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Whittaker leads Arsenal to sixth title

Tom Whittaker playing for Arsenal in 1922

Squadron Leader Tom Whittaker

TOM WHITTAKER (1947-1956)
Honours: First Division Championship (1947/1948 & 1952/53), FA Cup (1950).
Whittaker (left) was Arsenal's trainer under Chapman in 1927, helping to reform
the methodology at the club. When Allison retired, Whittaker stepped up
into the manager's role and proved an instant success, winning the league
in 1948 and again in 1953 with the FA Cup in between,
helped in no small part by star left-half Joe Mercer.
Whittaker died suddenly from a heart attack in 1956, aged 58.


Most football dynasties are brought down by the ravages of time or the rise of another force in the game. Arsenal's domination of the 1930s was an exception to that rule.

Instead of losing its way on the pitch, the powerhouse created by Herbert Chapman and maintained by George Allison was halted by the outbreak of World War II.

The conflict ended in 1945 and professional football resumed in 1946, but the intervention of the war had left Arsenal weaker. Indeed, they were almost relegated from the top division in 1947 before rallying to finish 13th, 16 points behind champions Liverpool.

Allison, who had done so much to continue the work of Chapman, retired that summer and Tom Whittaker was appointed Secretary-Manager. Whittaker was hugely respected and a great servant to the club, first as a player, then as the country's leading physio and finally as the man in charge.

With Whittaker at the helm Arsenal bounced back in the 1947/48 season to regain the championship trophy they had lifted five times in the 1930s. The Gunners led from start to finish in the title race, ending up seven points clear of Manchester United.

On January 17, 1948, Arsenal's visit to United attracted a crowd of 83,260. It remains the highest-ever attendance for a league game in England.

Whittaker was the architect of Arsenal's triumph but on the pitch Ronnie Rooke took most of the plaudits. The prolific striker hit 33 goals to win the Golden Boot, including four in the final game of the season, a 8-0 thumping of Grimsby at Highbury. Like goalkeeper George Swindin, Rooke played in every game that season.

Reg Lewis netted 14 times during the campaign and Joe Mercer captained the side while Leslie Compton fulfilled his cricket duties with Middlesex and the South of England. Mercer did so well that Compton insisted he keep the job when he swapped his pads for football boots at the end of the cricket season.

 

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Mercer leads Arsenal to FA Cup win

Joe Mercer and the victorious 1950 FA Cup winning team

The images of a smiling Joe Mercer being chaired around Wembley with the FA Cup in his hands are up there with the most iconic of 1950s football.

Mercer was the inspirational captain of an Arsenal side which, under the astute guidance of Tom Whittaker, beat Liverpool 2-0 at Wembley on April 29, 1950 to claim the famous old trophy for the third time in the Club's history.

Liverpool held the upper hand in the early stages of the Final but Arsenal, unusually sporting old gold shirts, got their noses in front after 17 minutes. Reg Lewis, whose place in the team had been in some doubt, repaid Whittaker's faith by taking Jimmy Logie's pass in his stride and beating Liverpool keeper Cyril Sidlow.

Stubbins went close with two headers as Liverpool fought back and Arsenal keeper George Swindin produced a fine save to deny Payne early in the second half. With Mercer outstanding and half-back Alex Forbes snuffing out dangerman Billy Liddell, Arsenal soaked up the pressure and then doubled their lead with a classic counter-attack.

Mercer started the move and Lewis was on hand to finish it off with a shot into the bottom corner after 62 minutes. It was his 18th goal of the season. Liverpool had won both league meetings between the sides earlier in the campaign but there was no way back for them this time.

Mercer led his triumphant team up the famous Wembley steps to collect the FA Cup from King George VI but almost walked down with a loser's medal after the Queen handed Arsenal's captain the wrong memento. The error was quickly corrected.

Mercer was quick to pay tribute to the Liverpool players when he was interviewed on the pitch; indeed, he knew Arsenal's opponents rather well. Liverpool had agreed to let Mercer use their facilities to keep in shape ahead of the Final because his job was based in Merseyside.

Of course, Mercer's access was restricted so he was not privy to Liverpool's tactics. Then again, the recently-crowned Footballer of the Year was in such fine fettle at Wembley that he didn't need to know.

 

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1950 FA Cup Final Arsenal 2 Liverpool 0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6J9-14ZzAw

 

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Arsenal win title by 0.099 of a goal

Arsenal's 1953 Championship winning squad

Anfield '89 may represent the most dramatic end to a title race but, as far as close-run things are concerned, the 1952/53 season deserves an honourable mention.

There was no final-day head-to-head between the two title protagonists on that occasion but number crunchers were gainfully employed as Arsenal pipped Preston to the Division One crown by the skin of their teeth.

On the final Saturday of the league campaign, Tom Whittaker took his team to Deepdale with a two-point advantage over Preston at the top of the table. Goals from Tom Finney and Charlie Wayman left the title race hanging in the balance with both sides locked on 52 points and one game each to play.

