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Contents 1 Short History 2 History 3 Stadiums 4 Honours

Short History

Arsenal (also known as The Gunners or The Arsenal) currently play in the Barclays Premiership in England. They are one of the most successful clubs in England, having won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups. On top of this they remain the side with the longest unbeaten record in the English League (49 games), have going unbeaten for a whole league season, and also became the first London club to reach the UEFA Champions League final.

Arsenal were formed in Woolwich, South East London, in 1886 as Dial Square. However in 1913 they moved across London to a new stadium in Highbury (aka Arsenal Stadium, popularly known as Highbury). However in May 2006 the team made the short trip to their new stadium, Emirates Stadium, which is within walking distance of Arsenal Stadium. Arsenal have a fierce rivalry with North London neighbours Tottenham, with whom they have contested what is popularly known as the North London derby almost every year since 1913.

History

Arsenal were formed in 1886 as Dial Square by workers at the Royal Arsenal warehouse in Woolwich, however they were renamed Royal Arsenal shortly after this. Upon turning professional the club were again renamed Woolwich Arsenal after turning professional in 1891. The club became affiliated with the Football League in 1893, and they gained promotion to the first tier of the league in 1904. Financial problems ravaged the club due to low attendances and geographic isolation, and following relegation in 1913 the club moved to Arsenal Stadium in North London. A year later the club dropped Woolwich from their name, and simply became known as "Arsenal". In 1919, Arsenal only finished in fifth place in the Second Division, but were elected to rejoin the First Division at the expense of local rivals Tottenham Hotspur, reportedly by dubious means. This was the start of a fierce rivalry between the two sides, that runs to this very day.

In 1925, having won the league with Huddersfield Town, Arsenal appointed Herbert Chapman as manager. He brought the club its first major period of success, signing the likes of Alex James and Cliff Bastin, and revolutionising the club with his tactics and training. This led to the clubs domination of the League in the 1930's - during this period Arsenal won five First Division titles and two FA Cups. Chapman died in 1934 of pneumonia, so he did not get to see the full fruit of his labours, however he left a long legacy to George Allison, the clubs' next manager.

After World War II, Tom Whittaker led Arsenal to league titles in 1948 and 1953, and an FA Cup in 1950. However after that the club went into decline, enduring trophyless periods for most of the 50's and 60's. Former England captain Billy Wright could not change the clubs' fortune as manager, a stint which saw him in charge between 1962 and 1966.

The Gunners' second hot streak began with the appointment of Bertie Mee, the clubs' physio, as manager following Wright's departure in 1966. After losing two League Cup finals, they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (later known as the UEFA Cup) in 1970. This was followed by the club's first League and Cup double in 1971. However, the following decade saw Arsenal become the "nearly-men" of the League - finishing runners-up in the League in 1973, lost three FA Cup finals (1972, 1978 and 1980) and lost the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final on penalties. The period did however see Arsenal win one of the most remembered FA Cup finals, a mesmerising 3-2 win over Manchester United in 1979.

George Graham's return as manager in 1986 saw Arsenal winning trophies again. The club won the League Cup in Graham's debut season as manager, followed by the infamous title win in 1989 - Michael Thomas netted a last minute winner at Anfield, the home of title rivals Liverpool, to win Arsenal the title. The Gunners won another title in 1991, losing only one match all season, along with the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993 and the Cup Winners Cup in 1994. Graham's reputation was tarnished beyond repair when it was revealed he had taken kickbacks from agent Rune Hauge for signing certain players, and he was sacked in 1995. His replacement Bruce Rioch lasted only one season, leaving after a dispute over transfer funds. However Rioch did leave the club a legacy, signing the now legendary Dennis Bergkamp during his tenure as manager.

