By Tony Attwood
Oh what an absolute irony. As Arsenal prepare to celebrate 100 years since the manager who transformed the club arrived at the doors of Highbury, Tottenham wonderfully go and sack their manager!
So let’s get the details. AISA is celebrating the centenary of Hebert Chapman’s arrival at The Arsenal at St Mary’s Church, Hendon on Thursday 12 June from 3 o’clock onwards. Chapman is buried at St Mary’s and had a long association with the church until his death in 1934, and in association with the vicar of St Mary’s and her team, we are organising a celebration of his life and career. (As the person who runs the Arsenal History Society I’m giving a little speech – if you are coming along please do come and say hello). And if you have any questions or queries please contact the supporters club at membership@aisa.org
But isn’t it rather a fun coincidence that just as I come to write about that, we find that having just won their first trophy since 1991, and as we celebrate 100 years since one of our greatest managers, the Tiny Totts go and sack their manager.
So the message to Tottenham managers is clear: don’t win a trophy in your second season. In fact, best of all, follow the tradition of the Totts, and don’t win a trophy.
And what is even funnier is that early Posty was considered a raging success. For on 30 October 2023 the table shgowed Tottenham Hots at the top of the league ahead of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool. OK true their goal difference wasn’t as good as the rest but they had those extra points to keep them at the top. Can you remember the things they were saying? And indeed what all their chums in the media were saying?
OK they sank back to 23 points behind Arsenal by the end of the campaign, but you know, for eight games they were there, doing it. Just like with winning that cup thing they got the other day. They won a trophy, which, as the media and some of the bloggers remind us every half hour, Arsenal didn’t.
And they then sack the man who did it. Mason, Santo, Conte, Stellini, Mason again, and Poste – Tottenham managers all, and that is just the list in the 2020s!!
Of course, the amazing thing is that we don’t have to point out what a silly bunch of little boys they are having manager after manager, because all the evidence is that most replacement managers don’t bring success. So clubs do have to go through the process over and over, ratcheting up more and more debts as the last manager’s leftover players are transferred for peanuts and the new man’s favourites are brought in. It doeesn’t work, so you bring in a temp, and then move him back down and bring in a manager, and fire him, and bring in a temp… and, well, you get the idea.
At Celtic, Posty’s previous club he won the Scottish League twice, the Scottish cup once and the Scottish League Cup twice, and that took him…. two years. But at Tottenham, well, you know…
So with years and years of replacing manager after manager to absolutely no positive effect, Tottenham have thought, “hey this guy just won us our first European trophy since 1984. That’s amazing. What shall we do? I know, let’s sack him. It will cost the club a packet in compensation of course, and no manager of any value will touch the club with a barge pole but hey, that’s what Tottenham do, and we don’t want to spoil the traditions do we?”
And really, you do have to feel sorry for Posty, because he had such a feel for history, because he really tried to go back to those glory days… look at the record
| Season | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tot 1914–15 | 38 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 57 | 90 | 28 | 20th |
| Tot 2024–25 | 38 | 11 | 5 | 22 | 64 | 65 | 38 | 17th |
“But hang on,” you might say if you have been reading the Arsenal History Society site, “Arsenal are celebrating 100 years since Chapman arrived, and looking back through Arsenal’s history, didn’t Arsenal sink down to low levels around that time?” And yes they did but the difference is that although Arsenal sank, they didn’t sink far enough to be relegated!
Indeed Arsenal sacked their manager and replaced him with Herbert Chapman. That was 100 years ago, and this week we are celebrating that anniversary with a special event.
For this Thursday, AISA is celebrating the centenary of Hebert Chapman’s arrival at The Arsenal at St Mary’s Church, Hendon on Thursday 12 June from 3 o’clock onwards. Chapman is buried at St Mary’s and had a long association with the church until his death in 1934 and in association with the vicar of St Mary’s and her team we are organising a celebration of his life and career.
You will discover more about Chapman through a series of fascinating talks on his life and work, on why he joined Arsenal from Huddersfield Town and the innovations made in his time at Arsenal, and his legacy to the club, the game, and to north London.
There will also be an exhibition of memorabilia from Chapman’s period at Arsenal.
I bet Tottenham wish they could do something like that.
