INNOVATION AT THE STATION

 On November 5th 1932 Arsenal had been to Wolverhampton Wanderers and beat them 7-1. The previous Saturday they had beaten Leicester 8-2 at Highbury and they had the Tube Station renamed from Gillespie Road to Arsenal. With the Division fixtures beginning on August 27th they beat Birmingham City 1-0 away but it wasn't long before Arsenal lost their next game to West Bromwich Albion at home 1-2. But by the end of the season the Gunners had Played 42 Won 25 Drawn 8 and Lost 9 coming top of the First Division with 118 goals for and 65 against.
This was Herbert Chapman's team having been brought from Huddersfield Town to revive the North London club. He and Arsenal were loved by some and hated by many!
Arsenal were league champions on 1931, 1933-4-5, and 1938. They were runners-up in 1932 and third in 1937.
They won the FA Cup in 1930, 1936 and runners up in 1932. The first 38 championships had been won by Midland or Northern clubs and Arsenal broke the run.
There was no television to show the country this success but Arsenal's players became household names:
Alex James, David Jack, Joe Hulme, Cliff Bastin, Herbie Roberts, Tom Parker, George Male, Eddie Hapgood, Ted Drake to name the most well known.
Chapman was an innovator who having visited Austria saw floodlights being used to illuminate a game so he introduced lights at the training ground. He talked about using a white ball under lights, but all this didn't happen until 20 years later.
He insisted on first class facilities for spectators, so Highbury was developed and he tried out "numbered shirts" before they were made official by the Football League in 1939.
He used "all weather" pitches, he experimented with independent time keeping and goal judges!
His gift of persuasion had the local tube station name changed to Arsenal!
Born 1878 at Kiveton Park Yorkshire near Rotherham.
He died suddenly following a club game at Aldershot Town FC in January 1934.