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Legends Of English Football: #10 Ted Drake

Paul Bestall — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:09:38 +0000

In the annals of Arsenal’s history, one name conjures images of a bygone era, baggy shorts and a dead eye for goal. In the record books, his name still stands alone for the most goals scored in one season, with 44 in the 1934-35 season. In the modern era, first Ian Wright and then Thierry Henry surpassed his overall record but that shouldn’t overshadow Drake’s achievements for Arsenal.

Drake was born in Southampton in 1912 and was an adept sportman through his schooldays excelling at cricket and football, though when he left school he became a gas meter reader. A chance to play regular non league football for Winchester Town came along, and Drake took the opportunity with both hands, whilst continuing the meter reading! After two goal filled seasons, in 1931 Southampton came calling and Drake returned to his home town team.

Drake’s first season saw him become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Second Division football but by the end of his first season, he’d got 7 goals and had established himself as Southampton’s main striker. The Saints were a poor side and even with Drake’s goalscoring prowess, the highest they finished whilst he was at the club was 12th, nowhere near promotion. Drake’s first season had caught the eye of the legendary Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman and he made an attempt to sign him in the summer of 1933 but Drake didn’t want to move that far north!

That first full season had seen him plunder 20 league goals and after turning down Arsenal’s advances, Drake hit the ground running in the 1933-34 season. He scored 8 goals in his first 5 games and continued in the same vein eventually getting 22 goals before Arsenal came back in for him in March 1934. This time, frustrated by the lack of progress Southampton were making and with the club facing financial difficulties, Drake moved to Highbury for £6,500.

Arsenal were top and Drake continued to score goals, hitting another 7 in the 10 games he played for the Gunners but missed out on a League Championship medal through lack of appearances. He was to get his hands on one the following season though and hit 42 league goals in 41 games, with 3 hatricks and 4 four goal hauls in his stats for the season setting a record that still stands today.

The following season Drake continued to hit the goals and on December 14th 1935 he set another record when he hit 7 against Aston Villa in a 7-1 rout. Incredibly, he also had another goal chalked off as it cannoned off the crossbar, bounced over the line and back out but the referee didn’t see it.

What makes Drake’s record for the Gunners even more remarkable was that he constantly battled injury problems throughout his career, especially a niggling back injury that would catch up with him at the end of his career. Yet Drake continued to push himself through the pain barrier to make Highbury his hunting ground and whilst Cliff Bastin mesmerised opponents with his wonderful ball skills, Drake would punish any lapses in the penalty area.

Drake was rewarded with his fine form with being called up for England and scored 6 goals in 5 appearances, injuries curtailing his opportunities to represent his country more than just a handful of times. He made his debut in the game that became known as the “Battle of Highbury” against Italy in November 1934, one of an incredible 7 Arsenal players to start the game. Typically, Drake scored the winner in a bad tempered 3-2 win.

As the decade continued, Drake finished as Arsenal’s top scorer in 5 consecutive seasons, as Arsenal continued to be the dominant force in English pre-war football. Between 1931 and 1939, Arsenal’s lowest position was 6th in the 1935-36 season, but they managed to win the F.A Cup with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United. Guess who scored the winning goal. Another League Championship medal came along in the 1937-38 season as Arsenal pipped Wolves by one point.

As with most of his contemparies, Drake’s career was stopped dead in its tracks with the outbreak of World War Two in September 1939 aged just 27. Drake went to serve in the RAF but continued to play for Arsenal in wartime fixtures. On the resumption of League football, Drake was injured against Reading and was forced to retire from playing. Despite this set back he took over as manager of non-league Hendon in 1946, moving to Reading in 1947 were after 5 seasons, Chelsea came calling.

Upon his arrival, he completely revamp the club, who were classed as London’s poorer side. Changing the badge, the motto, the kit and the club’s philosphy for big signings who continually failed to deliver, he used his knowledge of the lower leagues to sign the quality of player that Chelsea needed. As his team knitted, Chelsea became a force to be reckoned with and won the league in 1955 shocking the two titans, Manchester United and Wolverhampton Wanderers. With it, Drake became the first person to win the league as a manager and a player.

