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}}</ref> but despite six first-team players Arsenal lost 2–0 in one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref> but despite six first-team players Arsenal lost 2–0 in one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time.<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/01/FA_Cup_Third_Round_Shocks.htm | title=Third Round upsets | work=TheFA.com | accessdate=2007-05-03 }}</ref> Chapman was enraged by the result, and showed his ruthlessness by selling one player, [[Tommy Black (Scottish footballer)|Tommy Black]], who had conceded a [[penalty kick|penalty]] in the game, to [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.|Plymouth Argyle]] within a week of the result; another, striker [[Charlie Walsh (footballer)|Charlie Walsh]], was sold to [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] a week later.<ref>{{cite book
| url=http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFACup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2006/01/FA_Cup_Third_Round_Shocks.htm | title=Third Round upsets | work=TheFA.com | accessdate=2007-05-03 }}</ref> Chapman was enraged by the result, and showed his ruthlessness by selling one player, [[Tommy Black (Scottish footballer)|Tommy Black]], who had conceded a [[penalty kick|penalty]] in the game, to [[Plymouth Argyle F.C.|Plymouth Argyle]] within a week of the result; another, striker [[Charlie Walsh (footballer)|Charlie Walsh]], was sold to [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] a week later.<ref name="soartyler64">{{cite book
| author=Soar & Tyler
| author=Soar & Tyler
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}}</ref> In the following close season, Chapman became the first professional manager in charge of [[England national football team|England]], albeit in an ''ad hoc'' unofficial capacity, for the team's against [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in [[Rome]] on [[May 13]] [[1933]]. He did not have any input into the selection process, the team being determined by the [[the Football Association|FA]]'s International Selection Committee, but did advise on tactics and gave pre-match team talks. The result was a 1-1 draw. He also took charge of the team for England's 4-0 win over [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] a week later.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamMgr/MgrChron.html | title=England's Coaches/Managers in Chronological Order | work=England Football Online }}</ref>
}}</ref> In the following close season, Chapman became the first professional manager in charge of [[England national football team|England]], albeit in an ''ad hoc'' unofficial capacity, for the team's against [[Italy national football team|Italy]] in [[Rome]] on [[May 13]] [[1933]]. He did not have any input into the selection process, the team being determined by the [[the Football Association|FA]]'s International Selection Committee, but did advise on tactics and gave pre-match team talks. The result was a 1-1 draw. He also took charge of the team for England's 4-0 win over [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] a week later.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamMgr/MgrChron.html | title=England's Coaches/Managers in Chronological Order | work=England Football Online }}</ref>


Chapman led up to the [[1933-34 in English football|1933-34]] season looking to retain Arsenal's title. Wary of his ageing team and the club's inadequate reserves (as proven by the Walsall match), he had noted to club director [[George Allison]] "The team's played out, Mr Allison, we must rebuild. Chapman started the process, signing [[Ray Bowden]] and having already converted the young [[George Male]] from left half to right back. Chapman's last signing was [[Jimmy Dunne]] in October 1933, intended as a replacement for Jack Lambert. Arsenal started the season consistently and worked their way to a comfortable four points clear at the top of the table with a goalless draw with [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] on [[December 30]] [[1933]], which proved to be Chapman's last match in charge.
Chapman led up to the [[1933-34 in English football|1933-34]] season looking to retain Arsenal's title. Wary of his ageing team and the club's inadequate reserves (as proven by the Walsall match), he had noted to club director [[George Allison]]: "The team's played out, Mr Allison, we must rebuild."<ref>{{cite book

| author=Soar & Tyler
| year=2005
| title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal
| pages=p.74

}}</ref> Chapman started the process, signing [[Ray Bowden]], [[Pat Beasley]] and [[Jimmy Dunne]], and having already converted the young [[George Male]] from left half to right back.<ref>{{cite book

| author=Soar & Tyler
| year=2005
| title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal
| pages=p.59

}}</ref> Arsenal started the season consistently and worked their way to a comfortable four points clear at the top of the table with a goalless draw with [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] on [[December 30]] [[1933]], which proved to be Chapman's last match in charge.<ref name="soartyler64"/>


