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Arsenal F.C.
*** Shopping-Tip: Arsenal F.C.
{{Football club infobox |
clubname = Arsenal |
image =
Image:Arsenal FC.png 140px |
fullname = Arsenal Football Club|
nickname = The Gunners |
founded = 1886 as ''Dial Square''|
ground =
Arsenal Stadium,
Highbury,
London |
capacity = 38,500 |
chairman =
Image:Flag of England.svg 20px|English Peter Hill-Wood |
manager =
Image:Flag_of_France.svg 20px|French Arsène Wenger |
league =
FA Premier League |
season =
FA Premier League 2004-05 2004-05 |
position = Premier League, 2nd |
pattern_la1=|pattern_b1=|pattern_ra1=|
leftarm1=7B1421|body1=7B1421|rightarm1=7B1421|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=7B1421|
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=|
leftarm2=FFDE00|body2=FFDE00|rightarm2=FFDE00|shorts2=565656|socks2=565656|
}}
'''Arsenal Football Club ''' (also known as '''Arsenal''', '''The Arsenal''' or '''The Gunners''') are an
England English professional
football (soccer) football club based in north
London. They play in the
FA Premier League and are one of the most successful clubs in
Football in England English football. Arsenal have won thirteen
Football League First Division First Division and Premier League titles, and the
FA Cup ten times, although the team have yet to achieve similar success in the
UEFA Champions League.
Arsenal were founded in south-east London in 1886, but moved to their current home ground, the
Arsenal Stadium,
Highbury, in 1913. In August 2006 the club will move to the new 60,000-seat
Emirates Stadium in nearby Ashburton Grove. Arsenal have a long-standing and fierce rivalry with
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur, located four miles away in
Tottenham, whom they play in the
North London derby.
History
{{details|History of Arsenal F.C.}}
Arsenal were founded as '''Dial Square''' in 1886 by workers at the
Royal Arsenal in
Woolwich, but were renamed to '''Royal Arsenal''' shortly afterwards. They renamed themselves again to '''Woolwich Arsenal''' after turning professional in 1891. The club joined the
Football League in 1893, starting out in the
Football League Second Division Second Division, and won promotion to the
Football League First Division First Division in 1904. However, the club's geographic isolation resulted in lower attendances than those of other clubs, which led to the club becoming mired in financial problems. In 1913, soon after relegation back to the Second Division, they moved across the
River Thames Thames to the new
Arsenal Stadium in
Highbury, north London. They dropped "Woolwich" from their name the following year. Arsenal only finished in fifth place in 1919, but nevertheless were elected to rejoin the First Division at the expense of local rivals
Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur, by reportedly dubious means.
[It has been alleged that Arsenal's promotion, on historical grounds rather than merit, was thanks to underhand actions by the then Arsenal chairman, Henry Norris Sir Henry Norris (see History of Arsenal F.C. for more details). No firm proof has ever been offered, though Chapter Two of ''Rebels for the Cause'' (listed below) and [http://www.emiratesstadium.info/serv01.htm this webpage] present plenty of supporting evidence. An investigation by ''Four Four Two'' magazine reported that financial irregularities had taken place. ]
In 1925, Arsenal appointed the highly successful
Herbert Chapman as manager. Chapman had won the league with
Huddersfield Town A.F.C. Huddersfield Town in 1924 and 1925, and he brought Arsenal their first period of major success. His revolutionary tactics and training, along with star players such as
Alex James (footballer) Alex James and
Cliff Bastin, laid the foundations of the club's domination of English football in the 1930s. Between 1930 and 1938, Arsenal won the First Division five times and the
FA Cup twice, although Chapman did not live to see all of these achievements, as he died of
pneumonia in 1934. In addition, Chapman was reportedly behind the 1932 renaming of the local
London Underground station from "Gillespie Road" to "
Arsenal tube station Arsenal", making it the only Tube station to be named after a football club.
Following the suspension of English professional football during
World War II, Arsenal won the league in 1948 and 1953 and the FA Cup in 1950. However, their fortunes began to wane; unable to attract players of the same calibre as they had in the '30s, the club spent most of the 1950s and 1960s in trophyless mediocrity. Even former
England national football team England captain
Billy Wright (footballer) Billy Wright could not bring the club any success as manager.
