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.

14 September: Beating Palace in 1991 and Koln in 2017


Two videos today – beating FC Koln in 2017 and Palace in 1991.

Today of all days: 12 September – 18 September

12 September 1953: Bottom of the league and a game against Norwich

12 September 2000: Arsenal beat Sparta Prague, the video

13 September 1997: Ian Wright broke Cliff Bastin’s goalscoring record with a hattrick against Bolton

14 September 1974: Chelsea 0 Arsenal 0.

14 September : beating FC Koln in 2017 and Palace in 1991.

15 September 1953: Chelsea 0 Arsenal 2.

15 September 2012: Arsenal 6 Southampton 1 (the video)

16 September 2009: Arsenal beat Standard Liege, the video

16 September 1970: Lazio 2 Arsenal 2. After, the teams were to have a meal together but a fight broke out.

17 September 1934: Arsenal lost to Blackburn who had only won one game and scored just five goals all season.

18 September 1976: An Arsenal tale of strange days past.

18 September 1999: Thierry Henry came on as a sub scored his first goal for Arsenal

8 September 1984: top of the league for the first time in 12 years.

On 8 September 1984 Arsenal beat Liverpool at home and went to the top of the league for the first time in 12 years.

That might sound quite hopeful, and yet it wasn’t a runaway success since Arsenal had started with a 1-1 home draw with Chelsea and followed that with a 0-2 away defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Then came a run of nine matches involving eight wins and a single defeat – to Ipswich on September 15.

As a result of the run Arsenal were not only top on the evening of Saturday 8 September after the Liverpool game but again from 6 October to 2 November 1984.

It was in fact the last two games of that era that caused the problem – a 3-1 defeat away to West Ham and a 2-4 defeat away to Manchester United.  Indeed from that West Ham game onwards Arsenal’s record was fairly awful.  Arsenal won just 12 league games out of 30 between October 27 and May 11, and we finished 7th in the league.  One worse than the year before, and exactly the same as the year after.

The main explanation, other than declining confidence, was probably injuries.  For the first 11 matches Arsenal used only 13 players, but then the problems occurred.   Pat Jennings didn’t play again after November 25, and although a young Tony Adams, who had played just three games the previous season, started to appear in defence, making 15 starts in all from November 17 onwards, it was a young Tony Adams, still learning the business.   Additionally Graham Rix (previously a stalwart) was in and out of the side as were Paul Davis and Tony Woodcock.

The Cups offered little relief to the decline either.  We went out in the 4th round of the FA Cup to York City 0-1 away in front of a packed house of 10,840, and lost in the 4th round of the League Cup to Oxford United 2-3.

Ultimately Don Howe as manager paid the price, leaving part way through 1985-6.

6 September: the first game at the Invicta and the first game at Highbury

By a curious coincidence, the first-ever match at the Invicta Ground – Woolwich Arsenal’s first permanent home in South London, and the first-ever match at Highbury (to which the club moved in 1913) were played on 6 September.

The Invicta game was played on 6 September 1980: a friendly against the 3rd Highlanders Regiment. The score was 1-1 and the crowd was reported as being 7,000. If you are a regular reader of our site you will know that in 2023 a small group of us visited the site of the Invicta ground where some of the original terracing still remains. There is a report with pictures of the event here.

And then on 6 September 1913 the first match was played at Highbury. There were no pre-season games at the ground because it was prepared for the new season in a complete rush, and workmen were still reported to be working on the site on the morning of the first match. A copy of part of the match day programme with its welcome to Highbury has been reproduced on the Arsenal History Society website.

 On this day Arsenal beat Leicester Fosse 2-1 in what was the first opening day victory since 1906.  20,000 people (approximately!) were said to be present.  George Jobey scored the first Arsenal goal at the ground but was later taken off injured. 

Arsenal later released a picture of the players in maroon shirts as their justification for the shirt colour change for the final season at Highbury, saying it was taken on this date, but at least three players in the picture were not at the club in September 1913.  In fact the club did not play in those colours through the first Highbury season and the research suggests that the maroon picture was almost certain an away game with Arsenal playing in their second colours – although the exact match has not been identified.

Arsenal anniversaries 5 – 11 September

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5 September 1921: After three straight defeats at the start of the season, Arsenal won their first game.