It was as good as it got for Drake as Chelsea amazingly didn’t finish in the top ten again that decade and in 1961 he was removed from his position as manager. He continued to keep involved with football, having spells as Assistant Manager at Fulham and Barcelona under Vic Buckingham. He continued to love football and would often travel to all the clubs in London, for the simple pleasures of just enjoying watching football.

Drake passed away on May 30th 1995, aged 82.

Scored 139 goals in 186 full appearances for Arsenal from 1934 – 1939
Two League Championship medals 1934-35 & 1937-38
One F.A. Cup Winners medal 1935-36
5 Appearances for England, scoring 6 goals
First man to win League title as a player and manager
Scored 7 goals in one match against Aston Villa on December 14th 1935
Arsenals top scorer in every season from 1934-1935 until 1938-39
Became Life President of Fulham
Played County Cricket for Hampshire from 1931 until 1937

Can Anderson Be the Key?

David Schiavone — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:47:53 +0000

The Midfield Magician

Cast your mind back to May 2009, Manchester United were comprehensively and soundly trounced in Rome by a magical Barcelona side, inspired by Xavi and Iniesta. For many, the lack of quality in the centre of the park was plain to see, Carrick looked lethargic and unsure of himself, Fletcher was missed, this, a surprise in itself. Club legends, Giggs and Scholes were ineffective and nowhere to be seen.

The class of the Manchester United midfield is weak in comparison their Premier League rivals, Chelsea with Essien, Lampard, Ballack and Liverpool have Mascherano, Aquilani and Gerrard respectively. Carrick, Fletcher and Scholes just do not compare.

Some of you may cry, “You forgot about Owen Hargreaves!” Indeed I did, mainly due to the length of time he has been injured and latest estimates say he will return around Christmas.

With the transfer window almost closed there are no centre midfielders in sight. So I put it to you that, Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira or just plain Anderson will flourish this season.

In my opinion, Anderson possesses all the qualities to become a top class midfielder, he has pace, acceleration, strength, a strong positional sense coupled with the ability to thread through a match winning final ball. He is a combatitive all action midfielder, beginning his career further up the park, he has since developed a very useful defensive side to an already impressive array of attacking talents.

Anderson reminds me a little of Kaka but with a hint of Roy Keane, obviously these are massively talented players, whose level of ability he has not yet reached, but I think he can and has to an extent combined the best parts of their respective games.

He can sit in front of the defence and play a disciplined role, spreading passes to his teammates further up the field. He can also play as an attacking midfielder, a place where he is most comfortable. In this position he offers all the samba skills you can want – just ask Cesc Fabregas – he has vision, dribbling skills and an eye for goal.

The single shortfall of Anderson’s game, and it is a rather large one, is his uncanny ability to do everything right in the lead up to a shot then fluff the final act, footballs have been found as far away as China. Seemingly he did not bring his shooting boots to Old Trafford.

But I have hopes he can eradicate this untimely habit throughout the forthcoming season, and if pre-season is anything to go by we are in for a few treats, as his sublime free-kick against Boca Juniors was a joy to behold.

I think this could be the season where stamps his authority on this Manchester United side, he has already shown in the past he can mix it up with the big boys dominating in games against Fabregas and Steven Gerrard during his first season with United. He may just prove that there is infact life after a certain Portuguese.

Farewell Sir Bobby Robson 1933-2009

Paul Bestall — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:44:28 +0000

It’s with a heavy heart that I start this posting, as the sad news that Sir Bobby Robson has finally lost his fight with cancer after a 13 year battle with the disease. Sir Bobby’s last public appearance was at the charity match for his foundation on Sunday, and it was heartbreaking yet wonderful to see him receive the adulation of his beloved Geordie fans one last time.

Robson was the most successful English manager of the last 50 years, of that there is no argument, both at home in England and with various stints in Spain, Portugal and Holland. A true gentleman, his warmth, generosity and love of the game touched everyone that he came in contact with throughout his long and distinguished career. Whilst Clough had success at Forest in his early days, he never built on his early success at Derby County or Nottingham Forest, save for a League Cup win in 1988. Robson won trophies in 4 countries and took his country to a World Cup semi final over a 10 year period.

