Today of all days
Arsenal’s history one day at a time
This series takes a look at what was happening to Arsenal and in the world around them on this day at one point in Arsenal’s past.
20 January: Theo’s first Arsenal goal
17 January 2004: Nothing is impossible
Arsenal anniversaries 17 – 23 January
17 January 1976: Boring Boring Arsenal
17 January 2004: Nothing is impossible when Henry is on the ball
18 January: Man C 0 Arsenal 2. The foul that gives the penalty is an utter classic
18 January 2015: Media predict total disaster, Wenger is useless, Arsenal win 16 out of 19 games.
19 January 1991: The almost unbeaten season
20 January 2001: Leicester 0 Arsenal 0. Wenger’s time is up!
20 January: Theo Walcott scores his first goal for Arsenal – the video, on the anniversary of his signing.
21 January 1893: The end of Royal Arsenal in the FA Cup
22 January 1910: Two meetings declare Arsenal in financial ruins and about to go out of business.
23 January 2013: Arsenal 5 West Ham 1 – the history
23 January 2013: Arsenal scoring five – the video
Arsenal on 16 January: Arsenal in 1970/71
1970/71 was of course a special season, and at the end of the season ITV put together a programme of the matches of the campaign – or at least the matches of the campaign for which they had recordings.
Which of course included some, although not as many as we might hope, Arsenal games. Including the match on 16 January 1971.
So here’s the whole programme – the 1970/71 season… according to ITV.
15 January 2022: Tottenham “furious” at derby postponement
15 January 2022: “Tottenham have been left furious after the Premier League accepted Arsenal’s request to call off Sunday’s north London derby, believing rules regarding coronavirus-related postponements have been manipulated to create “unintended consequences”. Arsenal would have been without at least 15 first-teamers for their visit to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and requested the postponement because they felt they would be unable to meet the league’s criteria for fulfilling a fixture… Spurs criticised the rules’ inconsistency.” (The Guardian)
The league table at that moment showed Arsenal 21 points behind Manchester City
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 22 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 54 | 13 | 41 | 56 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 22 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 45 | 17 | 28 | 43 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 52 | 18 | 34 | 42 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 21 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 37 |
| 5 | Arsenal | 20 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 33 | 25 | 8 | 35 |
| 6 | Tottenham Hotspur | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 33 |
One year later, to the day (and before the day’s games) Arsenal were five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the league and with a game in hand ahead of… the north London derby.
13 January 2008: Beating Villa – the video
Most of the team are banned or injured and Arsenal still win: 12 January 2004
11 January 2015: Arsenal swat aside Stoke with ease
Arsenal anniversaries 10-16 January
10 January 1925: Arsenal’s manager drugs the team
10 January 2004: beating Middlesbrough 4-1 (the video)
11 January 1915: Launching the Footballers’ Battalion
11 January 2015: Arsenal swat aside Stoke – the video
12 January 2004: Most of the team are banned or injured and Arsenal still win – the video
12 January 2012: AISA at the House of Commons
13 January 1919: Football in the days of the pandemic
13 January 2004: Beating Villa – the video
14 January 2006: goal after goal after goal as Henry equals Bastin’s record: the video
14 January 2006: Thierry Henry and Cliff Bastin
15 January 1921: The first north London derby in the league
15 January 2022: Tottenham “furious” as north London derby postponed
16 January 1946: The day when FA Cup replays went on and on, until someone scored
16 January 1971: The ITV highlights of the season programme, including an Arsenal game on this day.