Preview: Arsenal vs Queens Park Rangers

On the last day of 2011, Arsenal take on QPR at 15:00GMT at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal are coming from a home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers and QPR are also coming from a draw against Swansea. With Szczesny guarding the Arsenal goal as usual, Arsene Wenger will probably field Djourour, Mertesacker, Koscielny and Vermaelen in defence. Mikel Arteta will probably feature in midfield alongside Ramsey and Song, with the front line being composed of Walcott, Gervinho and star-striker Robin van Persie.

Van Persie stands a chance of breaking a record this Saturday for th biggest amount of goals scored in a calendar year. He is only two goals away from matching Alan Shearer's 36 goal feat. With a hat-trick against QPR, van Persie would break Shearer's record. But the past record is not in Arsenal's favour. In fact, out of 8 Premier League matches in the past played against QPR, Arsenal have won just one match. QPR won two matches and 5 matches finished with a draw.

Another notable milestone would be reached if Arsenal score a goal against QPR, and this would be their 300th goal in a London derby. The last time the two clubs met, Arsenal crushed their opponents QPR 6-0 at away stadium Loftus Road in 2006 in the fourth round of the FA Cup. In Arsenal's last 4 home matches, they have failed to score more than one goal in each game.

Prediction: With QPR failing to win any of their last 6 matches, and Arsenal winning three out of 6, we predict a victory for Arsenal on Saturday. QPR have not kept a clean sheet in their last 9 matches, which means that Arsenal are very likely to score their 300th London derby goal this Saturday. At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal have lost just once this season, and they are unlikely to register their second home loss of the season against QPR.

Thierry Henry to play for Arsenal for two months at 34 years, joining on loan

Arsenal will look to bring club legend Thierry Henry to the new Emirates Stadium and pair him with in-form Robin van Persie once again. After David Beckham's widely-publicised loan move from United States club LA Galaxy during the off-season in America, it seems that now it's Henry's turn to make a similar move to his old club from New York Red Bulls.

Thierry Henry, who is aged 34 and in his 8 seasons at Arsenal etted 226 goals, will be available for the matches against Manchester United and Tottenham in the Premier League, as well as the Champions League encounter with AC Milan. The move has been officially confirmed by Arsene Wenger himself when he said:

"For two months it certainly will happen. I don't take care of the agreement and the insurance and that is not completed."

"At the moment we cannot announce anything because all the paperwork is not done."

"To cover for two months is ideal. He has the experience and the quality. He knows the club and can help the players on and off the pitch."

"He has exceptional talent and is a very intelligent man, it can only be positive."

"He is still class and has quality. He still has pace. When Robin and Thierry play together we will do very well."

"It shows that Arsenal is always special to players, such as Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann and now Thierry."

"We are not looking for permanent players unless we lose players, as we have a big squad."

"It was my idea [to bring him back to Arsenal during the off-season in America]. He was happy about it, but it was my idea."

"No-one expects him to be what he was 10 years ago. There's no special pressure, Robin remains our main striker."

Champions League: Arsenal lose 3-1 against Greek club Olympiakos

In a game where Arsenal fielded youth players as they were already ascertained of the first place in the group and qualification, the Londoners could afford a bad result in this match. The fight for qualification in 2nd place was between Marseille and Olympiacos, and the former's victory over Dortmund put them through to the knock-out phase in place of Olympiacos. Arsenal conceded three goals and could only get one goal through Benayoun. Fabianski conceded the first goal by Djebbour and was then substituted in the 25th minute. Young Italian goalkeeper Mannone took his place and conceded a goal by Torrijos in the 36th minute. Benayoun got one back for Arsenal, but they conceded again late in the match in the 89th minute through Modesto. Unlike Manchester City and Manchester United, Arsenal join Chelsea in the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, being the only two clubs left representing England.

Watch the highlights of the match below:


Olympiakos Piraeus v Arsenal by arghofar

FA Cup Third Round Draw: Arsenal vs Leeds United

Arsenal have been drawn at home to face Leeds United once more in the Third Round of the FA Cup with Budweiser.

The Gunners will host Simon Grayson's side for the second year running the competition, following the 1-1 draw with the Championship outfit at Emirates Stadium last season.

Arsenal eventually won the replay at Elland Road 3-1, with goals from Samir Nasri, Bacary Sagna and Robin van Persie securing victory.

The fixture will be played on the weekend of January 7.

