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Overview
If you're the sort of fan who knows how many times Arsenal have moved grounds throughout their history, or how many hat-tricks the great Thierry Henry scored during his time at the club without even thinking, then this is the ideal book for you. Can you name the star who appeared in The Bill or the player with the middle name Primrose? Go on, show off how much you really know! This is the definitive quiz book on the Arsenal Football Club, meticulously researched to provide fans of the Gunners of all ages with an informative, entertaining, challenging and enjoyable test of their knowledge of this great club. Populated by the many characters, heroes and occasional villains who have helped create a rich footballing legacy during 126 years of history and full of themed questions on all aspects of the club, this is the ideal companion on those long trips to away games, for settling arguments and for finding out just how much you and your Arsenal-supporting friends really know about the legendary Gunners.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780752498928 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | The History Press |
| Publication date: | 11/01/2013 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Never Mind the Gunners
The Ultimate Arsenal Quiz Book
By Graham Lister
The History Press
Copyright © 2013 Graham ListerAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-9892-8
CHAPTER 1
Round 1
2012/13 Season
Welcome to this ultimate Arsenal quiz book, designed to test your knowledge of the history of one of the world's great football clubs. Among its pages you'll find teasing questions that will hark back to the distant (but certainly not dim!) past as we trawl through nearly 127 years of compelling characters, remarkable records, priceless players and fabulous facts. To ease you into the swing of things, we're going to start with a round exclusively about recent happenings concerning the Gunners, so you won't have to tax your memory too much initially as you warm to the task. Be warned, though – like trying to claim that elusive next trophy, things become tougher as you carry on ...
1 How many goals did Arsenal score against Reading in total during the 2012/13 season?
2 On 19 December 2012, which five young Gunners all signed new long-term contracts with Arsenal?
3 Against whom did Santi Cazorla score his first goal for Arsenal?
4 How many hat-tricks did Theo Walcott score for Arsenal during 2012/13?
5 Lukasz Podolski opened the Gunners' goalscoring account in their 2012/13 Champions League campaign, but who were the opponents?
6 Who had the poor taste to inflict upon Arsenal their first defeat of the 2012/13 season?
7 Whose first 2 goals for the Gunners were both scored against dear friends Tottenham?
8 This midfielder notched the 20th goal of his Arsenal career in a Champions League group game in 2012. Who is he?
9 Who scored the late goal for Arsenal that forced their Capital One Cup tie against Bradford City into extra-time and eventually – fatefully – penalties?
10 The anniversary of which Arsenal star's death was commemorated during the home match against Reading?
11 From which club did Arsène Wenger sign Nacho Monreal for Arsenal during the January transfer window?
CHAPTER 2Round 2
Making History – Formation & Fledgling Years
This is a round all about the formation and fledgling years of the club we know and love as the Arsenal. Well, it's a round that covers the Victorian/Edwardian period from 1886 until the suspension of League football in 1915, following the outbreak of the First World War. It will test how well you've studied your ancient history of the Gunners, as almost certainly none of us were around at the time to have witnessed it.
And as we go delving into the past, like all good rounds, this one starts in the pub ...
1 In what Plumstead public house was the decision taken by munitions workers at Woolwich Arsenal's Dial Square workshop to form a football club?
2 What significant decision was taken at another meeting, held at the Royal Oak pub in Woolwich on Christmas Day 1886?
3 When Arsenal participated in the FA Cup for the first time in 1889/90, who were their first opponents – and for a bonus point, what was the fairly emphatic outcome?
4 Which co-founder of Dial Square, Royal Arsenal committee member and occasional goalkeeper successfully proposed the revolutionary step of embracing professionalism at the club's AGM in 1891?
5 When Woolwich Arsenal were promoted to the First Division in 1903/04, who went up with them as Second Division Champions?
6 From which club that he had previously played for did Royal Arsenal's first goalkeeper Fred Beardsley request help with kit?
7 Of the other four clubs who were elected to the Football League in 1893 along with Woolwich Arsenal, two have gone on to win 22 top-flight titles between them. Can you name them?
8 At what venue did Woolwich Arsenal make their debut as a Football League club?
9 What unusual event is credited with rescuing Woolwich Arsenal from financial oblivion in 1902 by raising £1,200, which was used to buy new players including Tommy Shanks, Tommy Briercliffe and Jimmy Bellamy?