The appointment of Arsene Wenger in 1996 saw the club return to their successful ways, and all of Arsenal's success must be credited to his management. He brought new tactics, training regimes and several foreign players to the club to turn its fortunes around. Arsenal won the League and Cup double in Wenger's first season in charge, and again won the double in 2002. Arsenal also reached the final of the 2000 UEFA Cup (losing on penalties to Galatasaray), won the FA Cup in 2003 and 2005, and won the Premiership in 2004 without losing a single match, which earned the side the nickname "The Invincibles". In all, the club went 49 league games without defeat, a national record.

The 2005-06 season was the only season in which Arsenal have not finished first or second in the League. The named season saw Arsenal snatch fourth place from local rivals Tottenham on the last day of the season, a fitting finale as Arsenal said goodbye to Highbury with a 4-2 win over Wigan Athletic. Arsenal also reached the UEFA Champions League Final in this season, losing 2-1 to FC Barcelona. They are one of only four teams to win the Premiership since its inauguration.

Stadiums

For the majority of their time in south-east London, Arsenal played at the Manor Ground in Plumstead, a three-year period at the nearby Invicta Ground between 1890 and 1893 excepted. The Manor Ground was initially just a field, but the club installed stands and terracing in time for their first Football League match in September 1893. They played there for the next twenty years, until the move to north London in 1913. Arsenal Stadium, widely referred to as Highbury, was Arsenal's home from September 1913 until May 2006. The original stadium was designed by the renowned football architect Archibald Leitch, and had a design common to many football grounds in the UK at the time, with a single covered stand and three open-air banks of terracing. In the 1930s, the entire stadium was given a massive overhaul, with new Art Deco East and West stands constructed, and roofs added to the North Bank and Clock End terraces. At its peak, Highbury could hold over 60,000 spectators, and had a capacity of 57,000 until the early 1990s. The Taylor Report and Premier League regulations forced Arsenal to convert Highbury into an all-seater in time for the 1993–94 season, reducing the capacity to 38,419 seated spectators. This capacity had to be reduced further during Champions League matches to accommodate additional advertising hoardings, so much so that for two seasons (1998–99 and 1999–00) Arsenal played Champions League home matches at Wembley, which could house more than 70,000 spectators.

Expansion of Highbury was restricted because the East Stand had been designated as a Grade II listed building and the other three stands were close to residential properties whose owners objected to expansion. These limitations have prevented the club from maximising the revenue that their domestic form could have brought in recent seasons. After considering various options, Arsenal decided in 1999 to build a new 60,000-seater stadium at Ashburton Grove (since renamed the Emirates Stadium), about 500 metres south-west of Highbury. The project was initially delayed by red tape and rising costs, but construction was completed in July 2006, in time for the start of the 2006–07 season. The stadium is named after its sponsors, the airline company Emirates, with whom the club signed the largest sponsorship deal in English football history, worth approximately £100 million; however some fans refer to the ground as Ashburton Grove, or the Grove, as they do not agree with corporate sponsorship of stadium names. The stadium will be officially known as Emirates Stadium until at least 2021, and the airline will be the club's shirt sponsor until the end of the 2013–14 season.

Honours

First Division and Premiership Champions

1931 1933 1934 1935 1938 1948 1953 1971 1989 1991 1998 2002 2004

FA Cup Winners

1930 1936 1950 1971 1979 1993 1998 2002 2003 2005

League Cup Winners

1987 1993

Charity Shield and Community Shield Winners

1930 1931 1933 1934 1938 1953 1991* 1998 1999 2002 2004 (* denotes title was shared)

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Winners

1970

European Cup Winners Cup

1994

Arsenal's tally of thirteen League Championships is the third highest in English football, after Liverpool and Manchester United, while the total of ten FA Cups is the second highest, after Manchester United. Arsenal have achieved three League and FA Cup "Doubles" (in 1971, 1998 and 2002), a joint record shared with Manchester United, and were the first side in English football to complete the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993.

Arsenal have one of the best top-flight records in history, having finished below fourteenth only seven times. Arsenal also have the highest average league finishing position for the period 1900–1999, with an average league placing of 8.5. In addition, they are one of only five clubs to have won the FA Cup twice in succession, in 2002 and 2003.