Third Round draw in full:

Middlesbrough v Shrewsbury
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City
Manchester City v Manchester United
Dagenham & Redbridge/Walsall v Millwall
Crawley v Bristol City
Doncaster v Sutton Utd/Notts County
Bristol Rovers v Aston Villa
Tottenham v Cheltenham Town
Sheffield Wednesday v West Ham
Milton Keynes Dons v QPR
Hull City v Ipswich Town
Coventry v Southampton
Brighton v Wrexham
Fulham v Charlton Athletic
Birmingham v Wolves
Norwich v Burnley
Arsenal v Leeds United
Derby v Crystal Palace
Fleetwood/Yeovil v Blackpool
Swindon v Wigan
Barnsley v Swansea
Chelmsford/Macclesfield v Bolton
Newcastle v Blackburn
Everton v Tamworth
Sheffield United v Salisbury City/Grimsby
Liverpool v Southend/Oldham
Gillingham v Stoke
Chelsea v Portsmouth
Watford v Bradford
Peterborough v Sunderland
West Brom v Cardiff
Reading v Stevenage

Source: http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/arsenal-to-face-leeds-united-in-the-fa-cup

Arsenal win 4-0 against Wigan Athletic

On the 3rd December, Arsenal registered a 4-0 victory over Wigan, demolishing the team's tactical plan. Wigan drew widespread criticism for their performance. The goals of Arsenal came from Arteta and Vermaelen (back to back in the 28th and 29th minutes respectively, Gervinho in the 61st minute and star player van Persie in the 78th minute. Watch the highlights of the match below:


Wigan Athletic v Arsenal by mbabpool

11th September

On the 11th September 1893 came the first victory for Woolwich Arsenal in the Football League. Back then, the club was playing in the third division. The match was against Walsall Town Swifts, the predecessor of current League One club Walsall FC. In this match, John Heath scored three goals, and it was the first hat-trick by the club in the third division. Woolwich Arsenal won the match by the score of 4-0.

The 11th September 2003 was the date when Cesc Fabregas joined Arsenal from Barcelona's youth academy. He had been a Barcelona youth player for 6 years. Eventually, he turned out to be a great acquisition for Arsene Wenger and one which goes down in the history books of the club as one of the best players to feature for Arsenal. A century of assists, 57 goals and 303 appearances was his input to the club in the 8 seasons that he played for them as a senior player. He joined Barcelona again on the 15th August 2011. After helping Arsenal win the 2004/05 FA Cup and the 2004 Community Shield, and reaching the Final of the Champions League in 2005/06, Fabregas left for his childhood club for the fee of £29 million.

10th September

On the 10th September 1904, Arsenal played their first home match in the First Division at Manor Ground in Plumstead. The club was still known as Woolwich Arsenal at the time. This first home match in the top division in England was played against Preston North End and finished with the score tied at 0-0.

104 years later on the 10th September 2008, young English winger Theo Walcott became England's youngest player to score a hattrick for the English senior team against Croatia. The match was played away at the Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, and England registered a 4-1 win over the Croatians.

9th September

A bit of early history of the club. Going back two centuries, to the year 1893, Woolwich Arsenal played their first away match in the league on the 9th September. The predecessor to the current Arsenal FC played Notts County in the league and lost by the score of 3-2. Arsenal's goals were scored by Arthur Elliott and Walter Shaw.

8th September

On the 8th September 1970, Arsenal were hosted by Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Second Round of the League Cup. The Gunners could not find a goal that would settle the game in their favour, and a replay had to be played after the match finished with the score of 0-0. The performance at home stadium Highbury was more convincing as Arsenal ran out 4-0 winners.

In 1984 on the 8th September, Arsenal defeated Liverpool by the score of 3-1 at home stadium Highbury in the First Division. The victory meant that Arsenal went straight to the top of the First Division table: something which the fans had been longing for for 12 years since 1972.

7th September

The 7th September 1945 is the birthdate of former Arsenal player Peter Storey. Storey played in the position of full back and also defensive midfielder. In total, the English player from Surrey made 501 appearances for Arsenal between 1965 and 1977, where he scored 9 goals. He moved to Fulham in 1977 but played for the other London club for just one season before bringing down the curtain on his career. Between 1971 and 1973, while at Arsenal, Storey earned 19 international caps for England. Storey is the 8th player in the ranking of players who have appeared the most for Arsenal.

More recently in the year 2007, on the 7th September Arsene Wenger renewed his contract with Arsenal until 2011. The contract extension was reported to be worth £4 million per annum. Arsene Wenger's comment at the time was, "My heart is tied to this football club. It has deep-seated roots and a tremendous heritage. It is my aim to uphold these values and help create new history for future generations. Arsenal is the club of my life. I have been entrusted with complete freedom to implement and execute my plans on what will make the team successful. That means I have a responsibility to the fans to deliver silverware and also a responsibility to the players to help turn our potential into prizes." During the period of this contract extension, however, Arsenal failed to win any domestic or European title.

6th September

Morris Bates was a full-back for Royal Arsenal between 1886 and 1890. Bates was nicknamed the 'Iron Man' and captained Royal Arsenal as they won their first trophies: the Kent Senior Cup and the London Charity Cup. In total, Bates played 73 first team matches for Royal Arsenal. On the 6th September 1905, Morris Bates died at the age of 41 from tuberculosis.

