Herbert Chapman
Encyclopedia
Herbert Chapman was an English
association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football
, before his sudden death in 1934.
As a player, Chapman played for a variety of clubs, at League and non-League
levels. His record was generally unremarkable as a player; he made fewer than 40 League appearances over the course of a decade and 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 the First World War
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, Arsenal
successfully tempted Chapman to join them, and he 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 new tactics
and training techniques into the English game, as well as championing innovations such as floodlighting
, European club competitions and numbered shirts, and has received many posthumous honours in recognition.
, near Rotherham
. His father, John, 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 (later to become part of the University of Sheffield
), where he studied mining engineering
.
Chapman was one of eleven children 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, who played for The Wednesday
during the 1900s, winning two League Championships and an FA Cup. His older brother Tom played for Grimsby Town
, while another brother, Matthew, later became a director of the same club.
, before leaving home in 1895. He moved to Ashton-under-Lyne
and played as an amateur for Ashton North End
, before moving on to Stalybridge Rovers
and then Rochdale
(not to be confused with the modern-day Rochdale A.F.C.
) – 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.
In 1898, he joined his brother Tom at Second Division
Grimsby Town
. Though now playing in the professional Football League, Chapman was still an amateur at this stage and took up a job at local solicitor
s to earn his way. Grimsby started the season poorly – they were near the bottom of the division by Christmas
and were beaten 7–0 by Preston North End
in the FA Cup
, but rallied to finish tenth at the end of 1898–99
. However, by this time Chapman had been dropped, having been unsuccessfully moved to centre forward, an unfamiliar position for him. 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, but had to leave the club as he was unable to find a job in the area. He moved on to see out the season with Sheppey United
, who finished bottom of the Southern League
in 1899–1900. Chapman finished as United's top scorer but was injured at the end of this season, and still unable to find a job. 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.
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. He played for Northampton for the whole 1901–02
season, finishing as top scorer with 14 goals in 22 games for the club. 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. 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
. 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 £70. He scored eleven goals for Spurs in their 1905–06
Southern League campaign. He spent 1906–07
in and out of the side, scoring just three goals. With the season drawing to a close, he decided that he had had "a good innings" and decided to leave Tottenham and professional football for good, in favour of pursuing his career in engineering.
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. Chapman changed his mind about retiring from the game, and instead agreed to become player-manager of Northampton Town. Northampton had finished bottom of the Southern League two seasons running immediately before Chapman's appointment, but Chapman turned the club around within a short space of time.
At the time, teams rarely employed tactics of any sort – Chapman would later remark: "no attempt was made to organise victory. The most that I remember was the occasional chat between, say two men playing on the same wing." As a manager he sought to change that; after seeing Northampton lose to Norwich City
despite dominating, Chapman opined that "a team can attack for too long". He thus set about creating a tactical framework for all his players; he dropped the half back
s (midfield) back to give his forwards more space and draw the opposition defenders out of the penalty area
, while encouraging his own back line to pass their way out of trouble. Gradually, he created a style of highly-organised, counter-attacking football, which was at odds with the prevailing orthodoxy but nevertheless highly effective; Swindon Town
's England international
Harold Fleming
, after losing 4–1 at home to Northampton, remarked to Chapman: "You have something more than a team: you have a machine."
To allow his system to reach its full potential, Chapman encouraged his chairman to spend money on new players, including a then club record of £200 on Welsh international
Edwin Lloyd-Davies, who to this day remains Northampton's most-capped player, winger Fred McDiarmid and playmaking
centre half David McCartney. With this new talent, in his first season in charge, Chapman led Northampton to eighth place; with additional new signings, such as inside forward Albert Lewis from Coventry City
, he used this as a springboard to take the Southern League title in 1908–09
, with Lewis finishing as top scorer.
By now, Chapman had retired as a player in first-class football, having played his last match against Watford
in January 1909, but filled the gap he left, as well as showing his eye for spotting talent, by signing players such as future England international Fanny Walden
. As Southern League champions, Northampton contested and lost the 1909 Charity Shield, 2–0 to Newcastle United
, 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. Additionally, they proved their mettle in the FA Cup against First Division
sides, knocking out The Wednesday
and taking Nottingham Forest
and Newcastle United to replays, losing 1–0 both times.
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 (and would not come about until 1920). 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.
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. That done, Chapman signed new talent such as Jimmy Speirs from Bradford City
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. Attendances rose at Elland Road
from 8,500 to 13,000 in his first year, as Chapman's attacking side scored 70 goals, the second-highest total in the entire division.
With a strengthening of the defence, City's form improved further the next season, in 1913–14
, coming fourth, two points outside the promotion places. 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
. 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. Leeds City lost six of their last eight games of the season to finish just fifteenth.
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. Chapman, meanwhile, had decided to help the war effort by taking up a position as manager of a munitions factory
at Barnbow
, near Cross Gates in 1916. For the next two 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.
Chapman returned to Leeds City from Barnbow after hostilities had ended, but resigned suddenly in December 1918, eventually moving to Selby
to take up a position as a superintendent at an oil
and coke
works. No reason was given for his resignation, but as football resumed in 1919–20
, Leeds City were accused by a former player of financial irregularities, involving illegal payments to guest players during wartime matches. No documentary evidence was produced, but Leeds' refusal to allow the authorities access to their financial records was deemed a sign of guilt, and they were expelled from the Football League in October 1919 and five club officials, including Chapman, were banned from football for life. The club was dissolved, with the players auctioned off and their Elland Road ground taken over by the newly formed Leeds United.
