arsenal.com WEDNESDAY 4 AUGUST ARSENALv (LEAGUE CHAMPIONS) thearsenalhistory.comBEN FI CA (PORTUGUESE LEJ•GUE CHAMPIONS) Kick off 7 .30 pm OFFICIAL PROGRAMME 5p ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED Directors LEAGUE CHAMPIONS D. J. C . H. HILL-WOOD, EsQ., M.C. (Chairman) WINNERS, F.A. TOPICS OF THE WEEI< 1931, 1933, 1934, SIR GUY BRACEWELL-SMITH, BT., M.B.E., M.A. CHARITY SHIELD 1935, 1938, 1948, SIR ROBERT BELLINGER, G.B.E., D.SC. 1930, 1931, 1933, 1953, 1971 S. C. MCINTYRE, ESQ., M.B.E., F.C.I.S. 1934, 1938, 1948, P. D. HILL-WOOD, EsQ. 1953 RUNNERS-UP The Rev. N . F. BONE, T.D. For the first time in the history of Arsenal (and 'seventies· did. So perhaps in twenty years' time when 1926, 1932 WINNERS, EUROPEAN only once before this century in the history of any we have a lean season our supporters will talk FAIRS CUP 1970 F.A. CUP WINNERS Club) we begin a new football season as Double nostalgically of the players in the great team that did 1930, 1936, 1950, Secretary Manager WINNERS, F.A. YOUTH Champions-Football League Champions and F.A. the double, and bemoan the fact that we have no 1971 w. R. WALL B. MEE CUP 1971 Cup Winners. Hundreds of thousands of words were players now like Frank McLintock, or George Arm­ LOSING FINALISTS LEAGUE CUP FINALISTS written in our praise last May and, of course, we have strong, or Bob McNab, and so on! 1927, 1932, 1952 1968, 1969 received masses of telegrams and letters from all over ln Honour of London the world. We are grateful for every one of them, but Very soon, all these moments of excitement of obviously to reply to them all is impossible, and 1970-71 will be filed away into Memory Lane as we Vol. Liii, No. 1 Wednesday, 4th August. 1971 equally it is impossible to reproduce them in this face the harsh realities of a new season. As our programme. We just print one letter on another page Manager has said so often-the only game that which we feel will speak for the many. One letter, matters is your next one! . and we start another Denis Hill-Wood, o ur Chairman, writes: however, from Mr. M. E. Conn, is worthy of mention tough League season with the visit of Chelsea to It seems but yesterday that we were all celebrating a wonder/ul season when the here. He quotes from Tom Whittaker's Arsenal Story Highbury on August 14. But before the kick-off of which was published in 1958, and in which Tom that match, and just to give last season its final First Team had not only won the Double but the Youth Team had won two Cups and had discussed the 1951-52 season when Arsenal went for flourish before we move on to this one, and to ack­ finished Runners-Up in their League, whilst the Reserve Team had also finished as nowledge the part played by London last season, the Runners-Up in the Football Combination. It was, without doubt, the most successful THE FRONT COVER Dagenham Girl Pipers will pipe our trophies and the European Cup Winners' Cup won by Chelsea round season Arsenal has ever had. Not many of you will need reminding that the It is there/ore with much regret that we have had to lose some of our staff after such two pictures on the front cover are the two the ground. What a pity this couldn't be a triple game goals which clinched the League and the Cup. with Tottenham included so that they could complete achievements but it has always been the policy of Arsenal not to stand in the way of any Ray Kennedy at Tottenham and Charlie London's honours last season by putting the Football member of the staff who wishes to leave our organisation in order to take another job. George at Wembley. League Cup on view. What a season for London. So As most of you will have seen through the Press, those vacancies have been filled by men we feel we are entitled to make a little song and dance of whom we have the highest regard and I would, on behalf of my colleagues and everyone the double and failed on both counts. He wrote: about it all ... and then ... we're off again ... our at Highbury, like to take this opportunity to congratulate Steve Burtenshaw on his 'During this season (1951-52), Arsenal, like many destiny is in the melting pot for another ten months. appointment as Chief Coach. He is a man who has been admired for his qualities not only other teams during the last half century discovered Jon Sammels at Highbury but throughout the football community of England and we had no hesitation the utter