Alex James’ Cigarette Case
Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Alex James: these three names always crop up when discussing the best attacking player in Arsenal’s history, but the outstanding player from the 1930s is our subject here.
Celebrating the wrong day for nearly 60 years
If you’re an Arsenal fan that has been to a game any time in the last 80 odd years, the chances are you will have used or walked past Arsenal underground station. And if you’re an Arsenal fan with an interest in the club’s history you will, no doubt, know that it was originally called Gillespie Road and renamed to Arsenal (Highbury Hill) on 5 November 1932. It was an idea of Herbert Chapman, Arsenal’s legendary manager, to raise the profile of the club.
Last year we thought it would be a good idea to put together a compendium of information relating to all of Arsenal’s FA Cup final appearances on one page so you don’t have to trawl all over the internet to find out the answers to all of those nagging questions.
We’ve updated the article and made some additions. We’ve added a brief match report for each game which we wrote for the Arsenal magazine last year, and most of the programmes for the games. We were hoping to have all of them ready in time for this blog but the later years take ages to scan as they are so big. We’ll add them as we scan them in. Be aware that these later programmes are huge, physically and electronically. With this in mind we’ve shown the file size for each one so you know what you are letting yourself in for. This article was originally posted in 2015 and has been updated to include all subsequent FA Cup final appearances.
Weekly Illustrated 25 April 1936.
Arsenal v Chelsea 18 March 1950
A classic Arsenal come back in this game, enabled the club to win the replay and consequently play in the FA Cup final, where Liverpool were beaten 2-0 at Wembley. Unfortunately, we don’t have the whole programme for this game, just the cover.
The Arsenal board constituent since WW2
We were recently asked if we had a list of Arsenal’s chairmen, directors, secretaries and chief executives since World War 2. The answer is “yes”, and we’ve put together a blog about the men and woman that have run Arsenal over the last 60 odd years.
1989 wasn’t the first time Arsenal had played a Friday evening game needing a win to secure the League title. We take you back 36 years before that night at Anfield to an equally tense game at Highbury.
Programme for the game
Click on the cover to read the programme
The Arsenal Cup – Oporto 1948
As Vic and Bob would say: Look at the size of that trophy !!!
Very recently the only one man still alive from the match, the Portuguese substitute Sanfins, currently aged 92, visited FC Porto’s museum to see the trophy he helped to win.
by Andy Kelly
We thought it would be a good idea to put together a compendium of information relating to all of Arsenal’s FA Cup final appearances on one page so you don’t have to trawl all over the internet to find out the answers to all of those nagging questions.
Weekly Illustrated 25 April 1936. This image was supplied by @alsnotnutz – twitter hashtag – #operationarsenalart