Friday, June 14, 2019

Arsenal All-Time team for English Players

Steve Bould, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon 
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Arsenal
Arsenal All-Time Team Under Arsene Wenger
Arsenal All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Arsenal All-Time Team from the British Isles(Excluding England)
England
United Kingdom 1970
United Kingdom 1982
England 1974


This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.


Arsenal was the first club from the South of England to join The Football League, in 1893. They entered the First Division in 1904, and have since accumulated the second most points. Relegated only once, in 1913, they continue the longest streak in the top division. In the 1930s, Arsenal won five League Championships and two FA Cups, and another FA Cup and two Championships after the war. In 1970–71, they won their first League and FA Cup Double. Between 1989 and 2005, they won five League titles and five FA Cups, including two more Doubles. They completed the 20th century with the highest average league position.
Tony Adams and Sol Campbel 2002 FA Cup
Team
GK: David Seaman 
The peak of Seaman's career was during his period as Arsenal and England goalkeeper in the 1990s and early 2000s. At Arsenal, he won three league championships (1991, 1998, 2002), four FA Cups (1993, 1998, 2002, 2003), the League Cup in 1993 and the European Cup Winners Cup in 1994.  He also played in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups, and Euro 96 and Euro 2000, and is England's second-most capped goalkeeper with 75 caps.

GK: Jimmy Ashcroft 
Ashcroft began his career with several local sides and signed as a professional for the Gunners in 1900. In 1901–02, he kept six clean sheets in a row (a club record). He also won three caps for England, playing in all three of England's British Home Championship matches of 1906 (England won twice and lost once, sharing the 1905–06 championship with Scotland). Ashcroft thus was Arsenal's first England international.

GK: Jimmy Rimmer 
Rimmer is considered to be the greatest Aston Villa goalkeeper. He won two European Cup medals: 1968 with Manchester United and 1982 with Aston Villa.  He was Alex Stepney's understudy in the 1968 Final.  In 1982, he only played 9 minutes before getting an injury. He played 3 seasons with Arsenal, where he was their player of the year in 1975. He was capped once in 1976.

RB: Lee Dixon 
Lee Dixon played as a right-back for Arsenal, Burnley, Bury, Chester City and Stoke City.  He was a part of Arsenal's famous back four along with Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn. Dixon is also one of the only players in English football history to have won a league title in three different decades with the same club. 

RB/DM: Peter Storey 
Peter Storey spent 15 years at Arsenal , winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970, the First Division title in 1970–71, and the FA Cup in 1971. He also was a losing finalist in the 1968 and 1969 League Cup and the 1972 FA Cup Final. He also won 19 caps for England between April 1971 and June 1973. He played in the Home Championships. He was transferred to Fulham in March 1977 before announcing his retirement eight months later.

CB: Martin Keown 
Keown's career lasted from 1984 to 2005. He made over 400 appearances for Arsenal and won 10 honours. He also played for Brighton, Aston Villa, Everton, Leicester City and Reading. He won 43 caps for England, gradually forming a respected defensive partnership with Arsenal teammate Tony Adams at both club and international level. Keown represented England at four major international football finals including the 1998 and 2002 World Cups.
Martin Keown 
CB: Steve Bould
Bould began his career with Stoke City.  At Arsenal,  he formed a formidable back line with Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon and ended up with nine major honours to his name. He left the Gunners in 1999 and ended his playing career with Sunderland. Bould won only two caps for England, and didn't make his first full international appearance until the age of 31.

CB: Tony Adams 
Tony Adams is a club legend and one club man with Arsenal who became the club captain at the age of 21.  A stature of him is erected at the Emirates Stadium. He formed the legendary backline with Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Steve Bould with club.  He was a fixture for England from 1987 to 2000.  For England, he had 66 caps and served as its captain at one point. He played in the World Cup Finals in 1998 and went to three European Championship.

CB: Sol Campbell 
Sol Campbell was one of the greatest English defenders. He was a member of Arsenal's "Invincibles" that went undefeated in 2003-2004 season.  At the club level, he spent 9 seasons for Tottenham Hotspurs and served as its captain before moving to its rival Arsenal on a free transfer that sparked a controversy.  He later played for Portsmouth. For England, he earned 73 caps in 11 years.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1998, 2002 and 2006.

LB: Eddie Hapgood 
Hapgood captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s. He was one of first star players in England.  His image was used for advertisement which was a pioneer at his time. He started his Arsenal career in 1927 and ended in 1944.  Internationally, he had 30 caps with 21 times as its captain.  He captained England during the famous "the Battle of Highbury" against World Cup winner Italy in 1934.
Eddie Hapgood 
LB: Ashley Cole 
Ashley Cole was considered one of the finest leftbacks of his generation.  He was voted the England Player of the Year in 2010. He played in 3 World Cup Finals.  He played 107 caps between 2001 and 2014.  He is also England's most-capped full-back in history.  He played with Arsenal, but moved to its rival Chelsea in 2006.  In 2014, he moved to AS Roma.  He won the Champions' League in 2012 with Chelsea.  He is playing in the MLS since 2016.