On the 6th September 1913, the first match at Highbury was played against Leicester Foss. 20000 fans attended the opening of Arsenal's new stadium. Previously they used to play home games at Manor Ground in Plumstead. Highbury was the home stadium of Arsenal between September 1913 and May 2006, when they moved to the new Emirates Stadium. George Jobey scored for Arsenal after Leicester Fosse's Tommy Benfield opened the score. The win for Arsenal depended on the late penalty converted by Arsenal's Archibald Devine. At the time, the pitch was not yet finished and had a distinctive slope. George Jobey was injured and he had to be taken to the dressing room on a milk cart.

5th September

On Saturday the 5th September of the year 1970, Arsenal's English winger George Armstrong scored twice in a match against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal beat their rivals by the score of 2-0 at Highbury thanks to Armstrong. Later in the season, Arsenal also beat Tottenham at their home stadium White Hart Lane to complete a double over their biggest rivals. In the 1970/71 season, Arsenal lifted both the domestic league title and the FA Cup.

4th September

On the 4th September 1946, Arsenal played a First Division match at Highbury against Blackburn Rovers, and the Gunners lost by the score of 3-1. Reg Lewis was the only goalscorer for Arsenal. Arsenal at the time were managed by Geogre Allisson, which led them to 2 First Division titles, 1 FA Cup and 1 Charity Shield.

Hat-trick hero Alan Sunderland

In the year 1979 on the 4th September, Arsenal registered their biggest winning margin ever in the League Cup when they played Leeds United and beat them 7-0. The match was contested at Highbury and was the replay of the Second Round of the competition. Alan Sunderland scored a hat-trick, Liam Brady scored two penalties, and Sammy Nelson and Frank Stapleton scored a goal each.

Arsenal's new signing: Mikel Arteta

Mikel Arteta started his youth career in 1994 at the age of 12 at the amateur Spanish football club Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea in the Basque Country. This amateur club produced talent such as Xabi Alonso and Javier de Pedro. Arteta then moved to Catalonia, joining Barcelona's youth academy in 1997. In 1999, the Spanish midfielder started his senior career by playing for Barcelona's B team. He was loaned out to French club PSG between 2000 and 2002 to get match experience, and he played 31 league matches for the French club in which he scored 8 goals.

Arteta moved to one of Scotland's biggest teams in 2002: Glasgow Rangers. He spent 2 seasons at this club where he scored 12 goals in 50 league appearances. He moved back to Spain in 2004 to play for a club which is a parent club to Antiguoko Kirol Elkartea, the youth club where he started his football career. The midfielder was loaned out to Everton in 2005 and did enough to convince the club to sign him on a permanent deal. He played regularly for the club for 7 consecutive seasons, and was again set to be a key player in the 2011/12 season before he moved to Arsenal. For Everton, Arteta appeared 208 times in all competitions. He scored 33 goals and made 41 assists. He will be remembered in the club's history as one of the best players to play for the club. He wa stwice named player of the season for Everton: 2005/06 and 2006/07, as well as Players' Player of the Season in 2005/06, Sky Sports Midfielder of the Year in 2006/07 and North West Player of the Year 2006/07.

Mikel Arteta's wife is former Miss Spain, Lorena Bernal. He has a close friendship with Xabi Alonso, and while the latter played for Liverpool, the two used to be neighbours at the Albert Dock apartment complex in Liverpool. Arteta can speak English very well, as well as French, Italian, his mother tongue Spanish, and the Basque and Catalan languages.


Just minutes before the 2011 summer transfer window shut down, Mikel Arteta became Arsenal's fourth signing on the 31st August 2011. He joined the club for a reported £10 million on a four-year deal. He was signed to fill the boots of Cesc Fabregas who moved to Barcelona, and to strengthen the midfield department which was depleted following the departure of star players Fabregas and Nasri. Arteta will wear the number 8 jersey. This number was worn by Samir Nasri before he moved to Manchester City.




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3rd September

Going back to the early years of the club, on the 3rd September 1904, Arsenal played their first game in the top division in England at the time, the First Division. Like the first Football League match was played against Newcastle United back in 1893, Arsenal kicked off their First Division campaign with a game against Newcastle United. Woolwich Arsenal, as they were known at the time, lost the match by the score of 3-0.

Goalkeeper George Swindin made his debut for Arsenal on the 3rd September 1936. His debut came in a match against Brentford, which the club lost by the score of 2-0. Swindin played for Arsenal between 1936 and 1954, and played in 297 league matches. Years later, he was manager of Arsenal between 1958 and 1962. Swindin died in October 2005 at the age of 90 years.

On the 3rd September 1994, Sir Billy Wright, who managed Arsenal between 1962 and 1966, died of stomach cancer at the age of 70. In his playing days, Wright played as a centre-half for Wolverhampton Wanderers, for which he made 490 league appearances. He also featured for the English national team between 1946 and 1959, making 105 appearances in the England jersey.