10 Fact or Fiction: When Woolwich Arsenal joined the Football League in 1893, having changed their name that year when becoming a limited liability company (though the Football League continued to call them Royal Arsenal until 1896), they were not just the only League club south of Birmingham, but also London's only professional club.
11 Because Arsenal were compelled to fulfil a League fixture away to Loughborough Town on 12 December 1896, they fielded a reserve side in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup at home to Leyton which had to be played on the same day. They suffered a club record 8–0 defeat at Loughborough, but what was the score in the FA Cup tie?
CHAPTER 3Round 3
Home Comforts
Despite having occupied Highbury – aka 'The Home of Football' – for 93 years, Arsenal can be said to have had a somewhat nomadic history since their formation in 1886. So this round is all about the various grounds they've called home, ranging from fields to fortresses to their current ultra-modern stadium. 'You're supposed to be at home' is a familiar chant, but how at home are you answering questions about those venues to which the Gunners have welcomed visiting teams over the years?
1 Starting with a basic but somewhat tricky one, how many home grounds do you think Arsenal have had throughout their history?
2 Making their home ground a 'fortress' is an objective for most clubs, though it's easier said than done. So throughout their history, how many times have Arsenal gone an entire League season unbeaten at home?
3 Fact or Fiction: The first terrace at a football ground to be referred to as a 'Kop' was at Woolwich Arsenal's Manor Ground.
4 Semi-finals in the FA Cup are famously staged at neutral venues, but that's not the case for other cup competitions. So over the years, how many semi-final matches have the Gunners played at their own home stadium (both Highbury and the Emirates)?
5 Fact or Fiction: Woolwich Arsenal never played a match in Woolwich itself.
6 What was the price of a season ticket in the main stand ('Avenell Road grandstand') in 1913, Arsenal's inaugural season at their new Highbury home?
7 Who scored Arsenal's first ever goal at Highbury – and their last at the famous old stadium?
8 Which club holds the unique distinction of being the last ever to beat Arsenal at Highbury, and the first to leave the Emirates with a win under their belts?
9 Arsenal's first eight Premier League matches at Emirates Stadium all finished in 1–1 draws or 3–0 wins for the Gunners. Who were the opponents when this sequence was broken on 16 December 2006, and what was the score?
10 Excluding Dennis Bergkamp's testimonial match that got the Emirates era underway, against whom did Arsenal record their first competitive win at their new home?
11 What was the nationality of the man who scored Arsenal's first-ever competitive goal at their new Ashburton Grove home?
CHAPTER 4Round 4
Just About Managing
This is a round all about the bosses – the men who've managed Arsenal down the years. Some have taken the Gunners to amazing highs and earned the undying gratitude of the fans. Others have presided over sadly less distinguished spells in the club's history. But they all did their best – and that's your challenge with the following questions. How will you manage?
1 Who was the first full-time Arsenal manager?
2 Excluding caretaker managers, how many of Arsenal's full-time managers had previously played for the club?
3 Two Arsenal managers were so tirelessly dedicated to the club that they died while in office. Can you name them?
4 How many Arsenal managers have led the club to FA Cup glory more than once?
5 Which manager achieved the club's first notable success – promotion to the First Division?
6 Dismissing which manager did Sir Henry Norris later say was the only decision he regretted making as Arsenal chairman?
7 Which Arsenal manager appeared as himself in the 1939 film The Arsenal Stadium Mystery?
8 Which manager took Arsenal to major cup finals in five successive seasons?
9 For how many seasons was Billy Wright in charge of the team?
10 Which Arsenal manager gave Tony Adams his League debut for Arsenal?
11 How many major trophies did George Graham win as Arsenal manager?
CHAPTER 5Round 5
Making More History – Chapman & the Fabulous 1930s
Right, time to be quizzed again about Arsenal's history, and this round focuses on the club's first golden era; from the appointment of the legendary Herbert Chapman to the outbreak of the Second World War. Unlike his brother Harry, who'd won two League championship medals with Sheffield Wednesday, Chapman was a journeyman player whose modest career spanned ten clubs and saw him simultaneously working as a qualified engineer.