Chapman was still working at the coke works in Selby when his ban was imposed, but by Christmas 1920 the company was sold up and he was laid off. Soon after, however, he was approached by Huddersfield Town
to become assistant to Ambrose Langley
, who had been a former team-mate of Herbert Chapman's brother Harry at The Wednesday. Huddersfield Town backed Chapman in his appeal against his ban, arguing that as he had been working at the factory in Barnbow during the war, he had not been in charge of Leeds City during the time illegal payments were paid. The ban was overturned, and Chapman was formally installed as Langley's assistant on 1 February 1921.
Chapman was promoted to full secretary-manager, replacing Langley, the following month, and soon made an impact, signing players such as England international
Clem Stephenson
from Aston Villa
(who became captain under Chapman) and 18-year-old unknown George Brown (who went on to become Huddersfield's all-time top scorer). 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. However his side had spent most of the season fighting relegation and had finished 14th, so Chapman looked to strengthen his squad.
Like at Northampton, 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 quick, short passing and mazy runs from his wingers, who would pass low inside the defence instead of crossing from the byline. 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. 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
).
With new players and Chapman's system, Huddersfield were transformed – they finished third in 1922–23
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 a difference of 0.024 (1.818 to 1.794) in goal average. 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.
Following the title win, Chapman kept faith in his squad, making only one new signing – outside right Joey Williams
– 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. 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, and eventually finishing two points clear of runners-up West Bromwich Albion
. 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.
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:
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. 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.
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 forward
s 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.
Arsenal were by no means the only team to have come up with the idea of dropping the centre half into defence – 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. 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. 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."
Arsenal went on to finish second in 1925–26
, five points behind Chapman's old side Huddersfield Town, as they became the first club in England to manage three titles in a row. 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. He retained relatively few players of his predecessor Knighton's era – Bob John
, Alf Baker
and Jimmy Brain
being the exceptions – and instead looked to bringing in talent elsewhere.
In February 1926, he signed the 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
.
The same year, Arsenal became embroiled in a scandal; footballers' pay at the time was limited by a maximum wage
, but an FA enquiry found that Charlie Buchan had secretly received illegal payments from Arsenal as an incentive to sign for the club. Sir Henry Norris was indicted for his part and banned from football, but 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. 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. As with his previous teams, Chapman also worked on improving his defence, with the signings of Herbie Roberts
and Eddie Hapgood
at centre half and left back respectively.
It was the signing of David Jack in particular, that highlighted Chapman's cunning when it came to transfer negotiations. Bolton had originally asked for a fee of £13,000, almost double the existing record at the time. Bob Wall
, Chapman's personal assistant at the time, later recounted the negotiations he made with Bolton's directors as follows:
Chapman's subterfuge succeeded, as he managed to bargain the inebriated Bolton directors down to £10,890.
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 become the dominant team in England and eventually win five league titles.
Chapman had by now perfected the ruthless, counter-attacking football he had been honing. Up front, he employed a robust front line of Lambert supported by David Jack and Alex James as deep-lying inside forwards, filling the gap vacated by the movement of the centre half into defence; Alex James in particular, with his passing supplying the front men, became celebrated as the engine of the team during the coming decade. Chapman employed Bastin and Hulme as pacy wingers who could cut inside instead of hugging the touchline; they could either shoot for goal themselves or pick each other out if the centre forward was marked out of the game. With the exception of James, keeping and dwelling on the ball and individuality were discouraged in favour of a quick passing game, although Chapman still conceded: "all the men are expected to play to plan, but not so as to stifle individuality."
Chapman's tactics of fast-moving play meant the wing half
line of John and Jones were now pushed in to cover central midfield
, pivoting around the halfway line so that they could drop back to defend when necessary. Chapman was also equally committed to a strong defence, saying maintaining a back line was "the rock bottom of football". Arsenal's defence were told to play deep and with the support of the wing halves, 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 they reached the 18-yard line and faced a massed defence. Once Arsenal regained the ball – usually through the centre half Herbie Roberts – the ball would be quickly passed forward and the wing halves would push up to support the attackers, meaning Arsenal could quickly commit as many as seven men forward as a unit to rapidly attack and score.
Chapman's system demanded a high level of fitness from his players, something which he emphasised strongly upon. He also balanced the need for players suited to each task – something which his skill in spotting the right players and his extensive scouting network proved vital – with adapting his system to account for their abilities. Though highly effective, Chapman's fast, counter-attacking passing approach to football contrasted with how the game was traditionally played in England at the time, with its emphasis on dribbling, possession and dwelling on the ball, and thus brought accusations of "Lucky Arsenal" or "Boring Arsenal" from commentators and opposition alike. Nevertheless, despite the stereotype, 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.
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
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. Undeterred, Chapman kept faith with 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
. Arsenal, as last season's losing finalists and league leaders, were clear favourites to win the match. On the day, five of the Arsenal first team were out with injury or flu
and had their place taken by reserves, but despite six first-team players Arsenal lost 2–0 in one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time. 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.