Arsenal's second successful era began with the surprise appointment of club
physiotherapy physiotherapist Bertie Mee as manager in 1966. After losing two
League Cup finals, they won the
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, their first European trophy, in 1970. This was followed by an even greater triumph: their first League and FA Cup
the Double double in 1971. However, the following decade was characterised by a series of near misses. Arsenal finished as First Division runners-up in 1973, lost three FA Cup finals (1972, 1978 and 1980) and lost the 1980
Cup Winners' Cup final on
penalty shootout (football) penalties. The club's only success during this time was an FA Cup win in 1979, with a last-minute 3–2 victory over
Manchester United F.C. Manchester United that is widely regarded as a classic.
Image:Arsenal open top bus parade 2004.jpg thumb|275px|right|Arsenal's players and fans celebrate their 2004 title win with an open-top bus parade
The return of former player
George Graham (footballer) George Graham as manager in 1986 brought a third period of glory. Arsenal won the League Cup in 1987, Graham's first season in charge. This was followed by a League title win in 1989, won with a last-minute goal in the final game of the season against fellow title challengers
Liverpool F.C. Liverpool. Graham's Arsenal won another title in 1991, losing only one match, the FA Cup and League Cup double in 1993 and a second European trophy, the
Cup Winners' Cup, in 1994. However, Graham's reputation was tarnished when it was revealed that he had taken kickbacks from agent
Rune Hauge for signing certain players,
[Graham was banned for a year by the Football Association for his involvement in the scandal after he admitted he had received an "unsolicited gift" from Hauge. As one of the few football corruption cases where wrongdoing was proven, it is often referenced in the press (e.g. in this [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story/0,9321,915368,00.html ''Observer'' article]), and is given a detailed treatment in ''Broken Dreams'' by Tom Bower (ISBN 0743440331).] and he was sacked in 1995. His replacement,
Bruce Rioch, lasted for only one season, leaving the club after a dispute over transfer funds.
The club's success in the late 1990s and 2000s owes a great deal to the appointment of manager
Arsène Wenger in 1996. Wenger brought new tactics, a new training regime and several foreign players who complemented the existing English talent. Arsenal won a second league and cup double in 1998 and a third in 2002. In addition, the club reached the final of the 2000
UEFA Cup (losing on penalties to
Galatasaray), were victorious in the 2003 and 2005 FA Cups, and won the Premier League in 2004 without losing a single match, which earned the side the nickame "The Untouchables"; in all, the club went 49 league matches unbeaten, a
Football records in England national record. Arsenal have finished in either first or second place in the league in eight of Wenger's nine seasons at the club, and they are one of only three teams (along with
Manchester United F.C. Manchester United and
Chelsea F.C. Chelsea) to have won the league title during the past decade. However, they have been unable to replicate their domestic success in the
UEFA Champions League Champions League, though in
2005-06 in English football 2005-06 they reached the competition's semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Crest
Image:Arsenal crest 1888.png thumb|160px|Arsenal's first crest from 1888
Image:Arsenal_fc_old_crest_small.png thumb|160px|Arsenal's crest from ''c.'' 1949 to 2002
Royal Arsenal's first crest, unveiled in 1888, featured three
cannon viewed from above, pointing northwards, similar to the crest of the
Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich Borough of Woolwich. These can sometimes be mistaken for
chimneys, but the presence of a carved lion's head and a
cascabel on each are clear indicators that they are cannon. In 1922, the club adopted its first single-cannon crest, featuring an eastward-pointing cannon. This crest was only used until 1925 when the cannon was reversed to point westward, its barrel was slimmed down and the club's nickname, ''The Gunners'', was inscribed to the left of it. In 1949, the club unveiled a modernised crest featuring the same style of cannon, the club's name set in
blackletter above the cannon, and a scroll inscribed with the club's newly adopted
Latin motto, ''Victoria Concordia Crescit'' (meaning "victory comes from harmony"). For the first time, the crest was rendered in colour – red, green, and gold – which varied slightly over the crest's lifespan.
Because of the numerous revisions of the crest, Arsenal were unable to
copyright it; although the club had managed to register the crest as a
trademark, and had fought (and eventually won) a long legal battle with a local street trader who sold 'unofficial' Arsenal merchandise,
[{{cite web .html">sans-serif typeface above the cannon. Green was replaced by dark blue. The new crest received a mixed response from supporters, with some claiming that it had ignored much of Arsenal's history by removing the blackletter text, motto, and Heraldry Arsenal sought more comprehensive legal protection. Therefore, in 2002 they introduced a new crest featuring more modern curved lines and a simplified style, which was copyrightable.][{{cite web | title=Arsenal go for a makeover | work=BBC News website | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/1795444.stm | accessdate=October 14 | accessyear=2005}}] The cannon once again faces east and the club's name is written in a coat_of arms.html" title="Meaning of work=Michael Simkins LLP | url=http://www.simkins.co.uk/ebulletins/DAFArsenalReed.aspx | accessdate=December 14 | accessyear=2005 }} Arsenal sought more comprehensive legal protection. Therefore, in 2002 they introduced a new crest featuring more modern curved lines and a simplified style, which was copyrightable.