A successful footballer, Robson was a deep lying centre forward, similar to the role that Teddy Sheringham would later distinguish with such panache. He started his career at Fulham, but as with Sir Tom Finney, his father made him concentrate on a proper trade, becoming an apprentice electrian whilst still training with Fulham. In the two spells he spent at Craven Cottage, Robson made 344 appearances and scored 77 goals. The spells at Fulham bracketed a 6 year spell with West Bromwich Albion, where he appeared 239 times and hit 56 goals. He also regularly appeared for England, earning 20 caps and getting 4 goals between 1957 – 1962.

Yet, Robson’s playing career would be eclipsed by his success as a manager, though it didn’t get off to the best start. Returning after a spell in Canada, playing for the Vancouver Royals, Robson joined Fulham for a third time as manager in 1968. Robson took over a struggling side and was unable to keep them in the First Division. The following season, with Fulham in 8th, he discovered he had been sacked on a “Robson Sacked” placard outside Putney tube station.

It was to be his next place of employment that would set Robson on the path to greatness,;he took over at Ipswich Town in 1969. Staying for a total of 13 years, in his last 9 seasons at Portman Road, Ipswich only finished lower than 6th once. This achievement could not be understated, surrounded by the giants of Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Aston Villa, Ipswich were punching well above their weight. He consistently delivered European Football and under his guidance the club won the F.A. Cup in 1978 and the U.E.F.A. Cup in 1981.

It was clear that he had a job for life at Ipswich Town and his success as bringing players through the youth system was a testament to his skill as a spotter of players. In the 13 years he was the manager, he only signed 14 players, an incredible figure that showed the qualities the scouting network and youth system delivered.

In 1982, Ron Greenwood announced he would leave the England job and the F.A made Robson their preferred choice. The F.A’s dislike of Brian Clough meant the role was Robson’s to lose and even a last minute offer of a ten year contract at Ipswich couldn’t change his mind.

He took over in June 1982 and would spend 8 years in charge of his country. There were low points of course along the way, failure to qualify for Euro 84 and the teams woeful performance in Euro 88 but the success of getting England to Quarter Finals of the World Cup in 1986, and within a post width of a rematch in the final of Italia 90 saw Robson deliver the best showing by an England side in a World Cup since 1966.

Robson’s final two years in the England job saw him recieve unbelievably negative press, consistently being urged to quit. When the F.A. decided to remove him in 1990, I wonder just how long in Graham Taylor’s reign they’d realised what a mistake they’d made? Robson left with the success of Italia 90 still ringing in his ears and embarked on a 9 year managerial campaign in Europe. Taking over at PSV Eindhoven, he won the title in his first two seasons, but the PSV board wanted more success in Europe and Robson was removed in the summer of 1992. He then moved to Portugal and Sporting Lisbon, meeting a young interpreter by the name of Jose Mourinho.The two then moved to Porto and Barcelona. In 1999, Robson eventually got the job he’d always wanted, when he became the manager of Newcastle United.

Robson’s battle with cancer began in 1991 and he has fought 5 separate bouts of the disease in the last 18 years. He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2007, but still struggling to recover from a stroke caused by a brain tumour in 2006, it was one last fight too far. Setting up his foundation, it has so far raised over £1.5 million in 18 months, I hope that figure will rise in the next few weeks.

So farewell Sir Bobby. I will miss you; you were a lovely man, kind, warm, generous and gave me some wonderful times as an England fan. Football is a lesser sport with your loss.

“My condition is described as static and has not altered since my last bout of chemotherapy; I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute.” Sir Bobby Robson

“As a trainer without doubt Robson is one of the greatest in the world” Ronaldo

“He was like a father to me, I’ll never forget the love he showed me” Paul Gascoigne

Manchester United Finally Decide To Sell Ronaldo

Paul Bestall — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:11:07 +0000

So its official, Manchester United’s board have accepted a world record shattering bid of £80 million this morning from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t face another summer of every news outlet boring us to tears speculating on Ronaldo’s future as we had last season. Day after day, hour after hour, miniscule item after item of droning with ultimately no end product.

