UPS AND DOWNS

 Arsenal, The Gunners, thanks to World War One? When the Great War ended, Arsenal found themselves in the First Division of the Football League.....in those days, the top one! When normal activities ground to a halt at the end of the 1914/15 season, Arsenal was 5th in the Second Division. Four years later, they found themselves "promoted", with the help of a very persuasive Chairman, Tory MP Sir Henry Norris.

Norris had taken advantage of the Division's "expansion" from 20 to 22 clubs. Previous expansions in 1898 and 1905 had allowed the bottom two clubs in the First Division (this time Chelsea and Tottenham) to "stay up" and not be relegated and of course the top two in Division Two (this time Derby and Preston) would be promoted as normal. 

Derby and Preston were assured but the other two places were up for grabs. Norris argued that Spurs deserved to be relegated, but Chelsea did not, as Manchester United would have been in a relegation place in 1915 had they not gained two "dodgey" points from a "fixed" match against Liverpool.

By arguing for Chelsea but not calling for the demotion of United and Liverpool, Norris was winning "Brownie" points for Arsenal. Other clubs were impressed with his contacts. Norris was close friends with Liverpool Chairman, "Honest" John McKenna, who was also President of ther Football League. The League committee met to decide who should get the "final" First Division place, Arsenal (Highbury below in those days) won more votes than Spurs, Wolves and Barnsley who had all finished the 1914/15 season in higher positions. There were dark accusations of bribes having been offered, but nothing was proven.

Spurs resolved to "obtain by the verdict of the ball, what they had been denied by the vote". And that's what they did! By 1920, Spurs were back in the top division and one of their first matches with Arsenal was at White Hart Lane in 1922, a game that was not very amicable. Two players were sent off and there were a lot of injuries. When Spurs scored the Arsenal crowd got rowdy, fighting continued outside the stadium and bot clubs were warned by the FA. It was, of course, the spectators fault, but a fierce rivalry was born and Arsenal have never been relegated since. 

A great trivia quiz answer, Arsenal are the only side to play in the second tier without ever being relegated to get there and never promoted to escape. When it was time for the game to resume in its normal form, Arsenal were voted as one of the clubs who should make up the First Division extra spots, with the competition expanding from 20-22 teams, despite finishing 5th when the Second Division was last played.