[{{cite web | title=Arsenal go for a makeover | work=BBC News website | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/1795444.stm | accessdate=October 14 | accessyear=2005}}] The cannon once again faces east and the club's name is written in a
Arsenal sought more comprehensive legal protection. Therefore, in 2002 they introduced a new crest featuring more modern curved lines and a simplified style, which was copyrightable.[{{cite web | title=Arsenal go for a makeover | work=BBC News website | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/1795444.stm | accessdate=October 14 | accessyear=2005}}] The cannon once again faces east and the club's name is written in a coat_of arms">coat of arms.
Colours
{{Football kit box |
align = left |
pattern_la = |
pattern_b = |
pattern_ra = |
leftarm = FFFFFF |
body = FF0000 |
rightarm = FFFFFF |
shorts = FFFFFF |
socks = FF0000 |
title = Arsenal's usual home colours
}}
For much of Arsenal's history, their home colours have been bright red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts, though this has not always been the case. The choice of red is in recognition of a charitable donation from
Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest, soon after Arsenal's foundation in 1886. Two of Dial Square's founding members,
Fred Beardsley and
Morris Bates, were former Forest players who had moved to Woolwich for work. As they put together the first team in the area, no kit could be found, so Beardsley and Bates wrote home for help and received a set of kit and a ball. The shirt was a darker shade of red than the club's modern-day colours, almost purple, and was worn with either white or dark red shorts.
In 1933 Herbert Chapman, wanting his players to be more distinctly dressed, updated the kit, adding white sleeves and changing the shade to a brighter
pillar box red. The team have stuck with the combination since, aside from two seasons. Firstly, in
1963-64 in English football 1963–64 the kit reverted to all red, but this proved unpopular and the white sleeves returned the following season. Secondly, as
2005-06 in English football 2005–06 is the last season that Arsenal will play at Highbury, the team's shirts have temporarily reverted back to the original darker red, or "redcurrant", to reflect the colour worn in the first season at Highbury, in 1913. The club will return to their usual colours at the end of the season.
Arsenal's home colours have been the inspiration for at least two other clubs. In 1909,
AC Sparta Praha Sparta Prague adopted a dark red kit like the one Arsenal wore at the time; in the 1930s,
Hibernian F.C. Hibernian adopted the design of the Arsenal shirt sleeves in their own green and white strip. Both teams still wear these designs to this day.
Arsenal's away colours are traditionally yellow and blue, although they wore a green and navy away kit for a short while in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s and the advent of the lucrative replica kit market, the away colours have been changed every couple of seasons. Generally, they have been either yellow and blue, or two-tone blue designs, although there was a metallic gold and navy strip for the
2001-02 in English football 2001–02 season. However, many Arsenal fans feel that the blue shirts bring bad luck – all three of the club's recent Premier League titles have come in a season where the team wore yellow or gold. The
2005-06 in English football 2005–06 away colours are yellow and dark grey.
Stadium
Image:Arsenal Stadium interior North Bank.jpg Arsenal Stadium.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|The North Bank stand, [[Arsenal Stadium..html" title="Meaning of 300px|The North Bank stand, [[Arsenal Stadium">thumb|300px|The North Bank stand, [[Arsenal Stadium.">300px|The North Bank stand, [[Arsenal Stadium">thumb|300px|The North Bank stand, [[Arsenal Stadium.
Image:Emirates Stadium under construction.jpg Emirates Stadium.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300px|The [[Emirates Stadium under construction.html" title="Meaning of 300px|The [[Emirates Stadium">thumb|300px|The [[Emirates Stadium under construction">300px|The [[Emirates Stadium">thumb|300px|The [[Emirates Stadium under construction
Arsenal Stadium, widely referred to as Highbury, has been Arsenal's home since the club's move to North London in 1913. The original stadium was built by the renowned football architect
Archibald Leitch, and had a design common to many football grounds in the UK at the time, with a single covered stand and three open-air banks of
stadium terracing. In the 1930s, the entire stadium was given a massive overhaul, with new
Art Deco East and West stands constructed, and roofs added to the North Bank and Clock End terraces. At its peak, Highbury could hold over 60,000 spectators, and had a capacity of 57,000 until the early 1990s. The
Taylor Report and
FA Premier League Premier League regulations forced Arsenal to convert Highbury into an all-seater in 1992, reducing its capacity to the current total of 38,500; this capacity has to be reduced further during
UEFA Champions League Champions League matches to accommodate additional
advertising hoardings. Expansion has been restricted because the East Stand is now a
listed building Grade II listed building.