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. In the following close season, Chapman became the first professional manager in charge of England
, albeit in an ad hoc unofficial capacity, for a summer tour of Europe. 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. Chapman was in charge for a friendly against Italy
in Rome
on 13 May 1933, which finished 1–1, and England's 4–0 win over Switzerland
a week later.
Wary of his ageing Arsenal team and the club's inadequate reserves (as proven by the Walsall match), around this time Chapman noted to club director George Allison
: "The team's played out, Mr Allison, we must rebuild." Chapman started the process, signing Ray Bowden
, Pat Beasley
and Jimmy Dunne
, and had converted the young George Male
from left half to right back. However, he would not live to see the end of the season, let alone complete the task of rebuilding his side. Arsenal went into 1933–34
looking to retain the title, and started consistently; they worked their way to the top of the league and were a comfortable four points clear after a goalless draw with Birmingham City
on 30 December 1933. This proved to be Chapman's last match in charge.
Chapman celebrated New Year in London before travelling north on a scouting trip to see Bury
play Notts County
on 1 January 1934. The following day he travelled back to his native Yorkshire to watch Sheffield Wednesday
, Arsenal's next opponents, before spending a final night in his home town of Kiveton Park. He returned to London nursing a cold
but was well enough to watch an Arsenal third team match against Guildford City
. However soon after, his illness suddenly worsened; pneumonia
set in, and Chapman quickly succumbed. He died in the early hours of 6 January 1934 at his home in Hendon
. He was buried four days later at Hendon St Mary Parish Church.
Chapman left behind a widow, Annie, 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
.
. He also wrote regularly on football for the Sunday Express newspaper, and a collection of his writings was published after his death in a book, entitled Herbert Chapman on Football.
Unlike many of his contemporaries in Britain, Chapman was a fan of the continental game and counted among his friends Hugo Meisl
and Jimmy Hogan
, coaches of the Austria
n "Wunderteam
" of the 1930s. As long ago as 1909, he had taken his Northampton side on a tour of Germany
to play Nuremberg, and at Arsenal he had instituted an ongoing series of home-and-away friendlies against the likes of Racing Club de Paris. Chapman had 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. 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, 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
. He did however succeed in signing Gerard Keyser, the first Dutchman to play English league football, as an amateur the same year, and Hiden was signed by Jimmy Hogan for Racing Club de Paris.
After attending a night-time match in Belgium
in 1930 with his friend Hugo Meisl, Chapman became an early advocate of floodlights
. He had lights installed in Highbury's new West Stand when it was constructed in 1932; however they were only used for training and Arsenal would have to wait until the 1950s for their officially-sanctioned use in matches. Chapman oversaw much of the development of Highbury in the early 1930s, including the building of the West Stand and the addition of a clock which was eventually placed by the south terrace, giving it the name of the "Clock End". He is also credited with being behind the renaming of London Underground
's Gillespie Road
station to Arsenal
. He even designed the scoreboard
and turnstile
s at the stadium.
Chapman also advocated the use of white footballs and numbered shirts, as well as adding hoop
s to Arsenal's socks to make it easier for players to pick each other out. 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 4 March 1933; the same kit theme of red with white sleeves or trim survives to this day. 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.
Although he did not win any major honours as a player, as a manager 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. Chapman was honorary president of Scottish amateur football club Chirnside United
until his death in 1934.
In 2003, Chapman was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
in recognition of his impact as a manager. An English Heritage
blue plaque
commemorating Chapman was unveiled in March 2005, at the house in Hendon
where Chapman lived from 1926 until his death. Chapman was the first footballer or football manager to be commemorated in this way by English Heritage. In 2004, on the seventieth anniversary of his death, The Sunday Times
named him the greatest British manager of all time in a poll.
In tribute to his achievements at Arsenal, 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 and will be reinstated there once redevelopment work in the stadium is completed. A replica sits in the Directors' Entrance at Emirates Stadium
; he is one of only two Arsenal managers to be honoured this way, the other being current manager Arsène Wenger
. Furthermore, Arsenal's white away kit for the 2007–08
season was dedicated to Chapman and his achievements.
Huddersfield Town were presented with a replica of Chapman's bust by Arsenal, to celebrate their centenary in 2008. Additionally, as part of their centennial, Huddersfield also contested the inaugural Herbert Chapman Trophy against Arsenal at the Galpharm Stadium
on 6 August 2008, which Arsenal won 2–1.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
, before his sudden death in 1934.
As a player, Chapman played for a variety of clubs, at League and non-League
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
levels. His record was generally unremarkable as a player; he made fewer than 40 League appearances over the course of a decade and did not win any major honours. Instead, he found success as a manager, first at Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
between 1908 and 1912, whom he led to a Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
title.
This attracted the attention of larger clubs and he moved to Leeds City, where he started to improve the team's fortunes before the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
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
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, winning an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
and two First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
titles in the space of four years.
In 1925, Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
successfully tempted Chapman to join them, and he 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
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
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 new tactics
Football tactics and skills
There are various individual skills and team tactics needed to play effective association football . Football is in theory a very simple game, as illustrated by Kevin Keegan's famous assertion that his tactics for winning a match were to "score more goals than the opposition"...
and training techniques into the English game, as well as championing innovations such as floodlighting
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
, European club competitions and numbered shirts, and has received many posthumous honours in recognition.
