that most clubs have ups and downs. ManC are on an up, not least because of the billions poured into the club by Arab donors, and an issue we are still waiting to have resolved after the 100+ charges were levied against the club (something I don’t think I heard anyone on TV mention in the build-up before the weekend).
Liverpool began to rule the roost at the start of the 1970s, then slipped away at the end of the 1980s and became an occasional cup-winning club, until getting back to a new era of league wins quite recently.
ManU had 20 years from 1993 onward, of being the top dog, but have been zigzagging up and down from 2014 onwards. ManC started their run to the top in 2012, and maybe will continue, but it seems to have slipped when it comes to winning the Big Things, although they will celebrate the weekend just gone, as we would have done had we won.
So it goes. Arsenal have created a different sort of longevity as we have moved toward 100 consecutive seasons in the top division, something that no other club has come anywhere near. Second place in that chart goes to Everton, as I have mentioned before, but they got relegated in 1951, leaving Arsenal to march on to the 100 seasons mark without challengers. This is something celebrated by a few of us this year (although sadly not much by the club, as I have mentioned before).
And thus it would be rather fine if in the 100th consecutive season in the top division, Arsenal won something, and although, of course, I wanted us to win something yesterday, what I did not want at all was to win just the League Cup, because that would have been a terrible come down.
I would, however, be delighted to win the league in our 100th season, knowing that by the time any other club gets to 100 consecutive seasons in the top division (if they ever do) I will no longer be getting excited by that or by anything else. Others may have followed in writing articles about Arsenal’s history, and personal commentaries on today’s situation, and chuckling about the way the official Arsenal site gets things wrong. But it won’t be me.
Meanwhile, Arsenal themselves have celebrated 100 years in Islington quite a lot, and I enjoyed that, although I thought 100 years in the top division deserved more celebration, since we are so far ahead of everyone else in that regard. But still, I am sure they know what they are doing… sometimes.
So I do hope that the conclusion of the 100th season in the top division (which is of course, this season) will have a trophy or three to hang around that tag – it would seem very appropriate, given that no other club is anywhere near to being able to celebrate such an achievement.
Arsenal themselves have generally been a bit quiet on the 100 years thing, although they did do a nice piece here. But maybe they’ll celebrate it at the end of the season.
But most fascinating is the article with the headline which read Which football clubs have won the league title in their centenary year? which doesn’t have a mention about the possibility of Arsenal being part of it, because they focus on 100 years from foundation, not 100 years of consecutively playing the top league!
Arsenal really are a long way out on their own, and maybe that is why the media has been so united in failing to make much, or in most cases, anything out of the anniversary. But really, as an Arsenal supporter, I still think, no matter what happens in the rest of this season, 100 seasons in the top division in English football is something to celebrate. And if we do it while winning the league, so much the better.
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