==Death==
==Death==


Chapman spent New Year's Day 1934 in London before travelling north to see [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]], Arsenal's next opponents, play on [[January 2]] [[1934]], spending a final night in his home town of Kiveton Park. He had a [[common cold|cold]] upon his return to London, but against doctor's advice he attended an Arsenal third team match against [[Guildford City F.C.|Guildford City]] in the wet. The cold worsened and soon turned to [[pneumonia]], and Chapman quickly succumbed. He died in the early hours of [[January 6]] [[1934]] at his home in [[Hendon]]. He was buried four days later at Hendon St Mary Parish Church.
Chapman spent New Year's Day 1934 in London before travelling north to see [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]], Arsenal's next opponents, play on [[January 2]] [[1934]], spending a final night in his home town of Kiveton Park. He had a [[common cold|cold]] upon his return to London, but against doctor's advice he attended an Arsenal third team match against [[Guildford City F.C.|Guildford City]] in the [[rain|wet]].<ref name="soartyler64"/> The cold worsened and soon turned to [[pneumonia]], and Chapman quickly succumbed. He died in the early hours of [[January 6]] [[1934]] at his home in [[Hendon]].<ref name="soartyler64"/> He was buried four days later at Hendon St Mary Parish Church.<ref name="chrishobbs"/>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==

Revision as of 01:46, 13 February 2008

Herbert Chapman
Personal information
Full name Herbert Chapman
Position(s) Inside forward

Herbert Chapman (January 19, 1878 – January 6, 1934) was an English football player and manager.

As a player, Chapman played for a variety of clubs, at League and non-League levels. His record was generally unremarkable as a player, making fewer than 40 League appearances over the course of a decade and he did not win any major honours. Instead, he found success as a manager, first at Northampton Town between 1908 and 1912, whom he led to a Southern League title.

This attracted the attention of larger clubs and he moved to Leeds City, where he started to improve the team's fortunes before World War I intervened. After the war ended, City were implicated in an illegal payments scandal and were eventually disbanded. Chapman was initially banned from football but successfully appealed, and then took over at Huddersfield Town, winning an FA Cup and two First Division titles in the space of four years.

In 1925 Chapman was tempted to move to London club Arsenal, and brought the previously trophyless club an FA Cup and two First Division titles. He set them up to be the dominant team of the 1930s — they would eventually win five League titles that decade — but he did not live to see them to do so, dying suddenly from pneumonia in 1934, at the age of 55.

Not only credited with turning round the fortunes of both Huddersfield Town and Arsenal, he is also regarded as one of the game's first modernisers. He introduced and new tactics and training techniques into the English game, as well as championing innovations such as floodlighting, continental football and numbered shirts, and has received many posthumous honours in recognition.

Early life

Chapman was born in Kiveton Park, near Rotherham.[1] His father was a coal miner, but rather than spend his life working down the pit, the young Herbert was bright enough to win a place at Sheffield Technical College, where he studied mining engineering.[2]

Chapman was one of eleven children[3] and born into a keen sporting family, with two of his brothers also playing professional football. The most successful of these was his younger brother, Harry Chapman, who played for the Sheffield Wednesday side of the 1900s that won two league championships and an FA Cup.[3] His older brother Tom Chapman played for Grimsby Town, while another brother, Matthew Chapman, later became a director of the same club.[3]

Playing career

Chapman's playing career was that of a typical journeyman, owing mostly to the fact he often played as an amateur, meaning where he played was dictated by whether he could find an appropriate job nearby.[2] He first played as a youth for his local side, Kiveton Park,[1] before leaving home in 1895. He then played for Ashton-under-Lyne and played as an amateur for Ashton North End, before moving on to Stalybridge Rovers and then Rochdale[1] — all three clubs being members of the Lancashire League. Chapman played at inside right, and although he lacked the skill of his brother Harry, he compensated for it with his strength and robustness.[4]

In 1898 he joined his brother Tom at Second Division Grimsby Town, still an amateur at this stage; Chapman took up a job at local solicitors to earn his way.[5] Grimsby started the season poorly, near the bottom by halfway through and beaten 7-0 by Preston North End in the FA Cup, but rallied to finish tenth at the end of 1898-99.[6] However, Chapman had been dropped by the end of the season, after being unsuccessfully moved to centre forward.[7] He was released by Grimsby and drifted down into non-league football with a brief spell at Swindon Town, playing three games and scoring twice,[8] but had to leave the club as he was unable to find a job in the area.[9] He moved on to see out the season with Sheppey United, who finished bottom of the Southern League in 1899-1900.[10] Chapman finished as United's top scorer but was injured at the end of this season, and still unable to find a job;[11] disheartened, he returned to his hometown and turned out for Worksop Town of the Midland League in 1900-01, while resuming his studies, this time at Old Firth College in Sheffield.[11]