This means at last Ronaldo can get the move he claims is a dream for him, United can get £80 million for a player who is clearly nowhere near the level he was in 2007-2008 and Real Madrid can keep signing attacking players that won’t win them anything next season. I wonder if Michele Platini is about to launch a stinging attack on Florentino Perez as he clearly spends money the club don’t have. Of course not!

I’m sure some Manchester United fans will be devastated to be losing Ronaldo, there’s no doubt on his day he is a fantastic player, but last season saw his performance fall away from the level he’d set himself. Of course, Madrid’s courting of him all summer only for Ferguson to dig his heels in would have affected him and he once again failed to deliver for Portugal in a major tournament. Missing preseason with an injury didn’t help, but the Champions League final saw him completely outshone by Iniesta, Xavi and Messi.

No doubt Ferguson will be getting some criticism of some of Manchester United’s more uneducated fan base, but there’s no way you can turn down that amount of money for any player. If anything, United are probably selling him at the right time, its doubtful anything he does next season would increase his value, so Ferguson and United are right to sell him now. Ferguson has been slatted before for selling players certain fans thought were irreplaceable but three titles and two Champions League finals in the last 3 seasons answers any criticism the doom mongers may offer up.

United will now probably push on for a replacement, Franck Ribery, Antonio Valencia and Karim Benzema have all been touted as replacements, though United may take two of those with the funds they receive from Madrid. With Madrid buying Kaka and Ronaldo, it probably frees up those three to join other clubs and United will be jostling with Chelsea and Barcelona to sign them up. As for Madrid, Perez’s ill feted galactico scheme seems to have been brought back for the dead and it wouldn’t surprise me if they go after one other massive signing soon. Shame they’ve forgotten how bad the defence was at Madrid last season, so Perez would a fool to ignore strengthening the back line.

The additional aspect of this is that the transfer merry go round should begin to kick off all over Europe now, with the Kaka, Diego and Barry deals being the only 3 major transfers since the domestic season finished all over Europe. The bubble is well and truly set to continue growing in the Premiership and La Liga, and most of the major clubs in both countries yet to start spending, the silly season could be just around the corner.

As for Ronaldo, sure, it’ll be a shame to see him leave the Premiership, but Spanish football and La Liga isn’t far behind in popularity so he’ll not disappear from view. Over the time he spent at Old Trafford, he’s thrilled as many people as he’s annoyed. His performances over the years at club level have propelled him to the forefront of football fans all over the world and his superb season for United in 2007-2008 will live long in the memory. It’s been a privilege to watch him for the last 3 or 4 seasons, but the Premier League and Manchester United will survive and flourish without him.

Barcelona v. Manchester United: Time To Choose

Ethan Armstrong — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:16:42 +0000

And now it’s time for all good little football writers to predict the winner of today’s final. No dodging the question. No avoiding the responsibilities of punditry. Well, Clyde, I think it’s too close to call. I mean, if we don’t pick a side, we’re being wishy-washy, right? Readers want deliberate statements. They want to hear our measured opinions. It’s time to jump of that cliff and say: The winner will be…

Pick a side. Make a call. Bite into it. Just say it.

But how do you pick between these two?

The Champs v. Los Campeones.

One spanked Real Madrid both on the league table and at their own stadium. The other just tied Liverpool for most English league trophies ever.

One’s got last season’s FIFA world player of the year, the one who’s pretty well reviled by most everybody apart from Fox Soccer Commentators and Manchester United Supporters. The other’s got probably the best player in the world, the one who’s pretty well revered by everyone apart from Real Madrid supporters and C. Ronaldo’s mum…

No, no, no, Ethan… Don’t turn this into good v. evil… It’s not Lionel Skywalker v. Darth Ronaldo… Start again…

Manchester’s got that unbelievable defensive record on their side. It was the back four who won most of those clean sheets for Edwin van der Sar. Jaaskelainen had to make more actual saves this year. When they are fit and in form they are the best in the world. VDS hasn’t had to work too hard since his Fulham days. He must be tempted to bring a book and a lawn chair to work. That man’s got it easy.