These limitations in Highbury's capacity have prevented the club from maximising the revenue that their domestic form could have brought in recent seasons. Although the club remains highly profitable, Arsenal are currently in the process of building the
Emirates Stadium, a new 60,000-seater stadium at Ashburton Grove, about 500 metres south-west of Highbury. While this project was delayed by red tape (including final approval of the necessary compulsory purchase orders by
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott) and rising costs, construction is now nearly complete and the stadium is expected to be ready for the start of the
2006-07 in English football 2006–07 season. The stadium is named after its sponsors, the airline company
Emirates, with whom the club signed the largest sponsorship deal in English football history, worth approximately £100 million
[
{{cite web |
title=Arsenal announce deal with Emirates |
work=Arsenal.com |
url= http://www.arsenal.com/emiratesstadium/article.asp?article=229763&Title=Arsenal+announce+deal+with+Emirates&lid=the+stadium+-+Latest+News|
accessdate=April 5 |
accessyear=2006 }}
] over the term of the deal. As a part of the deal the stadium will be known as Emirates Stadium for at least until 2021, and the airline will be the club's shirt sponsor from 2006 until the end of the 2013–14 season.
Supporters
Arsenal have a large and generally loyal fanbase, with virtually all home matches selling out. Arsenal fans often refer to themselves as "Gooners", the name being derived from the team's nickname, "The Gunners". The club's location, adjoining both wealthy areas such as
Canonbury and
Barnsbury, mixed areas such as
Finsbury Park and
Highbury, and largely working class areas such as
Holloway, London Holloway and
Stoke Newington has meant that Arsenal's supporters have come from across the usual class divides. Arsenal have the highest proportion (7.7%) of non-white attending supporters of any club in English football
[{{cite web .html">minority ethnic minorities in north London.
Like all major English football clubs, Arsenal have a number of domestic supporters' clubs, including the Official Arsenal Football Supporters Club, which is affiliated with the club, and the Arsenal Independent Supporters' Association, which maintains an independent line. The club's supporters also publish fanzines such as ''The Gooner'', ''Highbury High'', ''Gunflash'' and the less cerebral ''Up The Arse!'' In addition to the usual English football chants, Arsenal's supporters sing "One-Nil to the Arsenal" (to the tune of "Go West") and "Boring, Boring Arsenal", which used to be a common taunt from opposition fans but is now sung ironically by Arsenal supporters when the team is playing well.
In recent times, a supporter's attachment to a football club has become less dependent on geography, so Arsenal now have many fans not just from London but all over England and the world. While there have always been small pockets of supporters abroad, Arsenal's support base has widened considerably with the advent of satellite television, and there are now significant supporters' clubs in Scandinavia, South East Asia South East and East Asia and the United States. A 2005 report by Granada Ventures, which owns a 9.9% stake in the club, estimated Arsenal's global fanbase at 27 million, the third largest in the world.][{{cite web | title=Arsenal named the Premiership's fastest-growing brand | work=Brand Republic | url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/bulletins/br/article/490179/arsenal-named-oremiership | accessdate=October 13 | accessyear=2005 }}]
Arsenal's longest-running and deepest rivalry is with their nearest major neighbour, Tottenham Hotspur F.C. Tottenham Hotspur, with matches between the two being referred to as North London derby North London derbies. Matches against other London sides, such as Chelsea F.C. Chelsea and West Ham United F.C. West Ham United are also derby match derbies, but the rivalry is not as intense as that between Arsenal and Tottenham. In addition, Arsenal and Manchester United F.C. Manchester United have had a strong on-pitch rivalry since the late 1980s, which has intensified in recent years when both clubs have been competing for the Premier League title.
