Arsenal FC All Time Draft Thread

John Francombe (Ian) Ure (born December 7, 1939)

A centre half, Ure started his career at Dundee, playing for the club for five seasons, during which the club won its one and only First Division title, and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup. He arrived at Highbury in the summer of 1963 (about the same time that a fresh faced Grimster) Manager Billy Wright had splashed out £62,500 (a world record for a centre half at the time) for him.

Ure’s first game for Arsenal was the first game of the 63/64. He put in a performance that a fish out of water would have been ashamed of and Arsenal went down to a humiliating defeat, 3-1 to The Wolves. A regular for Arsenal in his first few seasons, he lost his first-team place during the mid-1960s but regained his place towards the end of the decade; he played 202 times for Arsenal in total, scoring twice. He was also sent off 4 times in his career at Arsenal (at a time when it was really hard to get sent off).

My memories of Ure are of a man that looked like he was built to be a stopper but who had too many deficiencies as a defender. He had perfected the “sliding tackle” which seemed to begin about 10 yards from the opponent and continued with one leg on the ground and horizontal to it. The slide continued until the ball, the opponent’s legs, or both were removed from the surrounding area. Strangely this tackle is now given as a foul!

Of course everyone who supported Arsenal during that period remembers that dark afternoon at Wembley on the 15th March 1969 when the full ugliness of Ian Ure was exposed to the whole world. A comedy mix up between Ure and Bob Wilson allowed Swindon Town to take the lead in the League Cup Final. A series of glaring mistakes by Ure in the next 90 minutes led to a humiliating 3-1 defeat over Arsenal by the then 3rd Division team!

Ian Ure is now a Social Worker in a prison in Scotland. On that night in March 1969 there were many Arsenal supporters (including me) who thought he should be locked up for throwing the cup final.

Ure left Arsenal in August 1969 to join Manchester United (for a fee of £80,000), where he spent two seasons before returning to Scotland to play for St Mirren and then East Stirling. He also played eleven times for Scotland. After retiring from playing, he spent some time as a coach, including a spell as manager of East Stirling, but later left the game completely.

Of course Ure’s greatest claim to fame and the real reason for being my first pick is his performance in the great Arsenal Quiz Ball team of the 1960’s.

To set the scene: Quiz ball was a television quiz game contested by professional clubs. The team was made up of two players, another member of the club (often the manager) and a celebrity supporter.

Now pay attention because this is the bit that will help you understand why Ian Ure was 40 years ahead of his time.

There were four routes to goal: 4 easy questions, 3 medium questions, 2 difficult questions or 1 hard question. After winning the opening kick off question the player chose a route to goal and answered the questions. The opposing team had one chance to tackle the player going to goal by pressing a buzzer prior to the player answering their last question. If they got it right they won possession but if it was wrong the challenge was unsuccessful and a goal was scored. Teams only had 3 tackles, once they had used them up the other team had a free run on goal. The route 1 question was not subject to tackle.

What Ure realised is that by choosing the 4 easy questions you could get the opposition to use all of their tackles up. Once this was done it became very easy to score.

So there it is. Your team takes many more passes than you need to and tries to walk the ball into the net eschewing the opportunity to take “route one” and not shooting until the goal is absolutely guaranteed. DOES THIS REMIND YOU OF ANYTHING?

1966/1967 was Arsenal’s greatest Quizball year. Defeating Nottingham Forest, and Fulham we played in the semi-final where Ure scored all 4 in a 4-2 victory over Leicester City who included the brilliant Lady Isobel Barnett who had scored five in a previous round

In the final our boys faced Dunfermline. Their celebrity guest was Gordon Jackson the man who played the part of “Intelligence” in the film “The Great Escape”, you may recall he was caught because he was intelligent enough to answer a Gestapo Officer in English as he was boarding a bus! Nevertheless Jackson had scored hat-tricks in both the previous round and went on to do so again in the final.

Ure however led the team to a brilliant 7-3 victory to win us our only trophy of the sixties and so entered the Halls of Arsenal Greatness.

 

Cliff Bastin



Clifford Sydney Bastin (March 14, 1912 – December 4, 1991) was an English football player.

Born in Heavitree near Exeter, Bastin started his career at Exeter City, making his debut for the club in 1928, at the age of 16. Despite only playing 17 games and scoring 6 goals in his time at Exeter, he was spotted by Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman in a match against Watford; Chapman was attending to keep tabs on a Watford player, but the 17-year-old Bastin's ability was so evident that Chapman decided to sign him at the end of the 1928-29 season.

Bastin played the rest of his career at Arsenal, and formed an integral part of the side that dominated English football in the 1930s. He scored 178 goals in 395 games, which made him Arsenal's all-time top goalscorer from 1939 until 1997, when his total was surpassed by Ian Wright. In 2005 Thierry Henry passed both Bastin and Wright's totals, thus meaning Bastin is currently (as of December 2006) Arsenal's third-top goalscorer of all time. His record of 150 league goals for Arsenal stood for slightly longer, until it was equalled by Thierry Henry on January 14, 2006 and surpassed on February 1.

Bastin made his debut against Everton on October 5, 1929 and was immediately a first team regular, making 21 appearances this season. He went on to be a near ever-present in the side over the next decade, playing over 35 matches for every season up to and including 1937-38. His youth earned him the nickname "Boy Bastin", but despite his age Bastin's play was characterised by a remarkable coolness, and deadly precision in front of goal; he also became Arsenal's regular penalty taker. Bastin's scoring feats are all the more remarkable considering he played on the left wing rather than as centre forward; at the time Arsenal's strategy depended heavily on their wingers cutting into the penalty box, and the supply of passes from Alex James was the source of many of his goals.

With Arsenal, Bastin won the FA Cup twice, in 1929-30 and 1935-36, and the First Division title five times, in 1930-31, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1934-35 and 1937-38; by the age of nineteen he had won a League title, FA Cup and been capped for England, making him the youngest player ever to do all three. Bastin also finished as Arsenal top scorer twice (1932-33 and 1933-34, with 33 and 15 respectively) though after centre-forward Ted Drake arrived in March 1934, Bastin was no longer Arsenal's number one target man.

With Drake scoring the lion's share of the goals and Alex James increasingly unavailable due to injury and age, Bastin was moved to inside-forward to replace James for much of the 1935-36 season, which saw Arsenal drop to sixth; Bastin still scored 17 goals, including six in Arsenal's run to the 1936 FA Cup Final, which they won 1-0. After a stint at right half to cover for Jack Crayston, Bastin was eventually restored to the left wing and scored 17 goals in the 1937-38 title-winning season. An injury to his right leg ruled him out of much of the 1938-39 season, the last one played before the outbreak of World War II.

During his career Bastin also played for England between 1931 and 1938, winning 21 caps and scoring 12 goals his debut coming against Wales at Anfield on November 18, 1931, which England won 3-1. Highlights of his England career included the famous "Battle of Highbury", where England defeated 1934 World Cup winners Italy 3-2, and a notorious match against Germany in Berlin in 1938, when the England team was ordered to give the Nazi salute before the match.

The Second World War intervened when Bastin was 27, thus cutting short what should have been the peak of his career. Bastin was excused military service he failed the army hearing test owing to his increasing deafness. Thus, during the war, he served as an ARP Warden, being stationed on top of Highbury stadium with Tom Whittaker. He also played matches in the war-time league to boost civilian morale. In 1941, Fascist Italy's propaganda broadcast on Rome Radio, contained a bizarre claim that Bastin had been captured in the Battle of Crete, and was being detained in Italy; the Italians were seemingly unaware that Bastin was deaf and had been excused service.

Bastin's injured leg had hampered his performances in wartime matches, and would ultimately curtail his career. After the war was over, Bastin, by now in his thirties, would only play seven more times (failing to score in any of them) before retiring in January 1947. After retirement, Bastin returned to his native Exeter and ran a pub. He died in 1991 at the age of 79. A stand at St James Park, Exeter's home ground, is named in his honour.

 

David Andrew Seaman

David Andrew Seaman MBE (born 19 September 1963 in Rotherham, South Yorkshire) is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal and most recently with Manchester City. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury. He was awarded the MBE in 1997 for services to the sport.
The peak of his career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s; during his time at Arsenal he won many medals including three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994. During this time he also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps, after Peter Shilton.

David Seaman began his career at Leeds United, the club he supported as a boy. However (much to his disappointment), he was not wanted by then-manager Eddie Gray, who had been his favourite player. Seaman went to Division 4 club Peterborough United for a £4,000 fee in August 1982, where he began to make a name for himself.
Just over two years later, in October 1984, Second Division Birmingham City paid £100,000 for Seaman's services. They ended up winning promotion at the end of that season, but were relegated again at the end of the following season. Seaman was not to follow them back to Division Two, however.
In August 1986, just one month after the birth of his second son Thomas, David Seaman moved to Q.P.R. for £225,000. Playing in a higher profile club on a plastic pitch, he earned his first England cap, which came under Bobby Robson in a friendly against Saudi Arabia in November 1988. Whilst at Q.P.R., Seaman was coached by Arsenal double-winner (of 1971) Bob Wilson, who was to work with him for more than a decade.
Arsenal (1990-1996)
In 1990, long before the current transfer window system had come to English football, there was still a transfer deadline a few weeks before the end of the season. Arsenal, who had won the league in 1989, wanted to sign Seaman, but the deal involved Arsenal's keeper John Lukic heading the opposite way on loan. Lukic did not want to do this, and the deal broke down and remained unresolved when the deadline passed. As soon as the season ended and clubs were allowed to buy players again, Arsenal manager George Graham came back for Seaman, with £1.3 million (at the time a British record for a goalkeeper) being the agreed fee. Lukic, who was highly popular amongst Arsenal fans, left to rejoin Leeds.
Before making his Arsenal debut, Seaman was selected by Bobby Robson as England's second-choice goalkeeper behind Peter Shilton at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but after arriving in Italy he had to pull out of the squad due to injury.
Seaman's time at Arsenal coincided with one of the most successful periods in the club's history. The first season saw Seaman concede only 18 goals (playing every match of the 38-game season) as Arsenal regained the league title. However, in 1992, Seaman was rejected by Graham Taylor for the Euro 92 England squad, in favour of Chris Woods and Nigel Martyn.
Arsenal won both the FA Cup and the League Cup in 1993 and supplemented this a year later with the European Cup Winners' Cup. Shortly before the European success, Terry Venables was appointed as England manager following Taylor's failure to qualify for the World Cup. Venables saw Seaman as his first-choice goalkeeper and Seaman would remain a permanent member of the England team until 2002.
In 1995, George Graham was sacked, and Arsenal came close to becoming the first club to retain the Cup Winners' Cup, with Seaman's earning a reputation as a penalty-saving specialist after saving Attilio Lombardo's shot in Arsenal's semi-final shoot-out against U.C. Sampdoria. However, in the final Arsenal lost in extra time to Real Zaragoza, with a spectacular late goal from Nayim from 45 yards out, which caught Seaman off his line.
Seaman soon put the Nayim mistake behind him, with his heroics as part of Venables's Euro 96 England team. Seaman saved two spot-kicks in the tournament; the first a penalty in normal play from Scotland's Gary McAllister in a group match, while England were 1-0 up (Paul Gascoigne scored soon after to make it 2-0). Then, after England's quarter-final against Spain ended scoreless, Seaman saved Miguel Angel Nadal's kick in the shootout to knock Spain out of the tournament. England eventually were eliminated in the semi-finals of the competition; Seaman was named alongside Golden Boot winner Alan Shearer and winger Steve McManaman in the UEFA "Team of the Tournament". Euro 96 sponsor Philips named him "Player of the Tournament".
Arsenal 1996-2003
In August 1996, Arsène Wenger became the new manager of Arsenal. Wenger rated Seaman highly and in 1998, Seaman backstopped the team to the Premier League and FA Cup double. His performance earned him a place in Glenn Hoddle's England team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France. England went out on penalties.
In 1998-99, Seaman played every match (38 total) and conceded only 17 league goals, a club record to this day, although Arsenal lost the Premier League and FA Cup to Manchester United. The following season Seaman managed to reach the 2000 UEFA Cup final, which Arsenal drew 0-0 with Galatasaray, but lost on penalties. He was part of Kevin Keegan's Euro 2000 squad, but sustained an injury in his warm-up exercises for the third game (against Romania). Nigel Martyn stepped in and performed badly, and Phil Neville's clumsy foul late in the game gave Romania a penalty which Martyn could not stop. England lost the match and went out in the first round.
In 2002, Seaman won Premier League and FA Cup again to complete his second career double, although Arsenal's other goalkeepers Stuart Taylor and Richard Wright also won championship medals, due mainly to Seaman's absence through injuries. Seaman was part of Sven-Göran Eriksson's 2002 FIFA World Cup squad, and played every game as England reached the quarter-finals, turning back a second half offensive to shut out arch-rivals Argentina 1-0 in the group stage after English captain David Beckham scored the penalty spot kick. However, in England's quarter-final against Brazil Seaman was caught out by Ronaldinho's curling free kick, as England lost 2-1; he blamed himself for the error[3]
The result led to a debate about whether Seaman should remain England's number one although he remained England's first choice goalkeeper until a Euro 2004 qualifier in October 2002 against Macedonia, where he let in a goal directly from a corner kick by Artim Sakiri in a 2-2 draw and brought further press criticism.[5] This was Seaman's last appearance for the England national team, as Eriksson dropped him in favour of David James.
Despite his international career ending so flatly and accusations his mobility had faded with age, the 2002-03 season - Seaman's last at Arsenal - ended on a high note. In the FA Cup, he made a spectacular save against Sheffield United's Paul Peschisolido in the semi-finals, in what former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, a pundit for the BBC on the day, dubbed "the best save I've ever seen". Arsenal were defending a 1-0 lead, when with less than ten minutes to go, Peschisolido had a header towards an apparently open goal from six yards out with Seaman seemingly stranded at the near post. However, the goalkeeper leaped sideways and backwards, somehow managing to stretch his right arm behind him and scoop the ball back and away from both his goal and the opposing players ready to pounce on a rebound. Seaman went on to captain the team during the finals in the absence of injured Patrick Vieira and keep another clean sheet at Millennium Stadium as defeated Southampton 1-0. His final act with Arsenal was to lift the FA Cup, which was his eighth major trophy with his team. Seaman played in goal for Arsenal more times than anyone else, and is second after Ray Parlour in the all-time Premiership appearances chart for Arsenal, with 325 to his name.