Barcelona’s got the biggest collection of creative attack on the planet. Messi, Eto’o, Henry, Xavi, Bojan, Iniesta… Any one of ‘em could transform the face of a team and be the big star, but Barca wrangled them all together. An army of grace and form. Ambassadors of the beautiful game.

United have Rooney and Ronaldo, but nobody else really makes the defenders’ boots tremble quite the same way as those two. Giggs and Scholes are past their prime. Tevez and Berbatov are on fire at times, but not all the time. If they get past Barca’s back line (who are not nearly as tight as United’s) they will cause problems, but Barca will strive to dominate in possession, which they have the touch and passing to do, and limit United’s chances.

Today, it’ll be a matter of who’s having a better day out: United’s defense or Barcelona’s attackers. Rio is expected back, but is he really fit? And can he and Vidic fire up the chemistry right out of the gate or will they be rusty? These will be key factors in United’s ability to ward off the Barca seige. The whole match may well come down to how the rapport holds between those two men.

Okay, now you’re just stalling. What’s the problem?

The problem is based on Barca’s previous encounter with A Big English Club™ and United’s Well, Entire Season Really, this match promises to be a tight one. If we don’t go to penalty kicks (oh please, not again), I smell a close scoreline between two teams who could tip the balance in a heartbeat.

But both sides have shown they can snag the win from the dying moments of a match. They’ve crushed hearts all over London and Liverpool with last gasp winners.

Putting aside the worst refereeing interference since Bush v. Gore, we can’t diminish the fact Barcelona went into stoppage time at Stamford Bridge as the losers and came out the winners. And Manchester’s been doing the same all season with many 1-0 wins and plenty of late goals. The ability to create that deciding spark when the match is in its death throes is a mark of top class and pure drive. Both sides have the grit to carve out chances out of thin air and that’s going to force each side to keep on top of each other until the final whistle. It may just go to the side who makes the least mistakes. The side who sacrifices the least space to the gods of opportunity.

Alright, can you see me putting it off? Enough of that. I’ll pick. Here it is:

Barcelona.

I know I just set myself up for a United supporter to tell me I’ve got my head up my own offside trap, but it’s better than being wishy-washy.

Now, I’m not saying Barca are more likely to win. As I’ve implied above, I don’t think either side is more likely to win. It’s not a cliché or a dodge: this match really could go either way. I’m saying Barca are more deserving. I want them to win based on merit.

If United supporters are honest with themselves, this has been far from United’s best season as far as form goes. And I don’t buy the injury woes complaint. All sides have injury problems, especially in a long campaign chasing multiple trophies. United weren’t any worse off than any other big side and they have the depth to combat it anyway. United have not been their usual dominant selves. They’ve been good. Not great. They relied on Liverpool and Chelsea hitting bad patches more than anything else. They got enough close wins to secure trophy number 18, but we cannot reward their sub-par season—and I’m comparing it to their own par, mind you, the high bar they’ve set for themselves— we cannot reward that with another Champions League trophy. Last season, fine. They played amazing football. They won the League and Europe. I can accept that. But this season Barcelona need to stop them. For all that’s right and good it must be done. I’m sorry, United supporters: but it’s true.

Look, I know you can’t see this, but it’ll be better for you in the long run. No, really. If you win today, Fergie will get complacent in the transfer window. Why would he make big changes if United win everything again? He’ll do nothing major to combat the aging of key parts of the side. Giggs and Scholes are on the wan and as they’ve been United’s most influential players for ages and there is nobody there to step into their boots. Some of the young kids may grow into it eventually. But Fergie needs to go hunting. He won’t do it right if United win it all.

Okay, no supporter’s going to go along with that. But it was worth a try.

But, still: I’m backing Barcelona. They’ve played the best football in the world in their own context. They deserve to win on the big European stage as well.

Now, I can live with being wrong, folks. But I can’t endure another penalty shoot-out. Please. For godsake. Somebody win it in regulation.

Do it for the kids.