Ownership
Arsenal's parent company, Arsenal Holdings, operates as a public limited company. However, Arsenal's ownership is considerably different from that of other football clubs. Only 62,000 shares in Arsenal have been issued, and they are not traded on a public exchange such as the FTSE or AIM; instead, they are traded infrequently on OFEX, a specialist market. As of December 2005, Arsenal's market capitalization value is £290m, and the club made a corporation tax pre-tax profit of £19.3m in the 2004-05 financial year.[{{cite web|title=OFEX Company Profile: Arsenal Holdings plc| work=OFEX website | url=http://www.ofex.com/cgi-bin/profile.cgi?ISIN=GB0030895238|accessdate=December 23|accessyear=2005}}]
Currently, the club's largest shareholders are Danny Fiszman (a London diamond dealer) and Nina Bracewell-Smith (a descendant by marriage of former chairman Bracewell Smith Sir Bracewell Smith), who hold 25.2% and 15.9% respectively. Vice-chairman David Dein holds 14.6% while club chairman Peter Hill-Wood owns less than 1%.[{{cite web .html">ITV plc) (9.9%) and hedge fund Lansdowne Partners (2.7%); Lansdowne used to have a stake in Arsenal's board of directors hold the majority of the club's shares, but in recent years, with Arsenal becoming a significant media asset, outside organisations have bought into the club. These include entertainment firm Granada Ventures (a subsidiary of Manchester United F.C. Manchester United.html" title="Meaning of work=OFEX website | url=http://www.ofex.com/cgi-bin/reports.cgi?action=DisplayReport&report=arsenal2005.pdf | accessdate=December 23 | accessyear=2005}}] Arsenal's board of directors hold the majority of the club's shares, but in recent years, with Arsenal becoming a significant media asset, outside organisations have bought into the club. These include entertainment firm Granada Ventures (a subsidiary of Manchester United">Manchester United before selling it to Malcolm Glazer.[{{cite web | title=Arsenal fans fear takeover as share price continues to rise | work=Daily Telegraph | url=http://sport.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/10/13/sfnbos13.xml | accessdate=December 23 | accessyear=2005}}]
Arsenal in popular culture
As one of the most successful teams in the country, Arsenal have often featured when football is depicted in British culture. The club were the backdrop to one of the earliest football-related films, ''The Arsenal Stadium Mystery'' (1939). The film is centred on a friendly match between Arsenal and an amateur side, one of whose players is poisoned whilst playing. Many Arsenal players appeared as themselves, although only manager George Allison was given a speaking part.
More recently, the book ''Fever Pitch'' by Nick Hornby was an autobiography autobiographical account of Hornby's life and relationship with football and Arsenal in particular. Published in 1992, it formed part of, and may have played an active part in, the revival and rehabilitation of football in British society during the 1990s. The book was later made into a film starring Colin Firth, which centred on the club's 1988-89 in English football 1988–89 title win.
Arsenal's perceived tendency to be defensive and "boring" through the 1970s and 1980s made the team the butt of jokes by many comedians such as Eric Morecambe. The theme was repeated in the 1997 film ''The Full Monty'', in a scene where the lead actors move in a line and raise their hands, deliberately mimicking the Arsenal defence's Offside law (football) offside trap, in an attempt to co-ordinate their stripping.
The club is also mentioned in several ''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' sketches, and in Douglas Adams' ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'': a barman remarks that the impending end of the world is a "lucky escape" for Arsenal, who are playing that afternoon. Most recently, in the 2004 box office hit ''Ocean's Twelve'' the stars put on Arsenal tracksuits to escape from a hotel as part of one of their European heists.
Arsenal Ladies
{{details|Arsenal L.F.C.}}
Arsenal L.F.C. Arsenal Ladies are the Women's football (soccer) women's football club affiliated to Arsenal. Founded in 1987, they turned semi-professional in 2002 and are one of the most successful teams, if not the dominant team, in Women's football in England English women's football today. They are managed by Vic Akers, who is also kit manager for the men's side, and play in the FA Women's Premier League National Division FA Women's Premier League. They are currently reigning League champions, having won their seventh title in 2005.
As well as their seven League titles, Arsenal Ladies have won the FA Women's Cup six times and the Women's League Cup eight times; this includes two Trebles in 1993 and 2001. They have also reached the semifinals of the UEFA Women's Cup twice, the furthest any English women's club have ever got. While the men's and women's clubs are formally separate they have quite close ties; Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein is president of Arsenal Ladies, and the ladies are entitled to play once a season at Highbury (they usually play their home matches at Boreham Wood F.C. Boreham Wood).
Statistics and records
{{details|Arsenal F.C. records}}
David O'Leary holds the record for Arsenal appearances, having played 722 first-team matches between 1975 and 1993. Fellow centre half and former captain Tony Adams (footballer) Tony Adams comes second, having played 668 times. The record for a goalkeeper is held by David Seaman, with 563 appearances.
Current Arsenal captain Thierry Henry is the club's top goalscorer with 208 goals in all competitions (as of April 3rd, 2006), having surpassed Ian Wright's total of 185 in October 2005. Wright's record had stood since 1997, a feat which overtook the longstanding total of 178 goals set by winger Cliff Bastin in 1939. Henry also holds the club record for goals scored in the League (152), a record that had been held by Bastin until February 2006.