 

With the fourth pick in the 2007 Arsenal FC All Time Draft, ArsenalGooner select Dennis Bergkamp (aka The Iceman, aka GOD) from the Netherlands. I am forever walking in a Bergkamp wonderland!

Dennis Bergkamp

Personal information
Full name Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp
Date of birth May 10, 1969 (age 37)
Place of birth Amsterdam, Netherlands
Height 1.83 m (6 ft)
Nickname The Iceman, The Dutch Master The Non-Flying Dutchman,
Bergy, The Magician
Playing position Supporting striker
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1986–1993
1993–1995
1995–2006 Ajax Amsterdam
Internazionale
Arsenal 185 (122)
52 (11)
315 (87)
National team
1990–2000 Netherlands 79 (37)
1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only.
* Appearances (Goals)

Dennis Nicolaas Maria Bergkamp (born May 10, 1969 in Amsterdam) is a retired Dutch professional footballer. At club level he played for Ajax Amsterdam, Internazionale, Arsenal and also represented the Netherlands at international level. Bergkamp played most of his best games as a support striker, where his tactical awareness and deft passes made him a great exponent of the game from the 'hole'. He was selected by Pelé as one of the FIFA 125 greatest living players and is widely regarded as one of the English Premier League's all-time greatest foreign players. He has also finished third in the FIFA Player of the Year award twice.

Contents [show]
1 Early life
2 Club career
2.1 Ajax Amsterdam
2.2 Internazionale
2.3 Arsenal
3 International career
4 Testimonial match
5 Style of play
6 Others on Bergkamp
7 Aviophobia
8 Personal life
9 Honours
10 Awards
11 References
12 External links



[edit] Early life
Raised in a flat in western Amsterdam, Bergkamp was one of four sons of a Catholic plumber. He was never known to socialize much outside of his own family. His parents, who were football fanatics, named him after Manchester City, Manchester United and Scotland striker Denis Law. His middle name, "Maria", sometimes attracts attention, though in the Netherlands, "Maria" is not an uncommon middle name for Catholic boys.


[edit] Club career

[edit] Ajax Amsterdam
Bergkamp was brought up through Ajax Amsterdam's famous youth system, joining the club at age 12. He was given his professional debut by coach Johan Cruijff on December 14, 1986 against Roda JC, and went on to make 14 appearances that season. He played as a substitute in the 1987 European Cup Winners Cup final against Lokomotive Leipzig, which Ajax won.

The following season, Bergkamp became a regular for Ajax, winning the Dutch league in 1990, the UEFA Cup in 1992 and the KNVB Cup in 1993. From 1991 to 1993 Bergkamp was top scorer in the Eredivisie, and he was voted Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993. In all, Bergkamp scored 122 goals in 239 games for his hometown club.


[edit] Internazionale
In the summer of 1993, Bergkamp and his Ajax team-mate Wim Jonk were signed by Internazionale of Milan. However, his time in Italy was less successful. Although he won a second UEFA Cup in 1994, he found it hard to adapt to the Italian defensive style of play, scoring just 11 times in 50 appearances. Bergkamp's poor form was not helped by his frosty relationship with the Italian press, and indeed some of his teammates. However, his high hairline and slicked-back blonde hair meant the fans did take to affectionately nicknaming him "Beavis" due to his perceived resemblance to Beavis of Beavis and Butthead fame.


[edit] Arsenal
After two unhappy seasons at Inter, Bergkamp was signed by Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch in June 1995 for £7.5m. Bergkamp made his debut against Middlesbrough in August 1995 but had to adapt to the English style of play; it took him eight games before he managed to score his first goal, against Southampton. Slowly but surely, Bergkamp's stature grew, playing as a forward behind the main striker, Ian Wright, with whom he formed an effective partnership. Bergkamp has been regarded by many football pundits such as Alan Hansen as being the greatest foreign player to grace the English game.[citation needed]

Bergkamp's arrival at Arsenal was significant, not only as he was one of the first world-class foreign players to join an English club since the lifting of the Heysel ban in 1990, but also because he was a major contributor to the club's return to success after the stagnation of the mid-1990s. It has been suggested that his signing, in which Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein was the major mover, has been the most significant in Arsenal's history, helping to attract other top-class players to the club.

Bergkamp hit his best form for Arsenal after the arrival of Arsène Wenger in September 1996. Arsenal won a Premiership and FA Cup double in the 1997-98 season (although Bergkamp missed the cup final with an injury), and Bergkamp was voted PFA Player of the Year. In September 1997 he became the first and so far only player to have come first, second and third in Match of the Day's Goal of the Month competition, for a hat trick against Leicester City. He scored 16 times that season, as well as being involved in setting up many more. At the end of that same season, he helped the Netherlands to a fourth-place finish at the 1998 World Cup. In that competition he scored one of the greatest goals of all time in a quarter final win against Argentina.

While his form since has not matched the spectacle of that season, Bergkamp continued to be a regular in the Arsenal team. He won the double again in 2002, the FA Cup in 2003 and the Premiership for a third time in 2004. The club's domestic success has not been matched in European competition, the closest to winners' medals coming when they lost the 2000 UEFA Cup final to Galatasaray on penalties and the 2006 Champions League final loss to Barcelona; Bergkamp travelled overland to Paris for his competitive farewell, only to be an unused substitute.

In 2005, due to Arsenal's reluctance in offering him a new deal, there was speculation that Bergkamp would leave the club, and possibly football altogether. Bergkamp had said he would retire from football if not offered a new contract with Arsenal for the 2005-06 campaign, despite interest from his former club Ajax. Following Arsenal's penalty shootout victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final in Cardiff though, it was revealed he would sign a one-year contract extension, which was custom by the manager Arsène Wenger for players over 30 years old, keeping him at the London club for their final season at the Arsenal Stadium at Highbury.

On April 15, 2006, the home match against West Bromwich Albion, the Arsenal supporters dedicated the original "Supporter's Day" match theme (one of the designated theme days Arsenal prepared to celebrate their last year at Highbury before moving to the Emirates Stadium) to "Dennis Bergkamp Day", to commemorate Bergkamp's time at Arsenal. Bergkamp came on as a second half substitute, setting up the winning Robert Pirès goal, after Albion had equalised just after he came on. He scored a curler himself at the 89th minute, as Arsenal ran out 3-1 winners. That goal proved to be the last goal Bergkamp scored in Arsenal colour and in competitive football.[1]

Bergkamp officially retired from competitive football after the 2006 Champions League final game against FC Barcelona on May 17, 2006. The last game he played in Arsenal colours was also the last game at Highbury, against Wigan Athletic on May 7, 2006. Bergkamp scored 121 goals for Arsenal in 424 appearances, and set up a further 166 goals in his Arsenal career. This makes him one of the top three assist makers in Premier League history.[2]


[edit] International career
Bergkamp made his international debut for the Netherlands against Italy on September 26, 1990. His first major tournament was Euro 92, where the Dutch were defending champions. Bergkamp impressed, but the Dutch lost on penalties in the semi-finals.

Bergkamp also impressed in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, playing in all of his side's matches, scoring a spectacular goal against Brazil, a match the Dutch ultimately lost 3-2. The Netherlands disappointed in Euro 96, with the squad riven by in-fighting, although Bergkamp still scored once, and set up Patrick Kluivert's consolatory goal against England that got the side into the quarter-finals.

In the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Bergkamp scored three times, the most memorable of which being the winning goal in the final minute of the quarter-final against Argentina. Bergkamp took a leaping first touch to control a long 60-yard aerial pass from Frank de Boer, reverse-flicked the ball past Argentine defender Roberto Ayala, and finally finished by firing a half-volley past the keeper at a tight angle from the right. With three intelligent right-footed touches in a matter of seconds, he was able to turn the game and send his national squad into the semifinal round.

The Netherlands joint-hosted Euro 2000 and were one of the favourites. After progressing through the "group of death", they lost on penalties to Italy in the semi-finals. Bergkamp didn't score at all during the tournament but still played an important role. After the defeat, Bergkamp announced his retirement from international football, because the next major tournament, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, would be played in Japan and South Korea and Bergkamp's aviophobia (see below) would prevent him from travelling there. He did not play the qualification matches, since he thought that it would be unfair to do so.

He ended his international career first on the all-time list of goal scorers for the Dutch national team, with 37 goals in 79 games, although his record has since been passed by Patrick Kluivert.


[edit] Testimonial match
Bergkamp had the honour of being the focus of the first match at Arsenal's new ground, the Emirates Stadium. On 22 July 2006, a testimonial was played in his honour at the new stadium, with Arsenal playing his old club Ajax. Bergkamp kicked off the match with his father, Wim, and son, Mitchel. All four children act as the match's mascots. The first half was played by members of Arsenal and Ajax's current squads, while the second was played by famous ex-players from both sides; for example Ian Wright, Patrick Vieira and David Seaman for Arsenal, and Marco van Basten, Danny Blind, Johan Cruijff, Frank and Ronald de Boer for Ajax. Arsenal won the match 2-1 with goals from Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu; Klaas Jan Huntelaar had earlier opened the scoring for Ajax.[3]


[edit] Style of play
Bergkamp is a striker known for the quality of his goals rather than the quantity. His exceptional calm and control in creating scoring chances has earned him the nickname "The Iceman." Bergkamp has stated that he usually visualizes exactly how he will enact his goal even before the chance comes, so that by then he can do so without looking. Two of the best known examples out of many are the 2002 Premiership Goal of the Season, scored against Newcastle United on March 2, 2002 and his game winning goal for the Netherlands against Argentina in the quarterfinal round of the 1998 World Cup. The goal against Newcastle was voted by the FA Premier League as the second greatest goal of the league's first ten seasons, after David Beckham's lob against Wimbledon in 1996.

Both of these goals showcased the best traits of Dennis Bergkamp the striker: his fine ball control, his sublime first touch, his ability to go past defences through quick thinking and his preference to score (or to set up a goal) from outside the box. Further discussion of the 2002 goal is covered on BBC Sport's website here, and the goal against Argentina can be found in the video archives on the official FIFA World Cup website here.

