ARSENAL Hall of Fame

[Zenith]

Today’s inductee
LIAM BRADY
One of the greatest players never to win the title in England
He was a mercurial midfield genius
A shining light in a pretty dark period for us in the mid 70’s
He elevated Terry Neills arsenal team into a force in English football in the late 70’s reaching 3 consecutive finals winning the middle one against Man Utd with a majestic man of the match performance
He was probably played too deep in the final against West Ham in 1980 to affect the game as he would like to have.
The year he left for Italy
He later returned as a coach overseeing the likes of Cole Fabregas& Wilshere.
Brady had a fantastic shot
A fine football brain
He could also mix it if the games got rough
Discovered at 13 by a Welsh scout in Dublin
He would come over in the school holidays
Making a debut in 1973
His skill and imagination to change a game in the blink of an eye made the admission fee worthwhile.
Chippy(as he was known) was a name that would grace any team sheet in any Arsenal era.
The ability to glide past a player and rarely wasting a pass were his signature
307 appearances for Arsenal.
His goal in a 5-0 win at white hart lane in the 78/79 season was described by football writer Philippe Auclair as a seminal swerving strike
If you had one clip to condense the skill of Chippy this would be it
If somebody could post that goal it would be much appreciated

[Zenith]

Today’s inductee
IAN WRIGHT

[Zenith]

Today’s inductee
GEORGE GRAHAM
I just wrote a huge eulogy to George both as player and manager
Went to post it and it got lost
I can’t go through it again
Suffice to say
I adore him for what he achieved both on and off the pitch for us
Making us credible title challengers again
Having been a legendary member of our 70/71 double winning side
If someone can post clips of his playing days I would really appreciate it

[Rockape]

Loved Steve Williams. Was very excited when we signed him. Was being spoken about as one of the best midfield players in the country.

A stroller with a good pass and a bit of bite.

God knows where I was when Steve Williams became an Arsenal Legend.....I can only just remember his name and can’t remember watching him play!

Played about 120 matches.

Not sure he was a legend but great memories of that era.

Ive just checked and he played during my RAF REGT years when I was either in Germany or the Falklands. Never really got to watch much footie then.

[Rockape]

Loved that 71 video....fabulous! I remember watching that incredibly! Some proper football challenges going on in the 1st half and didn't remember Charlie George having such a great shot on him. The one that went in was the worst strike of the game.

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
ANDY DUCAT
Obviously before my time
Played football and cricket for England
Was in the side when we were called
Woolwich Arsenal
He was playing in a charity cricket match at lord’s when he died of a heart attack
He was 56

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
MALCOLM MACDONALD
Super Mac
In effect he was only at Arsenal for 2 years playing time but the impact he made was memorable
With Ball Brady and Hudson threading balls through
Armstrong and Rix crossing
And Frank Stapleton working industriously
The team were set up to play to all his strengths
He had a John Wayne like swagger
With bandy legs that couldn’t stop a pig in a passage
He was super quick had a ferocious left foot and was great in the air
On a bbc show called superstars in 1975 where various sportsman took part in events
He ran the 100 metres in 10.4 seconds the second fastest man in Europe that year
75 was a good year for him
He scored all 5 goals in an international for England against Cyprus
Don Revie then England manager had told him he was only picked because public opinion demanded it
The other players in the team on hearing this made a point of supplying him at every opportunity
He had started life at Fulham before becoming a legend at Newcastle but by 1976 had fallen out with managerGordon Lee
New Arsenal manager Terry Neill was looking for a marquee signing to start his tenure
We had offered 275,000 but there was a sticking point on the fee
Nonetheless he played in 4 pre season friendly s even going on tour to Yugoslavia scoring 3 times before eventually signing for
333,333,34( they wanted a third of a million)
His debut was a home defeat to Bristol city
But it wasn’t long before he was scoring ( he managed a couple in the 2 away games that followed)
His first hat trick for us came in his first game against Newcastle ( this was boys own stuff) on a pitch that resembled a skating rink, he showed a great degree of nimbleness
Only 5ft 10 but he had a fantastic leap on him
The match of the day highlights are on you tube if anyone can post them up please
It was a thrilling game
Top scorer with 29 goals that season winning the golden boot
He also top scored the following season where we reached the fa cup final( he scored twice in the semi final v orient at Stamford bridge) but that Ipswich final was one to forget for us
He had been part of the Newcastle side that had lost the 1974 final to Liverpool
There was a joke doing the rounds at the time
‘What is taken to the fa cup final and never used’?......Malcolm Mac Donald......
The real answer?
The losers ribbons
In September 78 he suffered a knee injury at Rotherham in the league cup( I went up there first time I ever went with the newly formed that season travel club)
In essence it ended his career at 28
A sub appearance and a goal scoring last game of the season at Chelsea and that was it
57 goals in 108 games
A top return
He was a superstar