CM: Brian Talbot 
Talbot began his career with Ipswich Town in 1971.  He made 227 appearances for Ipswich, and won the 1977–78 FA Cup. In 2013, Talbot was inducted into the Ipswich Town F.C. Hall of Fame. In 1979, Talbot moved to Arsenal, winning that year's FA Cup. He was the first player for more than 100 years to win the FA Cup with two different teams in consecutive seasons. From 1977 to 1980, he was capped 6 times.

CM: David Rocastle 
David Roscastle's best club career was spent with Arsenal where he won two league titles.  He was sold to Leeds United for a club record in 1992, but he never settled with the club due to injuries and other reasons. He was capped 14 times for England. England never lost a single match in any of the games he played. Despite for being a good footballer, surpisingly, he was left out of all major tournaments during his international career. He died at the age of 33 from a form of cancer.
David Rocastle
CM: Ray Parlour 
Ray Parlour spent his career playing for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Hull City. He was a legend with Arsenal between 1992 and 2004. During his Arsenal career, he was nicknamed "The Romford Pelé"; although the nickname was given with an ironic sense of humour, on account of his solid performance but unglamorous image. He has been described as an "unsung hero".  Capped 10 times.

CM: Alan Ball 
Alan Ball was the youngest member of England's World Cup winning team in 1966. He started his career with Blackpool.  He also played with Everton, Arsenal, Southampton and various clubs in North America and Hong Kong.  He played 72 times for England and was a key player at the World Cup finals in 1966 and 1970.  He missed the ill-fated World Qualifying match vs Poland in 1973 due a suspension.
Alan Ball
LW/RW: George Armstrong 
Armstrong made his Arsenal debut in 1962 at the age of 17 and went on to make 621 appearances – which was then an all-time club record – before he left Highbury in 1977. He spent a season each with Leicester City and Stockport County.  He mainly played on the left, but also on the right wing.

RW: Danny Clapton
Clapton first started out as an amateur with Leytonstone before joining Arsenal in 1953, helping Arsenal to third place in 1958-59, their highest league position in six years.  He was sold to Luton Town in September 1962. He earned a single cap for England against Wales in 1958. Arsenal played a friendly match later that day against Juventus at Highbury, and Clapton played in that match as well. 

LW: Cliff Bastin 
Cliff Bastin was one of the best player on the Arsenal team that dominated football in the 1930's.  He played for them between 1929 and 1947. Arsenal won 5 league titles in the decade. He was the Arsenal all-time leading scorer from 1939 to 1997. He also played for Exeter City, where he started his career in 1928. He played 21 times for England between 1931 and 1938. In 2009, he was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame.
Cliff Bastin
AM/RM: Paul Merson
From 1985 to 1997, Merson played for Arsenal. He was a key player in the club's success under manager George Graham, winning the league twice, the FA Cup, the Football League Cup, and the European Cup Winners' Cup.  He also played successfully with Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Walsall. He was capped 21 times for England and represented the nation at 1992 European Championship and the 1998 World Cup.

FW: David Jack
Jack scored 267 goals from 521 appearances in the Football League playing for Plymouth Argyle, Bolton Wanderers and Arsenal. He was the first footballer to be transferred for a fee in excess of £10,000, was the first to score at Wembley – in the 1923 FA Cup Final – and was capped nine times for England.

ST/FW/RW: John Radford 
Radford spent most of his career at Arsenal. He became Arsenal's youngest ever hat-trick scorer, against Wolves on 2 January 1965, at the age of 17 years and 315 days, a record that remains to this day. In 1969-70 he again scored nineteen goals, and helped Arsenal win the 1970 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, their first trophy in seventeen years.  Capped twice by England.


FW/ST: Charlie George 
Charlie George began his career with Arsenal in 1968.  He was the hero of the 1971 FA Cup Final.  He scored 111th minute winner against Liverpool.  That season, Arsenal also won the league, making it a "League/FA Cup Double".  The goal gave Arsenal their first ever Double in history. He later played with Derby County between 1975 and 1978.  After Derby, his career took me to clubs in Australia, the USA, Hong Kong and Scotland.  He also played for Southampton.
Charlie George
CF: Ted Drake
As a player, he first played for Southampton but made his name playing for Arsenal in the 1930s, winning two league titles and an FA Cup, as well as five caps for England. He is Arsenal's joint fifth highest goalscorer of all time. He also holds the record for the most goals scored in a top flight game in English football, with seven against Aston Villa in 1935. 