Early life
Chapman was born in Kiveton ParkKiveton Park
Kiveton Park, informally Kiveton , is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, in South Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, from the Norman conquest to 1868, Kiveton was a hamlet of the parish of Harthill-with-Woodall...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
. His father, John, was a coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
, but rather than spend his life working down the pit, the young Herbert was bright enough to win a place at Sheffield Technical College (later to become part of the University of Sheffield
University of Sheffield
The University of Sheffield is a research university based in the city of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. It is one of the original 'red brick' universities and is a member of the Russell Group of leading research intensive universities...
), where he studied mining engineering
Mining engineering
Mining engineering is an engineering discipline that involves the practice, the theory, the science, the technology, and application of extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment. Mining engineering also includes processing minerals for additional value.Mineral...
.
Chapman was one of eleven children 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, who played for The Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
during the 1900s, winning two League Championships and an FA Cup. His older brother Tom played for Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, while another brother, Matthew, later became a director of the same club.
Playing career
Chapman's playing career was that of a typical journeyman, owing mostly to the fact he often played as an amateur; this meant that whether he could play for a particular club was dictated by whether he could find an appropriate job nearby. He first played as a youth for his local side, Kiveton Park CollieryKiveton Park F.C.
Kiveton Park Football Club is a football club based in Kiveton Park, near Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.-History:The club was originally formed in 1892, although a Kiveton side has recently been found to have played in Sheffield football as early as 1880, as well as playing in the Sheffield...
, before leaving home in 1895. He moved to Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
and played as an amateur for Ashton North End
Ashton North End F.C.
Ashton North End Football Club were an English football club from Ashton-under-Lyne at the end of the 19th century.-History:Ashton North End finished top of the Ashton & District League in 1891-92, and joined The Combination in 1894. They were Combination champions in their first season. In 1895...
, before moving on to Stalybridge Rovers
Stalybridge Rovers F.C.
Stalybridge Rovers Football Club was an English football club from Stalybridge, Cheshire at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century.-History:...
and then Rochdale
Rochdale A.F.C. (1896)
Rochdale A.F.C. were a football team from Rochdale, Lancashire, which existed for five years around the turn of the 20th century. The club have no connection with the present day Rochdale A.F.C...
(not to be confused with the modern-day Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale A.F.C.
Rochdale Association Football Club is an English professional football club based in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. They play their home matches at Spotland Stadium. Formed in 1907, they were accepted into the Football League in 1921...
) – all three clubs being members of the Lancashire League
Lancashire League (football)
The Lancashire League has been the name of two separate football competitions for clubs based in northern England.-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.
In 1898, he joined his brother Tom at Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
. Though now playing in the professional Football League, Chapman was still an amateur at this stage and took up a job at local solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
s to earn his way. Grimsby started the season poorly – they were near the bottom of the division by Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and were beaten 7–0 by Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, but rallied to finish tenth at the end of 1898–99
1898-99 in English football
The 1898–99 season was the 28th season of competitive football in England.-Events:This was the first season in which automatic promotion/relegation was introduced between the First and Second divisions. Both Divisions were expanded to 18 teams....
. However, by this time Chapman had been dropped, having been unsuccessfully moved to centre forward, an unfamiliar position for him. He was released by Grimsby and drifted down into non-league football with a brief spell at Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
, playing three games and scoring twice, but had to leave the club as he was unable to find a job in the area. He moved on to see out the season with Sheppey United
Sheppey United F.C.
Sheppey United F.C. is an English football club based on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. The club are currently members of Division One of the Kent County League and play at the Sheppey Sports Ground.-History:...
, who finished bottom of the Southern League
Southern Football League
The Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales...
in 1899–1900. Chapman finished as United's top scorer but was injured at the end of this season, and still unable to find a job. Disheartened, he returned to his hometown and turned out for Worksop Town
Worksop Town F.C.
Worksop Town Football Club are a semi-professional English football club from Worksop, Nottinghamshire who play in the Northern Premier League Premier Division...
of the Midland League
Midland Football League
There have been at least two different football competitions in England which used the name Midland Football League.One existed until 1982 before merging with the Yorkshire League to form the Northern Counties League....
in 1900–01
1900-01 in English football
The 1900–01 season was the 30th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Stockport County played their first season in the football league. Blackpool also returned to the league, at the expenses of Loughborough and Luton Town.-Honours:...
, while resuming his studies, this time at Old Firth College in Sheffield.
Though due to his studies he mainly played for Worksop's reserves, in a first-team match against Northampton Town
Northampton Town F.C.
Northampton Town Football Club are an English professional football club based in Northampton, Northamptonshire. They currently play in Football League Two, the lowest league division, after being relegated from League One on the last day of the 2008–09 season...
he caught the opposition's eye, and they offered him a contract, leading him to turn professional for the first time in 1901. He played for Northampton for the whole 1901–02
1901-02 in English football
The 1901–02 season was the 31st season of competitive football in England.-League changes:Doncaster Rovers and Burton United replaced Walsall and Burton Swifts in the Football League. Burton United were formed by a merger of Burton Swifts with former League side Burton Wanderers...
season, finishing as top scorer with 14 goals in 22 games for the club. During that season he had impressed in an FA Cup match against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
, 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. 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
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
for £300 at the end of 1902–03
1902-03 in English football
The 1902–03 season was the 32nd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
. 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
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
for £70. He scored eleven goals for Spurs in their 1905–06
1905-06 in English football
The 1905–06 season was the 35th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Following the increase in size of the Football League from 36 clubs to 40, and with Doncaster Rovers having been relegated from the Second Division, four new clubs were elected into the league, along with Stockport...
