TWO LEGENDS? Chapman and Buchan

29th August 2020

You could easily think the picture below is of a pre-match training session at Wembley - in fact, it is the moment when the first major bit of silverware of the 2020/21 season was decided, on this day. Tragically, coronavirus had ensured that stadia, empty of fans, would be the norm. That included Wembley for the Arsenal v Liverpool FA Community Shield encounter. After finishing level at 1-1, the match went straight to penalties with Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (who had also scored after 12 minutes) pictured scoring the winner in Arsenal's 5-4 shoot-out victory. Minamino scored Liverpool's goal at 73 minutes.

More interestingly, PERHAPS, in the 1925/6 season, Arsenal kicked off their new adventure, with two new fresh signings; one was the revolutionary, Herbert Chapman, who had just led, as manager, Huddersfield Town, to two consecutive First Division titles. 

Joining the new mastermind at Highbury, was Charles Buchan, previously Sunderland's top scorer. At 33 years old, Buchan was hot property. Joe Hulme was brought in from Blackburn Rovers also. In their first fixtures of the new season, at the end of August, they lost at home to Spurs 0-1 on the 29th 1925, then drew with Leicester City 2-2 at home on Monday 31st and beat Manchester Utd 0-1 away, the following Saturday.

Buchan also brought his Football Monthly into circulation, a magazine and at Christmas, an annual, that all football loving schoolboys (and others!) looked forward to receiving. The annual was certainly part of my Santa list. Indeed, I had this one.....name the England keeper....

FOOTBALL LEAGUE DIVISON ONE 1925/6 (the top division at the time) final order. Huddersfield Town therefore had won the First Division league title for the third time in succession!

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Relegation
1	Huddersfield Town	42	23	11	8	92	60	1.533	57
2	Arsenal	42	22	8	12	87	63	1.381	52
3	Sunderland	42	21	6	15	96	80	1.200	48
4	Bury	42	20	7	15	85	77	1.104	47
5	Sheffield United	42	19	8	15	102	82	1.244	46
6	Aston Villa	42	16	12	14	86	76	1.132	44
7	Liverpool	42	14	16	12	70	63	1.111	44
8	Bolton Wanderers	42	17	10	15	75	76	0.987	44
9	Manchester United	42	19	6	17	66	73	0.904	44
10	Newcastle United	42	16	10	16	84	75	1.120	42
11	Everton	42	12	18	12	72	70	1.029	42
12	Blackburn Rovers	42	15	11	16	91	80	1.138	41
13	West Bromwich Albion	42	16	8	18	79	78	1.013	40
14	Birmingham	42	16	8	18	66	81	0.815	40
15	Tottenham Hotspur	42	15	9	18	66	79	0.835	39
16	Cardiff City	42	16	7	19	61	76	0.803	39
17	Leicester City	42	14	10	18	70	80	0.875	38
18	West Ham United	42	15	7	20	63	76	0.829	37
19	Leeds United	42	14	8	20	64	76	0.842	36
20	Burnley	42	13	10	19	85	108	0.787	36
21	Manchester City (R)	42	12	11	19	89	100	0.890	35	Relegation to the Second Division
22	Notts County (R)	42	13	7	22	54	74	0.730	33