Though due to his studies he mainly played for Worksop's reserves, in a first-team match against Northampton Town he caught the opposition's eye, and they offered him a contract, leading him to turn professional for the first time in 1901.[12] He played for Northampton for the whole 1901-02 season, finishing as top scorer with 14 goals in 22 games for the club.[13] During that season he had impressed in an FA Cup match against Sheffield United, leading them to offer Chapman a contract at the end of the season; Chapman accepted but dropped down to amateur status, wishing to make use of his engineering qualifications in the local area.[13] He played 22 matches and scored twice for United, but struggled to keep his place in a team full of internationals, and was sold to Notts County for £300 at the end of 1902-03.[14] Chapman turned professional again, but only made seven appearances in two years for County, scoring once.

In 1904, Chapman moved back to his old club Northampton Town, playing a season effectively on loan from Notts County (as they kept his registration), before being transferred permanently in 1905 to Tottenham Hotspur for £75.[15] He scored eleven goals for Spurs in their 1905-06 Southern League campaign.[16] He spent 1906-07 in and out of the side, scoring just three goals, and at the end of the season had made his mind up to leave Tottenham and professional football for good.[17]

Managerial career

Northampton Town

In 1907, as he was about to leave Tottenham Hotspur, Chapman had recommended Spurs team-mate Walter Bull to his old club Northampton Town, as their new manager. However, Bull changed his mind, and in turn recommended that Chapman take the job instead.[18] Chapman complied, and became player-manager of Northampton Town. Northampton had finished bottom of the Southern League two seasons running immediately before Chapman's appointment,[10] but Chapman turned the club around within a short space of time.

Chapman reformed the team's tactics, dropping the half backs (midfield) to give his forwards more space, while encouraging his back line to pass their way out of trouble.[19] He also encouraged his chairman to spend money on new players, including Welsh international Edwin Lloyd-Davies, who to this day remains Northampton's most-capped player.[20] In his first season in charge, Chapman led Northampton to eighth place; with further signings, such as Albert Lewis from Coventry City, and employing a midfield playmaker in David McCartney,[21] he used this as a springboard to take the Southern League title in 1908-09,[10] with Lewis finishing as top scorer.

By now, Chapman had retired as a player, having played his last match against Watford in early 1909.[22] Northampton went on to lose the 1909 Charity Shield, 2-0 to Newcastle United,[23] and although they did not win the Southern League title again during Chapman's reign as manager, they finished in the top four for each of the following three seasons.[24] Additionally, they proved their mettle in the cup against First Division sides, knocking out Sheffield Wednesday and taking Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United to replays, losing 1-0 both times.[24]

Chapman was keen to get Northampton Town in to the Football League, but with no automatic promotion or relegation rules at the time this proved very difficult. Chapman proposed a new two-division Football Alliance underneath the two divisions of the Football League, with automatic promotion and relegation (a similar system to the four-division League setup introduced in 1921), but this was rejected at the time.[25] In the 1912 close season, he was offered the chance to manage Second Division Leeds City, and with Northampton's blessing moved north again to join the League side.[26]

Leeds City

Leeds City had finished 19th in the Second Division in the season preceding Chapman's arrival, and were facing re-election. Chapman played an essential part in lobbying for the side's readmission and Leeds City were duly re-elected.[26] That done, Chapman signed new talent and despite some erratic performances — losing 6-0 in between two 5-1 wins, for example — City finished sixth in 1912-13, Chapman's first season.[27] Attendances rose at Elland Road from 8,500 to 13,000 in his first year,[27] as Chapman's attacking side scored 70 goals, the second-highest total in the entire division.[28]

City's form improved further the next season, in 1913-14, coming fourth, two points outside the promotion places.[29] Despite having failed on his promise to get the team promoted within two years, City's rising attendances and resulting better profits for the club kept the directors happy, and the club were confident of promotion in 1914-15.[29] However, the declaration of World War I disrupted Leeds City's season, with attendances down as men signed up to fight. Chapman by now had amassed a very large squad and was unable to pick a consistent side, continually changing his first-choice lineup.[30] Leeds City lost six of their last eight games of the season to finish just fifteenth.[29]