2nd September

Going back several years in the history of Arsenal, the 2nd September 1893 was the first time that Woolwich Arsenal played a Football League match at Manor Ground in Plumstead. The match was played against Newcastle United in front of 10000 spectators. Manor Ground is situated in South-East London, and was used by Woolwich Arsenal between 1893 and 1913, and by their predecessor Royal Arsenal between 1888 and 1890. When the team moved to Arsenal Stadium (popularly known as Highbury), they changed the name from  Woolwich Arsenal to Arsenal FC. The first match at the stadium against Newcastle finished with the score of 2-2, with Woolwich Arsenal at one time leading 2-0.

Again on the 2nd September, but in the year 1908, George Morrell took charge of his first Woolwich Arsenal game after he took over as manager. The game was played at Monor Ground and Woolwich Arsenal were heavily defeated at the hands of Everton by the score of 4-0.

1st September

On the 1st September of the year 1934, Arsenal played Liverpool in a league match at Highbury. The match finished with the astonishing scoreline of 8-1 in Arsenal's favour. Both Ted Drake and Ray Bowden scored 3 goals each in this match, while Jack Crayston scored his first goal at Highbury. Arsenal eventually won the league, which was the third successive time they achieved this success. The match coincided with approximately the 21st anniversary since Woolwich Arsenal played their first game at Highbury stadium.

31st August

John 'Jack' McClelland was a goalkeeper who played for Arsenal between 1960 and 1964, appearing for the club in 46 league matches. On the 31st August 1963, McClelland was injured after 22 minuted in the match against Leicester City. The Gunners were losing 2-0 when the goalkeeper was injured. Joe Baker, a centre-forward, volunteered to cover for the absence of McClelland and guard the goal himself, but his efforts did not prevent Leicester from winning with the score of 7-2.

On the 31st August 2006, William Gallas signed for Arsenal from Chelsea, with unhappy left-back Ashley Cole moving the other way. Apart from the player swap, Chelsea paid Arsenal £5 million. Chelsea were found guilty of tapping up Ashley Cole in January 2005. Even though he sounded his desire to leave the club, Ashley Cole had signed a new contract at the time. Eventually, his destination was still Chelsea. Gallas was named Arsenal captain in 2007 but was removed later for criticising his teammates in a media interview. Gallas would sign for rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2010 after his contract with Arsenal expired.

One year later on the 31st August, French midfield player Lassana Diarra joined Arsenal from Chelsea in another deal between the two clubs. Diarra spent just five months at Arsenal as he became unhappy that he was not getting the first team action he had hoped for. For Arsenal, the French player appeared in just 7 league matches. He moved to Portsmouth in 2008 for a fee in the region of £5 million. He would play for Real Madrid between 2009 and 2011, getting a fair share of first team action, as he appeared in 68 league matches for the Spanish club. Diarra joined Arsenal's biggest rivals Tottenham in 2011.

30th August

Gerard Pieter (Gerrit) Keizer was the first foreign player to wear the Arsenal shirt. Back in 1930 on the 30th August, Keizer made his debut for Arsenal in the 4-1 victory over Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. Keizer was a Dutch goalkeeper who was highly successful in Holland and was one of the first foreign players to play in Great Britain football. He used to play for Arsenal and then travel to Holland at night to play for Ajax the next day, earning himself the nickname The Flying Dutchman.

Then-manager Herbert Chapman eventually got tired of the young Dutch keeper and dropped him from the first-team in October, never to pick him again for the first team. He moved to Charlton in July 1931 and continued to fly between his native country and England. He also imported football kits into Holland with him as Ajax could not afford them at the time, and in 1947 was caught by Dutch Customs trying to import British bank notes, which at the time was a crime. He was fined and sent to prison for 6 months, after which he started a greengrocer business and in 1955 became director of Ajax. Gerrit Keizer, remembered as the first foreign player to play for Arsenal, died on the 5th December 1980.

29th August

Taking a look back at the early years of Arsenal, we start by looking at the 29th August 1925, when Arsenal lost 1-0 against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the first match of the 1925/26 season. And to make the loss worse, the match was played at Highbury in front of 53183 supporters. The proceeds from the gates of the stadium were supposed to go to then-manager Leslie Knighton, and they would have amounted to around £4000. However, Knighton was fired by Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris before the match was played, and was replaced by Herbert Chapman. Knighton alleged that he was sacked only because Norris did not want to pay him the proceeds from the match against Tottenham. This was the first match in charge for Herbert Chapman and also the debut of striker Charles Buchan.

On the 29th August 1987, striker Alan Smith scored his first goal for Arsenal against Portsmouth after making his debut in the 2-1 loss against Liverpool two weeks earlier. Smith, who joined the club from Leicester in 1987, went on to play 265 league matches for Arsenal and scored 86 goals. He helped the club win two First Division titles, the FA Cup 1993, the League Cup 1993, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup 1993/94. Smith is currently a commentator with Sky Sports. He was commentator of the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final alongside Martin Tyler.

28th August

On the 28th August of 1928, an 8 1/2 feet clock was placed on the North Bank of Highbury Stadium, to be moved to the opposite end of the ground, the College End, in 1935. This clock originally gave fans a 45-minute countdown of each half, but the Football League made the club change it to an ordinary clock.

