Arsenal – the club for every day of the week
By Ian Trevett, Editor of Highbury High
Untold Arsenal has kindly allowed me to write a feature for the site and invite readers of the Tony’s excellent blog to contribute features to the Arsenal fanzine Highbury High.
Highbury High has become a close ally to Untold Arsenal, as we both believe that we have the best manager around – and we are proud to say so. Both Untold Arsenal and Highbury High are necessary antidotes to the incredibly negative rants which, so often, appear online and in fanzines.
I believe that the quality of comments posted on this site is one of the strengths of Untold Arsenal. So, if you post comments on this site and would like to contribute to Highbury High, please email me at ian.trevett@ntlworld.com
Anyway, onto the feature, and I thought I’d repeat one of my personal favourites from the fanzine. Several years back I wrote about why Arsenal is the greatest club – every day of the week. In my lifetime (born in 1966), Arsenal have won a big trophy every day from Saturday to Friday. Surely no other club in the world can match this?
So here goes, a day-by-day guide to the genius of the Arsenal.
Saturday
Take your pick. FA Cups galore: Alan, Alan, Sunderland against the Mancs in 1979, or Vieira’s last kick for the club in 2005.
Completing the double in 1971 at White Hart Lane – or in 1998 at Wembley. Or maybe beating Chelsea in Cardiff with Tim Lovejoy’s unforgettable commentary: “Don’t worry it’s only Ray Parlour!” Or how about winning the league again at White Hart Lane in the Invincible Season?
Sunday
May 3rd 1998. Arsenal 4 – Everton 0. In Wenger’s first full season, the title was wrapped up in style in front of a jubilant Highbury. After a Bilic own-goal and two goals from Overmars, the midfield maestro Stevie Bould split the Everton defence for the clinical forward Tony Adams to smash home.
Monday
May 3rd 1971. Half of North London (the red half, that is) tried to cram into White Hart Lane to see if Arsenal could win the league. Under the bizarre Goal Average rules (ask your granddad if you are under 40) Arsenal would win the league if they drew 0-0, but Leeds would be champions if Arsenal drew 1-1. It didn’t matter because minutes from the end Ray Kennedy headed home and the Gunners held on to become Champions – at Tottenham.
Tuesday
Surely nothing can beat winning the league (actually make that the double) at Old Trafford in 2002. Wiltord slotted home the winner as the Mancs tried to kick us off the pitch (some things never change). However, my co-founder at Highbury High, Tony Madden, swears the best night ever at Highbury was beating Anderlecht in the Fairs Cup in 1970. I’ll have to take his word for that as I was only three at the time.
Wednesday
“We’ll win ‘coz we’re Arsenal.” George Graham’s class of 1994 weren’t exactly easy on the eye, but they were certainly determined. Copenhagen was a sea of red and white for the Cup-Winners Cup Final, massively out-numbering the support for Parma. On the pitch, Steve Morrow and Ian Selley were unlikely heroes in midfield, and Alan Smith scored the only goal to clinch a rare European trophy.
We have become spoilt since and wouldn’t put up with this type of football now, but no-one cared in Copenhagen that night!
Thursday
In 1993, Sheffield Wednesday must have hated the mention of Arsenal. In the League Cup Final, Steve Morrow scored the winner and must have instantly regretted it when Tony Adams helped him celebrate – by breaking his arm.
In the FA Cup Final, the match went to a replay, which for some reason was on the Thursday. It was a long night, with penalties looming, before Andy Linighan smashed a late header home.
Friday
The best is saved for last. Arsenal travelled to Anfield on May 26th 1989 needing to win 2-0 to snatch the title from Liverpool, in a game rearranged because of the Hillsborough tragedy.
Younger fans may not comprehend the enormity of the challenge, but in those days Liverpool were the most formidable opponents – and no-one came out of Anfield with a 2-0 win.
After Smith’s header put us one nil up, time raced by, until Steve McMahon signaled to his team that only one minute remained. But then Mickey Thomas broke through and it was suddenly “Up for grabs, now!”