League football was suspended for the rest of the war, with Leeds City playing in regional competitions. With many players away fighting or having left the game due to a drop in wages, Leeds relied heavily on guest players during these matches.[31] Chapman, meanwhile, had decided to help the war effort by taking up a position as manager of a munitions factory in Barnbow, near Cross Gates in 1916.[32] For the next three years, City's assistant manager, George Cripps stood in for Chapman on the administrative side, while chairman Joseph Connor and another director took charge of the team.[31]

After the war had ended, and football resumed in 1919-20, it was revealed that Leeds City had been involved in a series of financial irregularities, involving illegal payments to guest players during wartime matches.[31] Leeds City were expelled from the Football League in October 1919, which resulted in the dissolution of the club by the end of the year, and five club officials, including Chapman, being banned from football for life.[31] Their players were auctioned off and their Elland Road ground was taken over by the newly formed Leeds United.[31]

Huddersfield Town

After his ban, Chapman moved to Selby to take up a position as a superintendent at an oil and coke works, but by Christmas 1920 he had been laid off.[33] Soon after, however, he was approached by Huddersfield Town to become assistant to Ambrose Langley, an old colleague of Herbert Chapman's brother Harry. Huddersfield backed Chapman in his appeal against his ban, arguing that he had not been in charge of the side during the time illegal payments were paid. The ban was overturned, and Chapman was formally installed as Langley's assistant on February 1 1921.[34]

Chapman was promoted to full secretary-manager, replacing Langley, the following month,.[35] and soon made an impact, signing players such as England international Clem Stephenson from Aston Villa (who became captain under Chapman).[36] and 18-year-old unknown George Brown (who went on to become Huddersfield's all-time top scorer).[37] In Chapman's first full season in charge (1921-22), Huddersfield Town won the FA Cup, beating Preston North End 1-0 in the Final at Stamford Bridge, the club's first major trophy.[38] However his side had spent most of the season fighting relegation and had finished 14th,[39] so Chapman looked to strengthen his squad.

As before, Chapman's tactics were based upon the principles of a strong defence and a fast, counter-attacking approach to the game, with a focus on short passing and mazy runs from his wingers.[40] Additionally, his extended control to all footballing affairs at the club worked to his advantage, making the club's reserve and third teams play the same style of football so their players could slot into the first team if need be.[40] He also employed a wide-ranging scouting network to find the right players for his tactical system; bolstered by the money from the Cup run, Chapman was able to make further signings such as goalkeeper Ted Taylor and forward Charlie Wilson (later to be joined by George Cook).[41]

With new players and Chapman's system, Huddersfield were transformed — they finished third in 1923-24[39] and then went on to win their first ever League title in 1923-24, by the narrowest of margins — equal on points with Cardiff City, Huddersfield won by 0.024 of a goal on goal average.[42] The final goal by Brown in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season proved crucial, although ultimately it was Huddersfield's superior defensive record which had given them the initial advantage.[43]

Following the title win, Chapman kept faith in his squad, making only one new signing — outside right Joey Williams[44] — as they successfully defended their League title in 1924-25. Huddersfield started brightly but a poor run of form in October and November (in part caused by an injury to goalkeeper Ted Taylor) saw them drop to as low as ninth.[45] However, with Taylor replaced by new signing Billy Mercer, a resurgence in form saw Huddersfield climb back up again, regaining top spot with a 5-0 win over Arsenal in February,[46] and eventually finishing two points clear of runners-up West Bromwich Albion.[47] As a testament to Chapman's philosophy of relying on a strong defence, it was the first time a title-winning side had gone through a season without conceding more than two goals in any match.[48]

Arsenal

A bronze bust of Chapman stands inside Emirates Stadium as a tribute to his achievements at the club.

In the 1925 close season, Chapman had already set about improving his squad for a third successive title (something which had never been achieved before). At the same time, Arsenal were looking for a replacement for the sacked Leslie Knighton, with Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris placing an advertisement in the Athletic News:[49]

Arsenal Football Club is open to receive applications for the position of TEAM MANAGER. He must be experienced and possess the highest qualifications for the post, both as to ability and personal character. Gentlemen whose sole ability to build up a good side depends on the payment of heavy and exhorbitant [sic] transfer fees need not apply.