Bergkamp idolized Glenn Hoddle since childhood, but has denied many times of being a Spurs fan. "Maybe I was...maybe I am, a little different from other players. They will tell you that Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff are their idols and I will say Glenn Hoddle. Main thing was that I was a big fan of Glenn Hoddle. When you wanted to see Hoddle play you watched Tottenham. People often assume I'm a Spurs fan but it's not true. I was a fan of Glenn Hoddle, not of Spurs," Bergkamp once said.


[edit] Others on Bergkamp
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Dennis BergkampIn Brilliant Orange (ISBN 0-7475-5310-6), David Winner's analysis of the way in which Dutch football and Dutch culture blend, the sculptor Jeroen Henneman analyzes the effect of Dennis Bergkamp's passes and how he can split a defence: "It's a miracle. One moment the pitch is crowded and narrow. Suddenly it is huge and wide."

Bergkamp's close control and skill in passing the ball has put him in very high regard by Arsenal's fans, who have given him the nickname "God". Other nicknames given to him by fans included "Dennis the Menace", "the Dutch Master", "Iceman", "Bergy" and "Beavis".

Arsène Wenger also said about him after Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion (April 16, 2006) that Bergkamp had:

"Intelligence and class. Class is of course, most of the time linked to what you can do with the ball, but the intelligence makes you use the technique in an efficient way. It's like somebody who has a big vocabulary but he doesn't say intelligent words, and somebody who has a big vocabulary but he can talk intelligently, and that's what Dennis is all about. What he does, there's always a head and always a brain. And his technique allows him to do what he sees, and what he decides to do."[4]
In April 2006, Simon Kuper wrote in the Financial Times:

"One night last year some legends of Dutch football gathered for dinner in an Amsterdam house. Around midnight conversation turned to an old question: who was the best Dutch footballer ever? Dutchmen have been voted European Footballer of the Year seven times, more than any other nationality except Germans. Yet Jan Mulder, a great centre-forward turned writer, chose a player who had never even threatened to win the award nor, at the time, a Champions League: 'Bergkamp. He had the finest technique', said Mulder. Guus Hiddink, the great Dutch manager, nodded, and so the matter was settled."[5]

[edit] Aviophobia
Dennis Bergkamp is well known for having a disabling fear of flying, which developed after the Dutch squad were involved in an incident concerning their aircraft during the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States.[6] The Dutch squad travelled together with a group of journalists, one of whom made remarks about the long waiting time, wondering if there was a bomb on the plane. This provoked a panic amongst passengers and in particular Bergkamp. Ever since, Bergkamp has had a dislike of flying. This gave rise to the nickname the non-Flying Dutchman, a variation on The Flying Dutchman. He was thus often unable to play for Arsenal outside of England. He would, if required, take a train or drive there himself. The tiring nature of such long journeys to Europe forced him to miss domestic matches around European away games. Bergkamp retired from international football after the 2000 European Football Championship.

"Bergkamp's fear of flying was triggered in the US. A journalist reported a false bomb threat on the plane which the Dutch team were on and caused a panic. This incident reminded Bergkamp of an plane crash which killed many Surinamese-Dutch players when they flew to Suriname. After that, Bergkamp decided not to fly again."


[edit] Personal life
Dennis Bergkamp is married to Henrita Ruizendaal with whom he has four children: daughters Estelle, Yasmin, and Saffron; and son Mitchel.

Bergkamp is best friends with Marc Overmars.


[edit] Honours
Eredivisie 1990.
KNVB Cup 1987, 1993.
European Cup Winners Cup 1987.
UEFA Cup 1992 (Ajax), 1994 (Inter).
Premier League 1998, 2002, 2004.
FA Cup 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005.

[edit] Awards
Eredivisie topscorer 1991, 1992, 1993.
Dutch Player of the Year 1992, 1993.
European Footballer of the Year: 3rd place 1992, 2nd place 1993
English PFA Players' Player of the Year 1998.
English Football Writers Player of the Year 1998.
Premier League Goal of the Season 1998, 2002.
Arsenal FC Player of the Year 1998.
FIFA Player of the Year: 3rd place 1993, 1997.

[edit] References

 

ALEX JAMES



Alexander Wilson James (September 14, 1901 – June 1, 1953) was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for being one of Arsenal's greatest players of all time.

Born in Mossend, Lanarkshire, Alex James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers. He was famed for the excellent quality of his passing and supreme ball control, leading many modern-day comparisons with Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp. His rheumatism meant he wore "baggy" shorts to hide the long johns he wore to keep warm; the baggy appearance became his trademark.

James started his career with local youth clubs, before joining Raith Rovers in 1922. He spent three seasons at Starks Park, recording over a hundred League appearances, before moving to Preston North End in 1925. He spent four years at the Second Division side, scoring 55 goals in 157 appearance, but towards the end of his stay there he fell into several disputes with the club's management, partly over wages – at the time, the Football League operated a maximum wage of £8 a week – and also because Preston refused to release James for international duty.

James left Preston for Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in 1929 for £8,750, making his debut against Leeds United on August 31, 1929. In order to circumvent the maximum wage rules, James' employment at Arsenal was supplemented by a £250-a-year "sports demonstrator" job at Selfridges, a London department store. After a forgettable first season, James settled into his role with Arsenal and became part of the dominant side of English football in 1930s; playing as Chapman's designated "midfield schemer", he took a little time to adjust to Arsenal's style of play, but he would become one of the club's all-time greats.

Playing so deep as a supporting player, he scored relatively few goals for Arsenal – only 27 in 261 appearances – but created many times that number. James's passing and vision supplied the ammunition that David Jack, Cliff Bastin, Ted Drake and Jack Lambert all gratefully put into the net. He won the First Division Championship four times (in 1931, 1933, 1934 and 1935), and the FA Cup twice – James scored the first goal of the 1930 final (which was Arsenal's first major trophy win), and captained Arsenal to their 1936 win over Sheffield United. Such was James' influence that in the one Cup final he missed – the 1932 final against Newcastle United – Arsenal lost 2-1, albeit thanks to a highly controversial goal from Newcastle's Jack Allen.

Despite his sparkling club form, he won just eight caps for Scotland. However, this included an appearance for the legendary 'Wembley Wizards' team that thrashed England 5-1 at Wembley in 1928, with James scoring twice.

Alex James retired from playing in 1937. During World War II he served in the Royal Artillery, and after the war he became a journalist. In 1949 he was invited back to Arsenal to coach the club's youth sides, before his sudden death four years later at the age of 51. James was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contribution to the English game.

 

I wanted to build my team with heart so I have chosen a player who devoted his life to the club and with 49 years of service, set a high standard to which all should aspire but few shall attain.

He filled the void between Chapman and Allison and did so without thinking of himself and only of the Arsenal.

Player (16 years of service), coach, manager and ambassador, The Arsenal was Joseph Shaw's life and I am honoured to select him as part of my team.

Joseph E. "Joe" Shaw

Born in Bury, Lancashire, Shaw first played for his home club, Bury, and then Accrington Stanley, helping the side win the Lancashire Combination. Shaw then moved south to London, joining Woolwich Arsenal in 1907.

He made his debut against Preston North End on September 28, 1907, and had soon become a regular in the Arsenal side; he was first-choice left back for the next seven seasons. Although the club had shown early promise since their promotion to the First Division in 1904, with two successive FA Cup semi-final appearances in the seasons before Shaw's arrival, they soon quickly faded. After a high of sixth place in 1908-09, Woolwich Arsenal soon found themselves in trouble, and were relegated in 1912-13.

Despite this, Shaw stayed with the club as they moved across London to Highbury, and was an ever-present in the final season (1914-15) before first-class football was suspended for World War I. He continued to play during unofficial wartime matches, and by the time competitive football had resumed, he had made the switch to right back. In 1919 he was made Arsenal captain, succeeding the recently departed Percy Sands. By this time Arsenal were back in the First Division, and Shaw continued to play until the age of 38, in 1922; he had made his 300th first-class appearance against Newcastle United on April 23, 1921 (the third player in the club's history to do so, after Sands and Roddy McEachrane).

In all he played 326 matches for the club, although he never scored a goal. After retiring from playing, he became first a coach, and then manager of the Arsenal reserve side. After the unexpected death of Herbert Chapman in January 1934, Shaw became caretaker manager of the first team for the rest of the season; Shaw carried on Chapman's good work, as Arsenal won the 1933-34 League title, the third title in the club's history. After George Allison was appointed permanent first-team manager in the summer, Shaw went back to his post as reserves manager.

Shaw remained at Arsenal through the rest of the 1930s and during the Second World War. After the war ended, he spent a brief period as a coach at Chelsea, but returned to Arsenal to become assistant manager to Tom Whittaker in 1947. He later served as a club ambassador. He retired from football in 1956, after 49 years' service for Arsenal. He died in 1963 at the age of 80.

 

Ian Ure...legend, Grimster!

Just here to say that as a judge I'm willing to consider formations different than a 4-4-2. Nothing stupid like a 1-1-9 or a 4-6-0 (wait, Roma plays that!), but a 3-5-2, a 4-3-3, or even an old style WM/4-2-4 will be considered as long as the argument is convincing enough.

 

last pick of the first round is: Tony Adams




Adams was born in Romford in the London Borough of Havering and joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1980. He made his first team debut on November 5, 1983, at the age of 17 against Sunderland. Together with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould, Adams was part of the "famous four" that lined up in Arsenal's defence, which under George Graham was renowned for its well disciplined use of the offside trap. On January 1, 1988, he became Arsenal's youngest ever captain at the age of 21; he would remain club captain for the next 14 years.

Their strong defence was a huge factor in Arsenal winning the League Cup in 1986-87 then the First Division trophy in 1988-89 and 1990-91. In 1992-93 Adams became the first player to captain his side to a League Cup and FA Cup double, lifting the European Cup Winners' Cup the year after.

Despite this success, alcohol problems increasingly blighted his life as he was reportedly often involved in fights in night clubs, was imprisoned in December 1990 for three months after being caught drunk-driving. He was four times over the limit when he crashed his car into a wall. He was involved in other drunken incidents during his drinking days, including wetting the bed, playing in a match at the end of 1993 whilst hungover, falling down stairs and needing 29 stiches to an head wound, and letting off fire extinguishers with team-mate Ray Parlour. In September 1996 Adams admitted that he was an alcoholic and, after seeking treatment, found a more sensitive side to his character emerging, which included a return to education and an attempt to learn the piano. He is one of the most high-profile recovering alcoholics in the UK[citation needed] - his battle with alcohol is heavily detailed in his autobiography, Addicted, which was released in May 1998 to enormous critical acclaim.

His recovery and rehabilitation were helped in no small part by the arrival of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager in September 1996, who reformed the club's dietary practices and the players' lifestyles. Wenger stuck by Adams following his confessions about his drink problem, and the improvements in the regime probably extended Adams's career by several years. Adams rewarded his manager's understanding handsomely, captaining the club to two Premiership and FA Cup Doubles, in 1997-98 and 2001-02; he is the only player in English football history to have captained a League-winning team in three different decades.

After his second Double win in 2002, Adams retired from professional football altogether, his last match being the 2002 FA Cup Final. He played 668 matches for Arsenal (only David O'Leary has played more) and was the most successful captain in the club's history. The number 6 shirt that Adams wore when playing was not used from his retirement at the end of 2001/2002 to the end of the 2005/2006 season, but Philippe Senderos recently acquired this number. Nicknamed "Mr. Arsenal", he was honoured by Arsenal with a testimonial game against Celtic in May 2002 with many Arsenal legends playing, including Ian Wright, John Lukic and Adams' fellow back four stalwarts, Dixon, Winterburn and Bould. The game finished 1-1 with Lee Dixon, in his final appearance for the Gunners, getting their goal.

In 2004, Adams was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact on the English game.

 

Next pick, Cesc Fàbregas

Before joining Arsenal, Fàbregas had made his way into the Barcelona B team and then taken part in the FIFA U-17 World Championship in 2003, winning both the Adidas Golden Boot (for top goalscorer) and Golden Ball (for best player). Spain finished second in the tournament to Brazil.