Southern League campaign. He spent 1906–07
1906-07 in English football
The 1906–07 season was the 36th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:-First Division:-Second Division:P = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GA = Goal average; Pts = PointsReferences...
in and out of the side, scoring just three goals. With the season drawing to a close, he decided that he had had "a good innings" and decided to leave Tottenham and professional football for good, in favour of pursuing his career in engineering.
Northampton Town
In 1907, as he was about to leave Tottenham Hotspur, Chapman had recommended Spurs team-mate Walter BullWalter Bull
Walter Bull was an English football player and manager.Bull played for Notts County and Tottenham Hotspur in the 1900s. At Tottenham, he counted amongst his team-mates Herbert Chapman; in 1907 Bull was offered the job of Northampton Town manager but after accepting changed his mind, and...
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. Chapman changed his mind about retiring from the game, and instead agreed to become player-manager of Northampton Town. Northampton had finished bottom of the Southern League two seasons running immediately before Chapman's appointment, but Chapman turned the club around within a short space of time.
At the time, teams rarely employed tactics of any sort – Chapman would later remark: "no attempt was made to organise victory. The most that I remember was the occasional chat between, say two men playing on the same wing." As a manager he sought to change that; after seeing Northampton lose to Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
despite dominating, Chapman opined that "a team can attack for too long". He thus set about creating a tactical framework for all his players; he dropped the half back
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
s (midfield) back to give his forwards more space and draw the opposition defenders out of the penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
, while encouraging his own back line to pass their way out of trouble. Gradually, he created a style of highly-organised, counter-attacking football, which was at odds with the prevailing orthodoxy but nevertheless highly effective; Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
's England international
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
Harold Fleming
Harold John Fleming
Harold John Fleming was a footballer for St. Marks F.C. and Swindon Town.-Football career:Fleming was an Inside Forward and began his career at St. Marks before being invited for a trial at Swindon Town by manager, Sam Allen. Fleming scored a brace in a 4-0 win over Salisbury City F.C...
, after losing 4–1 at home to Northampton, remarked to Chapman: "You have something more than a team: you have a machine."
To allow his system to reach its full potential, Chapman encouraged his chairman to spend money on new players, including a then club record of £200 on Welsh international
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
Edwin Lloyd-Davies, who to this day remains Northampton's most-capped player, winger Fred McDiarmid and playmaking
Playmaker
In association football, a playmaker is a player who controls the flow of the team's offensive play, and is often involved in passing moves which lead to goals....
centre half David McCartney. With this new talent, in his first season in charge, Chapman led Northampton to eighth place; with additional new signings, such as inside forward Albert Lewis from Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
, he used this as a springboard to take the Southern League title in 1908–09
1908-09 in English football
The 1908–09 season was the 38th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Tottenham Hotspur played their first ever season in the Football League, gaining promotion to the First Division in the process...
, with Lewis finishing as top scorer.
By now, Chapman had retired as a player in first-class football, having played his last match against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
in January 1909, but filled the gap he left, as well as showing his eye for spotting talent, by signing players such as future England international Fanny Walden
Fanny Walden
Frederick Ingram "Fanny" Walden was an English professional footballer who played on the right-wing for Northampton Town, Tottenham Hotspur and at international level for England during the 1910s and 1920s...
. As Southern League champions, Northampton contested and lost the 1909 Charity Shield, 2–0 to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, 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. Additionally, they proved their mettle in the FA Cup against First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
sides, knocking out The Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
and taking Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
and Newcastle United to replays, losing 1–0 both times.
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
Football Alliance
The Football Alliance was an association football league in England which ran for three seasons, from 1889–90 to 1891–92.It was formed by 12 clubs as a rival to the Football League, which had begun in the 1888–89 season, also with 12 member clubs...
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 (and would not come about until 1920). In the 1912 close season, he was offered the chance to manage Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
Leeds City, and with Northampton's blessing moved north again to join the League side.
Leeds City
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
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. That done, Chapman signed new talent such as Jimmy Speirs from Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
and despite some erratic performances – losing 6–0 in between two 5–1 wins, for example – City finished sixth in 1912–13
1912-13 in English football
The 1912–13 season was the 42nd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Sunderland won the First Division for the fifth time, with a record of 25–4–9; Aston Villa, finishing second, had fewer defeats, but a lot more draws: 19–12–7....
, Chapman's first season. Attendances rose at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
from 8,500 to 13,000 in his first year, as Chapman's attacking side scored 70 goals, the second-highest total in the entire division.
With a strengthening of the defence, City's form improved further the next season, in 1913–14
1913-14 in English football
The 1913–14 season was the 43rd season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition-First Division:-Second Division:...
, coming fourth, two points outside the promotion places. 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
1914-15 in English football
The 1914–15 season was the 44th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The 1914 Charity Shield was not contested due to suspension of football during World War I-Events:...
. However, the declaration of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
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. Leeds City lost six of their last eight games of the season to finish just fifteenth.