impossibility of trying to emulate the feat, All our supporters will have seen that Jon Sammels in promoting him wrten the opportunity arose. under vastly different conditions, of Preston North has left us to join Leicester City; many of you will End, who in 1895 won both the Cup and the First His place on the Coaching Staff has been taken by Dave Smith who, until the end of Division Championship. I say, that, under modern last season, was Chief Goach of Newcastle United and, here again, we have chosen a handicaps, with forty-two League games and at least man whom we know to have those qualities which we require .at Arsenal. The position of six cup-ties, it just cannot be done. The story of our Coach to the Junior Team has been give'?.!.; !an Crawford who last season was coaching failure, a story of soccer heroism and cruel luck, is the Everton Juniors but who wished to come South for personal reasons and we count worth re-telling to strengthen my claim that the ourselves fortunate arsenal.comin this respect that he was available to join us. The position of double is impossible.' Physiotherapist/Trainer has been filled by Fred Street who held a similar position with The Double is Impossible Stoke City until recently and here too we have a very high regard for his ability and The double is impossible! . well, nothing is impossible, but when Tom was talking of the qualities which will, we Jeel sure, more than satisfactorily fill the bill. I am certain that problems of playing forty-two League games and at all our supporters will join us in extending to these three a very hearty welcome to the least six cup-ties it makes our performance last season family of Arsenal with the hope that they will have a long and happy career with us. all the more outstanding, when it is appreciated that And so we set off again on the trail of, we hope, further honours. I suppose it is too in 1951-52 there was no League Cup and no European much to expect that we could win the Double again but you may rest assured that all our Fairs Cup. No one, other than those intimately con­ efforts will be directed in this direction and, of course, to a successful run in the European nected with Arsenal, can ever realise the pressures of last season, and how the players sustained them­ Champion Clubs' Cup. It will be our first entry into this highly valued European selves physically and mentally for nearly ten months Competition and we know that the opposition we shall meet will be of an extremely high and over sixty matches. For many of them (especially standard. Neverthelessthearsenalhistory.com we feel that we are now at a peak when we can take on all-comers George Armstrong who played his first game for and, with that little bit of luck which everyone has to have if they are going to win Arsenal as long ago as the 1961-62 season) who have trophies, there is no earthly reason why we should not have on our sideboard at the end lived in the shadow of the constant reminders of what happened at Arsenal in the 'thirties, this was a JON SAMMELS of the season some of the silver which is sitting there today and, who knows, perhaps supreme triumph. The great teams of the 'thirties Good Luck, Jon. another one to join them! never succeeded in doing the double. This team of the continued on page 13 2 3 THE BENFICA PLAYERS JOSE HENRIQUE: Goalkeeper. A Benfica player VITOR MARTINS: Inside-right. Also plays at for twelve years but farmed out on loan to various wing-half where he made his debut but whatever his clubs for experience and recalled in 1965. Kept in the number he spends his time showing off his consider­ shadow of Costa Pereira until four years ago when he able talents in a scheming midfield role. Only 23 years finally won a regular place. Now 28 years old and got old he became a regular only last season but appears his one cap against England at Wembley and played to have a very bright future. in 1968 European Cup Final. ARTURJORGE: Centre-forward. Already an estab­ MALTA DA SILVA: Right-back. Strongly built lished star when he was transferred from Academica and solid defender in the British style. A product of in 1969 for £35,000 but his international experience the club's nursery but only gained a regular place was limited by his Benfica predecessor Torres. Now last season and did so well he also earned three full 26 years old he was winner of the 'golden ball' last caps.