David O'Leary

On playing ability alone David O’Leary would still have made this board. Chuck in the small matter of 722 appearances, a Club record, and it is easy to understand why this gentle, unassuming man is held in such high regard at Arsenal.

Of course, adoration for long-serving players is not uncommon, but the London-born defender had plenty more than just longevity in his locker. O’Leary was an imperious centre-half who, despite a slender physique, was deceptively powerful. He had pace too, the kind of speed that was rare in players with a similar six-foot frame.

The Republic of Ireland international (he qualified through parentage) originally signed apprentice forms in 1973 and in the early days of his Arsenal career — he made his debut just three months after his 17th birthday in 1975 — provided a touch of youthful exuberance in an aging, and struggling, side. Terry Mancini, a short-term acquisition from Queens Park Rangers, may have drawn most of the plaudits for plugging a leaky defence, but O’Leary’s role in steering the Gunners clear of relegation is not be underestimated.

David was a cultured and composed player, full of grace both in his use of the ball and the manner he loped across the field; he became affectionately known as ‘Spider’. O’Leary oozed calmness too; only in the most critical of situations would he opt to lump the ball forward, instead choosing to build from the back.

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Cliff Bastin

Cliff Bastin

Fading memories, or simply the youth of voters, means that polls to determine football's 'greatest' can easily be skewed towards the modern game. However, some players transcend those boundaries - and Cliff Bastin is among them.
His heyday was the 1930s but, nearly 80 years on, Bastin is still remembered with affection and still commands respect from fans of all ages.
Of course, Bastin's name registered with fans who started watching Arsenal as recently as 1997 because it was in September of that year when Ian Wright eclipsed the great man's goalscoring record for the Club. Thierry Henry, of course, has since pushed Bastin down to third place in that illustrious chart.
Nonetheless, Bastin's haul of 178 goals in 395 games is a remarkable tally, particularly for a player who operated as an 'outside left' in Herbert Chapman's all-conquering side.
Alex James to Bastin to the back of the net was so often the route to glory for that legendary team thanks to Chapman's innovative tactics. While other sides relied on wingers to provide goals for their centre forward, Arsenal's wingers cut in from the flanks to latch onto a regular supply of through-balls from Scottish international James. No one profited more than Bastin.
His scoring record certainly vindicated Chapman's decision to sign Bastin when he was just a teenager. The Arsenal manager spotted him playing for Exeter City and, although the 17-year-old had played just 17 times for the Devon club, Chapman was so impressed he signed him at the end of the 1928/29 season.
'Boy' Bastin played the rest of his career at Highbury. He made 21 appearances in his first season - ending that campaign with an FA Cup winner's medal - and was soon a regular fixture in the side.

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Herbert Chapman

In the 1925 close season, Chapman had already set about improving his squad for a third successive title (something which had never been achieved before). At the same time, Arsenal were looking for a replacement for the sacked Leslie Knighton, with Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris placing an advertisement in the Athletic News.
“Arsenal Football Club is open to receive applications for the position of TEAM MANAGER. He must be experienced and possess the highest qualifications for the post, both as to ability and personal character. Gentlemen whose sole ability to build up a good side depends on the payment of heavy and exorbitant transfer fees need not apply.”

Despite the fact Arsenal had been fighting relegation the previous two seasons, and the chairman's restriction on spending, Chapman moved to Arsenal soon after, attracted both by the London club's larger crowds and a salary of £2,000, double what he earned at Huddersfield Town. At Arsenal, Chapman immediately made an impact by signing 34-year-old Charlie Buchan, an England international and Sunderland's all-time record goalscorer, whom he made Arsenal captain.

Chapman and Buchan's arrival at the club coincided with a change in the laws of the game in June 1925, that modified the offside law. The change had reduced the number of opposition players that an attacker needed between himself and the goal-line from three to two (including the goalkeeper). Buchan's idea, implemented by Chapman, was to move the centre half from a roaming position in midfield to a "stopper" position in defence. With the inside forwards brought back to help the midfield, this changed the usual formation from 2–3–5 to 3–4–3, or a "WM", so called after the shape it formed spelled out the letters. This meant the offside trap was now the responsibility of the single centre half, while the full backs were pushed wider to cover the wings.