Despite the fact Arsenal had been fighting relegation the previous two seasons, and the chairman's restriction on spending, Chapman moved to Arsenal soon after, attracted both by the London club's larger crowds and a salary of £2,000, double what he earned at Huddersfield Town.[50] At Arsenal, Chapman immediately made an impact by signing 34-year-old Charlie Buchan, an England international and Sunderland's all-time record goalscorer, whom he made Arsenal captain.[51]

The "WM" formation that Chapman implemented at Arsenal.

Chapman and Buchan's arrival at the club coincided with a change in the laws of the game in June 1925, that modified the offside law. The change had reduced the number of opposition players that an attacker needed between himself and the goal-line from three to two (including the goalkeeper). Buchan's idea, implemented by Chapman, was to move the centre half from a roaming position in midfield to a "stopper" position in defence. With the inside forwards brought back to help the midfield, this changed the usual formation from 2-3-5 to 3-4-3, or a "WM", so called after the shape it formed spelled out the letters. This meant the offside trap was now the responsibility of the single centre half, while the full backs were pushed wider to cover the wings.[52]

Arsenal were by no means the only team to have come up with the idea of dropping the centre half back — Newcastle United beat Arsenal 7-0 that season employing such a system with Charlie Spencer at centre-half; Queen's Park and Tottenham Hotspur had also adopted similar systems.[52] However, Chapman was able to refine and improve on the idea better than his rivals, melding the tactical change with his own ideas on counter-attacking football, pacy wingers and a strong defence.[52] Chapman himself summed it up by saying: "the most opportune time for scoring is immediately after repelling an attack, because opponents are then strung out in the wrong half of the field."[48]

Arsenal went on to finish second in 1925-26, five points behind Chapman's old side Huddersfield Town,[53] as they became the first club in England to manage three titles in a row.[54] However this proved to be an early dawn and Arsenal spent most of the rest of the twenties in mid-table, as Chapman took his time finding the right players to fit his new system, outlining a five year plan for success. In February 1926 he signed the fast, pacy winger Joe Hulme, followed that summer by forward Jack Lambert and full-back Tom Parker, who would later succeed Buchan as captain. Although Arsenal's league form was indifferent, in 1927 they reached the FA Cup Final, their first, but lost 1-0 to Cardiff City after an error by goalkeeper Dan Lewis.[55][56]

The same year, Arsenal became embroiled in a scandal when it was revealed Charlie Buchan had received under-the-counter payments to join the club.[57] Although Sir Henry Norris was indicted for his part and banned from football, Chapman escaped punishment, and with the autocratic Norris replaced by the more benign Samuel Hill-Wood, Chapman's power and influence within the club increased, allowing him control over all aspects of the club's business.[52] He persevered in building the club, strengthening his attacking lineup with the signings of David Jack in 1928, and Alex James and Cliff Bastin in 1929. Chapman also woekd on improving his defence, with the signings of Herbie Roberts and Eddie Hapgood at centre half and left back respectively.

Chapman had laid out a five-year plan for success in 1925, and it came to fruition exactly on schedule, as his Arsenal won their first major trophy in the 1930 FA Cup Final, beating his old side, Huddersfield Town, 2-0. Despite having only finished 14th in the League the same season, the win spurred Arsenal on and laid the foundations for a decade in which Arsenal would be the dominant team in England, but achieve fame around the world.

Chapman had by now perfected the ruthless, counter-attacking football he had been honing. Chapman employed Bastin and Hulme as pacy wingers who could cut inside and shoot for goal, a robust front line of Lambert and Jack, and Alex James as the inside forward, roaming deep behind the front men supplying passes; James became celebrated as the engine of the team during the coming decade.[58] With the exception of James, individual flair and freedom to roam for the most part was cut out, in favour of a quick passing game, with every player part of a well-marshalled unit.

Defensively, Chapman's tactics of fast-moving play meant the half-back line of John and Jones could drop back to defend as needs be. Arsenal's defence were marshalled to defend deep and fall back into their own penalty area when the opposition had the ball; this allowed the opposition plenty of possession in Arsenal's half, until Arsenal regained the ball. At that point, the half backs would push up with the attackers, meaning Arsenal could quickly commit as many as seven men forward as a unit to attack and score. Chapman's system demanded not only a high level of fitness from his players, something which he emphasised strongly upon, but also players suited to each task, and his skill in spotting the right players, as well as his extensive scouting network, proved to be key.