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
ALAN BALL
Youngest player in England’s 1966 World Cup win
Also died too young of a heart attack in 2007 aged 61
Bally was a fiesty red head
What he lacked in creative thought he made up for in sheer desire and spirit
England manager Alf Ramsey had a bit of an aversion to wingers
But he deployed Alan there and he left the German left back f***ked after Ball made run after run in the final
Not everything in his international career was a sparkling success
He became only the second England player to be sent off in Poland in a qualifier in 1973
It’s the home tie that everyone remembers
But in the away match England in an uncharacteristic yellow kit we’re losing 2-0 when Martin peters came in for some rough treatment
Bally grabbed the offender round the throat and kneed him in the bollocks
At 5ft 6 and 11 stone wet
Bally punched above his weight
A trial at Bolton had lead the manager to suggest alan become a jockey
But he was taken on by Blackpool and eventually landed up at Everton
Where he won a league title
He joined us in dec 71 for 225,000
Despite losing the 72 fa cup final and having a title tilt in 72/73 that only ended about 4 games from the end of the season
It was a period that was not the best for the club
He scored a few goals including one within 13 seconds of the kick off v Man Utd
By the time of Terry neills arrival it was pretty much decided that Liam Brady would take on the role of playmaker and Ball was sold to Southampton in Dec 76
He later managed at a few clubs including Portsmouth and Man City( at the end of the 95/96 season he was in charge during a relegation battle with Southampton, City were drawing 2-2 with Liverpool and he believed that result was good enough to keep them up. He advised his players to take the ball into the corner... however the information that Southampton were losing had been relayed wrongly... it took sub Niall Quinn to find this out in the tunnel... but despite franctic arm waving to get forward... the game ended.... City went down... he was still the stuff of legend with City fans singing wonderwall with the lyrics we’ve gotAlan Ball. Never dull, he was always a good addition to a pundit panel
But that big heart gave out on him
God bless him

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
ALEX JAMES
Legend of the 30’s

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
FRANK STAPLETON
Courtesy of a testimony from Rockape

Stapleton was a distinguished centre forward, once touted as being amongst the best in the world in his position, who was an exceptionally strong header of the ball. He started his career with Arsenal, joining them in 1972 as an apprentice, after being turned down by Manchester United.[2] He made his first-team debut in March 1975, at home to Stoke City, and would go on to form a potent striking partnership with Malcolm Macdonald; the two scored 46 goals between them in 1976–77. He was Arsenal's top scorer for the three following seasons, and helped the Gunners reach a trio of FA Cup finals; Stapleton scored one of the goals in Arsenal's 1979 FA Cup Final 3–2 win over Manchester United, and scored 108 goals in 300 appearances in total for the Gunners.

[Rockape]

Two great players, but Supermac really took your breath away when in full flow....incredible turn of speed and sometimes he’d receive the ball with his back to goal, 30 yards out and he’d turn and hit it in one.....into the top corner! Loved him!

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
TONY WOODCOCK
Joined us in 1982
And was our top scorer for the next 4 years
Not the greatest period in the club’s history
But woodcock was an elegant exciting player who in another era would have enjoyed massive success at the club
Remembered most for an afternoon at Aston Villa where he scored 5 goals for us
An Early pioneer of British players going abroad
He was a big success in Germany
Surplus to requirements when Graham took over
Always enjoyable to watch in full flight
He was a very agile forward

[Phil71]

Yeah Woodcock was great. One of two terrific ex-Forest players we signed around that time. The other being Viv Anderson.

[theHotHead]

I thought Woodcock was a superstar footballer

[starmandb]

Today’s inductee
DAVID JACK
Thirty’s legend