5 September 1970: Arsenal beat Tottenham on the way to the Double.

6 September 1890 and 1913: The first game at the Invicta Stadium and the first game at Highbury – both on this date

7 September 1896: Arsenal 3 Rushden Town 2. The first United League match for Woolwich Arsenal.

8 September 1984: Top of the league for the first time in 12 years.

9 September 1916: When an away match against Tottenham was played at Highbury

9 September 1989: Arsenal v Sheffield Wednesday – the 5-0 video

10 September 1988: Tottenham 2 Arsenal 3. “A surreal free for all”

10 September 1988 Tottenham v Arsenal – the video

11 September 1893 – the anniversary of Arsenal’s first ever league win (and remembrance of Walsall)

5 September 1970: Arsenal beat Tottenham on the way to the double

Arsenal anniversaries 29 August – 4 September

If you enjoy our daily review of Arsenal’s history please do show your appreciation by becoming an associate member of AISA – Arsenal Independent Supporters’ Association.  It’s completely free, but being a member does make a statement that you value our work not just in recording Arsenal’s history but also in engaging with the club over issues relevant to supporters today.   You can join for free at https://aisa.org/associate-membership/

29 August 1925: Chapman’s first game as manager of Arsenal

29 August 1987: Arsenal knock in six

30 August 1930: Gerrit Keyser made his debut in a 4-1 away win at Blackpool.

30 August 2008: Arsenal beat Newcastle 3-0

31 August 1959 Dr James Paterson, war hero and Arsenal player passed away.

31 August 1991: the Arsenal video

1 September 1923: Arsenal lose their third match in a row at the start of the season.

1 September 2013: Arsenal v Tottenham … The video

2 September 1893: Arsenal’s first ever league game.

2 September 2012: Liverpool 0 Arsenal 2

3 September 1977: beating Forest – the video

4 September 1956: Final Arsenal match for Don Roper

4 September 1996: Arsenal 3 Chelsea 3; the video

22 August – 28 August Arsenal anniversaries

If you enjoy our daily review of Arsenal’s history please do show your appreciation by becoming an associate member of AISA.  It’s completely free, but being a member does make a statement that you value our work not just in recording Arsenal’s history but also in engaging with the club over issues relevant to supporters today.   You can join at https://aisa.org/associate-membership/

22 August 1914: Tottenham 1 Arsenal 5.

22 August 2004: the day of the incredible comeback

23 August 1958: George Swindin’s first match as manager: Preston 2 Arsenal 1.

23 August 2015: Arsenal v Liverpool, the video

24 August 1971: Arsenal 0 Sheffield United 1

24 August 2003: Middlesbrough taken apart – the video

25 August 1899: Arsenal chairman warns the club players to lay off the whisky before a game.

25 August 2001 – Arsenal smash Leicester

26 August 1893: James Tennant tricked into signing for East Stirlingshire (when drunk)

26 August 2009: Celtic demand Arsenal player should be banned

27 August 1932: Arsenal start their run of three consecutive league titles.

27 August 1997: Bergkamp scores 3 goals of the season in one game

28 August 2011: Remembering the bad times helps us value the good

28 August 1971: Arsenal 0 Stoke City 1: the double winners defeated three times in opening games.

21 August 1976: Malcolm MacDonald makes his debut

In 1976 Terry Neill needed to refresh the team, and he did this over a a two year period with such key players as MacDonald (introduced to the first team in 1976/77), Rix (1976/7), Jennings (1977/8), and Sunderland (1977/78).

Malcolm MacDonald played just two full seasons for Arsenal, and then four games in his final season (1978/9).

He was born in Fulham on 7 January 1950, and played for Tonbridge, Fulham (signed by Bobby Robson for £1000), Luton Town, Newcastle United and finally Arsenal.   In all he played 84 league games for us and scored 42 goals – a remarkable record.

Curiously, for a man remembered as a centre forward he started as a full back.

With Luton Town, Malcolm scored 49 goals in 88 games, which then inevitably led to his move to one of the big clubs: in this case Newcastle.  He scored three goals in his first match against Liverpool – which is what made his reputation there.

In 1975 he scored all five goals in an England victory over Cyprus, but after than only scored one other for his country in a total of 14 games.

The fee for the move to Arsenal was reported rather oddly to be £333,333.33 – exactly one third of a million pounds. He was injured playing against Rotherham in the league cup in 1978 which is what cut his third and final season so short.  He did try a comeback in Sweden but it didn’t work out and he retired aged 29.

There is no doubt that without that injury he could have helped Arsenal to greater things and his loss was a major blow.  He did come on and play in the final game of the 1978/9 season – a 1-1 draw away to Chelsea in which he scored our goal. But for most of that season it was Stapleton who took the number 9 shirt, with Gatting, Price and Walford having the number 10 at different times.

Malcolm managed Fulham from 1980 to 1984, after retirement, and Huddersfield in 1987/8.  He had some success with Fulham but could not achieve promotion and Huddersfield were relegated under him.

After football a failed business venture, a divorce and lack of success as a manager clearly affected him seriously and he suffered in his personal life although he later returned as a broadcaster.