Allisonís Years and the Bastin record:

Joe Shaw acted as manager until George Allison resigned as a director at the end of the season and took over the job as manager.

In the remaining seasons prior to the Second World War, Arsenal achieved 6th, 3rd, 1st and 5th (the 1938 season being won with just 52 points, the lowest ever for a 42 match season).

Arsenal achieved success in the FA Cup in 1936, beating Sheffield United 1-0.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, 42 of the 44 professionals joined the services and Arsenal Stadium was converted to an ARP centre (Arsenal played games in various competitions throughout the war using White Hart Lane as their base!)

Following the war, Arsenal finished 13th in their first season and Allison retired, handing the reigns to Tom Whittaker.

This season also heralded the end of Cliff Bastinís career with a record 178 goals for Arsenal (a record which stood for an amazing 50 years before Ian Wright equalled and passed it in the match against Bolton Wanderers in 1997).

History Overview

In the beginning, 1886, the team played at and were referred to as Dial Square. Later switching to Woolwich they became known as Woolwich Arsenal. In 1903 Woolwich Arsenal gained promotion to the first division. After a disastrous season in 1919, the team moved to Highbury and dropped the "Woolwich" from their name. Sir Henry Norris did some amazing dealings to get Arsenal promoted back to the first division (at the expense of Spurs), where Arsenal have remained ever since. Between 1925 and 1934, Chapman took the helm and Arsenal adopted the famous 3-4-3 formation and the ubiquitous red and white shirts. On Chapman's death Allison took over and held the club in the first division, during this period Cliff Bastin established a goal scoring record of 178 goals (a record not broken until 50 years later when Ian Wright scored his 179th against Bolton Wanderers). Tom Whittaker took the reins from Allison and despite some lean years lifted the fa cup and won the division. Like Chapman, Whittaker died young whilst in command of Arsenal. Following Whittaker came some unmemorable years, before Bertie Mee took the helm in 1966, Mee's most famous achievement would be the double in 1970. After Neil and Howe's years in control, George Graham (himself a player of the double season) took over, until the infamous bung scandal that cost him his job in 1995. Eventually, Arsenal would see the arrival of Arsene Wenger who achieved the unbelievable in his first full year, Arsenal's second double.

Arsenal's full honours