Arsenal's record home attendance is 73,707, for a UEFA Champions League match against RC Lens on November 25, 1998 at Wembley Stadium, where Arsenal formerly played home European matches because of the limits on Highbury's capacity. The record attendance for an Arsenal match at Highbury is 73,295, for a 0-0 draw against Sunderland A.F.C Sunderland on 9 March 1935. The current capacity of Highbury is 38,500, and the planned capacity of Emirates Stadium is 60,000, so these records are unlikely to be broken in the near future.
Arsenal have also set records in English football, most notably the most consecutive seasons spent in the top flight (79, as of 2005) and the longest run of unbeaten League matches (49 between May 2003 and October 2004). This included all 38 matches of the 2003-04 in English football 2003–04 season, making Arsenal only the second club ever to finish a top-flight campaign unbeaten, after Preston North End F.C. Preston North End (who played only 22 matches) in 1888-89 in English football 1888–89.
Current squad
''As of March 10, 2006:''
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player | no=1 | nat=Germany | pos=GK | name= Jens Lehmann}}
{{Fs player | no=2 | nat=France | pos=MF | name= Abou Diaby}}
{{Fs player | no=3 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Ashley Cole}}
{{Fs player | no=7 | nat=France | pos=MF | name= Robert Pirès}}
{{Fs player | no=8 | nat=Sweden | pos=MF | name= Fredrik Ljungberg}}
{{Fs player | no=9 | nat=Spain | pos=FW | name= José Antonio Reyes}}
{{Fs player | no=10 | nat=Netherlands| pos=FW | name= Dennis Bergkamp | }}
{{Fs player | no=11 | nat=Netherlands| pos=FW | name= Robin van Persie}}
{{Fs player | no=12 | nat=Cameroon | pos=DF | name= Lauren Etame Mayer Lauren}}
{{Fs player | no=13 | nat=Belarus | pos=MF | name= Aliaksandr Hleb Alexander Hleb}}
{{Fs player | no=14 | nat=France | pos=FW | name= Thierry Henry | other=captain}}
{{Fs player | no=15 | nat=Spain | pos=MF | name= Cesc Fabregas}}
{{Fs player | no=16 | nat=France | pos=MF | name= Mathieu Flamini}}
{{Fs player | no=17 | nat=Cameroon | pos=MF | name= Alexandre Song .html">Sporting Club de Bastia Bastia}}
{{Fs player | no=18 | nat=France | pos=DF | name= Pascal Cygan}}
{{Fs player | no=19 | nat=Brazil | pos=MF | name= Gilberto Silva}}
{{Fs player | no=20 | nat=Switzerland| pos=DF | name= Philippe Senderos}}
{{Fs player | no=21 | nat=Estonia | pos=GK | name= Mart Poom}}
{{Fs mid}}
{{Fs player | no=22 | nat=France | pos=DF | name= Gaël Clichy}}
{{Fs player | no=23 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Sol Campbell}}
{{Fs player | no=24 | nat=Spain | pos=GK | name= Manuel Almunia}}
{{Fs player | no=25 | nat=Togo | pos=FW | name= Emmanuel Adebayor}}
{{Fs player | no=27 | nat=Cote d'Ivoire| pos=DF | name= Emmanuel Eboué}}
{{Fs player | no=28 | nat=Cote d'Ivoire| pos=DF | name= Kolo Touré}}
{{Fs player | no=29 | nat=Sweden | pos=MF | name= Sebastian Larsson}}
{{Fs player | no=32 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= Theo Walcott}}
{{Fs player | no=33 | nat=Denmark | pos=FW | name= Nicklas Bendtner}}
{{Fs player | no=34 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Matthew Connolly}}
{{Fs player | no=36 | nat=Switzerland| pos=MF | name= Johan Djourou}}
{{Fs player | no=37 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Ryan Garry}}
{{Fs player | no=38 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Kerrea Gilbert}}
{{Fs player | no=41 | nat=Italy | pos=FW | name= Arturo Lupoli}}
{{Fs player | no=42 | nat=Italy | pos=GK | name= Vito Mannone}}
{{Fs player | no=43 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= Ryan Smith (footballer) Ryan Smith}}
{{Fs player | no=44 | nat=England | pos=MF | name= Fabrice Muamba}}
{{Fs player | no=45 | nat=Ireland | pos=FW | name= Anthony Stokes (footballer) Anthony Stokes}}
{{Fs end}}
Players out on loan
{{Fs start}}
{{Fs player | no=30 | nat=France | pos=FW | name= Jeremie Aliadière .html">Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. Wolves, until end of season}}
{{Fs player | no=31 | nat=England | pos=DF | name= Justin Hoyte .html">Sunderland A.F.C. Sunderland, season-long}}
{{Fs player | no=39 | nat=England | pos=GK | name= Mark Howard (goalkeeper) Mark Howard | other=at Falkirk F.C. Falkirk, until end of season}}
{{Fs player | no=40 | nat=England | pos=GK | name= Michael Jordan (footballer) Michael Jordan | other=at Yeovil Town F.C. Yeovil Town, until April 2006}}
{{Fs blank column}}
{{Fs end}}
Famous players
{{details|List of Arsenal F.C. players}}
''Listed according to year of Arsenal first-team debut (year in parentheses):''
* 1920s: Jimmy Brain (1924), Joe Hulme (1926) Eddie Hapgood (1927), David Jack (1928), Cliff Bastin (1929), Alex James (footballer) Alex James (1929).
