I have never posted an article on you board before but felt this might be of interest.
And where mentioned 'The British Championship' I have had the pleasure of attending back in the 70s with the abiding memory being the flowing locks of Charlie George..
I would be interested in your thoughts re the article.
When news broke a couple of weeks ago that Charles Green was looking to buy back the Arsenal shares sold to Alisher Usmanov by Craig Whyte a year ago, it was seen as another step on the road to repairing the acts of last year.
It summarises Craig Whyte that the money gained from the sale of the shares went not to his ailing football club, but to another of his companies, Bournemouth based Pritchard Stockbrokers.
Anyway, that’s quite enough about pitiful human beings.
Much more interesting is the story of how Rangers first acquired these sixteen shares, and, indeed, the friendship between the clubs that predates it.
The foundations of modern Arsenal were laid in 1886 by Rangers friendly Scotsman David Danskin. Just as the Glaswegian club were founded by a group of teenagers who wanted to play football, Arsenal were similarly formed by 23 year old Danskin, accompanied by a group of fellow young factory workers.
In 1892, Danskin invited Rangers down to their Invicta Park ground in South East London for the first ever meeting between the two sides. After a 3-2 victory for the Gers, Arsenal would sign squad player James Henderson from their opponents, who would go on to become their top scorer in their first season in the Football League that year.
Fast forward to 1908 and we can introduce the character of George Morrell into this story. After a spell in charge of Greenock Morton, the former Rangers Swifts manager found himself as the manager of Woolwich Arsenal.
However, the Londoners were struggling. Poor crowds saw the club enter voluntary liquidation in 1910. When the club was bought over, Morrell wrote to Rangers, asking for financial assistance. William Wilton, Rangers manager at the time, obliged, and bought two shares in the company. In the following years, Arsenal moved across the Thames, buying land in North London. They then employed a certain Archibald Leitch to build a new stadium for them. That stadium was called Highbury.
In later years, Wilton and Morrell left their respective clubs. Their replacements, Bill Struth and Herbert Chapman, would not only strike up one of the great British footballing friendships, but would totally revolutionise both clubs. Indeed, it is not inconceivable that Arsenal’s decision to then donate a further 14 shares to Rangers as way of thanks for helping them through a turbulent financial period was due in no small part to Chapman’s affinity for both Struth and Rangers.
The two managers were in charge of the two dominant British footballing institutions in the early 1930s, with both Arsenal and Rangers winning their respective divisions four times between 1930 and 1935. At this point, Chapman and Struth agreed that the sides would play on an annual basis to determine who was the ‘best in Britain’. Although the fixture would be replayed on an almost annual basis until the early 1970s, when the two clubs were champions, the meeting was known as the ‘British Championship’.
Rangers fans will be pleased to know that it took Arsenal until the clubs’ eighth meeting to record a victory over the Light Blues.
As time passed, the link between the clubs has remained, with legends such as Richard Gough, Jack Kelsey and Nigel Winterburn all choosing to revive the fixture for their testimonials, while Rangers were invited to Arsenal’s prestigious ‘Emirates Cup’ pre-season tournament in 2009.
The friendship between Rangers and Arsenal is now well over one hundred years old. In modern football, ‘friendship’ seems to take the form of loaning players out, or making commercial deals together, but the one shared by Rangers and Arsenal is truly historic. Chapman and Struth certainly would be proud.
Browse:
An enduring friendship
comment by Aaron Ramsey's biggest fan (U6685)
posted on 26/2/13
comment by HenrysCat (U3608)
posted on 26/2/13
Are you asking for a loan?
comment by The Duke (U10059)
posted on 26/2/13
no but we could have done with one some months back
Just thought it a nice story.
comment by Choice City (U6187)
posted on 26/2/13
Friend Ship
comment by 50 No longer trusting the process (U1147)
posted on 26/2/13
Interesting.
comment by Leo Phoenix (U7144)
posted on 26/2/13
gers
comment by CrouchEndGooner (U13531)
posted on 27/2/13
It's the Ship which never sinks Choice
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