Arsenal – the team for every day of the week!
What a brilliant piece, Ian Trevett? Arsenal is indeed the club for every day of the week. Thanks for taking me down memory lane.
A trip down memory lane indeed,Ian Trevett. I wont tell you which day of the week is my favorite, as it might give my age away.Well done, sir.
Seriously nice memories. Thanks. There was another Friday special which I fear does give my age away. Arsenal 3 Burnley 2. 1953. Champions again…on goal average. Amazing how many of our championships have gone down to wire.
Excellent piece,now i am told…and wat?if history repeat itseif and we do it just like dis SAT fa SUN caln MON ladyfaTUE epl WED chaml THR lady epl FRI youth fa ? Am i nt demandn too much
What great insight. I hope that some 10 years from now there will be a day to remember Mr. Usmanov selling his shares to Arsenal fans.
Gf60, blimey. maybe we could start an Untold Arsenal Saga Holiday 4 day break for the European away games. 😉
GF60 – Excellent – I thought that Arsenal’s victory at Anfield was a a unique event for a Friday. I never realised we had won two trophies on a Friday.
Now surely Linighan’s Thursday winner was a one-off – wasn’t it?
Great read!
Great article Ian, thanks.
But I see there one huge problem. Wenger didn’t buy any spare day. So what if Almighty decide to take one day out from week. We wont have any to replace with. Beside, I think Wenger is guilty because week have only 7 days, if he bought another day we could win trophy and this way we can only fight to win something in those regular days.
One other Monday (1990/91)but we won the league because Liverpool had lost in the afternoon. Then we rubbed MFU’s noses in it later in the evening. Can’t find any more Thursdays of note though. Well spotted.
Amazing article. I am only a fan for less than 10 years but I still can imagine how great a win must the one at Anfield must have been.
Last day. Match between the teams at 1 and 2. The big bullies and favourites at home. The unlikely margin that is required. The goal right at death. This is simply stuff dreams are made of. To have experienced it LIVE in real life whether on TV or even better on the ground is a priviledge.
A last minute goal to fetch us a win in any match is enough for me to be overjoyed with. A last minute goal to secure the league and that too after years of having not won it is something that can not be expressed by words.
This is a great walk down memory lane indeed.
If you look at the game schedule this year we play Spuds at their home in april… yeah… we won the league at white hart lane… wouldn’t that be a nice one this year ?
a bit off topic but Vermaelen is really a smart gunner. He got himself booked early in the game against Spain so he is suspended for the second game of Belgium on wednesday.
So one player less who risks an injury.
If you see the difference how he plays for us and how he plays for Belgium it is obvious that his hart is in London.
Excellent read, Ian but I should point out some inaccuracies, miserable old sod that I am.
The 1970/71 double was completed on a Saturday but it was at Wembley, not WHL, where we won the league on that unforgettable Monday.
I may be wrong but wasn’t the Invincibles win at the Tinnies on a Sunday?
I can confirm that the Tuesday night against Anderlecht was the best ever. In fact only Anfield 1989 comes close for any day of the week.
If you ever do one about low points, there have been a few, then the 1966 0-3 defeat at home to Leeds, with 4.5k watching was the most miserable Thursday night to be imagined.
Flint – you are, of course, right that we completed the double at Wembley in 1971, not White Hart Lane. And you may be right about the Invincibles win (being on a Sunday (i”ll have to double-check) – but you know what I mean.
No, you’re not a miserable old sod for pointing these out (though as i don’t know you, I can’t tell if you are at other times). Perhaps I take should you on as the proof-reader for Highbury High.
Everyone who I know who went to the Anderlecht game says it was the best. For me, the loudest I remember Highbury was the Everton League Cup Semi-final in the late 80s (88 I think). I can’t recall if it was a Tuesday or Wednesday!
Interesting walk down memory lane.
Ian Trevett,
I have to agree with you about the Anderlecht game,as being my personal tand out performance,purely after so many years in the wilderness and that together with being in the shadows of Spurs in the early sixties, and the embarrasing lose to Swindon the year before, was the first of many happy nights of being an Arsenal supporter.
