Herbert Chapman
The Arsene Wenger of his day
| Full name: | Herbert Chapman |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: | January 19, 1878 |
| Date of death: | January 6, 1934 |
| Clubs played for: | Swindon, Northampton, Sheffield United, Notts County, Tottenham |
| Clubs managed: | Northampton, Leeds City, Huddersfield, Arsenal |
Club Career
Chapman the player would these days be described as a "typical journeyman", but that was largely down to his amateur status and the fact that he had to move clubs depending on where he could find work. He did spend a couple of seasons as a professional, but his undistinguished playing career gave no clue to the remarkable success he would enjoy as a manager.
Club Stats
| Years | Clubs | App | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898-99 | Grimsby | 10 | 4 |
| 1899-00 | Swindon | 3 | 2 |
| 1901-02 | Northampton | 22 | 14 |
| 1902-03 | Sheffield United | 22 | 2 |
| 1905-07 | Tottenham | 42 | 16 |
Managerial Career
Rightly regarded as one of the finest British managers of all-time, he enjoyed tremendous success in terms of winning trophies, whilst at the same time being perhaps the most innovative tactician of his day. He not only recognised the need to give his teams genuine shape and formation, he also revolutionised thinking regarding training and physiotherapy. Many of his thoughts form the basis of the technical approach to the game in the modern era.
Key Games
Huddersfield 1-0 Preston (FA Cup final, April 29, 1922)
A crowd of 53,000 at Stamford Bridge, paying gate receipts of £10,000, saw Huddersfield beat Preston 1-0 thanks to a penalty from captain William Smith midway through the second half. It was Chapman's, and Huddersfield's, first major trophy.
Arsenal 2-0 Huddersfield (FA Cup final, April 26, 1930)
An emotional occasion for Chapman as he led Arsenal out at Wembley against Huddersfield, the club at which he had initially made his managerial name. And it was the Londoners who came out on top with goals from Alex James and Jack Lambert to clinch a 2-0 win.
Arsenal 11-1 Darwen (FA Cup 3rd round, January 11, 1932)
As reigning League champions, Arsenal would have been expected to make light work of non-League Darwen - and indeed they did. Goals from Cliff Bastin (4), David Jack (3), Joe Hulme (2) and Jack Lambert (2) sealed an 11-1 win, still the Gunners' record cup victory.
Honours
| Club | Competition | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Huddersfield | League Championship | 1923-24, 1924-25 |
| FA Cup | 1922 | |
| Arsenal | League Championship | 1930-31, 1932-33 |
| FA Cup | 1930 |
Did You Know...?
The tradition of both teams walking out together before the FA Cup Final was started in 1930 when Arsenal played Huddersfield, and was due to Chapman's involvement with both clubs.
When Chapman signed David Jack from Bolton in 1928, he managed to persuade the selling club to lower the asking price from £13,000 to £10,890 by getting them drunk at the transfer negotiations. While Bolton's representatives were being served alcohol, Chapman had instructed the hotel barman to serve him gin and tonic with no gin, and his assistant, Bob Wall, whisky and dry ginger with no whisky.
During Arsenal's first title-winning season of 1930-31, they scored 127 league goals - still a club record.
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