Though highly effective, Chapman's approach to football contrasted with how the game was traditionally played in England, with its emphasis on possession, dribbling and dwelling on the ball, and brought accusations of "Lucky Arsenal" or "Boring Arsenal" from commentators and opposition alike. However, in Arsenal's first title-winning season of 1930-31, they scored 127 goals in the League, which still stands as a club record to this day.[59]

Having won both League and Cup in separate seasons with two clubs, Chapman was determined to go one better and win the Double - which had not yet been won in the 20th century - in 1931-32 but ended up missing out on both - finishing second in the League behind Everton[60] and losing the 1932 FA Cup Final controversially to Newcastle United, with Newcastle's equaliser coming after the ball had gone behind for a goal kick.[61] Chastened, Chapman regrouped his side and launched a bid for the 1932-33 title. However it was during this season that Arsenal suffered one of the most infamous defeats in their history.

In the FA Cup Third Round, Arsenal had been drawn against Walsall of the Third Division North in the FA Cup. Arsenal, as last season's losing finalists and league leaders, were clear favourites. On the day, five of the Arsenal first team were out with injury or flu and had their place taken by reserves,[62] but despite six first-team players Arsenal lost 2–0 in one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time.[63] Chapman was enraged by the result, and showed his ruthlessness by selling one player, Tommy Black, who had conceded a penalty in the game, to Plymouth Argyle within a week of the result; another, striker Charlie Walsh, was sold to Brentford a week later.[64]

However despite the Cup setback, Arsenal bounced back in the League, and with the same scoring form as in 1930-31, finished the season having scored 118 League goals in total, which included a 5-0 win over title rivals Aston Villa, in that season's title-deciding match.[65] In the following close season, Chapman became the first professional manager in charge of England, albeit in an ad hoc unofficial capacity, for the team's against Italy in Rome on May 13 1933. He did not have any input into the selection process, the team being determined by the FA's International Selection Committee, but did advise on tactics and gave pre-match team talks. The result was a 1-1 draw. He also took charge of the team for England's 4-0 win over Switzerland a week later.[66]

Chapman led up to the 1933-34 season looking to retain Arsenal's title. Wary of his ageing team and the club's inadequate reserves (as proven by the Walsall match), he had noted to club director George Allison: "The team's played out, Mr Allison, we must rebuild."[67] Chapman started the process, signing Ray Bowden, Pat Beasley and Jimmy Dunne, and having already converted the young George Male from left half to right back.[68] Arsenal started the season consistently and worked their way to a comfortable four points clear at the top of the table with a goalless draw with Birmingham City on December 30 1933, which proved to be Chapman's last match in charge.[64]

Death

Chapman spent New Year's Day 1934 in London before travelling north to see Sheffield Wednesday, Arsenal's next opponents, play on January 2 1934, spending a final night in his home town of Kiveton Park. He had a cold upon his return to London, but against doctor's advice he attended an Arsenal third team match against Guildford City in the wet.[64] The cold worsened and soon turned to pneumonia, and Chapman quickly succumbed. He died in the early hours of January 6 1934 at his home in Hendon.[64] He was buried four days later at Hendon St Mary Parish Church.[1]

Legacy

He was one of the first football managers in the modern sense of the word, taking full charge of the team, rather than letting board members pick the side. As well as his tactical innovations, Chapman was also a strong believer in physical fitness in football - he instituted a strict training regime and the use of physiotherapists and masseurs. He encouraged his players to openly discuss tactics and the game, instituting weekly team meetings at his clubs, and also encouraged them to socialised in extra-curricular activities such as golf.[27]

Unlike many of his contemporaries in Britain, Chapman was a fan of the continental game and counted among his friends Hugo Meisl, coach of the Austrian "Wunderteam" of the 1930s.[48] Chapman proposed a Europe-wide club competition more than twenty years before the European Cup was instituted, and regularly took his teams abroad to play foreign sides.[48] Additionally, he was one of the first managers to consider signing black and foreign players; as well as signing Walter Tull, one of the first black professionals in the game, for Northampton Town in 1911,[69] he attempted to recruit Austrian international goalkeeper Rudy Hiden for Arsenal in 1930, but was blocked by the Ministry of Labour, after protests from the Players' Union and the Football League.[70] He did however succeed in signing Gerard Keyser, the first Dutchman to play English league football, as an amateur the same year.[70]