Preston were first up, beating rock-bottom Derby to move two points ahead of Arsenal. That left Whittaker's men facing a must-win game at Highbury on the Friday before FA Cup Final day. Burnley, a top-six side no less, made life difficult.

The Clarets were ahead after just three minutes when Arsenal captain Joe Mercer diverted the ball past his own keeper. The title seemed to be on its way to Deepdale but the Gunners roared back with goals from Jimmy Logie, Alex Forbes and Doug Lishman.

Arsenal's nerves were frayed once more when Burnley reduced the deficit to 3-2 in the second half, but the home side held on to the delight of a capacity crowd. The title was back at Highbury for a seventh time.

Arsenal and Preston finished with identical records of 21 wins, 12 draws and nine defeats. Goal average was needed to separate the sides and Whittaker's players were rewarded for their attacking ethos. Arsenal's goal average was 1.516, Preston's was 1.417. The margin of victory? A mere 0.099 of a goal.

That was the good news. The bad news, in retrospect, was that this success represented Arsenal's last major trophy for 17 years. It was the beginning of a barren spell which would eventually be broken by Bertie Mee's class of 1970.

 

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Busby Babes' last game before Munich

Arsenal 4-5 Manchester United - 1958

One of the best games at Highbury and, in retrospect, one of the most poignant.

Sixty-four thousand fans packed into Arsenal's ground for the visit of Manchester United on Saturday, February 1, 1958. Matt Busby's 'Babes' were the biggest draw in British football at the time thanks to two successive titles and a reputation for exciting, attacking play.

United's famous faces did not disappoint. Duncan Edwards opened the scoring with a fierce shot from the edge of the area, Bobby Charlton beat Jack Kelsey on the half-hour and Tommy Taylor gave United a seemingly unassailable three-goal lead at half time.

Arsenal, inspired by the quality of their opponents, raised their game. Incredibly, they drew level with three goals in just three minutes. David Herd, who would go on to play for United, scored Arsenal's first. Jimmy Bloomfield slotted past Harry Gregg to make it 3-2 and, to the delight and disbelief of the home fans, the same player converted a diving header to restore parity.

But United were not champions for nothing. They regrouped and regained control, Dennis Viollet firing the visitors back in front before Taylor grabbed his second and United's fifth.

Arsenal weren't finished and Welsh international Derek Tapscott set up a grandstand finish by pulling a goal back. Vic Groves went close to an equaliser but the 'Busby Babes' held out for a famous 5-4 victory.

Sadly, it was to be their last game on British soil. Within five days of United's win at Highbury, five of their starting line-up perished in the Munich air crash. Left-back and captain Roger Byrne, the entire half-back line of Eddie Colman, Mark Jones and Edwards, plus centre forward Taylor were all killed.

The 'Busby Babes' left all who had seen them with fond memories of one of the finest sides to grace the English game.

 

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Bertie Mee is appointed as manager

BERTIE MEE (1966-1976)

More than a few eyebrows were raised when Bertie Mee was appointed as Arsenal manager in 1966. He had done sterling work as the Club's physiotherapist, but was he really the man to replace Billy Wright? The answer was an unequivocal yes.

Quite simply Mee restored Arsenal to the highest echelons of the European game. He led the Gunners to their first European trophy - the 1970 Fairs Cup - and will always be remembered for masterminding the Double triumph of 1970/71.

Coaching was never Mee's forte and he wisely delegated those duties to Dave Sexton and, later, Don Howe. But Mee instilled discipline; his attention to detail earned him respect and raised standards at Highbury on and off the pitch.

Mee joined Arsenal as physiotherapist in 1960, succeeding Billy Milne. Six years later he would follow in the footsteps of a much more famous Billy - former England captain Wright. Arsenal, without a trophy since 1953, were in the doldrums.

Mee changed all that. Drawing largely on a new generation of talent which had lifted the Youth Cup in 1966, the new boss led his team to successive League Cup Finals in 1968 and 1969. Both were lost, but Arsenal were back in contention for trophies.

In 1970, they finally got their hands on one. Trailing Anderlecht 3-0 in the first leg of the Fairs Cup Final, Arsenal threw themselves a lifeline with Ray Kennedy's late away goal. On a momentous night at Highbury, Mee's team completed the comeback to win 4-3 on aggregate and lift the Club's first European trophy - and their first trophy of any kind for 17 years.

That was a proud moment for Mee but his finest hour was another year away as Arsenal won the fabled Double. The league title was clinched with a 1-0 win at Tottenham; five days later Charlie George's extra-time strike secured a 2-1 win against Liverpool in the FA Cup Final.

Further success eluded Mee and critics argue he allowed that Double side to break up too quickly. But Mee, who died in 2001 aged 82, will always have a place among the pantheon of Arsenal greats. He brought the good times back to Highbury.