Fàbregas made his team debut on October 23, 2003 in a League Cup tie at home to Rotherham United, and in doing so became Arsenal's youngest ever first-team player, aged 16 years and 177 days. He then became the youngest goalscorer in Arsenal's history in a later round of the League Cup, scoring from very close range in a 5–1 victory against Wolves.

However, it was not until the start of the 2004–05 season that Fàbregas started making first team appearances in matches outside the League Cup. His first match was against Manchester United in the Community Shield; he then, due to an injury to Patrick Vieira, had four successive Premier League starts against Everton, Middlesbrough, Blackburn Rovers and Norwich City. Fabregas earned enormous applause for his performances in his first four appearances[1], claiming a goal against Blackburn in a 3–0 victory. Soon after, he became the second youngest goalscorer in Champions League history after scoring the third goal against Rosenborg, in Arsenal's 5–1 victory.

After the departure of Arsenal captain, Patrick Vieira, Fàbregas became a first-team regular in the Arsenal midfield, making 35 appearances in the 2005–06 season.

Fabregas was lauded for his consistency in the UEFA Champions League. He was praised especially for his performance against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the second round of the UEFA Champions League and earned further plaudits for his performance against Juventus in the quarter-finals; he scored Arsenal's first goal and set up Thierry Henry for the second. Fàbregas was highly praised by teammates and the press alike.[2]

Fàbregas helped Arsenal's 2006–07 Champions League campaign get started on August 8, 2006, by scoring two goals in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier.

Fàbregas's performances have attracted a considerable number of admirers in his homeland. In particular Real Madrid have expressed a desire to secure his services despite his long term contract at Arsenal.[3] However, on July 12, Arsène Wenger stated that Arsenal would listen to no offers for Fàbregas.[4] In September 2006, with six years left on his deal, Wenger offered a new eight-year deal to Fàbregas, which was signed on October 19, 2006, keeping the Spaniard at the club until he is 27 years old.[5][6] This eight-year deal is the longest ever signed in the Premiership.

Fàbregas was a runaway winner of the Golden Boy award on 2 December 2006, presented by Italian paper TuttoSport, based on a poll of leading writers across Europe.[7]

On February 9, 2007, Fàbregas won the Premiership Player of the Month award for January.[8] During the League Cup Final on February 25, 2007, Fàbregas captained Arsenal for the first time after Kolo Toure was sent off in extra time.


[edit] Playing style
Although still young, Cesc has become a vital part of Arsenal's first team, bringing creativity and unselfishness to the Gunners' intricate passing game. Although taking the number 4 from former midfield man Patrick Vieira, Cesc has also expressed his pride in wearing the number of his childhood hero Pep Guardiola, whom he has said on many occasions he aspires to base his game on [1]. With his ability to control games from the middle of the park with his passing and vision, and to bring his team-mates into play, the comparisons with his hero are obvious.

 

With my second pick of the draft, I would like to select an Arsenal Legend and a genuinely fine man in Bob Wilson.

His ball-out play meant that he was lost to football far too early but what he may have lacked in longevity, he more than made up for in spirit and talent.

His legacy went far beyond his individual brilliance as it can be no coincidence that his tenure as keeper coach also was the time of Pat Jennings, John Lukic and David Seaman.

With style, brains and reckless disregard for himself, I feel safe with Bob Wilson as my keeper.

Robert "Bob" Primrose Wilson (born October 30, 1941 in Chesterfield, England) was a goalkeeper for Arsenal of the Football League First Division from 1963 to 1974. He made over 300 appearances for Arsenal and two appearances for Scotland, the first Englishman since 1873 to do so. He also played for the England youth team. He is married and has three children.

His unusual middle name has often been a source of amusement; it stems from a Scottish tradition of giving children their mother's maiden name as a middle name.

Playing career
Wilson started late as a professional player as his father would not let him sign papers with Manchester United as he thought it wasn't a reasonable job while he was a youth. Wilson then went on to Loughborough College for training as a teacher before signing for Arsenal in 1963. He had been playing reserve games for Wolves as an amateur and made his debut for Arsenal as an amateur, making him the last non-professional to play in the top division, and the first amateur to have a transfer fee paid (around £6,500). Even then, it was five years before he became the first-choice keeper in 1968. In 1971 he was Arsenal's player of the year in their famous Double-winning season. [note: he and George Armstrong were the only players to play every one of Arsenal's 64 games that season]

He became eligible to play for Scotland when the rules were changed in the 1970s to allow players to play for their parent's country of origin, if they had not already played for their own country. Wilson was selected by Tommy Docherty for his two games in charge, but Docherty then left the position and the next manager preferred another English-born keeper, David Harvey of Leeds United.

Wilson continued to play as Arsenal's keeper through the early 1970s, although an injury late on in the 1971-72 meant he missed Arsenal's 1972 Cup Final loss to Leeds United and much of the 1972-73 season, with understudy Geoff Barnett taking his place. Wilson regained his place once fully recovered, and was Arsenal's No. 1 up until his surprisingly early retirement from playing in May 1974, at the age of 32.

As a student and teacher of goalkeeping, Wilson has identified his own signature technique as diving at his opponents' feet to save goals. This has caused him a number of injuries throughout his career. Wilson also played goal without the use of goalkeeping gloves, something very rare at the time and completely unknown today.


Coaching career
Wilson was goalkeeping coach for Arsenal during the period Pat Jennings, John Lukic, and David Seaman were goalkeepers. He then moved to become youth goalkeeper coach, before retiring from all coaching at the end of the 2002-03 season

Bob Wilson

Review of his autobiography

 

Liam Brady



Liam Brady (born February 13, 1956 in Dublin) is a former Irish footballer, who is now a coach and television pundit. He was renowned as a midfielder with elegant technical skills, most notably his left foot, his high-quality passing and close control. He found success both with Arsenal (one FA Cup title) and Juventus (two Serie A titles), and won 72 caps for the Republic of Ireland. He is currently Arsenal's Head of Youth Development.

Part of a footballing family with his uncle and two brothers (Pat Brady and Ray Brady) having been players with QPR, Brady started his career at Arsenal. He moved to London to join the side on schoolboy forms in 1970, at the age of 15. He turned professional on his 17th birthday in 1973, and made his debut on October 6, 1973 against Birmingham City as a substitute for Jeff Blockley, and put in an assured performance. However his next match, in a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur, Brady had a poor match, and Arsenal manager Bertie Mee decided from then on to use the young Irishman sparingly for the time being. Brady ended the 1973-74 season with 13 appearances (four of them as substitute) to his name.

In 1974-75 Brady was a first-team regular at Arsenal, and shone as a rare light in a side that hovered close to relegation for a couple of seasons in the mid-1970s. With the appointment of Terry Neill as manager and the return of Don Howe as coach, Brady found his best form. His passing provided the ammunition for Arsenal's front men such as Malcolm Macdonald and Frank Stapleton, and Arsenal reached three FA Cup finals in a row between 1978 and 1980. Arsenal won only the middle of the three, against Manchester United in 1979, with Brady starting the move that ended in Alan Sunderland's famous last-minute winner.

Brady was at the peak of his Arsenal form by now, as shown by one of his best goals for Arsenal; having dispossessed Peter Taylor he flighted a looped curled shot from the edge of the penalty area into the top corner, in a 5-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur on December 23, 1978. During this time he was voted the club's player of the year three times, and chosen as the PFA Player of the Year in 1979. He was the most talented player in what was then a distinctly average Arsenal side, which was unable to challenge for serious honours like the Division One title, and by the 1979-80 season rumour was rife that Brady would be leaving the club in search of a fresh challenge.

That season, Arsenal reached the Cup Winners' Cup final (only to lose to Valencia on penalties), having beaten Juventus 1-0 over two legs in the semi-finals. Brady's performance in the tie impressed the Italian giants and in the 1980 close season they signed him for just over £500,000. He is remembered as one of Arsenal's all-time greats, playing 307 matches for the Gunners, scoring 59 goals and setting up many more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_Brady

 

With my 2nd pick in the Arsenal FC All Time Draft, I select Patrick Vieira, midfielder, France via Senegal. I was not sad to see him go in the end, but in his day he was one of the most dominating midfielders in the world.

Patrick Vieira
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Patrick Vieira

Patrick Donalé Vieira (born June 23, 1976 in Dakar, Senegal) is a French football midfielder, who currently plays for Internazionale Milano. He came to prominence during his time at Arsenal between 1996 and 2005, where he won three FA Premier League titles and four FA Cups, and eventually became club captain. He spent a single season at Juventus before joining Inter in 2006, after Juventus were relegated due to their part in a match-fixing scandal. He has 101 caps for France, and was part of their 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 winning sides and is now the team captain.[1]

Contents [hide]
1 Club career
1.1 Early career
1.2 Arsenal
1.3 Juventus
1.4 Internazionale
1.5 Unique Footballer Chants
2 International career
3 Honours
4 External links



[edit] Club career

[edit] Early career
Born in Senegal in the Cape Verdian community, Vieira's family moved to Paris when he was aged 8; he did not return to Senegal until 2003. Vieira first played for AS Cannes, where he made his debut at the age of 17 and captained the team aged only 19. Soon after that, in the summer of 1995, he was snapped up by Italian giants A.C. Milan, though he mainly stayed in the reserves and only made two appearances for the first team.


[edit] Arsenal
In September 1996, the incoming Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger asked for him to be bought from A.C. Milan before he took up his position. Vieira's height, stamina and physical strength meant he settled in England quickly, while his composure and the quality of his passing meant he became an integral part of Wenger's stylish attacking side.

Forming a midfield partnership with compatriot Emmanuel Petit, Vieira won the Premiership and FA Cup Double in 1998, his first full season at the club. That summer, he was called up to France's 1998 World Cup squad.

Vieira's earlier years at Arsenal was beset by disciplinary problems - in 2000-01 he was sent off twice in two consecutive matches, though after returning he did not accrue a card for 28 matches. In all he has been sent off twelve times in his career (nine times with Arsenal and once with Juventus, France and Internazionale).

Vieira would go on to win Euro 2000 with France, as well as a second Double with Arsenal in 2002. After Tony Adams's retirement in 2002, Vieira (already vice-captain) became club captain, since which his disciplinary problems cooled significantly. Though he missed Arsenal's 2003 FA Cup final win with injury, Vieira lifted the trophy jointly with captain for the day David Seaman.

In 2003-04 at Arsenal, he captained the side on an historic unbeaten season in the Premier League, and in the 2005 FA Cup Final he scored the winning kick in a penalty shoot-out with his final kick in Arsenal colours, after a 0-0 draw with Manchester United. In total, Vieira played 407 times for Arsenal and scored 33 times.

He returned to Arsenal for one game on July 22, 2006 in a testimonial for Dennis Bergkamp as one of the Arsenal legends against Ajax legends. Vieira is regarded as the best ever midfielder to represent Arsenal football club and is a hero amongst fans. Despite his departure, Vieira has remained a favourite among Arsenal fans, and there is a picture of him among 14 other past and present Arsenal greats in "The Armoury", at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium.


[edit] Juventus
Vieira's starring performances for Arsenal earned the attention of several major clubs abroad, as well as an approach from Manchester United. At the close of the 2003 and 2004 seasons, he was strongly linked with a move to Spanish superpower Real Madrid. It was also reported that despite Arsenal's Premiership and FA Cup victories, Vieira was frustrated by his club's lack of continental success and the UEFA Champions League was the one honour that eluded him[2]. The Spanish side reportedly offered Arsenal £23 million for him which was reluctantly accepted. However at the last moment after much deliberation Vieira decided to stay at the club where he made his name.

A year later, Vieira did move away from Highbury. Arsenal accepted a bid of £13.7m from Italian giants Juventus on July 14, 2005, and Vieira agreed a five-year contract with the Serie A side the following day. In his autobiography, he cited the main reason for his leaving Arsenal as the board's 'neutral' position over the Juventus bid.

The then Juventus coach Fabio Capello used Vieira in a midfield consisting of Brazilian Emerson and Czech Pavel Nedvěd. He helped Juventus to record their best ever start to a league season. Despite his performances dipping as the result of a persistent groin injury and a reported training ground bust-up with team mate Zlatan Ibrahimović, Vieira helped Juventus retain the Italian Championship.