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. Chapman, meanwhile, had decided to help the war effort by taking up a position as manager of a munitions factory
Filling Factories
A Filling Factory was a munitions factory which specialised in filling various munitions, such as bombs, shells, cartridges, pyrotechnics, screening smokes, etc...
at Barnbow
Barnbow
Barnbow was a munitions factory situated near the city of Leeds during World War I. It was officially known as National Filling Factory No. 1. In 1916 the factory suffered the worst tragedy in the history of the city , when a massive explosion killed 35 of the women who worked there.After the...
, near Cross Gates in 1916. For the next two years, City's assistant manager, George Cripps stood in for Chapman on the administrative side, while chairman Joseph Connor
Joseph Connor
Joseph Connor is an English footballer who currently plays for Charlotte Eagles in the USL Professional Division.-College:...
and another director took charge of the team.
Chapman returned to Leeds City from Barnbow after hostilities had ended, but resigned suddenly in December 1918, eventually moving to Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
to take up a position as a superintendent at an oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
works. No reason was given for his resignation, but as football resumed in 1919–20
1919-20 in English football
The 1919–1920 season was the 45th season of competitive football in England, and the first following the end of World War I.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour. * indicates new record for competition...
, Leeds City were accused by a former player of financial irregularities, involving illegal payments to guest players during wartime matches. No documentary evidence was produced, but Leeds' refusal to allow the authorities access to their financial records was deemed a sign of guilt, and they were expelled from the Football League in October 1919 and five club officials, including Chapman, were banned from football for life. The club was dissolved, with the players auctioned off and their Elland Road ground taken over by the newly formed Leeds United.
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
to become assistant to Ambrose Langley
Ambrose Langley
Ambrose Langley was the manager of Hull City Football Club from 1905 until 1913. He was born in 6 South Street, Horncastle and played over 300 games for Sheffield Wednesday....
, who had been a former team-mate of Herbert Chapman's brother Harry at The Wednesday. Huddersfield Town backed Chapman in his appeal against his ban, arguing that as he had been working at the factory in Barnbow during the war, he had not been in charge of Leeds City during the time illegal payments were paid. The ban was overturned, and Chapman was formally installed as Langley's assistant on 1 February 1921.
Chapman was promoted to full secretary-manager, replacing Langley, the following month, and soon made an impact, signing players such as England international
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
Clem Stephenson
Clem Stephenson
Clement "Clem" Stephenson was an England national team captain whose 20 year career at Aston Villa and Huddersfield Town included emphatic successes in both the FA Cup and League Championships...
from Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
(who became captain under Chapman) and 18-year-old unknown George Brown (who went on to become Huddersfield's all-time top scorer). In Chapman's first full season in charge (1921–22
1921-22 in English football
The 1921–22 season was the 47th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The league underwent a major expansion for the second consecutive season, adding 20 teams from the Midlands and Northern England. They were placed in the new Third Division North, and the existing southern-based...
), Huddersfield Town won the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
, beating Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
1–0 in the final
1922 FA Cup Final
The 1922 FA Cup Final was contested by Huddersfield Town and Preston North End at Stamford Bridge. Huddersfield won by a single goal, a penalty scored by Billy Smith....
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
, the club's first major trophy. However his side had spent most of the season fighting relegation and had finished 14th, so Chapman looked to strengthen his squad.
Like at Northampton, 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 quick, short passing and mazy runs from his wingers, who would pass low inside the defence instead of crossing from the byline. 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. 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
Ted Taylor (footballer)
Edward Hallows "Ted" Taylor was an England international footballer who played 8 games as a goalkeeper for his country.-External links:**...
and forward Charlie Wilson
Charlie Wilson (footballer born 1895)
Charles "Charlie" Wilson born 30 March 1895 in Atherstone, Warwickshire) was a former professional footballer, who played in the Football League for Tottenham Hotspur, Huddersfield Town and Stoke City.-Career:...
(later to be joined by George Cook
George Cook (footballer born 1895)
George William "Billy" Cook was an English professional footballer whose playing position was of a forward. He was born in Evenwood, County Durham. Cook is best known for his time with Aston Villa. While at Villa, Cook played 61 games scoring 40 goals. Before playing for Villa he played for...
).
With new players and Chapman's system, Huddersfield were transformed – they finished third in 1922–23
1922-23 in English football
The 1922–23 season was the 48th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Liverpool retained the First Division title, but halfway through the season their manager David Ashworth left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, who ended the season relegated.-Honours:Notes = Number in...
and then went on to win their first ever League title in 1923–24
1923-24 in English football
The 1923–24 season was the 49th season of competitive football in England.-Events:*On 11 November 1923, Aston Villa centre-half Tommy Ball was shot dead by his neighbour, thus becoming the only Football League player to have been murdered.-Honours:...
, by the narrowest of margins – equal on points with Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
, Huddersfield won by a difference of 0.024 (1.818 to 1.794) in goal average. The final goal by Brown in a 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
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.
Following the title win, Chapman kept faith in his squad, making only one new signing – outside right Joey Williams
Joey Williams
Joseph Joshua "Joey" Williams was a former professional footballer.-Career:Williams was an outside forward who started out with his hometown club Rotherham County, playing over a hundred games. In summer 1924 he was signed by Huddersfield Town and won two First Division titles in 1924-25 and 1925-26...