In the year 1982 on the 28th August, striker Lee Chapman made his debut for Arsenal against his previous club Stoke City. Chapman joined Arsenal in 1982 after attracting their interest due to his goalscoring abilities. He scored 34 goals in 99 league matches for Stoke. However, his Arsenal move was not a success as he played just 23 matches in which he scored 4 goals. Neither was his debut, as Arsenal lost 2-1 against Stoke at the Victoria Ground.

On the 28th August 1993, Ian Wright, who played as a striker for Arsenal between 1991 and 1998, entered the UK pop charts with his song 'Do The Right Thing'. This song peaked at the 43rd position, and stayed in the charts for two weeks. For Arsenal, Wright scored 128 league goals in 221 league appearances after he joined the club from Crystal Palace.

Listen to the song below, thanks to drcstim:

27th August

Brynmor Jones, known as Bryn Jones, was a Welsh inside-forward who played for Arsenal between 1938 and 1949. Jones scored on his debut on the 27th August 1938 against Portsmouth. He continued to find the net in two of his following games, but then he managed to score just one more before the end of the season. During his 11 years at Arsenal, he only managed to score 7 league goals.

On the 27th August 1997, Dutch second-striker Dennis Bergkamp scored a hattrick against Leicester City at away stadium Filbert Street. In that match, Arsenal drew with the score of 3-3. Bergkamp, who joined the club from Italian club Inter, played for the club between 1995 and 2006, and retired from football in 2006 while still at Arsenal.

On the 27th August of the year 2008, French attacking midfielder Samir Nasri made his UEFA Champions League debut for Arsenal against FC Twente and scored in the 4-0 victory over the Dutch club. Arsenal won in the Third Qualifying Round of the 2008/09 Champions League with a 6-0 aggregate over FC Twente to go through to the Group Stage.

26th August

Sylvain Wiltord signed for Arsenal on the 26th August 2000 after spending three seasons at French club Bordeaux. Arsenal paid a club-record fee of £13 million for the player which could play both as a winger and as a striker. For Arsenal, Wiltord appeared in 104 league matches between 2000 and 2004, scoring 32 league goals. He left Arsenal in 2004 for free as his contract expired and he decided to return to France with Olympique Lyon. After that, he played for Rennes, Marseille, Metz and Nantes. In a vote to find the Top 50 Arsenal Players in the club's history, Wiltord was voted 33rd.

25th August

On Saturday the 25th August 1928, Arsenal started using numbers on their shirts in a game against Sheffield Wednesday. The system in those days used the number 1 to 22 only, and it remained so until 1939. Chelsea were the only other team that started using numbers on the same day as Arsenal when they played Swansea.

In more recent years, in the year 2004, Arsenal managed to beat Blackburn Rovers by the score of 3-0 at Highbury on the 25th August with the goals being scored by Henry, Fabregas and Reyes. It was Arsenal's 43th game unbeaten, breaking the previous record held by Nottingham Forest of 42 games unbeaten. Arsenal won the 2003/04 Premier league title without being beaten once, scoring 73 goals and conceding 26 goals, for a point total of 90 points, and an 11-point advantage over runners-up Chelsea. In the 2004/05 Premier League, they finished second behind Chelsea, losing 5 games in the whole domestic season.

24th August

On the 24th August of 1967, Arsenal midfielder Michael Thomas was born in Lambert. Michael Thomas started his football career as a youth player for the Arsenal youth team between 1982 and 1984. He then signed professional terms in 1984 and played for the club until 1991, spending the 1986 campaign out on loan at Portsmouth. For Arsenal, Michael Thomas appeared in 206 league games, scoring 30 goals. He also earned two England international caps while playing for Arsenal.


Thanks to uploader 2ume

The game remembered most by Arsenal fans in which Michael Thomas played was the one against Liverpool in May 1989. He scored the goal against Liverpool which secured the First Division title for Arsenal. That season, Arsenal and Liverpool finished at the top of the table with equal points (76 points) and equal goal difference (+37 goals). Arsenal won the title with a superior Goals For (73 goals).

23rd August

Luis Boa Morte was one of Arsene Wenger's earliest signings when he took over as manager of Arsenal. Boa Morte was signed from the youth academy of Portuguese club Sporting CP. He made his debut as a substitute in a match against Southampton played on the 23rd August 1997. After signing for the transfer fee of £1.75 million, Boa Morte spent just two seasons at Arsenal and played just 25 league matches. He joined Southampton, the team against which he made his Arsenal debut, in August 1999 for £500000.

On the 23rd August of the year 2006, Theo Walcott became the youngest Arsenal player to represent the club in a European competition. The match was played at home in the Third Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League against Dinamo Zagreb. Walcott was just 17 years 129 days old. He was booked in that match for taking a shot after the referee whistled, and thus became also the youngest Arsenal player to be booked in a European competition.