In a twist of fate, Vieira returned to Highbury on March 28, 2006 to play against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Arsenal won 2-0 on aggregate, scoring twice in the first leg. Vieira received a yellow card in the first leg match at Highbury and was suspended for the return leg on April 5, 2006. During the first leg he was the subject of a strong tackle by former club and national team mate Robert Pires, Vieira was left crestfallen, Pires regained possesion and Arsenal attacked scoring the first goal of the tie. Pires humorously quipped that it was the first time in 13 years he had got the better of Vieira physically. [1]


[edit] Internazionale
However, Juventus were stripped of their 2005-06 title (as well as the 04/05 title) after it was revealed they were involved in a match-fixing scandal. Juventus were relegated to Serie B and deducted 17 points by the Italian Football Federation for their involvement, prompting many of the club's major stars to move elsewhere. After press speculation linking him to various clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester United, on August 2, 2006 Vieira officially signed 4 year-deal for Internazionale in a deal reported to be worth €9.5m, less than half the €20m fee Juventus had paid just 12 months prior.[2]


[edit] Unique Footballer Chants
When Vieira was present at Arsenal before his 2006 departure, the arsenal supporters came up with a unique song for Vieira. This was sung on numerous occasions and is known by many. Sung to the tune of Volare by Dean Martin with the words: "Viiieirra.. O-O-O.. Viiieirra.. O-O-O-O.. He comes from Senegal, He plays for Arsenal.. Viiieirraaa.."


[edit] International career
While at Arsenal, he made his debut for the France, in 1997 against the Netherlands. Vieira was part of the France squad in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He came on as a substitute for Youri Djorkaeff in the final against Brazil, and set up club teammate Petit for France's third goal in a 3-0 win. He, with the rest of the squad, received Légion d'Honneur, France's highest decoration in 1998.

He subsequently played as a first choice midfield player in France's successful campaign in Euro 2000, which they won, beating Italy in the final. He also played in all three games in the FIFA World Cup 2002, in which France were eliminated in the group stage, failing to score a goal. He was injured and missed France's defeat to Greece at Euro 2004.

Vieira was appointed national team captain on Zinedine Zidane's retirement from international football. Nonetheless, he and veteran defender Lilian Thuram were instrumental in convincing Zidane to end his retirement and help the flagging campaign to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Vieira even handed back the captaincy of the team to Zidane.

On June 23, 2006, his birthday, Vieira took the captain's armband for the match in place of the suspended Zidane, whom he shared the birthday with, scoring the first goal when France defeated Togo 2-0 in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup 2006; Vieira set up Thierry Henry for France's second. This win helped France advance to the knockout stages, coming second behind Switzerland, and it prolonged Zidane's international career. In the round of sixteen, Vieira scored the second goal in France's 3-1 defeat of Spain; France went on to beat favourites Brazil 1-0 in the quarter-finals, and Portugal by the same score in the semi-finals, which gave them a place in the final against Italy. Having played in every match up to the final, Vieira started the match but was substituted due to injury in the second half, likely sustained when he collided with Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro. Italy won 5-3 on penalties after the game finished 1-1 after extra time. As of November 23, 2006 Vieira has appeared 100 times for France, scoring 6 goals.

On August 5, 2006 Vieira was reappointed captain of the French national team for the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Vieira

 

George Graham taught me the art of defending... but Arsene Wenger released the shackles --Lee Dixon



Lee Michael Dixon (born March 17, 1964 in Manchester, England) is a former English professional footballer who formed part of the highly-respected Arsenal defense for the entire 1990s and beyond. He currently works as a football pundit for the BBC.
Biography
Dixon worked his way to the top of football slowly - he played for Burnley (where he served his apprenticeship), Chester City, Bury and Stoke City before he was signed by Arsenal boss George Graham in January 1988.
Though Arsenal had seemingly found their replacement for England full back Viv Anderson, who had been sold to Manchester United, it took a while for Dixon to be given a first team role at Highbury. With the veteran international Kenny Sansom at left back, the equally left-sided Nigel Winterburn had been a guarded success in the unfamiliar right back role, though Dixon did make his debut against Luton Town in February 1988 and played six times in total before the season ended. In the summer, Sansom left Arsenal and Winterburn moved across, allowing Dixon to take over the No.2 shirt, which he duly did for well over ten years.
While defending is not as pleasing on the eye for football lovers, more seasoned connoisseurs of the game would refer to the way Arsenal's back four assembled itself throughout the 1990s. Dixon and Winterburn made the full back positions their own, while captain Tony Adams and the long-serving David O'Leary operated in the middle. In 1989 they were joined by Steve Bould who, like Dixon before him, had been spotted by Graham playing for Stoke City. These five defenders, often playing as a back five together (rather than the conventional back four) were the linchpin of an Arsenal side who became serious challengers for the First Division title in 1989, which would be their first since the "double" year of 1971, which featured Graham as a player.
Dixon was a marauding right back, ever willing to support his winger David Rocastle and his attacking skills were still noted even though his main job (and the main priority of the side as a whole) was to defend. He also had a short spell during this period as the club's penalty taker. Arsenal took the chase for the League championship to the last day of the season when they faced Liverpool at Anfield on a Friday night at the end of May.
The game had been re-arranged from earlier in the season but had taken on extra significance for Liverpool, who had gone through the emotional trauma of the Hillsborough disaster and then won the FA Cup, so only Arsenal stood between them and a second "double". For their part Arsenal, who had led for much of the campaign only to be clawed back by Liverpool, needed to win the game by two clear goals or more, such was the tight difference between the two teams. Anything less and the championship was Liverpool's.
The game stood at 1-0 as the clock showed the 90 minutes were up. Dixon, for one, was not giving up the title as he received a ball in his own half and looked to mount a final attack. Spotting the clever run of centre forward Alan M. Smith towards the right channel, Dixon duly deliver a perfect long ball on to his chest. Smith's run had forced a Liverpool defender across with him and Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas duly made a charge into the gap, took Smith's perfect sideways pass in his stride and casually flipped the ball past Bruce Grobbelaar. There was barely time for Liverpool to restart and Arsenal took the title, the first of many honours Dixon would win.
Arsenal struggled to hold on to the title the following year (and were unable to take part in the European Cup because the ban on English clubs after Heysel was still ongoing) but there was personal joy for Dixon as he made his England debut in April 1990 in a World Cup warm-up game against Czechoslovakia. He played well, but there was little hope of him being in the squad for the tournament as he was at least third in the pecking order behind Gary Stevens and Paul Parker. Only injury to one of these two would have opened a door for Dixon to go to Italy and that didn't happen.
After the World Cup, new manager Graham Taylor instantly replaced Stevens and Parker with Dixon, who scored a goal at Wembley in only his sixth international in an important Euro 92 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland. The game ended 1-1. In the same season, Arsenal's notoriously mean defence (now with David Seaman playing behind them in goal) grew even meaner, with just one defeat all season as they won the League championship again.
By the end of 1991, Dixon had played in eleven internationals, including all of the Euro 92 qualifiers, through which England qualified for the finals in Sweden. As the finals approached, Dixon suffered an injury, allowing Stevens a route back into the side as the deadline for squad announcement approached. Taylor duly named Dixon instead of Stevens in his provisional squad, but ultimately neither went to the tournament. Dixon pulled out through injury so Stevens was recalled, only for the Rangers full back also to withdraw through injury. England ended up with no recognised right back in their squad and didn't get past the group stages.
After the summer, a fit-again Dixon was back in the England team while also defending the League title within the familiar and feared Arsenal defence. With O'Leary's retirement imminent, Graham had provided extra cover in the centre of defence by signing Martin Keown from Everton - ironically the player who'd ended up playing at right back in Euro 92 after both Dixon and Stevens became unavailable.
O'Leary ended up in Dixon's place at right back for the 1993 League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday because Dixon was unfit. Arsenal won 2-1. Dixon was back when the sides met again for the FA Cup final which Arsenal won by the same scoreline in a replay, after the initial game had ended in a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, 1993 did not go well internationally, with England failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Dixon's 21st cap, in a 7-1 win over San Marino in the final qualifier (a result which was immaterial) seemed to be his last as Taylor quit as manager and Terry Venables took over, experimenting with other right backs until installing Gary Neville in the spot in 1995, a role he maintains to this day.
In 1994, Dixon won a European medal to complement his domestic collection as Arsenal's legendary defence showed off their considerable ability to repel creativity among natural footballers. Again, defensive play is rarely a spectacle but the way Dixon, Winterburn, Bould and Adams expertly suppressed the efforts of Tomas Brolin, Gianfranco Zola and Faustino Asprilla of Italian side Parma was as exciting to purist football observers as any attacking play. Arsenal scored an early goal in the European Cup Winners Cup final in Copenhagen and let their defence do the rest, winning 1-0.
Dixon was again in his No.2 shirt as Arsenal slumped domestically in 1995 but reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup again. Though the defence in Paris was breached by Real Zaragoza, Arsenal equalised and took the game to extra time. The defence did its job and it took a ludicrous freak shot from the halfway line in the final minute from Nayim (adding insult to injury, an ex-Spurs player) to prise the trophy from the Gunners.
At the end of 1996, Arsène Wenger arrived at Highbury and started to introduce lifestyle policies to the Arsenal squad, changing their life's outlook, self-awareness and diet. This allowed Arsenal's ageing defence to prolong their time at the top, and Wenger later admitted that he expected to replace each defender he inherited fairly quickly, but just as quickly realised he didn't need to. Dixon and his defensive colleagues never ceased in paying tribute to Wenger for giving them extra years at the helm of the game.
Arsenal won the second "double" of the club's history in 1998 and Dixon received a testimonial the following year as he entered his tenth full season at Arsenal. He also got a surprise recall to the England squad by caretaker boss Howard Wilkinson, who had temporarily taken over after the resignation of Glenn Hoddle. Dixon played in a 2-0 defeat by France at Wembley and then quietly disappeared away from the international scene again, never to return. He had won 22 caps but not played in a major tournament.
Dixon played in a UEFA Cup campaign in 2000 which saw Arsenal reach the final in the same Copenhagen stadium where they had won the Cup Winners Cup six years earlier. This time they were beaten on penalties by Galatasaray of Turkey. The following year Arsenal reached the FA Cup final but lost 2-1 to Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - a 37 year old Dixon being outpaced by 21 year old Michael Owen for the winning goal. Dixon played on for one more season helping Arsenal to win another historic "double", the third in the club's history and second under manager Arsène Wenger, clinching the league title over rivals Manchester United at their home ground Old Trafford
Dixon retired after winning that double in 2002 at the age of 38, With Adams quitting at the same time, only Seaman and Keown then remained at the club from the halcyon days of the most respected club defence in English football. After O'Leary's retirement in 1993, Bould had been the next to go from the famous defence in 1999 and Winterburn followed him out of Highbury a year later.
Dixon's impressive statistics as an Arsenal player tallied up 458 appearances in the League with 25 goals, complete with a huge haul of medals.
Divorced, in retirement he has concentrated on several business interests including the Riverside Brasserie in Bray, Berkshire, originally with his friend Heston Blumenthal. He tries to play golf daily, to reduce his golf handicap to Level at Woburn club. He is also making his name as a pundit for the BBC, recently beginning to earn the odd appearance on flagship football show Match of the Day and Football Focus.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Dixon

 

George Graham taught me the art of defending... but Arsene Wenger released the shackles --Lee Dixon



