History again Part 1

With Chelsea in the news today, we have all the usual deranged Gooners, banging on about our apparent lack of "history", so i thought i'd reproduce, a little item that "Anon" penned a few years back, just to remind them of theirs.
Well my fellow Chelsea supporters, we do have a history of which we are proud. And we are not the type of superficial moron who equates 'history' with silverware. For our history has more integrity and honour than Arsenal supporters can boast. It's time to introduce you to a fellow named Herbert Chapman. Welcome to the 'proud' history of Arsenal Football Club.

Humble beginnings.
At the turn of the 20th century "Sir" Chapman started off as a London Property Developer and Chairman of Fulham FC, at this time the name "Arsenal" belonged as part of a small first division club south of the river called Woolwich Arsenal. Woolwich Arsenal were struggling on the pitch and Chapman, noting that Fulham were hardly going to achieve global dominance, began the first of his machinations. Spotting his opportunity he took over Woolwich Arsenal in 1910 and planned to merge them with Fulham. It is unclear whether we were one of them, but it is reported that the other London clubs got together to prevent the monstrosity of having an Arsenal-Fulham axis, possibly on the doorstep of Stamford Bridge. Chapman was forced to choose and Fulham weren't an option.
And you thought MK Dons and franchise clubs were a new concept?
Playing their home games at their "Manor ground", Chapmans' Woolwich Arsenal began their pursuit of success in remarkable fashion managing to be relegated on the strength of winning only once and according to one Arsenal website "managing the unenviable feat of. the smallest number of points achieved in a season". And they tell you Arsenal have never been relegated.
With the club on the verge of bankruptcy, Chapman had to act and decided to move Woolwich Arsenal from their Plumstead home and form a new club in a new area. Never mind the wishes of the Woolwich Arsenal supporters, Chapman demanded that a new club be formed in a populated area with good transport links. Despite the objections of Spurs and Clapton Orient, a site was obtained from Chapmans contacts in the Church of England. It was the end of Woolwich Arsenal, The Manor ground and the beginning of the contemptuous Arsenal FC, Highbury.

A stain on the history of English Football: Introducing Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool

Despite lavish spending, Arsenal were a second division club struggling to gain promotion even with the help of the equivalent of a Roman Abramovich style (though far less reputable and without a shred of integrity) owner.
However, that wasn't to trouble Chapman, the idea of earning victory through unfair play is a concept with which Arsenal have hardly been unfamiliar. Finishing 5th in Division 2 in 1915 (before the outbreak of WW1 interrupted proceeding) Arsenal should have stayed down according the rules. However they didn't.
Upon resumption of the league in 1919, The Football league decided to expand the league by two places from 20 to 22 clubs, and invitations were taken by the league president John McKenna for the first division places of Chelsea and Spurs.
This was a quite extraordinary state of affairs, but we were allowed to stay for equally astonishing reasons. It turned out that our relegation had occurred on the strength of Manchester United and Liverpool fixing a game between themselves, in order that we went down and they stayed up. The Football league, probably giving in to conscience, allowed us to stay up on account of this. This disgraceful conduct saw both clubs fined with players also suspended. Later, the Football league repaid us less conscientiously, by refusing us a rightful place in the first European Cup as English Champions in 1955.
The remaining unjustly awarded place should by right have gone to Barnsley and Wolves, who had finished in 3rd and 4th place in Division 2 behind the two promoted sides Preston and Derby. Mysteriously though, the remaining promotion spot was decided via election. Chapman, spotted his opportunity, and according to Arsenal's history used "influence and close relationship with the league chairman" to have Arsenal promoted. Upon later investigation, Four Four Two magazine and several independent football websites have reported that bribery and corruption were used by Chapman to achieve this inglorious promotion for Arsenal. Tottenham were relegated to accommodate them. Rumour has it that Tottenham, however, have always forgiven Arsenal for this and relations between the two North London clubs have always been cordial.


T.B.C.