But he found his true vocation after hanging up his boots, and has been hailed as a visionary, a football emperor, a man ahead of his time and one of the truly great football managers. He put in place the foundations for Arsenal's success, led the club to their first glories and bequeathed a legacy to successor George Allison that saw them established as the richest and most successful club in world football by 1939. So, let's see what you know about those fabulous 1930s ...
1 When Herbert Chapman arrived at Highbury in May 1925, how long did he say it would take to make Arsenal a trophy-winning team?
2 Before leading the club to their first major trophy, Chapman endured two near-misses with the Gunners. What were they?
3 Which England international, signed by Chapman in 1928 for a then world-record fee, became the first player to win the FA Cup with two different clubs?
4 When Chapman's Arsenal first won the League championship in 1930/31 (breaking the supremacy of the North and Midlands by bringing the title south for the first time), they did so with a then record haul of 66 points, six more than the previous highest total. But how many of those 66 points were won away from home?
5 Which player – a gunsmith by trade – was signed for £200 in December 1926 and moulded by Chapman into the archetypal 'stopper' to fit his tactical innovation of playing with a third back?
6 Chapman is said to have been prompted to add the distinctive white sleeves to Arsenal's shirts after seeing a man wearing a red sleeveless sweater over a white shirt, and thinking the change would make it easier for Arsenal players to pick each other out on the pitch. In what year were the new shirts worn for the first time?
7 What was the previous name of the tube station adjacent to the club's Highbury stadium, which Herbert Chapman persuaded the London Electric Railway to change to 'Arsenal' in 1932?
8 Who, having set an Arsenal goalscoring record two years earlier, managed to score 14 goals in only 12 appearances in the 1932/33 season, including 5 in a 9–2 humbling of Sheffield United on Christmas Eve?
9 Arsenal won the First Division championship five times in the 1930s, playing a total of 210 League matches in their five title-winning seasons. Which Gunner played in more of those 210 games than any other, appearing in all but 14 of them?
10 Who was manager George Allison's first signing for the club, joining in March 1934?
11 What was unusual about Arsenal's last official first-class match before the Second World War – a League game at Highbury against Brentford on 6 May 1939, which the Gunners won 2–0?
CHAPTER 6Round 6
In Arsène We Trust
Cosmopolitan, studious, knowledgeable and multilingual, Arsène Wenger was so little known in England at the time of his appointment as Arsenal manager that a newspaper headline mockingly asked 'Arsène Who?' The media and the Premier League quickly found out as the erudite Frenchman set about revolutionising the training and diet of his players as well as the style of Arsenal's play.
Leading the club to their second League and Cup Double in his first full season at the helm, 'Le Professeur' added another Double and that unforgettable invincible League season as he turned the Gunners into a sweet-passing attacking tour de force – so much so that in 2004 hard-nosed pundit Alan Hansen would describe Arsenal as 'quite simply the most fluid, devastating team the British Isles has seen'.
Wenger has become by far the club's longest-serving manager, and the most successful in terms of trophies won. He's also secured Champions League qualification sixteen seasons in a row while making a net profit on transfer dealings – important considerations for a club coping with the financial implications of building a new stadium and leaving Highbury. Pre-Ozil he'd been criticised for his caution in the transfer market and stubbornly sticking to his principles while the Gunners' rivals spent big and won honours.
But in January 2011, Wenger was voted 'World Coach of the Decade' by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, who aggregated results from each of the ten years. The stats showed he had narrowly beaten Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho to the honour. His future at the club may be unknown, but his legacy is assured – and this round is designed to find out how good a student you are of Le Prof ...
1 Which three clubs had Arsène Wenger managed before he became Le Boss at Arsenal?
2 Which two players were signed by Arsenal on the recommendation of Arsène Wenger, arriving at the club before the manager had officially been appointed?
3 Arsène's managerial tenure at Arsenal officially began on 1 October 1996 – but who were the Gunners' opponents and what was the score in his first match in charge?
4 The media like to berate Arsenal about the number of players who've been sent off during Arsène Wenger's reign – but who was the first Gunner to be red-carded under the Frenchman's management?
5 Which Arsenal player, enthusing about the impact the Frenchman had at Highbury following his appointment, said of Arsène Wenger's management: 'He's given us unbelievable belief'?
6 What was the strange parallel between the record run of scoring in consecutive matches achieved by Wenger's team between May 2001 and December 2002, and the Gunners' later record of 49 consecutive League matches without defeat (May 2003–October 2004)?