– as they successfully defended their League title in 1924–25
1924-25 in English football
The 1924–25 season was the 50th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
. 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. However, with Taylor replaced by new signing Billy Mercer
Billy Mercer
Billy Mercer is the name of:* Billy Mercer , former Hull City, Huddersfield Town and Blackpool goalkeeper* Billy Mercer , former Preston North End, Blackpool, Lancaster Town and Boston Town player...
, a resurgence in form saw Huddersfield climb back up again, regaining top spot with a 5–0 win over Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in February, and eventually finishing two points clear of runners-up West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
. 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.
Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
were looking for a replacement for the sacked Leslie Knighton
Leslie Knighton
Albert Leslie Knighton was an English football manager.Knighton was born in Church Gresley, Derbyshire. His own playing career was cut short by injury, after which he moved into coaching and management...
, with Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris
Henry Norris
Sir Henry George Norris was an English businessman, politician and football club director, most famous for his chairmanship of both Fulham and Arsenal...
placing an advertisement in the Athletic News:
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. At Arsenal, Chapman immediately made an impact by signing 34-year-old Charlie Buchan
Charlie Buchan
Charles Murray Buchan was an English football player and writer.-Early career:Born in Plumstead, London, Buchan first played as an amateur for local club Woolwich Arsenal, joining the club in December 1909...
, an England international and Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
's all-time record goalscorer, whom he made Arsenal captain.
Laws of the Game
The Laws of the Game are the codified rules that help define association football. These laws are published by the sport's governing body FIFA, with the approval of the International Football Association Board, the body that writes and maintains the laws...
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 forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
s brought back to help the midfield, this changed the usual formation
Formation (football)
In association football, the formation describes how the players in a team are positioned on the pitch. Different formations can be used depending on whether a team wishes to play more attacking or defensive football....
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.
Arsenal were by no means the only team to have come up with the idea of dropping the centre half into defence – Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
beat Arsenal 7–0 that season employing such a system with Charlie Spencer
Charlie Spencer
Charles William "Charlie" Spencer was an English footballer and manager.-Playing:Spencer joined Newcastle United from non-league football in October 1921. He played for the club until 1928, making a total of 175 appearances and scored 1 goal.In January 1928, Spencer signed for Manchester United...
at centre-half; Queen's Park
Queen's Park F.C.
Queen's Park Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland. The club are currently the only amateur club in the Scottish League; their amateur status is reflected by their motto, Ludere Causa Ludendi – to play for the sake of playing.Queen's Park are the oldest...
and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
had also adopted similar systems. 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. 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."
Arsenal went on to finish second in 1925–26
1925-26 in English football
The 1925–26 season was the 51st season of competitive football in England. This marked the year that Huddersfield Town won the League three years running, making them the first team in Football League history to do so.-Honours:-First Division:...
, five points behind Chapman's old side Huddersfield Town, as they became the first club in England to manage three titles in a row. 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. He retained relatively few players of his predecessor Knighton's era – Bob John
Bob John
Robert Frederick "Bob" John was a Welsh football player and coach.Born in Barry, John played for Barry Town and Caerphilly, before joining English club Arsenal, who signed him amongst stiff competition, in January 1922 for a fee of £750...
, Alf Baker
Alf Baker
Alfred Baker was an English footballer.Born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, Baker was originally a miner and played for various clubs in Derbyshire as an amateur, including Eastwood Rangers. During World War I he guested for Chesterfield, Crystal Palace and Huddersfield Town, although these appearances...
and Jimmy Brain
Jimmy Brain
James "Jimmy" Brain was an English football player.Born in Bristol, Brain started his career playing in Wales, having an unsuccessful trial at Cardiff City, before gaining a regular place at Ton Pentre. In 1923, he moved to Arsenal, and in his eight years with the Gunners became one of the club's...
being the exceptions – and instead looked to bringing in talent elsewhere.
In February 1926, he signed the pacy winger Joe Hulme
Joe Hulme
Joseph Harold Anthony "Joe" Hulme was an English footballer and cricketer.-Football career:Born in Stafford, Staffordshire Hulme usually played as a right-winger...
, followed that summer by forward Jack Lambert
Jack Lambert (association footballer)
John "Jack" Lambert was an English footballer.A large and robust centre forward from Greasbrough near Rotherham, Yorkshire, Lambert was turned down by Sheffield Wednesday after a trial, so started his career playing for Rotherham County in 1922. He soon made a move to Leeds United, but spent three...
and full-back Tom Parker
Tom Parker (footballer)
Thomas Robert "Tom" Parker was an English football player and manager.-Southampton:Born in Woolston, Southampton, Parker began playing with local sides, such as Sholing Rangers and Sholing Athletic, before joining Southern League side Southampton as an amateur in 1918, just before the end of the...
, 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
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
after an error by goalkeeper Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis (footballer)
Daniel "Dan" Lewis was a Welsh football goalkeeper, who is most notable for his time playing for Arsenal. He kept goal for Arsenal in the 1927 FA Cup Final where a mistake by him saw Cardiff City win the cup.-Playing career:...
.