Arsenal were by no means the only team to have come up with the idea of dropping the centre half into defence – Newcastle United beat Arsenal 7–0 that season employing such a system with Charlie Spencer at centre-half; Queen's Park and Tottenham Hotspur had also adopted similar systems. However, Chapman was able to refine and improve on the idea better than his rivals, melding the tactical change with his own ideas on counter-attacking football, pacy wingers and a strong defence. Chapman himself summed it up by saying: "the most opportune time for scoring is immediately after repelling an attack, because opponents are then strung out in the wrong half of the field."

Arsenal went on to finish second in 1925–26, five points behind Chapman's old side Huddersfield Town, as they became the first club in England to manage three titles in a row. However this proved to be an early dawn and Arsenal spent most of the rest of the twenties in mid-table, as Chapman took his time finding the right players to fit his new system, outlining a five year plan for success. He retained relatively few players of his predecessor Knighton's era – Bob John, Alf Baker and Jimmy Brain being the exceptions – and instead looked to bringing in talent elsewhere.

In February 1926, he signed the pacy winger Joe Hulme, followed that summer by forward Jack Lambert and full-back Tom Parker, who would later succeed Buchan as captain.[61] Although Arsenal's league form was indifferent, in 1927 they reached the FA Cup Final, their first, but lost 1–0 to Cardiff City after an error by goalkeeper Dan Lewis.

The same year, Arsenal became embroiled in a scandal; footballers' pay at the time was limited by a maximum wage, but an FA enquiry found that Charlie Buchan had secretly received illegal payments from Arsenal as an incentive to sign for the club. Sir Henry Norris was indicted for his part and banned from football, but Chapman escaped punishment, and with the autocratic Norris replaced by the more benign Samuel Hill-Wood, Chapman's power and influence within the club increased, allowing him control over all aspects of the club's business. He persevered in building the club, strengthening his attacking lineup with the signings of David Jack in 1928, and Alex James and Cliff Bastin in 1929. As with his previous teams, Chapman also worked on improving his defence, with the signings of Herbie Roberts and Eddie Hapgood at centre half and left back respectively.

It was the signing of David Jack in particular, that highlighted Chapman's cunning when it came to transfer negotiations. Bolton had originally asked for a fee of £13,000, almost double the existing record at the time. Bob Wall, Chapman's personal assistant at the time, later recounted the negotiations he made with Bolton's directors as follows:
“ We arrived at the hotel half-an-hour early. Chapman immediately went into the lounge bar. He called the waiter, placed two pound notes in his hand and said: "George, this is Mr Wall, my assistant. He will drink whisky and dry ginger. I will drink gin and tonic. We shall be joined by guests. They will drink whatever they like. See that our guests are given double of everything, but Mr Wall's whisky and dry ginger will contain no whisky, and my gin and tonic will contain no gin."

Chapman's subterfuge succeeded, as he managed to bargain the inebriated Bolton directors down to £10,890.

Chapman had laid out a five-year plan for success in 1925, and it came to fruition exactly on schedule, as his Arsenal won their first major trophy in the 1930 FA Cup Final, beating his old side, Huddersfield Town, 2–0. Despite having only finished 14th in the League the same season, the win spurred Arsenal on and laid the foundations for a decade in which Arsenal would become the dominant team in England and eventually win five league titles.

Chapman had by now perfected the ruthless, counter-attacking football he had been honing. Up front, he employed a robust front line of Lambert supported by David Jack and Alex James as deep-lying inside forwards, filling the gap vacated by the movement of the centre half into defence; Alex James in particular, with his passing supplying the front men, became celebrated as the engine of the team during the coming decade. Chapman employed Bastin and Hulme as pacy wingers who could cut inside instead of hugging the touchline; they could either shoot for goal themselves or pick each other out if the centre forward was marked out of the game. With the exception of James, keeping and dwelling on the ball and individuality were discouraged in favour of a quick passing game, although Chapman still conceded: "all the men are expected to play to plan, but not so as to stifle individuality."

Chapman's tactics of fast-moving play meant the wing half line of John and Jones were now pushed in to cover central midfield, pivoting around the halfway line so that they could drop back to defend when necessary.[68] Chapman was also equally committed to a strong defence, saying maintaining a back line was "the rock bottom of football". Arsenal's defence were told to play deep and with the support of the wing halves, fall back into their own penalty area when the opposition had the ball; this allowed the opposition plenty of possession in Arsenal's half, until they reached the 18-yard line and faced a massed defence. Once Arsenal regained the ball – usually through the centre half Herbie Roberts – the ball would be quickly passed forward and the wing halves would push up to support the attackers, meaning Arsenal could quickly commit as many as seven men forward as a unit to rapidly attack and score.