Lee Michael Dixon (born March 17, 1964 in Manchester, England) is a former English professional footballer who formed part of the highly-respected Arsenal defense for the entire 1990s and beyond. He currently works as a football pundit for the BBC.
Biography
Dixon worked his way to the top of football slowly - he played for Burnley (where he served his apprenticeship), Chester City, Bury and Stoke City before he was signed by Arsenal boss George Graham in January 1988.
Though Arsenal had seemingly found their replacement for England full back Viv Anderson, who had been sold to Manchester United, it took a while for Dixon to be given a first team role at Highbury. With the veteran international Kenny Sansom at left back, the equally left-sided Nigel Winterburn had been a guarded success in the unfamiliar right back role, though Dixon did make his debut against Luton Town in February 1988 and played six times in total before the season ended. In the summer, Sansom left Arsenal and Winterburn moved across, allowing Dixon to take over the No.2 shirt, which he duly did for well over ten years.
While defending is not as pleasing on the eye for football lovers, more seasoned connoisseurs of the game would refer to the way Arsenal's back four assembled itself throughout the 1990s. Dixon and Winterburn made the full back positions their own, while captain Tony Adams and the long-serving David O'Leary operated in the middle. In 1989 they were joined by Steve Bould who, like Dixon before him, had been spotted by Graham playing for Stoke City. These five defenders, often playing as a back five together (rather than the conventional back four) were the linchpin of an Arsenal side who became serious challengers for the First Division title in 1989, which would be their first since the "double" year of 1971, which featured Graham as a player.
Dixon was a marauding right back, ever willing to support his winger David Rocastle and his attacking skills were still noted even though his main job (and the main priority of the side as a whole) was to defend. He also had a short spell during this period as the club's penalty taker. Arsenal took the chase for the League championship to the last day of the season when they faced Liverpool at Anfield on a Friday night at the end of May.
The game had been re-arranged from earlier in the season but had taken on extra significance for Liverpool, who had gone through the emotional trauma of the Hillsborough disaster and then won the FA Cup, so only Arsenal stood between them and a second "double". For their part Arsenal, who had led for much of the campaign only to be clawed back by Liverpool, needed to win the game by two clear goals or more, such was the tight difference between the two teams. Anything less and the championship was Liverpool's.
The game stood at 1-0 as the clock showed the 90 minutes were up. Dixon, for one, was not giving up the title as he received a ball in his own half and looked to mount a final attack. Spotting the clever run of centre forward Alan M. Smith towards the right channel, Dixon duly deliver a perfect long ball on to his chest. Smith's run had forced a Liverpool defender across with him and Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas duly made a charge into the gap, took Smith's perfect sideways pass in his stride and casually flipped the ball past Bruce Grobbelaar. There was barely time for Liverpool to restart and Arsenal took the title, the first of many honours Dixon would win.
Arsenal struggled to hold on to the title the following year (and were unable to take part in the European Cup because the ban on English clubs after Heysel was still ongoing) but there was personal joy for Dixon as he made his England debut in April 1990 in a World Cup warm-up game against Czechoslovakia. He played well, but there was little hope of him being in the squad for the tournament as he was at least third in the pecking order behind Gary Stevens and Paul Parker. Only injury to one of these two would have opened a door for Dixon to go to Italy and that didn't happen.
After the World Cup, new manager Graham Taylor instantly replaced Stevens and Parker with Dixon, who scored a goal at Wembley in only his sixth international in an important Euro 92 qualifier against the Republic of Ireland. The game ended 1-1. In the same season, Arsenal's notoriously mean defence (now with David Seaman playing behind them in goal) grew even meaner, with just one defeat all season as they won the League championship again.
By the end of 1991, Dixon had played in eleven internationals, including all of the Euro 92 qualifiers, through which England qualified for the finals in Sweden. As the finals approached, Dixon suffered an injury, allowing Stevens a route back into the side as the deadline for squad announcement approached. Taylor duly named Dixon instead of Stevens in his provisional squad, but ultimately neither went to the tournament. Dixon pulled out through injury so Stevens was recalled, only for the Rangers full back also to withdraw through injury. England ended up with no recognised right back in their squad and didn't get past the group stages.
After the summer, a fit-again Dixon was back in the England team while also defending the League title within the familiar and feared Arsenal defence. With O'Leary's retirement imminent, Graham had provided extra cover in the centre of defence by signing Martin Keown from Everton - ironically the player who'd ended up playing at right back in Euro 92 after both Dixon and Stevens became unavailable.
O'Leary ended up in Dixon's place at right back for the 1993 League Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday because Dixon was unfit. Arsenal won 2-1. Dixon was back when the sides met again for the FA Cup final which Arsenal won by the same scoreline in a replay, after the initial game had ended in a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, 1993 did not go well internationally, with England failing to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Dixon's 21st cap, in a 7-1 win over San Marino in the final qualifier (a result which was immaterial) seemed to be his last as Taylor quit as manager and Terry Venables took over, experimenting with other right backs until installing Gary Neville in the spot in 1995, a role he maintains to this day.
In 1994, Dixon won a European medal to complement his domestic collection as Arsenal's legendary defence showed off their considerable ability to repel creativity among natural footballers. Again, defensive play is rarely a spectacle but the way Dixon, Winterburn, Bould and Adams expertly suppressed the efforts of Tomas Brolin, Gianfranco Zola and Faustino Asprilla of Italian side Parma was as exciting to purist football observers as any attacking play. Arsenal scored an early goal in the European Cup Winners Cup final in Copenhagen and let their defence do the rest, winning 1-0.
Dixon was again in his No.2 shirt as Arsenal slumped domestically in 1995 but reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup again. Though the defence in Paris was breached by Real Zaragoza, Arsenal equalised and took the game to extra time. The defence did its job and it took a ludicrous freak shot from the halfway line in the final minute from Nayim (adding insult to injury, an ex-Spurs player) to prise the trophy from the Gunners.
At the end of 1996, Arsène Wenger arrived at Highbury and started to introduce lifestyle policies to the Arsenal squad, changing their life's outlook, self-awareness and diet. This allowed Arsenal's ageing defence to prolong their time at the top, and Wenger later admitted that he expected to replace each defender he inherited fairly quickly, but just as quickly realised he didn't need to. Dixon and his defensive colleagues never ceased in paying tribute to Wenger for giving them extra years at the helm of the game.
Arsenal won the second "double" of the club's history in 1998 and Dixon received a testimonial the following year as he entered his tenth full season at Arsenal. He also got a surprise recall to the England squad by caretaker boss Howard Wilkinson, who had temporarily taken over after the resignation of Glenn Hoddle. Dixon played in a 2-0 defeat by France at Wembley and then quietly disappeared away from the international scene again, never to return. He had won 22 caps but not played in a major tournament.
Dixon played in a UEFA Cup campaign in 2000 which saw Arsenal reach the final in the same Copenhagen stadium where they had won the Cup Winners Cup six years earlier. This time they were beaten on penalties by Galatasaray of Turkey. The following year Arsenal reached the FA Cup final but lost 2-1 to Liverpool at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - a 37 year old Dixon being outpaced by 21 year old Michael Owen for the winning goal. Dixon played on for one more season helping Arsenal to win another historic "double", the third in the club's history and second under manager Arsène Wenger, clinching the league title over rivals Manchester United at their home ground Old Trafford.
After football
Dixon retired after winning that double in 2002 at the age of 38, With Adams quitting at the same time, only Seaman and Keown then remained at the club from the halcyon days of the most respected club defence in English football. After O'Leary's retirement in 1993, Bould had been the next to go from the famous defence in 1999 and Winterburn followed him out of Highbury a year later.
Dixon's impressive statistics as an Arsenal player tallied up 458 appearances in the League with 25 goals, complete with a huge haul of medals.
• League Championship winner 1988/89, 1990/91, 1997-98, 2001-02
• FA Cup winner 1993, 1998, 2002
• Coca-Cola (league) Cup winner 1993
• European Cup-Winners Cup winner 1994
• Charity Shield winner 1998
• European Cup-Winners Cup runner-up 1995

From Wikipedia and Arseweb

 

2nd pick:

Nigel Winterburn



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Winterburn

Nigel Winterburn (born December 11, 1963 in Arley, Warwickshire) is a retired English footballer who formed part of the legendary Arsenal back four of the late 1980s and all of the 1990s.

A left back, Winterburn began his career with Birmingham City but never played for the first team, though he did earn youth caps for England. He joined Oxford United and then in 1983 he was recruited on a free transfer by Dave Bassett to join the infamous Crazy Gang of Wimbledon, who were on a steady climb up the divisions after gaining promotion from the non-league pyramid six years earlier. Winterburn settled into the famed Wimbledon mentality and won England under 21 honours.

Winterburn was a jubilant member of the iconic team which achieved promotion to the First Division in 1986. This team included journeymen players such as John Fashanu and Lawrie Sanchez and in their first season within the elite they achieved a top-half finish and got to the quarter finals of the FA Cup, when they were beaten by eventual finalists Tottenham Hotspur.

Winterburn won the Wimbledon supporters Player Of The Year in each of the four seasons he spent at Plough Lane, and his sublime performances amidst a slightly more industrial style of football alerted the attention of Arsenal manager George Graham, who was seeking a long-term replacement for captain Kenny Sansom.

In the summer of 1987, Arsenal gave a cheque for 350,000 pounds to Wimbledon and Winterburn went to Highbury. He didn't depose Sansom, still an England mainstay, straightaway - indeed, his earliest performances in the team were at right back, an emergency measure employed by Graham after he'd been unsuccessful in finding a worthwhile replacement for Viv Anderson.

Though heavily left-footed, Winterburn settled into the right back role as best he could and became quickly involved in two controversial incidents of his first season. Firstly, he was seen to openly goad Brian McClair after the Manchester United striker had missed a late penalty in an FA Cup tie at Highbury. This brought huge criticism of Winterburn at the time.

The second incident came in the League Cup final later that same season. Despite having fallen behind in the early stages, Arsenal, the holders, dominated the match and were leading Luton Town 2-1 at Wembley with less than quarter of an hour to go when David Rocastle was felled in the penalty area. Michael Thomas had been Arsenal's designated penalty taker all season but for reasons unexplained, it was Winterburn who collected the ball up to take the kick. He'd never taken one for Arsenal before and the television commentator Brian Moore was dumbfounded – "Curious decision, this!" – as Winterburn stepped up.

He put the kick low and strong to the right hand corner as he viewed it, but Luton goalkeeper Andy Dibble guessed correctly and pushed the ball round the post. Had Winterburn scored this penalty, Arsenal would almost certainly have won the match 3-1. Instead, a newly-inspired Luton scored twice in the final ten minutes and won the final. Despite the missed penalty, it was Gus Caesar (deputising for David O'Leary who missed the final due to injury) rather than Winterburn who was made to bear the brunt of the criticism, as he had made the error which gifted Luton their equaliser at 2-2.

Sansom left Arsenal in the summer and Winterburn settled into his more familiar left back role as a result, staying in it for more than a decade. He and fellow full back Lee Dixon flanked two superb central defenders in captain Tony Adams and veteran David O'Leary, joined during the 1989 season by Steve Bould. Often the manager would play all five of them as Arsenal took holders Liverpool to a last-game showdown at Anfield for the First Division title, which would have been Arsenal's first since the "double" year of 1971.

Arsenal's situation meant they needed to win by at least two clear goals to clinch the championship. Winterburn's free kick set up a first for Alan Smith shortly after half time, but the second looked as though it would elude them until Thomas nipped through a shattered Liverpool defence in injury time to send team-mates and the Arsenal support into raptures.

Winterburn made his England debut later the same year, coming on as a substitute in a 0-0 draw against Italy. Though many media outlets and Winterburn's own club manager regularly extolled his virtues as an England left back, the national coach, Bobby Robson, had him as no higher than third in the pecking order at left back. Stuart Pearce was going to the 1990 World Cup as first choice, with Tony Dorigo as back-up. Only injury to either would see a way open for Winterburn, and that didn't happen. He did earn appearances for the B team, however.

Arsenal ended 1990 trophyless, but Winterburn and his fellow defenders - now galvanised by the arrival of goalkeeper David Seaman - re-emphasised their stout meanness the following season by regaining the League championship with the loss of just one match. Two years later, Winterburn was in the Arsenal team which won both cup competitions and thus completed his domestic set of medals. Arsenal defeated Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in both the League Cup and FA Cup finals, the latter in a replay.

Winterburn's form earned him a brief England recall by Graham Taylor who included him in a squad for an ill-fated mini-tournament in the USA during which England lost 2-0 to the host nation. Winterburn came on as a sub for Manchester United winger Lee Sharpe in the final match of the contest against Germany. He would never play for his country again.

In 1994, football purists issued hefty plaudits to Winterburn and his Arsenal defensive colleagues after they kept out Italian side Parma's highly skilled attacking trio of Faustino Asprilla, Tomas Brolin and Gianfranco Zola as they defended a 1-0 lead given to them by Smith in the first 20 minutes. This they did with some aplomb to earn the European Cup Winners Cup, Arsenal's first success continentally for a quarter of a century. They wouldn't be so lucky the following year as they reached the final again - the game stood at 1-1 and was heading for penalties when a ludicrous looping shot from the halfway line by Nayim (an ex-player of Tottenham, the hated rivals of Arsenal) won the trophy in the last minute for Real Zaragoza.

