Arsenal’s manager with 100% success, and the first AFC man to play for England

Here are the Anniversaries from 12 September  – part of our regular daily look at Arsenal’s history.

Our most recent article on Arsenal’s history is


12 September 1878: Jimmy Ashcroft, Woolwich Arsenal’s first England player, born.  He played for Wilbyn’s United, Garston Copperworks, Everton and Gravesend United, before reaching Woolwich Arsenal.   He is recorded as being an amateur for Everton, and so presumably was also of the same status for the clubs listed before that.

12 September 1912: Leslie Compton born in Woodford.  Like his brother he played cricket for Middlesex, but it was at football that he excelled.   He came to Arsenal straight from Middlesex Schools, and played as an amateur in 1930.

12 September 1925: Sammy Haden’s cross shot is going in, but Buchan touches it at the last second, and costs Arsenal £100.  It was Buchan’s first goal for Arsenal, and as a result of the transfer deal, Arsenal paid £100 per goal (approx £5300 in 2015).

12 September 1929: Sidney Hoar sold to Clapton Orient for £1000.  In all, he played 117 matches for Arsenal and scored 18 goals, then playing at Orient for one season before retiring in the summer of 1930 at the age of 35.

12 September 1953: Arsenal lost 7-1 away to Sunderland.  It was the 8th game of the season and Arsenal were left bottom of the table with two draws and six defeats.  They scored six and let in 18 in these games.  

12 September 1953: Final appearance for George Swindin.  He had played 271 league games and 23 Cup games and was granted a free transfer to become player manager of non-league Peterborough the following spring.

12 September 1958: Billy McCullough signed from Portadown in N Ireland, one of George Swindin’s first signings.  He was initially deputy to Dennis Evans, but eventually took over at left back.

12 September 1966: Alan Skirton sold to Blackpool for £65,000.  He played 144 league games for Arsenal as a winger and scored 53 goals.  After Blackpool he moved on to Bristol City and Torquay.

12 September 1970: Burnley 1 Arsenal 2 in front of just 12,675.  League match 8 of the first Double season.   Kennedy and Radford scored to make it four wins, three draws and one defeat thus far.

12 September 1987: Nottingham Forest 0 Arsenal 1, as Arsenal start a series of 10 straight wins (ending November 14).  Alan Smith scored and it was also the start of five games without conceding a goal.

12 September 1996: Pat Rice took over from Stewart Houston as manager, after it became clear that Houston was not in line to take over from Bruce Rioch.  Pat managed three games, winning all three, scoring eight conceding one, before Arsene Wenger arrived and made Pat his deputy.

12 September 1998: Arsène Wenger announced that he was looking for a new striker to replace Ian Wright, and would like to sign Emile Heskey.  He didn’t but instead used Anelka and Kanu, along with Bergkamp, as the main source of goals until Thierry Henry arrived.

12 September 1998: Freddie Ljungberg signed for £3m from Halmstads BK for whom he had played 79 games and scored 10 goals.  He went on to play 216 games for Arsenal and scored 72 goals.

12 September 2009: Tomáš Rosický came on after 51 minutes v Manchester City, marking his return with a goal and an assist.  However Arsenal lost 4-2 to make it two wins and two defeats in the first four matches, scoring 13 conceding 8!


Elsewhere on this day

The most potent weapon in the hands of the aggressor is the mind of the oppressed.

Seve Biko, who died on this day in 1977, having been beaten to death in a police cell.


 

The current series from the Arsenal History Series being developed on this site is  Henry Norris at the Arsenal, covering all aspects off the life and work of the man who rescued Arsenal from extinction, secured the club’s future by moving it to Highbury, and then brought in Herbert Chapman as manager.

The previously untold tale of how it was that Norris came to choose Highbury as the suitable location for Arsenal’s new ground.

The series is being worked on daily, and the articles thus far are here.

Among the many other series we have run are…

There are details of many other series covered by this site on our home page.

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