Armin Medic, very clever! Made me laugh.
Thanks Ian. The Anfield night was indeed special. Our celebrations woke the kids – the only time that ever happened!
A joy to read indeed
What a great article nostalga at its best.I to was at the Anderlecht
game a night not to forget what a atmosphere electric, at the final whistle every one ran onto the pitch celebrating my first and only time to do this the players waving from the directors box, and the party afterwards doing the conga through the police station a truly unforgetable night
Raising the profile of Arsenal in USA by Kronke and whilst Wenger is contented with finishing fourrth empty handed is a miracle. If it is good fooball alone then why not try Barca or Real etc who play beutiful footy using high profile players and win? If money is so entertaining why not turn the footaball cameras from the pitch to the events in the banks and financial reports?
I missed the Anderlecht game as I was just too young to really get football. I have however watched the match on tv and read people’s experiences and it certainly seems to me it rivals the Anfield match for the greatest ever.
That Friday I was sat in a field with a b&w portable powered off a car battery, coat hanger aerial – the works. We were working setting up a music festival but I wasn’t missing the match for anything.
I fear the rest of the night is a little hazy to my memory.
buxton – when did this conversation with Arsene take place? The one where he told you against all evidence and expectation that he was content with fourth?
buxton: You must try to make sense so others can get your point.
With the sale of the 711 highbury flats we will see our debt fall by
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS
This is nicked from Team Talk. Naughty naughty
I am sure this post will promote controversy,but…
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPS
This is nicked from Team Talk. We can’t have that can we
Ton (editor)
Flint McCullough,
Just to be extra pedantic, the Invincibles didn’t win at the Tinys but the draw was enough to seal the PL.
2-0 up with a few minutes to go & Jens had a mad moment to let them get back into it, followed by a late equaliser, they hardly deserved.
For a moment, most disappointing, but their exaggerated joy at getting a home point, when they were convinced they were going to spoil our unbeaten season, somehow added to their humiliation of seeing us win the league, on their patch, for the 2nd time. Priceless…..
A little earlier today Buxton came on the site and started posting random stuff which had nothing to do with the subject matter. I was tied up in a meeting (not literally tied up, I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression of me) and so didn’t spot what he was up to.
Anyway, one of our alert colleagues spotted that it was his post on Team Talk that Buxton had nicked – and then immediately spotted another one.
My apologies for not knocking him/her out straight away with the irrelevance of the posts, but I think we can take it that when someone comes along with
“whilst Wenger is contented with finishing fourrth empty handed”
it is a wind up, probably from a fan of the KGB, the Tiny Totts, the Insolvents, or Manchester IOU. Just a way of spreading disharmony and discontent.
I mean, who uses the word “whilst” in a post on football?
Anyway, he/she/it has now departed these shores.
Tony
I think it is someone from “teamtalk” I guess.
Well anyway it is good that those people slip through sometimes. It reminds us of the good conversation we normally have here.
But on his, stupid, point why not support Barca or Real I can give him an answer: Simply Arsenal because it’s The Arsenal.
If we wouldn’t win anything for the rest of my life, it still only would be The Arsenal. And that is something that only real Gooners can understand.
Definitely Friday night at Anfield 20 years ago! Twas mighty sweaty on the terracing ‘pon the evening Mickey Thomas struck the back of the Scally’s net.
Great memories Ian. Best get your site up to date sharpish.
Pete the First
Yes I know the site is very old. I hope to have a new one by the end of the year.
Good man Ian.
Liked the pub guide. I think the World’s End in Finsbury Park still maintains the unique smell of urine that it had when the review was written 10 years ago!
While reading this article an old joke came to mind.Steve Morrow walks in to a bar after the League cup win ,his arm in a cast .Someone asks him what happened .He replies, ” I fell off a donkey while celebrating our win”.
Apologies to ‘our Tone’- I just could not let one go.It just shows that older Arsenal fans do have a sense of humor .