Arsène Wenger arrived at Arsenal at the end of 1996 and instilled new self-awareness and dietary habits into the Arsenal squad, allowing the ageing defence (Adams was the youngest at 30 years of age; Martin Keown had also arrived to account for O'Leary's retirement after the 1993 FA Cup success) to thrive in the latter years of their careers and prolong their shelf lives on the pitch. With the experienced six players at the back (referred to in the vernacular but with no little accuracy by Ron Atkinson as Dad's Army) helped along by some shrewd and talented global signings, Arsenal won the "double" of Premiership and FA Cup in 1998. Winterburn was called up by caretaker manager Howard Wilkinson for the England squad in a friendly against France in 1999 but he was the odd one out from Wilkinson's first XI - Seaman, Adams, Keown and Dixon all started but Winterburn lost out to Graeme Le Saux for the left back slot and stayed on the bench for the 2-0 defeat.

In 2000 Arsenal reached the UEFA Cup final but Winterburn had been forced out of the team by the Brazilian left back Silvinho, although the man who finally ended Winterburn's illustrious Arsenal career wouldn't get close to equalling Winterburn's achievements, as he in turn was displaced by the fledgling Ashley Cole within another 12 months.

Winterburn joined West Ham United after 429 League appearances (and eight goals - a handful of which were spectacular strikes from outside the area) for Arsenal. He enjoyed a three-year twilight to his career at Upton Park before finally retiring in his 40th year. He is now a jobbing pundit on the game. Winterburn was affectionately nicknamed 'psycho-squirrel' by the Arsenal fans.

Winterburn now currently retired lives in England with his wife and 3 children.

 

After the disaster of Ian Ure in 1969 the scene moves on 19 years. Same place, Wembley Stadium, same trophy, but now with a new name – “The Littlewoods Cup” and the same calamitous conclusion!

I give you my second pick:

Augustus Cassius "Gus" Caesar (born March 5, 1966)
AKA - Calamity Gus




Oh Gus – where did it all go wrong?

Born in Tottenham, London, Caesar joined Arsenal in August 1982, turning professional in February 1984. Despite breaking his ankle early on in his career, Caesar showed a lot of promise playing for the Gunners youth side, as a defender who could either play at full back, or more usually at centre half. His Arsenal debut came in a match away to Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 21, 1985, for the suspended Viv Anderson; Arsenal kept a clean sheet as they won 1-0. Gus blotted out the tricky Jesper Olsen and the future looked bright.

Caesar continued as a bit-part player at Arsenal for the next eighteen months, playing mainly as a substitute, coming on in the last few minutes of a match, giving rise to the nickname "the five minute man". However, he shone enough to be called up for the England U21 side in 1987, winning three caps. When David O'Leary sustained an injury during the 1987-88 season, Caesar became a semi-regular in the side, playing 25 matches that season. However, for all his talent he was a nervy and unconfident player, lacking assurance when one-on-one with an attacker, and prone to making high-profile mistakes.

Then, on the 24th April 1988, like Ure before him, Gus found himself like a rabbit caught in the full glare of the headlights of an oncoming unmitigated disaster. That was the day that Gus moved himself to the top of most Arsenal supporter’s list as “Arsenal’s worst ever player”.

It was a bright sunny day and an unexpectedly pleasing end to a season that was otherwise disappointing. For some reason I went to the game with a Luton Town supporter! Luton had never won a trophy in their 102 year history and had problems with morale, injury and illness. Once again Arsenal, with Gus Caesar to the fore, managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We were 2-1 up and with 8 minutes left were awarded a penalty which Nigel Winterburn contrived to miss!!

Then it happened, Gus got the ball in our area and he fell over!! He just fell over!!! Five minutes later we had lost 3-2!!

Things just went downhill after that for Gus. He found himself becoming an Aunt Sally for the barrackers and the boo-boys. Having played 50 matches for Arsenal in five years, Caesar left the Gunners in June 1991 on a free transfer. Remember that the players brought in to replace him were the likes of Andy Linighan and Colin Pates and you will understand how far he had fallen. He then embarked on a journeyman's career, playing for Cambridge United, Bristol City, Airdrieonians and Colchester United.

While at Colchester United, Caesar enjoyed something of a renaissance. After a string of poor performances for the club, his form - particularly his reading of the game - improved significantly, and he contributed a run of composed appearances in central defence in the 1994/95 season that won over many fans at Layer Road.

Caesar finished his career in Hong Kong. Since his retirement in 2001, he has played in several "Football Masters" tournaments in East Asia, alongside many other fellow ex-professionals including Michael Thomas.

It’s difficult to understand how a player can go from playing for the England U21 team to a free transfer in just 4 years. In Fever Pitch Nick Hornby examines Caesar’s rapid downfall. He can’t have been a “bad” footballer to get where he did; he certainly had more talent than those who booed him out of the club.

I wonder how Gus feels about being voted “Arsenal’s Worst Player”?

At least he played for Arsenal!

Harsh - but fair

 

With Caesar slotting into the left-back position my selection for my 3rd pick is:

Jeffrey Paul "Jeff" Blockley (born September 12, 1949)




Look at this man – he was designed to be a great centre-back, look at the size of him! Unfortunately Jeff Blockley had the turning circle of a small oil tanker!

Blockley was born in Leicester but began his career with Coventry City, joining the Sky Blues in 1968. A central defender, he played nearly 150 league matches for Coventry and was capped by the England U23 side. In October 1972 he was snapped up by Arsenal in October 1972 for a fee of £200,000, as the intended replacement for former captain Frank McLintock. He made his debut for Arsenal in a 1-0 loss to Sheffield United on October 7, 1972, and four days later made his full England debut, against Yugoslavia, which finished 1-1.

However despite this meteoric rise, Blockley's stay at Arsenal was not a happy one. McLintock had been a lynchpin in Arsenal's defence and a fans' favourite, After McLintock left for QPR in the summer of 1973, Blockley became first-choice in central defence, and Arsenal experienced one of their poorest seasons in recent history; knocked out of both cups by lower-division sides, Arsenal eventually finishing tenth in the First Division.

In January 1975 Blockley was sold to Leicester City for £100,000. In all he played 62 matches for the Gunners, scoring one goal. His England cap against Yugoslavia proved to be his only one.

At Leicester, Blockley had somewhat of a mini-renaissance, helping rescue the side from relegation that season, helping them finish seventh in 1975-76, and eventually becoming club captain. However, injuries continually troubled him and it was clear he would not last forever in the top flight. After 75 league matches in three and a half seasons, he left in 1978 for Notts County, where he spent two seasons, playing 57 league games, before quitting football aged 31.

Of course there has to be that one mistake, that one “special” error that sets him aside from the rest. That day was the 7th April 1973 at Hillsborough in the FA Cup Semi-Final against Sunderland. Arsenal had appeared in the past two finals and it was just a formality for us to brush Sunderland of the 2nd division (in old money) aside and take our rightful place in the final against Leeds. As I’m sure you know nothing is that simple for Arsenal.

I had just left school and had begun working in a major international bank in the City of London, Lanesra was still a fresh faced 12 year old who looked nothing like he does today having really let himself go in the appearance stakes. We travelled in the full certainty that the final place was there for the taking. Of course we had not reckoned with Cock-up king! Another slip, another gifted goal and Bob’s your Uncle! We’re out!

Nick Hornby recounts in his memoir Fever Pitch that Blockley was "an incompetent to rival Ian Ure" and Bertie Mee called the signing of Blockley “the worst mistake I made at Arsenal” Worse than breaking up the double side – I think not Bertie!!

Anyways – just a few personal memories of Jeff Blockley and “that” semi-final:

At the final whistle many Arsenal fans expressed their disgust by throwing the small leather cushions on their seats onto the pitch. I did likewise but mine never reached the pitch – it reached the back of the head of some poor Gooner about 6 rows in front. Sorry mate

In those days you applied for your final ticket by collecting 24 tokens from the season’s programmes. When we reached Sheffield Station the ground was covered by these. Hundreds of fans had already cut their coupons because we knew we only had to turn up to win and we could post the application forms in Sheffield.

On my way into work the following monday I wore my Arsenal badge defiantly! getting off of the tube at Moorgate the badge fell off. Typical I thought, that's the way it's meant to be. With that a middle age gent with a bowler hat and brolly bent picke it up and down and passed it to me "Never mind Son" he said "We'll win it next year" I've never forgotten that lying bloody tosspot!

But by far my favourite memory is a freezing cold night at Newport Pagnell Service Station on the M1 in February 1975. We had just beaten Leicester City (with Blockley in their team) 1-0 in a 5th Round 2nd replay of the FA Cup (John Radford). We had also knocked him out of the League Cup the same season.

As we queued to get our meat pies and soup at Newport Pagnell the voices of 200 Gooners swelled in unison to the tune of The Aintree Iron:

“Thank you very much for buying Jeff Blockley
Thank you very much, thank you very, very, very much
Thank you very much for buying Jeff Blockley
Thank you very, very, very much”

Thanks Jeff – but no thanks.

 

Wilf Copping

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilf_Copping



Wilfred "Wilf" Copping (August 17, 1909 – June 1980) was an English footballer.

Copping was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, and played for a variety of local boys' clubs. After being rejected by Barnsley, he joined Leeds United in 1929. He soon became a regular in the Leeds back line, and made his debut for England, against Italy on 13 May 1933. He played over 160 League games for Leeds in five seasons.

Copping joined Arsenal in the summer of 1934, and immediately took a first-team place at left half; he was an ever-present in his first season for the club, until suffering a serious injury in the third-last match of the season against Everton; Copping soldiered on to ensure Arsenal would win, which they did 2-0; this greatly helped the club to the 1934-35 First Division title. He was also one of seven Arsenal players to start England's match against Italy in November 1934 (the "Battle of Highbury"). Copping went on to win the FA Cup in 1936 and another League title in 1938.

Copping remained a near-ever present for Arsenal up until the spring of 1939. With World War II looming, Copping put in a transfer request so that he could return to the North with his family. Arsenal duly complied, and Copping re-signed for Leeds United, playing out the rest of the 1938-39 season. Copping joined the Army at the start of the war, and served in North Africa, eventually becoming a Sergeant Major. He played the odd wartime game for Leeds, but retired from playing football in 1942.

Despite his nickname, "The Iron Man", and his hardman image (he took to the field unshaven, a remarkably unusual practice at the time), Copping was never booked or sent off in his career. In all he played 189 matches for Arsenal, and 20 times for England.

After the war ended, Copping became a trainer and coach at various clubs, including Beerschot in Belgium, Southend United, Bristol City and Coventry City. He retired to live in Southend-on-Sea. He died in 1980, aged 70.

In 1998, the Football League, as part of its centenary season celebrations, included Copping on its list of "100 League Legends".

 

We love you Freddie, cos you've got red hair
We love you Freddie, cos you're everywhere.
We love you Freddie, cos you're Arsenal through and through.