7 Which Arsenal figure said of Wenger: 'Arsène's a miracle worker. He's revolutionised the club. He's turned players into world-class players. Since he has been here, we have seen football from another planet.'
8 What six languages does Le Prof speak, and in what subject did he gain a degree?
9 Which other manager paid tribute to Wenger in 2009 by saying: 'Since he has gone there, the success of the club has been fantastic. He has brought the best out of the club. He sticks to what he believes in – and so do his players. That is why he has been there so long. I read some quotes from his players the other day that sum up the situation well. They owe everything to him. That is nice to read.'
10 What honour was bestowed on Wenger in 2003?
11 What's the heavenly connection between Arsène and astronomer Ian P. Griffin?
CH[7 Round 7
The Numbers Game
Yep, the theme of this round is numbers, so it's all about how many, how few, how often – so how well do you know your stats? Good luck!
1 What is the smallest number of League goals conceded by Arsenal during the course of a season?
2 When Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt, the Millennium Stadium was used for English club football's showpiece occasions. Gooners got quite used to driving down the M4 or getting the train from Paddington to South Wales. How many matches did Arsenal play in Cardiff between the old Wembley closing in October 2000 and the new one opening in February 2007?
3 During Arsène Wenger's reign as manager, how many times have Arsenal scored 7 goals in a match?
4 How many times have Arsenal won the FA Charity or Community Shield?
5 How many times has the outcome of a competitive Arsenal first-team match been decided by a penalty shoot-out (including Community Shield games)?
6 How many players have scored 100 or more competitive first-team goals for Arsenal?
7 Arsenal set a new record of scoring in consecutive League matches between 19 May 2001 and 7 December 2002. Do you remember how many matches it was? (Clue: the previous record had been 47.) Give yourself bonus points if can also recall which club's record they eclipsed, how many goals they scored during the run, and what other record they established along the way.
8 What is the highest number of competitive first-team matches played by Arsenal in a single season?
9 Arsenal have only lost 5 or fewer League games in a season on 7 occasions. For how many of those campaigns was Arsène Wenger in charge?
10 Since first facing them in November 2000, poor Paul Robinson has conceded 69 goals in 24 meetings with Arsenal. How many times has the hapless keeper conceded 4 or more goals in matches against the Gunners?
11 What's the biggest (positive) goal difference Arsenal have achieved in a League season?
CHAPTER 8Round 8
Legends #1 – Heroes of the 1930s
The history of any club is ultimately about the players who wear the shirt and how well they perform in it. Over the course of 126 years, more than 800 players have represented the Arsenal first team. Many of them have become legends at the club – and throughout football – for their exploits; so welcome to the first of several rounds within this book devoted to some of the best of them. The legends we focus on here were all Arsenal heroes in the all-conquering 1930s...
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Never Mind the Gunners by Graham Lister. Copyright © 2013 Graham Lister. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Dedication,Acknowledgements,
Introduction,
How this Book Works,
Round 1 2012/13 Season,
Round 2 Making History – Formation & Fledgling Years,
Round 3 Home Comforts,
Round 4 Just About Managing,
Round 5 Making More History – Chapman & the Fabulous 1930s,
Round 6 In Arsène We Trust,
Round 7 The Numbers Game,
Round 8 Legends #1 – Heroes of the 1930s,
Round 9 Goalscorers,
Round 10 You've got to be Crazy ...,
Round 11 Four Four Two,
Round 12 Legends #2 – From Whittaker's Winners to 1960s Stars,
Round 13 Spot the Connection #1,
Round 14 Arsenal at the Double,
Round 15 Legends -3 – Mee's Marvels,
Round 16 Over Land and Sea – and Europe!,
Round 17 FA Cup Finals,
Round 18 Planet Football,
Round 19 Legends #4 – Terry Neill's Cup Crusaders,
Round 20 Up for the League Cup,
Round 21 On the Move,
Round 22 Spot the Connection #2,
Round 23 Legends #5 – George Graham's Champs & Cup Kings,
Round 24 Noisy Neighbours,
Round 25 Four Three Three,
Round 26 'We Are the Champions' – Arsenal's League Titles,
Round 27 Legends #6 – the Wenger Boys,
Round 28 For the Record,
Round 29 Pot Luck,
Round 30 And Finally ...,
Answers,
Bibliography,
Copyright,