Chapman's system demanded a high level of fitness from his players, something which he emphasised strongly upon. He also balanced the need for players suited to each task – something which his skill in spotting the right players and his extensive scouting network proved vital – with adapting his system to account for their abilities. Though highly effective, Chapman's fast, counter-attacking passing approach to football contrasted with how the game was traditionally played in England at the time, with its emphasis on dribbling, possession and dwelling on the ball, and thus brought

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Transfer Nighmare for the Stugglers

Real Madrid's attempt to start Galactico the return with the £56m capture of Kaka and Ronaldo may trigger the biggest summer spending spree in the history of football.
A list of players linked with a move to Real Madrid reads like a who's who of the modern game: David Villa, Franck Ribery, Cesc Fabregas, Samuel Eto'o, Sergio Aguero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Carlos Tevez and plenty more besides.
Real, with Florentino Perez - the man who ushered in their first Galactico era at the start of the century - back as president, will not stop at Kaka as they seek to challenge Barcelona for Spanish supremacy next season.
Closer to home, the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea are set to stretch their financial muscles as their multi-billionaire owners showcase their recession-proof wealth.
One of Britain's leading sports business professors has stated he believes it is these three clubs that could prove to be the catalyst for a summer of spend, spend, spend.Potentially, I can see individual records being broken and the total spent by Premier League clubs being broken too,But I don't think it will be spent very widely. It will be highly skewed by two or three clubs and you are looking in particular at Man City and Chelsea. What is even more important, though, is what happens at Real Madrid. That will have a cascading effect on the rest of football - especially in Spain and in England, the two big leagues in Europe.
Returning as president at the Santiago Bernabeu after a three-year absence, Perez had hardly settled back into his old chair before reasserting his authority on the game.
His pursuit of Kaka, along with Ronaldo and repeated links with Valencia's Villa, Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and Liverpool's Xabi Alonso have fired an early warning shot of supreme confidence.
This, after all, is the man who, in four consecutive summers starting from 2000, took Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham to the capital of Spain for a combined fee of about £132m.
Real have not only endured their first empty-handed season since 2006, but had to sit and watch arch rivals Barcelona claim an unprecedented treble of La Liga, Spanish Cup and the Champions League while winning hearts and minds for their style of football.
Perez wants what Barca have got, and the billionaire construction magnate with vast independent wealth will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
City, who tried an audacious swoop for Kaka in January and have been linked with a move for Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas among plenty of others, have even more money than the Madrid club to play with.
But they are not yet competing at the same level as their more illustrious European neighbours, as their differing levels of success in the chase for Kaka appear to have illustrated. The challenge for City owner Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is to turn a side that finished 10th in the Premier League into one that can qualify for the Champions League - with no expense spared.
Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has tasted at first-hand City's phenomenal financial muscle as his bid for Gareth Barry was easily trumped by the Eastlands outfit.