22nd August

On the 22nd August 1964, Arsenal's 3-2 defeat at the hands of Liverpool was the first and only football match featured on the first episode of Match of the Day.

On the 22nd August of the year 1999, Davor Šuker made his debut for Arsenal as a substitute in the match against Manchester United. Davor Šuker is a Croatian and holds the record of being the all-time top goalscorer for the Croatian national team, which record stands at 45 goals. He joined Arsenal after three seasons at Real Madrid, but only spent the 1999/00 season playing at Highbury. He scored 8 goals in 22 league appearances. In his debut against United, Arsenal lost by the score of 2-1.

21st August

In the year 1976 on the 21st August, Malcolm Macdonald made his league debut for Arsenal at Highbury against Bristol City. The Fulham-born player was signed from Newcastle for the unusual fee of £333333.33. Prior to his debut, he boasted that "There is no way I will not be on the scoresheet on Saturday". But in real fact, apparently there was a way he would not, as Arsenal lost the match by the score of 1-0. However, in the three seasons that the player spent at Arsenal, he had a good return of 42 league goals in 84 league appearances: an average of one goal every two matches. He left Arsenal to join Djurgårdens IF in 1979.

Connected to Macdonald, in the year 1981 on the same day, his former striking partner Frank Stapleton was sold to Manchester United for the transfer fee of £900000. Stapleton, who started his professional career at Arsenal, scored 75 league goals between 1974 and 1981, in 225 appearances. He joined United and played for the club until 1987, with a return of 60 league goals in 223 league appearances.

20th August

Patrick Jennings, known popularly as Pat Jennings, was a goalkeeper who signed for Arsenal from arch-rivals Tottenham in 1977. To make matters worse, Jennings joined Tottenham again when he left Arsenal in 1985. For Tottenham he played a total of 472 league matches between 1964 and 1977, and just 5 matches between 1985 and 1986. For Arsenal, he made 237 appearances in goal. On his debut on the 20th August 1977, Pat Jennings conceded a goal against Ipswich Town and Arsenal lost the match by the score of 1-0.

On the 20th August of 2008, French defender Mikael Silvestre joined Arsenal from Manchester United on a two-year deal. The transfer was concluded 11 days after Silvestre's birthday. While for Manchester United he played 361 matches in all competitions scoring 10 goals, for Arsenal he made 43 appearances and scored 3 goals. He spent 9 seasons at Man Utd and two seasons at Arsenal, before moving on a free transfer to Werder Bremen in 2010.

19th August

On the 19th August 1961, Arsenal striker Laurie Brown made his debut in a 2-2 draw against Burnley. He was converted by Arsenal into a centre-half and played 109 league matches for the club, scoring just twice. Brown moved to arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 1964 after 3 seasons at Highbury. At Tottenham, he scored 3 goals in 62 league appearances. His debut with Tottenham was coincidentally against Arsenal and he nearly scored in a 3-1 victory for Tottenham. The transfer fee received by Arsenal for the centre-half was £40000.

John Kosmina was Arsenal's first Australian senior player. He joined the club from Adelaide City but spent a very short time in England. In fact, he played just one senior game for Arsenal, and this was a substitute appearance against Leeds United on the 19th August 1978. He was sold to West Adelaide SC in May 1979.

Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp made his debut for Arsenal on the 19th August 1995. He started his career at Ajax, then moved to Inter for two season, before joining Arsenal in 1995. His debut was in the match against Middlesbrough at Highbury which finished in 1-1 tie. For Arsenal, Bergkamp made 316 league appearances, scoring 87 goals. He retired at the club in 2006 and started a career in coaching with Ajax in 2011, being appointed Assistant Manager.

The 19th August 2006 was the date when the first league match was played at the new Emirates Stadium which replaced Highbury as Arsenal's home stadium. The match was played against Aston Villa and finished with the score of 1-1, Gilberto Silva scoring Arsenal's goal. The stadium which cost £390 million to construct has a capacity of 60361.

18th August

On the 18th August of the year 2001, English defender Sol Campbell made his debut for Arsenal in a 4-0 victory over Middlesbrough. Campbell became a regular player for the Gunners between 2001 and 2006, when he left to join Portsmouth. He made 135 league appearances for the Gunners and from a central defender position even managed to score 8 goals.

Interestingly, Sol Campbell played for arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur before joining Arsenal on a free transfer. He was labelled Judas, in other words 'traitor', by the Tottenham supporters. Newspaper the Daily Mail even listed him as the Number 1 Biggest Traitor in Football. However, in his first season for Arsenal, Campbell helped the club win the Premier League and FA Cup double. He enjoyed Premier League success again in the 2003/04 season and FA Cup success in the 2002/03 and 2004/05 season. He also won the 2002 and 2004 Community Shield with Arsenal.