* 1930s: Leslie Compton (1930), Ted Drake (1934), Wilf Copping (1934), George Swindin (1936), Denis Compton (1936), Reg Lewis (1938).
* 1940s: Walley Barnes (1946), Jimmy Logie (1946), Joe Mercer (1946), Laurie Scott (footballer) Laurie Scott (1946), Doug Lishman (1948).
* 1950s: Cliff Holton (1950), Dave Bowen (1951), Jack Kelsey (1951), Jimmy Bloomfield (1954), David Herd (footballer) David Herd (1954).
* 1960s: George Armstrong (footballer) George Armstrong (1962), Bob Wilson (footballer) Bob Wilson (1963), John Radford (1963), Frank McLintock (1964), Bob McNab (1966), Pat Rice (1967), Charlie George (1969), Ray Kennedy (1969).
* 1970s: Liam Brady (1973), Frank Stapleton (1975), David O'Leary (1975), Pat Jennings (1977), Graham Rix (1977).
* 1980s: Kenny Sansom (1980), Tony Adams (footballer) Tony Adams (1983), David Rocastle (1985), Paul Merson (1986), Michael Thomas (1986), Lee Dixon (1988), Nigel Winterburn (1988).
* 1990s: David Seaman (1990), Ian Wright (1991), Dennis Bergkamp (1995), Patrick Vieira (1996), Emmanuel Petit (1997), Marc Overmars (1997), Fredrik Ljungberg (1998), Thierry Henry (1999).
* 2000s: Ashley Cole (2000), Lauren Etame Mayer Lauren (2000), Robert Pirès (2000), Sol Campbell (2001)
Managers
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan=2|Name
!rowspan=2|Nat
!rowspan=2|From
!rowspan=2|To
!colspan=6|Record
|-
!P
!W
!D
!L
!F
!A
|-
|align=left|Sam Hollis
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|August 1894
|align=left|July 1897
||95||43||14||38||213||181
|-
|align=left|Thomas Mitchell (football manager) Thomas Mitchell
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|August 1897
|align=left|March 1898
||26||14||4||8||66||46
|-
|align=left|George Elcoat
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|March 1898
|align=left|May 1899
||43||23||6||14||92||55
|-
|align=left|Harry Bradshaw
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|August 1899
|align=left|May 1904
||189||96||39||54||329||173
|-
|align=left|Phil Kelso
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|July 1904
|align=left|February 1908
||151||63||31||57||225||228
|-
|align=left|George Morrell
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|February 1908
|align=left|May 1915
||294||104||73||117||365||412
|-
|align=left|Leslie Knighton
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|May 1919
|align=left|June 1925
||267||92||62||114||330||380
|-
|align=left|Herbert Chapman
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|June 1925
|align=left|6 January 1934
||403||201||97||105||864||598
|-
|align=left|Joe Shaw (footballer) Joe Shaw*
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|6 January 1934
|align=left|June 1934
||23||14||3||6||44||29
|-
|align=left|George Allison
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|June 1934
|align=left|May 1947
||283||131||75||77||543||333
|-
|align=left|Tom Whittaker (footballer) Tom Whittaker
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|June 1947
|align=left|24 October 1956
||428||202||106||120||797||566
|-
|align=left|Jack Crayston
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|24 October 1956
|align=left|May 1958
||77||33||16||28||142||142
|-
|align=left|George Swindin
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|21 June 1958
|align=left|May 1962
||179||70||43||66||320||320
|-
|align=left|Billy Wright (footballer) Billy Wright
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|May 1962
|align=left|June 1966
||182||70||43||69||336||330
|-
|align=left|Bertie Mee
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|June 1966
|align=left|4 May 1976
||539||241||148||150||739||542
|-
|align=left|Terry Neill
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}}
|align=left|9 July 1976
|align=left|16 December 1983
||414||187||117||112||601||446
|-
|align=left|Don Howe
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|16 December 1983
|align=left|22 March 1986
||116||56||32||31||187||142
|-
|align=left|Steve Burtenshaw*
|{{flagicon|England}}
|align=left|23 March 1986