After attending a night-time match in Belgium in 1930, Chapman became an early advocate of floodlights.[48] He had floodlights installed in Highbury's new West Stand when it was constructed in 1932; however it was only used for training and had to wait until the 1950s for officially-sanctioned use in matches.[71] Chapman oversaw much of the development of Highbury in the early 1930s, including the building of the East and West Stands, and the addition of a clock which was eventually placed by the south terrace, giving it the name of the "Clock End".[71] He is also credited with being behind the renaming of London Underground's Gillespie Road station to Arsenal.[72] He even designed the scoreboard and turnstiles at the stadium.[71]

Chapman also advocated the use of white footballs and numbered shirts, as well as adding hoops to Arsenal's socks to make it easier for players to pick each other out.[71] He later made a further change to Arsenal's kit, adding white sleeves to the previously all-red shirt and brightening the colour, before a match against Liverpool on March 4 1933; the same kit design survives to this day.[73] The tradition of both teams walking out together at the FA Cup Final was started in 1930 due to Herbert Chapman's involvement with both clubs, and has continued since.

Honours

Although he did not win any major honours as a player, as a manager won Chapman won a Southern League title in 1908-09 with Northampton Town, four Football League titles (1923-24 and 1924-25 with Huddersfield Town, 1930-31 and 1932-33 with Arsenal) and two FA Cups (1922-23 with Huddersfield Town, 1929-30 with Arsenal). After his death the team he had built at Arsenal, under his successors Joe Shaw and George Allison, went on to win the 1933-34 and 1934-35 titles, emulating his Huddersfield Town team by completing a hat-trick. No team was to repeat the feat until Liverpool between 1982 and 1984.[54]

In 2003 Chapman was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his impact as a manager.[74] A blue plaque commemorating Chapman was unveiled in March 2005, at 6 Haslemere Avenue, Hendon, where he lived from 1926 until his death. Chapman was the first footballer or football manager to be commemorated in this way.[75] In 2004, on the seventieth anniversary of his death, The Sunday Times named him the greatest manager of all time in a poll.[76]

In tribute to his achievements at the club, a bronze bust of Chapman, sculpted by Jacob Epstein resided inside the marble halls of the East Stand of Arsenal Stadium, Highbury until its closure in 2006; it is now on display at the Arsenal Football Club Megastore "The Armoury" at the Emirates Stadium.[77] He is one of only two Arsenal managers to be honoured this way, the other being current manager Arsène Wenger.[77] A replica of Chapman's bust has been commissioned by Arsenal Football Club for Huddersfield Town's centenary in 2008.[78] Furthermore, Arsenal's white away kit for the 2007-08 season was dedicated to Chapman and his achievements.[79]

Family

Herbert married Annie Poxon, a schoolteacher from Annesley, Nottinghamshire, in September 1905. They had two sons, Ken (born 1908) and Bruce (born 1911), and two daughters, Molly (born 1915) and Joyce (born 1919). Ken was a rugby union player for Harlequins, and later served as President of the Rugby Football Union.[3]

Footnotes and references

  1. ^ a b c d Hobbs, Chris. "Herbert Chapman 1878-1934". Retrieved 2006-11-27.
  2. ^ a b "Herbert Chapman". Kiveton Park History.
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  77. ^ a b "Arsenal commission bust of Arsène Wenger". Arsenal.com. 2007-10-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  78. ^ "Game with Gunners for Centenary Showpiece". Huddersfield Town Online. 2007-07-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  79. ^ "New Arsenal Away Kit for Herbert Chapman". Arsenal.com.

Further reading

By Chapman
  • Herbert Chapman (2007) [1934]. Herbert Chapman on Football. Robert Blatchford. ISBN 978-0955239908.
On Chapman
  • Page, Simon (2006). Herbert Chapman: The First Great Manager. Heroes Publishing. ISBN 0954388453.
  • Studd, Stephen (1998). Herbert Chapman, Football Emperor. ISBN 028563416X.

External links


Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Herbert_Chapman&oldid=191043865"