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Arsenal a Brief History

Arsenal History

Arsenal began as a works team for the Woolwich Armaments. They were founded in 1886 as Dial Square. The name soon became Woolwich Arsenal and they played their first match at Plumstead Common. They soon joined the old Second Division playing regularly against professional clubs. The problem with South London was that it was difficult to get to; attendances were therefore low. After short spell in the First Division their lack of attendances (and consequent lack of money) meant that they had mediocre players. By 1913 they were back struggling in the Second Division. There would be three turning points in the history of the club that would transform them into one of the most famous in the world.
The first turning point was the move to North London. The club chairman wanted to merge Woolwich Arsenal with Fulham but that plan fell through. So a ground was found near a theological college in Highbury not far from Gillespie Road Underground station on the Piccadilly Line. Access was good from all parts of London, and the area was residential thus supplying supporters.
Tottenham Hotspur, four miles away, objected to the move but were over-ruled; the South London club maintaining that there was enough potential support for both clubs.
In 1915 the move was completed and the club dropped the Woolwich from its name to become Arsenal. However, it was still an average Second Division team. In 1919 Arsenal won election to the First Division when it was expanded to 22 clubs. This was the second turning point in Arsenal's history. Since this election was at the expense of neighbours Tottenham, this set the enmity between the two clubs that lasts to this day.
The 1920s saw Arsenal as an average First Division club usually finishing in the middle of the table. The third turning point in Arsenal's history occurred when Herbert Chapman was appointed manager. He had made Huddersfield Town the dominant team in the 20s. Highbury was the platform he needed to try out his new ideas. He took Arsenal to 2nd in the First Division in 1926 and to the FA Cup Final in 1927. They lost 0 - 1 to Cardiff City (the only time that the FA Cup has gone out of England). This was still the best that Arsenal had done so far in their history.
It was during the 1930s that Arsenal became a football force. Chapman built a new stadium complete with marble halls, set up under-soil heating so that matches could be played in all weathers, set up the best medical facilities in the country to treat players, and began youth schemes to train young players. His proposals to number shirts and have floodlights were rejected by the football authorities. His innovations showed he was a man ahead of his time. Tactically, Chapman was astute enough to attack the weaknesses of other teams while playing to Arsenal's strengths. Outside of football, Chapman, had the tube station's name changed to Arsenal. Chapman made Arsenal the most successful and richest club in the country. Everybody wanted to beat them.
In 1930 Arsenal won their first trophy, the FA Cup, beating Chapman's old club, Huddersfield Town, 2 - 0. In 1931, Arsenal became the first London club to win the First Division Championship. They set up a new points total which was not bettered for 30 years. In 1932, Arsenal almost became the first club this Century to win both the FA Cup and the League. They finished 2nd in both, losing the FA Cup Final 1 - 2 to Newcastle United. In 1933, 1934, 1935 Arsenal were Champions, one of only three clubs to win three consecutive Championships. They had their upsets however: in 1933 they lost a cup game to Walsall of the old Third Division, a team that cost less than Arsenal's boots. Chapman died during this period, but he is considered to have been the first modern football manager. In 1934, England played an international game with seven Arsenal players, still a record. 1936 saw a second FA Cup win (1 - 0 against Sheffield United). During that season, Ted Drake set a record by scoring 7 goals in an away game at Aston Villa. A fourth Championship was captured in 1938 before World War II stopped competitive football for six years.
In 1947, professional football resumed but the ravages of war left Arsenal weaker. They were almost relegated from the top division. They rallied in 1948 leading from start to finish to capture their fifth Championship. Towards the end of that season, a match against second placed Manchester United attracted over 82,000 people. That remains the highest ever attendance for a league game in England.
1950 saw a third FA Cup win (2 - 0 against Liverpool). Arsenal won the Cup without leaving London. They were back at Wembley in 1952 but lost 0 - 1 to Newcastle United after an injury. This was in the days before substitutes were allowed. In 1953, a win in the final match gave Arsenal their 7th Championship, then a record. They finished equal on points to Preston North End but had scored more goals!
The next 17 years were barren for Arsenal followers. The lack of trophies was made worse by the fact that Tottenham had their golden period between 1960 and 1967. During those years Tottenham became the first club this century to win the FA Cup and League in the same season (1961), retained the Cup in 1962, became the first English club to win one of the new European trophies (1963), and won the FA Cup again in 1967.
In 1961 the League Cup had started. Arsenal reached the final of this trophy (called the Micky Mouse Cup by some!) in 1968 but lost 0 - 1 to Leeds United. A year later they returned to the final and faced Third Division Swindon Town. Arsenal were hot favourites. In fact they lost 1 - 3 after extra time. A flu virus was partially blamed but this was Arsenal's lowest point in recent times. Little did they know that it was to be the beginning of a new golden age.
