Whittaker's Years:

The 1947-48 season, Whittaker’s first, saw Arsenal crowned at champions again with the final game a convincing 8-0 win over Grimsby Town. This season also saw the last of Chapman’s men play their last game, when George Male retired after the final game.

Whilst it was to be another five years before Arsenal would again be crowned champions, the FA Cup returned to Arsenal in 1950, when Liverpool were beaten 2-0.

The 1951-52 season was the closest Arsenal had ever come to winning the double, losing in the FA Cup Final to Newcastle and losing the championship on the last two games (losing 3-1 to West Bromwich Albion and 6-1 to Manchester United).

The 1952-53 season saw Arsenal again crowned champions, this time with an unremarkable 54 points, winning on goal average (Arsenal’s goal average was 1.516 against Preston’s 1.417).

It would be 17 years before Arsenal next brought home any silverware, with a win in the European Fairs Cup in 1969 over Anderlecht, winning 4-3 on aggregate (losing the away leg 3-1 and winning the home leg 3-0).

Arsenal appeared at Wembley twice in the 17 years, both times in the Football League Cups, losing on both occasions; firstly to Leeds in 1968 then to Swindon Town in 1969.

Overall the period from the start of the 1953-54 season to the start of the famous 1970-71 season, Arsenal failed to achieve league form, attaining their highest position of 3rd in the 1958-59 season.

Tom Whittaker died in October of 1956, like Chapman before him he died young and whilst still manager of Arsenal.

Jack Crayston, Whittaker’s assistant took over the manager’s role, resigning only two year’s later succeeded by George Swindon who in turn only stayed at the helm until 1962. Swindon was followed by Billy Wright, himself removed by the board at the end of the 1966 season.

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