Herbert Chapman

Now just "Arsenal" and (for the first time) red with white sleeves

Prior to Herbert Chapmans arrival in 1925, Arsenals best finishing position was 9th in 1921 and reaching the FA Cup quarter round in 1922 (when they lost to Preston).

Chapmans first game as manager was on 29th August 1925, against Spurs at Highbury; Arsenal lost 1-0. This was also the first Arsenal game for Charles Buchan and the first game of the new offside ruling (to remain onside you now required two defenders in front of you rather than three!).

1927 to 1929 saw a number of lengthy and complex FA hearings and High Court cases culminating in the dismissal of Sir Henry Norris and his ban from the club and game. The saga started with an undisputed accusation that he had sold the Arsenal team bus for £125 and pocketed the money, Sir Henry said the money was a consideration for the £17,000 the club owed him.

After a poor start to his first season (the 1-0 defeat at home to Tottenham) and a 7-0 defeat at Newcastle in October, Buchan convinced Chapman to adopt the 3-4-3 formation (later associated with the great Arsenal teams). The result was that Chapmans first season ended with Arsenal gaining a respectable (and at that time a club record) 52 points, finishing second in the league.

Chapman had been quoted as saying that it would take five years to win a trophy, he was right. Arsenal finished the next four seasons 11th, 10th, 9th and 14th.

Despite their league performances, the 1926-27 season saw Arsenal play their first FA Cup Final. This Cup Final is famous on three counts:

• The first Cup Final with radio commentary
  
• The first (and only) time the cup was taken out of England (Cardiff)
  
• For the game having been lost by Arsenal, rather than won by Cardiff. Lewis (Arsenals goalkeeper) bundled the ball over his own line and Brain & Buchan both left an easy ball for each other in front of an empty goal, only for the ball to roll harmlessly out of play.

The 1929-30 season saw Arsenal reach the FA Cup final a second time and take home the cup for the first time with a 2-0 win over Huddersfield Town. They also achieved some records in the league (an 8-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday, equalled three years later and a record high scoring draw, 6-6 at Leicester).

This also marked the change of Arsenals league fortunes, picking up no fewer than 4 championships (3 consecutive) out of the next 5 seasons (coming 2nd in the other year), reaching the FA Cup Final again in the 1931-32 season (losing to Newcastle) and winning 4 FA Charity Shields. This upturn in Arsenals fortune was only marred by the death of Chapman on Saturday 6th January 1934 after a brief bout of pneumonia.