My next pick should not be a surprise to anyone:
Karl Fredrik Ljungberg (born 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö, Hässleholm) is a Swedish footballer who currently plays for Arsenal in the English Premiership. He is currently the club's longest-serving player, and captain of the Swedish national team.
Early career
Ljungberg joined Halmstad in Sweden as a youth player at the age of five. He played several other sports including ice hockey and handball for which he was called up to the national squad. He made his senior debut for Halmstads on 23 October 1994 in the Swedish First Division against AIK. He went on to make 139 appearances and score 16 goals for the club. He won both the Swedish Cup and League title with the club.
Arsenal career
Ljungberg was signed by Arsenal F.C. in 1998 for £3 million. Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, took the unusual step of authorising the signing of Ljungberg after watching him play for Sweden in their defeat of England on television, without seeing him play live. The match confirmed to Wenger that Ljungberg would cope against English opponents. Ljungberg passed the test without difficulty and made a sensational debut after coming on as a substitute scoring against rival club Manchester United.
Some of Ljungberg's best form came in the second half of the 2001-02 season, when Arsenal won their second Premiership and FA Cup double; Robert Pirès had recently been ruled out for months through a knee injury. Ljungberg came in and scored in most of Arsenal's remaining games, including a stunning finish in the FA Cup final against Chelsea. He endeared himself to Arsenal Supporters by having a bright red stripe in his hair.
He is most comfortable on either wing in midfield, though he can also play centrally in a 4-5-1 formation or as a second striker. Since the departure of Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars, Ljungberg has been a regular in Arsenal's starting lineup and has cemented his first team place. He has had to fight with constant injury problems and occasionally severe bouts with migraines; in 2005 a mysterious persistent hip injury led to fears he may have contracted cancer, which were unfounded. It transpired that he was suffering from blood poisoning caused by his large tattoos.
Despite a persistent ankle injury Ljungberg played for Arsenal in the 2-1 defeat by Barcelona in the Champions League Final in Paris on May 17, 2006.
It was speculated in January 2007 that Ljungberg was being forced to leave Arsenal, after bosses became tired of a run of injuries restricting his play. Though it was suggested he could make a move to West Ham, later these speculations proved to be untrue. "Ljungberg still has a lot to offer to Arsenal", Arsene Wenger has told on Saturday, 13th, on a Blackburn Rovers pre-match press-conference, stressing the fact that Ljungberg will stay in Arsenal until the end of his contract in 2009.
Ljungberg came back after a long pending injury in a FA Cup match against Bolton Wanderers, scoring a goal thirteen minutes before the end of extra time, earning Arsenal a place in the 5th round tie of the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers.
International career
Ljungberg represented Sweden at U21 level. He received his first full cap for Sweden on 24 January 1998 against the USA. He has represented his country at Euro 2000, World Cup 2002, Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006, where his 13th goal for Sweden came in the 89th minute of the match against Paraguay. As of August 8, 2006, Ljungberg is captain of the Swedish national football team, taking over after Olof Mellberg.
.
• Arsenal career statistics
As of September 3, 2006
Club Season League Cup Europe Total
Apps Goals Assists Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Arsenal
1998-99
16 1 ? 5 - - - 21 1
1999-00
26 6 ? 3 - 14 2 43 8
2000-01
30 6 ? 5 1 13 2 48 9
2001-02
25 12 - 5 2 9 3 39 17
2002-03
20 6 1 4 1 8 2 32 9
2003-04
30 4 7 5 4 9 2 44 10
2004-05
26 10 9 6 2 6 2 38 14
2005-06
25 1 4 3 0 9 1 37 2
2006-07
10 0 - 0 0 4 1 15 2
Total 305 72
Awards
• 1998 Swedish FA prizes for "Best Midfielder of the year"
• 1998 Swedish FA prizes for "People's player of the year"
• 1998 Nominated for the Sexiest Men in the World
• 1998 6th in the Swedish handsome men contest
• 2000 Arsenal FC Player of the Month (January and February)
• 2000 Arsenal FC Dreamcast Player of the Season competition came 2nd
• 2000 AFCi Awards "Most Improved Arsenal Player" for the 1999–2000 season
• 2000 2nd in AFCi Awards "Arsenal Player of the Season"
• 2002 Guldbollen
• 2006 Guldbollen
Honours
With Halmstad
• Swedish Cup Winner: 1995
• Swedish League Winner: 1997
With Arsenal
• Community Shield: 1999
• FA Premier League Winner: 2001-02, 2003-04
• FA Cup: 2002, 2003, 2005

 

My third pick: George Armstrong. I read somewhere that Armstrong assisted on over half of Arsenal's goals during the 71 Double Season. Armstrong offered incredibly accurate passing as well as fantastic on the ball ability. Armstrong to Bergkamp will undoubtedly the downfall of many of my opposition.

Legends - George Armstrong
9 August 2005, Rachel Willcox
Appearances: 621 Apps, 68 Goals 1961/2-1977/8
Date of birth: 09/08/1944
Place of birth: Hebburn, County Durham
Nationality: England
Previous clubs: Leicester City 1977/8-1978/9
Stockport County 1978/79
Arsenal debut: vs Leicester 01/10/1966

There is no one more important in battles then the guy who is right at the front providing ammunition, and in the world of football this guy was George Armstrong. Armstrong was a workaholic winger who had a hand in over half of the goals for the double winners in the 70/71 season, opponents finding it extremely difficult to close him down. So good was he at whizzing round the pitch and being in any corner of the field when needed, it was said by opponent defenders that his mother, Mrs Armstrong had given birth to triplets and they all played for Arsenal. He was a flexible player and could play fantastically on either flank, but his preferred and best side was the left.

His capacity for tackling back was very frustrating for opponents when they were on the attack and this would help to free Bob McNab for a prominent attacking role which allowed George Graham the freedom to create. He possessed a sure touch of the ball and had the skill and pace to leave the defenders behind him. The opponents knew as soon as he got close to the by-line that he was at his most lethal. George was a remarkable player, whether under pressure or unattached, and could play with either foot. During the 70/71 double winning season he didn’t miss a match. He rarely wasted his corners, and his faultless deliveries provided rich returns for John Radford and Ray Kennedy.

He wasn’t a consistent scorer, but when he did score it was memorable, like the strike at Highbury against Man Utd in Sept. 1965 from 30 yards, and few strikes were more satisfying then the goal he scored against Spurs in a 2-0 win 5 years later. He had trials with both Newcastle United and Grimsby Town in his teens, but they had let him go, and he joined Arsenal in 1961 as an inside forward, but made an almost instant move to the wing. He was introduced to league action against Blackpool the following February, going on to establish a regular place in the senior squad over the next couple of seasons. He matured quickly and built up a fruitful understanding with prolific centre forward Joe Baker, and by the turn of the decade he was beginning to reach his peak.

He found it tough to get into the England squad, as Alf Ramsey was not a fan of wingers, and remains one of the most accomplished players to never have won a full cap. He was one of the most reliable performers during the mid 70’s slump, stretching his appearances to over 600. He eventually left London for Leicester City after a disagreement with Terry Neill. He later returned to Highbury to run the reserve team after coaching in the UK and Kuwait.

http://www.arsenal-land.co.uk/columns/?col=60

 

David O'Leary




David Anthony O'Leary is an Irish football manager and former player. He is currently without a job, after leaving his position as manager of Aston Villa in July 2006. His managerial career began at Leeds United and later he managed Aston Villa. The majority of his playing career (19 years) was spent as a defender at Arsenal.

'Leary signed for Arsenal as an apprentice in 1973. He soon progressed through the ranks at Highbury, playing in the reserves at the age of 16. He made his debut for Arsenal against Burnley on August 16, 1975, and despite being only 17, went on to make 30 appearances that season. For the next ten years he was ever-present in the Arsenal side, playing more than 40 matches a season (except for 1980-81, where he was injured and only played 27).

A calm and collected centre half, O'Leary was noted for his good positioning and elegant style of play. He won his first major honour with Arsenal when he played in their 3-2 win over Manchester United in the 1979 FA Cup final. He also played in the 1978 and 1980 Cup finals, and the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup final, all of which Arsenal lost. In 1982 O'Leary became club captain, but reliniquished it to Graham Rix eighteen months later.

O'Leary broke numerous appearance records at Arsenal; he was the youngest person to reach the 100 and 200 match milestones, and he made his 400th appearance while still only 26. He passed George Armstrong's all-time record of 621 first-team games in November 1989. By this time, O'Leary was no longer automatic first choice (with the partnership of Tony Adams and Steve Bould at the centre of George Graham's defence), but he still turned in over 20 appearances as Arsenal won the 1988-89 First Division title.

O'Leary won another League title in 1991 and an FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993, though by this time he was mainly used as a sub. He holds Arsenal's all-time record for appearances, with 722 first-team games, and over 1000 games at all levels, in a twenty-year long association with the club.

 

Time to add a bit of offense!

With my third pick, I select the Arsenal man with the highest goals/appearances ratio:

Legends - Ted Drake
3 July 2005, Rachel Willcox
Appearances: 182 Apps, 136 Goals 1933/34-1938/39
Date of birth: 16/08/12
Place of birth: Southampton
Nationality England 5 Caps, 6 Goals
Other clubs: Winchester
Southampton 1931-1933

Edward Drake a gas inspector by trade was signed by George Allison in March 1934 from Southampton for a fee of £6,000. He was the back up that had been needed after Jack Lambert had left the club. Ted still holds the club record for number of goals in one season, his first season at Arsenal he scored an incredible 42 goals in 41 appearances which included 4 matches where he scored 4 goals (against Birmingham, Chelsea, Wolves and Middlesbrough) and then a further 3 in which he grabbed a hat trick (one against Spurs).

George Allison once described Drake as “The best centre forward in the world.” Ted scored 6 times in 5 matches for England, as well as all the great football skills he possessed he also played county cricket for Hampshire. His record for goals in appearances for Arsenal still hasn’t been matched or beaten, Ted made 182 appearances for the gunners of which he scored 136 goals this is a fantastic statistic of which I’m sure all gooners are proud of. One particular match that must have stuck in the minds of many Arsenal fans back in the 1930’s was that of the Aston Villa V Arsenal game played on December 14th 1935 at Villa Park, 70,000 people packed into the ground to see these 2 teams compete.

By half time the game was already dead since Ted, although slightly injured, knee heavily strapped and arm bandaged after he cut it by falling on the perimeter track had managed to make the score line 3-0 in our favour grabbing himself a hat trick. At the end of the hour it was 6-0 and Drake had another hat trick under his belt. Final score was 7-1 all 7 goals scored by Edward Drake from 9 shots, it was a possibility for all 9 to have been scored but the post kept one shot out although Drake claims that the ball actually bounced over the line (Ref’s were biased against Arsenal even then) and the other was saved by the villa keeper Morton. Later on after his playing career Ted went into management and led Chelsea to their only title win in 1955. A quite remarkable man I’m sure you’ll agree, another true gunner to be proud of.



Arsenal Land article


His Wikipedia Bio

Edward Joseph "Ted" Drake (August 16, 1912 - May 30, 1995) was an English cricketer and footballer and manager.

Cricket career
He made his debut for Hampshire in 1931 and shared a vital stand of 86 with Phil Mead against Glamorgan. He made 45 but never reached this score again in the 15 further matches he played over the next six years, first as an amateur and then as a professional.


Football playing career

Southampton
Born in Southampton, Drake started playing at Winchester City, whilst continuing to work as a gas-meter reader. He nearly joined Tottenham Hotspur as a schoolboy, but missed the trial match with an injury. In June 1931, he was persuaded by George Kay to join Southampton, then playing in Division 2. He made his Saints debut on 14 November 1931 at Swansea Town, and signed as a professional in November, becoming first-choice centre-forward by the end of the 1931-32 season.

In the following season he made 33 league appearances, scoring 20 goals. After only one full season, his bravery and skill attracted the attention of Arsenal's Herbert Chapman, who tried to persuade Drake to move to North London. Drake rejected the chance of a move to Highbury and decided to remain at The Dell and during the 1933-34 season he blasted his way to the top of the Division 2 goal-scoring table with 22 goals.

Arsenal, with George Allison now in charge, renewed their interest and Ted eventually decided to join the Gunners in March 1934 for a fee of £6,500. Saints had declined several previous offers, but eventually were forced to sell in order to balance their books. Drake made a total of 74 appearances for Southampton, scoring 48 goals.


Arsenal
Drake moved to Arsenal in March 1934 for £6,500, and scored on his league debut against Wolves. Although he joined too late to qualify for a League Championship medal in 1933-34, Drake would win one the following season, after scoring a spectacular 42 goals in 41 league games. With two more goals in the FA Cup and Charity Shield, Drake scored 44 in all that season, a club record that holds to this day.

The following season, Drake scored seven in a single match against Aston Villa at Villa Park on December 14, 1935, a club record that also still stands. Drake would go on to win the FA Cup in 1935-36 (scoring the only goal in the final) and the League again in 1937-38. He was top scorer for Arsenal for each of the five seasons from 1934-35 to 1938-39. The Second World War curtailed Drake's career somewhat, although he served in the Royal Air Force as well as turning out for Arsenal in wartime games. However, Drake's career would not last long into peacetime; a spinal injury in 1945 forced him to retire from playing. With 139 goals in 184 games, he is the joint-fifth (along with Jimmy Brain) all-time scorer for Arsenal, as of 2006. He also won five England caps, scoring six times, and was one of seven Arsenal players who played for England in the "Battle of Highbury" against Italy in November 1934.