ST: Alan Smith 
Alan Smith spent five seasons at Leicester, scoring 84 goals in 217 appearances before transferring to Arsenal in 1987.  He was Arsenal's top scorer for four consecutive seasons, and the top scorer in the First Division in the 1988–89 season with 23 goals.  In 1989, he scored the first goal in the historical league title clinching game against Liverpool.  In 1994, he scored the only and the winning goal at the Cup Winners' Cup Final.

ST: Ian Wright 
Ian Wright was a legendary striker with Arsenal.  Before joining Arsenal, he was a hero with Crystal Palace.  At the time of writing, he was their highest goal scorer since the War.  In 1991, he joined Arsenal.  He spent 7 seasons with them, winning all three domestic trophies and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1994.  Despite being a top scorer in the domestic league(he scored over 20 goals every season from 1991 to 1998), he only played 33 times for England and was never selected for any of the major tournaments.
Ian Wright

Honorable Mention
Joe Baker, Nigel Winterburn, Michael Thomas, Kenny Sansom, Peter Simpson, Steve Williams, George Eastham, Malcolm Macdonald, Theo Walcott, Cliff Holton, Jack Lambert, Viv Anderson, David Platt, Andy Ducat, George Eastham, Tony Woodcock, Graham Rix, Paul Davis, Alan Sunderland, Joe Hulme.

Squad Explanation, 
-- Tony Adams, Ian Wright, David Seaman, Lee Dixon, John Radford, Sol Campbell, Eddie Hapgood, Ashely Cole, David Rocastle, Ray Palour, Cliff Bastin, Alan Smith and Charlie George made my all-time Arsenal team. I built my team based upon that team.
-- Arsenal went undefeated in the Preimership in the 2003-2004 season.  The team was known as "Invincibles". I only selected three players from that team: Sol Campbell, Ray Parlour and Martin Keown.
-- I also created this blog team Arsenal All-Time Team Under Arsene Wenger.  Only 7 English players (David Seaman, Tony Adams, Lee Dixon, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole, Ray Parlour and Nigel Winterburn) made the team.  Except Parlour, all of them are defensive players.
-- David Seaman is probably Arsenal's greatest English goalkeeper.  Jimmy Ashford was the first Arsenal player capped by England. The third keeper was between Jack Rimmer, Frank Moss, John Lukic and George Swindin.  Rimmer was the most famous keeper out of the group so I took him.
-- George Graham's Arsenal had the famous back four of Steve Bould, Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn and Lee Dixon. They were known as one of the greatest defensive unit ever in England's history. Matt Keown also played with them.  However, I did not have space for Nigel Winterburn because of Eddie Haploid and Ashley Cole.
-- Tony Adams is an iconic player for Arsenal. Sol Campbell whom I considered to be one of England's greatest centertbacks is a lock on one of the centerback positions.  Then, I took Steve Bould and Matt Keown as the last two centerbacks for the reason listed above.
-- I considered Eddie Hapgood and Ashley Cole to be England's greatest leftbacks.  They supposed to be undisputed.  But since Cole went to Chelsea, I did seriousluy consider Kenny Sansom and Nigel Winterburn, but in the end, I decided to keep him.
-- Peter Storey played mainly as a defensive midfielder.
-- I used the official Arsenal's Greatest 50 Players' list as reference. Paul Merson, Brain Talbot, Danny Clapton and Ted Drake were added to this team based on their rankings.
--  George Armstrong had appeared in over 500 matches for Arensal.  I want to include him on my Arsenal all-time team, but I have Robert Pires and Fredrick Ljungberg.  So I put him on this All-English team.
-- Charlie George scored an important goal that gave Arsenal their first ever Double.  He is forever in an important part of of the club's history.  He is often listed as Aresenal's most important player.
-- Michael Thomas scored the winning goal in 1989 that helped the club to win the league title. He is listed on the Honorable Mention.
-- When I first started this blog, I thought Tony Woodcock and Graham Rix would be on the team.  I have Ian Wright, John Radford Alan Smith and Charlie George from my Arsenal All-Time Team. Then, I added Ted Drake who is still Arsenal's joint fifth highest goalscorer of all time.  I also took him over Woodcock because Drake played in the 1930's.  I wanted to balance the team with players from different eras. In the end, I have no space for Tony Woodcock and Graham Rix.
-- Graham Rix is not on the official Arsenal's Greatest 50 Players while the other players selected in the midfield are on that list.
-- Alan Ball edged out Graham Rix for the last spot.  Ball was a bigger name player due to his role in the 1966 World Cup Finals.

Formation



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