17th August

Ex-Arsenal player Wilfred Copping was born on the 17th August 1909. He joined Arsenal in June 1934 from Leeds United where he had appeared in 162 league matches. He played at the centre and at the left of midfield, and earned 20 caps for the English national team. For Arsenal, he played 166 league matches and then joined Leeds again in 1939. He was nicknamed Iron Head due to his tenacity on the pitch, and had three superstitions before matches: he was always 6th in the line-up, he always put his left boot first, and he never shaved on a match day. Copping died in June 1980.

On the 17th August of the year 1977, one of the modern players that would go on to earn legend status at Arsenal was born: Thierry Henry. After playing for Monaco and Juventus, Henry joined Arsenal in 1999 and went on to make 254 league appearances for the club, scoring 174 league goals. His total for all competitions was 226 goals in 369 appearances. Thierry Henry moved on to Barcelona in the summer of 2007. In his time at Arsenal, he helped the Gunners win 2 Premier League titles, three times the FA Cup and twice the Community Shield.

16th August

David O'Leary made his debut for Arsenal on the 16th August 1975 against Burnley at their stadium Turf Moor. O'Leary played as a central defender for Arsenal between 1975 and 1993, where he made 558 league appearances for the club. Then he moved to Leeds until 1995 when he retired. Then he managed Leeds United between 1998 and 2002, and Aston Villa between 2003 and 2006, before coaching Al-Ahli for the 2010/11 season. O'Leary earned 68 caps for the Republic of Ireland to complement the 1005 times he appeared in an Arsenal shirt in all competitions.

On the 16th Auust 1980, Arsenal left-back Kenny Sansom made his debut against West Brom. Then he continued to appear in all matches in the 1980/81 season and in the 1981/82 season. For Arsenal he played 314 league matches, and he is the club's most capped England player, earning 77 of his 86 career caps while playing for Arsenal between 1980 and 1988.

Another player to make his debut on the 16th August, in the year 2008, was French player Samir Nasri. It was his Premier League debut after joining from French club Marseille. The match was played against West Brom, like that of Kenny Sansom's debut, and Nasri scored the only goal in the 1-0 victory at home stadium Emirates in front of 60071 spectators.

15th August: Goodbye Cesc Fabregas: Off to Barcelona

On the 15th August 2011, Cesc Fabregas was officially confirmed as the latest signing of European Champions Barcelona. On this day, we thank the Spanish midfielder for his services in the past 8 years, in which he scored 57 goals in all competitions, as he heads home to Spain. It was the Arsenal captain's wish to play with the Barcelona first team. As a boy, Fabregas started out his football career as a youth player for the Blaugrana. His dream was to join international teammates and friends Carles Puyol, the current captain of Barcelona, Pique, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and goalkeeper Victor Valdes. And his dream is now fulfilled. 

He joins a club which has won the top Spanish division 21 times, the Copa del Rey (King's Cup) 25 times, the Spanish Super Cup 9 times, the UEFA Champions League 4 times including the 2010/11 competition, and the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup, among others. At the age of 24, Fabregas starts this new adventure in his illustrious career. 303 is the number of appearances that he made in an Arsenal shirt in all competitions, and the fans loved him. Arsenal after Fabregas' departure will not be the same Arsenal, and with the £35 million revenue from his sale, it will be a big headache for Wenger to find a player to fill his boots. 

Fabregas' debut at a senior level came at the age of 16 years 177 days against Rotherham United at home on the 28th October 2003. He holds the record for being the youngest Arsenal first team player ever. His first goal for the club came just 35 days later, on the 2nd December 2003 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He also holds the record for being the youngest goalscorer in the club's history after scoring at the age of 16 years 212 days. He earned the captain's armband in 2008 and became a regular in the Spanish national team. While at Arsenal, he was part of the Spanish team which won Spain's first ever FIFA World Cup in 2010. 

Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger sounded his disappointment that the Spanish midfielder is heading towards the exit door of Arsenal when he said: "We have been clear that we didn't want Cesc to leave and that remains the case. However, we understand Cesc's desire to move to his home town club and have now accepted an offer from Barcelona. We thank Cesc for his contribution at Arsenal and wish him future success." 

We look at some of the best moments of Cesc Fabregas in the Arsenal shirt in these videos by Alex7Greek and JustWe4HD:

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15th August

On the 15th August 1992, Arsenal played the first match in the new top domestic league in English football: the Premier League. This match was played against Norwich City at Highbury, and Arsenal lost with the score of 4-2, with the Arsenal goals being scored by Steve Bould and Kevin Campbell. Back then, Arsenal's shirts were manufactured by German brand Adidas and sponsored by JVC. In that season, Arsenal won the FA Cup and hence qualified for the 1993/94 European Cup Winners' Cup First Round. In the league, however, the club slumped to an awful 10th place finish, with the league winners being Manchester United with a 28 point advantage over Arsenal's 56 point total.

On the 15th August of 2011, Arsenal announced on their official website that they have reached an agreement with Catalan giants Barcelona for the transfer of Cesc Fabregas. After a long-protracted transfer saga, the Spanish midfielder returns to Nou Camp after playing for the club's youth eam between 1997 and 2003. The captain of Arsenal now moves to the Spanish and European Champions for a fee in the region of £35 million after repeatedly stating in the media that he longed for the move to boyhood club Barcelona. 

