Part 4 The future in the past. by Charles Veritie
Arsene Wenger’s family home was close to the French border with Germany.
For our next two managers we turned to the southern French Border and to the Spanish Basque Region of Northwest Spain and Unai Emery. Sadly, he wasn’t to be part our FA Cup Glory record.
That came with the arrival of our second Basque manager Mikel Arteta who in his first season led us to another FA cup final win for us to bask in the joy of victory, over Chelsea. Our 14th and record cup final win.
Here we have a parallel with the past.
The year is 1950 and the history of Arsenal is full of photos of Joe Mercer holding the FA Cup high and with the biggest of smiles on his face.
He was transferred to us from Everton and shortly afterwards appointed captain.
His playing days over he went into management and, would you believe it? He made his name as the manager of Man City, winning the league and in another season the FA Cup, at a time when Man City were Man Utd’s little kid brother so to speak.
Arteta came to us from Everton and soon after was appointed captain, and led us to FA Cup Glory.
And so, it happened when Arteta’s playing days over he was off to Man City (Where Else?) to get a few tips in football management. It seems to have worked; don’t you think?
We go back in time again this time to Arsene’s first FA cup victory in 1998. In the after-match interview, with Kenny Dalgleish, who said of Arsenal and his Newcastle team.
“They, (Arsenal) were more dangerous when we (Newcastle) had the ball then when they (Arsenal) had the ball’.
A strange comment, but we saw it played out last season. At the opponents end of the pitch and we lose the ball, and the opposition were dangerous. At first, we were able to cope with this but then we couldn’t.
We go back again this time to 1930 and our first Cup Final victory. It is known as the Zeppelin Final because one stopped over Wembley to watch the game below. After the game our first successful F A cup manager Herbert Chapman noted (In today’s words) ‘You can have 90% of the play but it is goals that count.’ How true of our last few league games.
Today, thanks to Arteta, we are as excited (well at least I am) about the future as those fans in the early fifties were. Like them back then we have no idea what the future holds.
Unlike them back then, it is certain we go into the future proud of our FA Cup record.
Like them back then we go into the future:
Proud to say the name: Arsenal.
Charles Veritie