Although they'd won nothing, Arsenal had finished high enough in the League to qualify for the one of the European competitions that had began during the late 1950s. In the end they won the European Fairs Cup by beating one of Belgium's best sides, Anderlecht, over two games. Arsenal lost 1 - 3 in Belgium but a packed Highbury saw their team win 3 - 0 to take their first trophy for 17 years.
1971 was a classic year for Arsenal. One Monday in May, thousands were locked out of Tottenham's ground as Arsenal won 1 - 0 in the final League game of the season. This result allowed Arsenal to overhaul Leeds United and take their eighth Championship. Five days later they came from behind to beat Liverpool 2 - 1 in the FA Cup Final to become only the second club this Century to 'do the double'. A year later, Arsenal returned to Wembley but lost 0 - 1 to a Leeds United side looking for revenge.
Arsenal reached the FA Cup Final in three consecutive years during the 70s, the first time a club had done so this Century. The first Final was lost 0 - 1 to Ipswich Town, the second won 3 - 2 against Manchester United, the third lost 0 - 1 to West Ham United after a gruelling four match semi-final against Liverpool.
Most disappointing of all was what happened after the 1980 Final. Arsenal had also reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup, another European competition. The game was against the Spanish club, Valencia. It ended 0 - 0 after extra time and Arsenal lost on penalties.
The early 80s were quiet. In 1986 George Graham became manager of Arsenal. He turned out to be Arsenal's most successful manager. In 1987, Arsenal finally won the League Cup (by this time called the Littlewoods Cup). They beat old rivals Tottenham in the semi-final, and came from behind to take the final 2 - 1 against Liverpool. 1988 saw Arsenal squander a 2 - 1 lead to lose 3 - 2 against Luton Town.
In 1989, Arsenal went to Liverpool for the final game of the season needing to win by two clear goals to be Champions. Leading by only a goal, as Liverpool began to celebrate, Arsenal scored a last minute goal to win 2 - 0 and snatch the Championship from under the noses of the Liverpool supporters.
Two years later (1991), Arsenal lost only one League game (a record for the 20th Century) to take their 10th Championship with a frustrated Liverpool finishing second. Only Liverpool have the won the Championship more times.
In 1993 Arsenal completed a unique cup double by becoming the only club to win the League Cup (now called the Coca Cola Cup) and the FA Cup in one season. They won both finals by 2 - 1 against Sheffield Wednesday, the winning goal in the FA Cup coming in the last minute of extra time. Their appearance in 12 FA Cup Finals was a record.
All Arsenal fans, and those backing Arsenal with an FA Cup bet were overjoyed at the dramatic victory.
1994 saw Arsenal win their second European trophy, beating the Italian club Parma, 1 - 0 in Copenhagan. They reached the 1995 final only to lose 1 - 2 to a last minute goal against Real Zaragosa. By this time George Graham had left under a cloud.
Arsene Wenger became Arsenal's first foreign manager in 1996. In 1998, Arsenal completed the double for the second time in their history. Coming from 12 points behind, Arsenal won ten games on the trot to beat Manchester United to the championship. In the FA Cup final Arsenal beat Newcastle United by 2 - 0.
The following year they finished second in the League and reached the semi-final of the FA Cup.
In 2000 Arsenal again finished second in the League and reached the final of the UEFA Cup. They lost on penalties to the Turkish club, Galatasaray after a 0 - 0 draw. A year later they finished second in the League for the third year running and played in the FA Cup final in Cardiff, losing to Liverpool, 1 - 2.
In 2002 Arsenal returned to Cardiff to win the FA Cup 2 - 0 against Chelsea. A few days later a 1 - 0 win at Manchester United gave Arsenal their 12th Championship and their third double. They completed an entire season without losing away, a feat not done since 1889.
They couldn't quite retain the Championship in 2003, finishing second after a promising start.

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Going well so soon

Cant understand it http://www.talkingfootball.co.uk is doing well with a load of members signing up already. Most I know but didn't have contact details but who cares as long as thesite is up and running and gaining members.
Today up went the basics of how to post a new Mod has been appointed to the Rangers board, the Celtic and Arsenal boards have long standing Mods who will not be lost at any point.
I just am biting me nailes willing talking football to work and do well.

Talking Football a new type of footy forum

Welcome to a new kind of football forum. Please bookmark www.talkingfootball.co.uk right now. This forum will be like nothing you have yet experienced, we will try and be unique in every way from the option we give to our members, the news we deliver, & the way the site is run.
You will find that we are not up and running at the moment as the techie guy and admin are still tinkering with the layout, look & feel of the site.
Once we are open you will notice that we aim to have boards for any league you want, if you find we do not cover your country then request a board via a moderator or Admin and we will get it up for you. Need a team board, then request it, not only will it be up and running soon you might find that your running it.
Yes that's right this is a fans site run by the fans and that includes yourselves. Moderation will be at a minimum within reason check out the rules for more about what will be allowed. Age will not matter here neither will gender we will aim to cater for all. From the top inernational players of today down to grass roots amateur football Talking Football will try and cater for all.

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