|align=left|14 May 1986
||11||3||2||6||7||15
|-
|align=left|George Graham (footballer) George Graham
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|14 May 1986
|align=left|21 February 1995
||460||225||133||102||711||403
|-
|align=left|Stewart Houston*
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|21 February 1995
|align=left|15 June 1995
||19||7||3||9||29||25
|-
|align=left|Bruce Rioch
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|15 June 1995
|align=left|12 August 1996
||47||22||15||10||67||37
|-
|align=left|Stewart Houston*
|{{flagicon|Scotland}}
|align=left|12 August 1996
|align=left|15 September 1996
||6||2||2||2||11||10
|-
|align=left|Pat Rice*
|{{flagicon|Northern Ireland}}
|align=left|16 September 1996
|align=left|30 September 1996
||4||3||0||1||10||4
|-
|align=left|Arsène Wenger
|{{flagicon|France}}
|align=left|30 September 1996
|align=left|''Present''
||543||313||133||97||981||477
|}
''* denotes caretaker manager. Statistics as of March 25, 2006. Only competitive matches are counted. ''
Honours
{{details|Arsenal F.C. seasons}}
* '''Football League First Division First Division and FA Premier League Premier League'''[Up until 1992, the top division of Football in England English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the FA Premier League.]''' titles: 13'''
**1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1971, 1989, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2004
* '''FA Cups: 10'''
**1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005
* '''League Cups: 2'''
**1987, 1993
* '''UEFA Cup Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (predecessor of the UEFA Cup): 1'''
**1970
* '''Cup Winners' Cup European Cup Winners' Cup: 1'''
**1994
*Three "The Double Doubles": 1971, 1998, 2002
*One Domestic Cup Double: 1993
Arsenal's tally of thirteen League Championships is the third highest in English football, after Liverpool F.C. Liverpool and Manchester United F.C. Manchester United, while the total of ten FA Cups is the second highest, after Manchester United. Arsenal have one of the best top-flight records in history, having finished below fourteenth only seven times, and never below twentieth. In addition, they are one of only five clubs to have won the FA Cup twice in succession. Arsenal recently equalled the Champions League record of seven consecutive games without conceding a goal.
Footnotes
References
*{{cite book | author=Hornby, Nick | title=Fever Pitch | publisher=Indigo| year=1992| id=ISBN 1840189002}}
*{{cite book | author=Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin | title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal | publisher=Hamlyn | year=2000| id=ISBN 0600601757}}
*{{cite book | author=Spurling, Jon | title=Rebels for the Cause: The Alternative History of Arsenal Football Club | publisher=Mainstream| year=2004| id=ISBN 0575400153}}
*{{cite web | title=Arsenal.com - The Club| url=http://www.arsenal.com/clubnews.asp?nav=The+club&lid=AboutArsenal&title=About+Arsenal | accessdate=July 27 | accessyear=2005}}
*{{cite web | title=ArseWeb statistics page| url=http://www.arseweb.com/history/ | accessdate=July 27 | accessyear=2005}}
*{{cite web | title=Arsenal Shirts| url=http://hem.passagen.se/arsenalshirts/ | accessdate=August 12 | accessyear=2005}}
External links
{{commonscat|Arsenal F.C.}}
{{wikinewscat|Arsenal F.C.}}
;Official websites
- Arsenal.com
- Official Arsenal Picture Site
- Premierleague.com: Arsenal
;General fan sites
- Arseweb
- Arsenal-Mania
- Arsenal World
- Arsenal Land
- Arsenal Canada
- Arsenal America
;News sites
{{BBC Football Info|BBClinkname=a/arsenal}}
- ''The Independent'': Arsenal
- Arsenal News Review
- Arsenal news from Vital football
- Breaking Arsenal news 24 hours a day
;Fanzines
- Up the Arse!
- The Gooner
- Arsenal Football Chants
;Blogs
- Arseblog
- Arsenal wtf
- Arsenal America
- Arsenal Shorts
- Arsenal Talk
- Arsenal Muse
{{Arsenal F.C.}}
{{Champions League 2005/06}}
{{FA Premier League}}
{{featured article}}
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