14th August

Left winer Luis Boa Morte made his last appearance for Arsenal on the 14th August 1999 in a match against Sunderland as a second-half substitute. The match was played at the Stadium of Light. Boa Morte, who started his professional career at Arsenal and played for them between 1997 and 1999 after playing for the Sporting CP youth team, made just 25 league appearances for the club, and was sold to Southampton for the transfer fee of £500000. Later, he would play for seven years for another London club, Fulham FC.

On the 14th August 2005, on a Sunday, Arsenal played Newcastle United and won the match by the score of 2-0. It was the opening match of the 2005/06 season which was the last one played at Highbury Stadium before moving to a newly-built stadium. This was the season where Arsenal players wore redcurrant shirts.

13th August

After several rumours that Aaron Ramsey was set to join Manchester United, Arsenal entered the race for his signature and succeeded in securing the signature of the young Welsh midfielder. On the 13th August 2008, Ramsey made his debut for Arsenal when he came on for Theo Walcott in the 84th minute of the match against Twente. The game was played away and was the first leg of the Third Qualifying Round of the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League. Ramsey joined Arsenal from Cardiff City for £4.8 million and then spent loan periods at Nottingham Forest and back at Cardiff City.

Arsenal started their 2011/12 Premier League campaign with a match against Newcastle United. The match against the Magpies, as they are nicknamed, finished with the score of 0-0 which was somewhat disappointing for Arsenal fans. The fans also saw new signing Gervinho being sent off for slapping Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton in the face. 

12th August

On the 12th August 1980, Kenneth Sansom joined Arsenal from Crystal Palace in a part-exchange deal which included striker Clive Allen, reserve keeper Paul Barron, and £1 million. Sansom played for Arsenal between 1980 and 1988, appearing 314 times in the league. Until February 2011, he held the record for the biggest number of full-back caps for the English national team, until he was overtaken by Ashley Cole. Sansom made his debut for Arsenal on the 16th August 1980 against West Brom.

In 1994 on the same date, reserve goalkeeper Alan Miller left Arsenal and signed for Middlesbrough for £500000. He was a youth player for Arsenal between 1984 and 1988, and was a reserve goalkeeper for the club between 1988 and 1994. In total, he appeared 9 times for Arsenal in the league. Later he enjoyed periods of first team action with Middlesbrough (1994-97: 57 league appearances) and West Brom (1997-00: 93 appearances).

On the 12th August 1996, Stewart Houston started his second spell as caretaker manager of Arsenal when Bruce Rioch was relieved of his duties as manager. Houston was a Manchester United player in his playing days, appearing 205 times for the club in the league as a left-back. He managed Arsenal as caretaker manager in 2005 and in 2006. He left the position of caretaker manager in 2006 when he realised he was not going to get the job permanently, and took over the position of manager of Queens Park Rangers. Interestingly, he appointed Bruce Rioch as his assistant manager at QPR. Arsene Wenger was appointed manager on a permanent basis after the departure of Stewart Houston.

11th August

On the 11th August 1977, Arsenal acquired the services of goalkeeper Pat Jennings from bitter rivals Tottenham, which thought that he was past his best. Jennings joined Arsenal at the age of 32 but went on to play until he was 40, appearing 327 times for the Gunners. He helped Arsenal reach three FA Cup Finals in a row between 1978 and 1980, winning the 1979 edition with a 3-2 victory over Manchester United. Initially, Jennings signed a four-year £80000 per week contract with Arsenal.

On the 11th August of the year 2002, it was a debut goal from Gilberto that won the FA Community Shield for Arsenal. It was the 14th time that Arsenal lifted the shield. The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in front of 67337 fans. The opponents were Liverpool, and Gilberto's goal came in the 69th minute. Gilberto played for Arsenal between 2002 and 2008. He joined Arsenal on the 7th August 2002 for £4.5 million.

10th August

Andrew Alexander Cole, well known by the shortened name Andy Cole, started his football career as a youth player for Arsenal. He signed professional terms in 1989 and played for Arsenal until 1991. His last match for the Gunners was on the 10th August 1991 in the Charity Shield against Tottenham Hotspur. The game finished 0-0 and the two teams shared the trophy. However, Arsenal lost one great player, which would later play for rivals Manchester United and bag 93 goals in 195 appearances. With United he won the Premier League 5 times, the FA cup twice, the FA Charity Shield twice, the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League and the 1999 Intercontinental Cup.

On the 10th August 2004, Francis Jeffers was sold to Charlton Athletic for £2.6 million. He is regarded by many as a huge flop as he cost £8 million to transfer from Everton in 2001, and was sold three years later for much less. He scored 4 goals in 22 appearances in an Arsenal shirt, and was loaned back to Everton for the 2003/04 season before being permanently transferred to Charlton.