Arsenal FC
History
Arsenal football club was founded by workers of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich in 1886 - their first game was a 6-0 defeat of Eastern Wanderers, on 11 December of that year. They were re-named Woolwich Arsenal in 1891 before moving to Highbury and dropping the prefix to become the Arsenal as we know it in 1913.
Herbert Chapman and George Allison guided the club to its first period of real success during the 30s when they won five top flight titles - the first of which came in 1931. However it was the 1970-71 double winning team, which helped really establish Arsenal as an English footballing heavyweight of the modern era.
George Graham, a member of that double-winning team, was named manager in 1986, and in his nine years at the club they collected two more league titles, two League Cups, the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup.
Frenchman Arsene Wenger arrived in 1996 and built impressively on the platform left by Graham. He won the FA Cup and League double in 1998 before adding the 2002 and 2004 League titles, the latter after going an entire season undefeated.
Until the 2005-06 season, Arsenal had never progressed beyond the Champions League quarter-finals, but that year they reached the final. Wenger's side scored first against Barcelona in the Paris showdown, but the Spanish side rallied to record a 2-1 victory.
The 2006/07 season saw the Gunners move away from Highbury - their home for the previous 93 years - to the plush new 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium.
Last season was one of continued transition for Arsenal after Thierry Henry left for Barcelona.
Wenger's team were written off by many pundits, but set the pace in the title race for much of the season. They held a five-point lead in February but the young squad started to flag and were overtaken by Chelsea and eventual champions Manchester United.
The club began their Champions League campaign in impressive fashion, topping a group that contained Spanish side Sevilla. After progressin to the quarter-finals at the expense of Italian giants AC Milan, the Gunners were eliminated from the competition by Liverpool.
One of the season's lowlights came in the league clash against Birmingham City in February. Brazilian-born Croatia star Eduardo, who had recently established himself in the first-team, suffered a horrific break of the left fibula and an open dislocation of the left ankle after a high tackle by City star Martin Taylor. The injury ended Eduardo's season and saw Arsenal's form take a major nosedive.
Nacer Barazite, Gavin Hoyte, Fran Merida, Kieran Gibbs, Mark Randall, and Vito Mannone emerged from the club's renowned academy to take their places in the senior squad.
It's a Fact: Arsenal currently hold the record (80) for the most consecutive season in England's top flight.
Major Honours
League Champions:
1930-31, 1932-33, 1933-34, 1934-35, 1937-38, 1947-48, 1952-53, 1970-71, 1988-89, 1990-91, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2003-04
Charity/Community Shield Winners:
1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1948, 1953, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004
FA Cup Winners:
1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005
League Cup Winners:
1987, 1993
European Cup Winners Cup:
1994
Fairs Cup Winners (UEFA Cup):
1969-70