The same year, Arsenal became embroiled in a scandal; footballers' pay at the time was limited by a maximum wage
Maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
, but an FA enquiry found that Charlie Buchan had secretly received illegal payments from Arsenal as an incentive to sign for the club. Sir Henry Norris was indicted for his part and banned from football, but 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. He persevered in building the club, strengthening his attacking lineup with the signings of David Jack
David Jack
David Bone Nightingale Jack was an English footballer, the first player ever to score at Wembley, and the first footballer in the world to be transferred for more than £10,000...
in 1928, and Alex James
Alex James (footballer)
Alexander Wilson James was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for his success with Arsenal, where he is regarded as one of the club's greatest players of all time. James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers...
and Cliff Bastin
Cliff Bastin
Clifford Sydney Bastin was an English football player.Born in Heavitree near Exeter, Bastin started his career at Exeter City, making his debut for the club in 1928, at the age of 16...
in 1929. As with his previous teams, Chapman also worked on improving his defence, with the signings of Herbie Roberts
Herbie Roberts
Herbert "Herbie" Roberts was an English football player.-Playing career:Born in Oswestry, Shropshire, Roberts first played as an amateur for his local club Oswestry Town, whilst working as a policeman. A tall, but quiet and unassuming right half, he was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in...
and Eddie Hapgood
Eddie Hapgood
Edris Albert "Eddie" Hapgood was an English footballer, who captained both Arsenal and England during the 1930s....
at centre half and left back respectively.
It was the signing of David Jack in particular, that highlighted Chapman's cunning when it came to transfer negotiations. Bolton had originally asked for a fee of £13,000, almost double the existing record at the time. Bob Wall
Bob Wall (football administrator)
William Robert "Bob" Wall was an English football administrator, who spent his entire career with Arsenal Football Club.Born in Hackney, he went to school in the Highbury area and attended Finsbury Park commercial college...
, Chapman's personal assistant at the time, later recounted the negotiations he made with Bolton's directors as follows:
Chapman's subterfuge succeeded, as he managed to bargain the inebriated Bolton directors down to £10,890.
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
1930 FA Cup Final
The 1930 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Huddersfield Town at Wembley Stadium. Arsenal won 2–0, with goals from Alex James and Jack Lambert...
, 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 become the dominant team in England and eventually win five league titles.
Chapman had by now perfected the ruthless, counter-attacking football he had been honing. Up front, he employed a robust front line of Lambert supported by David Jack and Alex James as deep-lying inside forwards, filling the gap vacated by the movement of the centre half into defence; Alex James in particular, with his passing supplying the front men, became celebrated as the engine of the team during the coming decade. Chapman employed Bastin and Hulme as pacy wingers who could cut inside instead of hugging the touchline; they could either shoot for goal themselves or pick each other out if the centre forward was marked out of the game. With the exception of James, keeping and dwelling on the ball and individuality were discouraged in favour of a quick passing game, although Chapman still conceded: "all the men are expected to play to plan, but not so as to stifle individuality."
Chapman's tactics of fast-moving play meant the wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
line of John and Jones were now pushed in to cover central midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
, pivoting around the halfway line so that they could drop back to defend when necessary. Chapman was also equally committed to a strong defence, saying maintaining a back line was "the rock bottom of football". Arsenal's defence were told to play deep and with the support of the wing halves, fall back into their own penalty area
Penalty area
The penalty area , is an area of an association football pitch. It is rectangular and extends to each side of the goal and in front of it. Within the penalty area is the penalty spot , which is from the goal line, directly in-line with the centre of the goal...
when the opposition had the ball; this allowed the opposition plenty of possession in Arsenal's half, until they reached the 18-yard line and faced a massed defence. Once Arsenal regained the ball – usually through the centre half Herbie Roberts – the ball would be quickly passed forward and the wing halves would push up to support the attackers, meaning Arsenal could quickly commit as many as seven men forward as a unit to rapidly attack and score.
Chapman's system demanded a high level of fitness from his players, something which he emphasised strongly upon. He also balanced the need for players suited to each task – something which his skill in spotting the right players and his extensive scouting network proved vital – with adapting his system to account for their abilities. Though highly effective, Chapman's fast, counter-attacking passing approach to football contrasted with how the game was traditionally played in England at the time, with its emphasis on dribbling, possession and dwelling on the ball, and thus brought accusations of "Lucky Arsenal" or "Boring Arsenal" from commentators and opposition alike. Nevertheless, despite the stereotype, in Arsenal's first title-winning season of 1930–31
1930-31 in English football
The 1930–31 season was the 56th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Of note this season was Manchester United's record of the worst start in a major European league – they lost their first twelve games of the season and went on to be relegated....
, they scored 127 goals in the League, which still stands as a club record to this day.
Having won both League and Cup in separate seasons with two clubs, Chapman was determined to go one better and win the Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
– which had not yet been won in the 20th century – in 1931–32
1931-32 in English football
The 1931–32 season was the 57th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
but ended up missing out on both, finishing second in the League behind Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and losing the 1932 FA Cup Final
1932 FA Cup Final
The 1932 FA Cup Final was contested by Newcastle United and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium in what became known as the "Over The Line" final. Newcastle won 2–1, both of their goals scored by Jack Allen....
controversially to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, with Newcastle's equaliser coming after the ball had gone behind for a goal kick. Undeterred, Chapman kept faith with his side and launched a bid for the 1932–33
1932-33 in English football
The 1932–33 season was the 58th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
title. However it was during this season that Arsenal suffered one of the most infamous defeats in their history.
In the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Third Round, Arsenal had been drawn against Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
of the Third Division North
Football League Third Division North
The Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
. Arsenal, as last season's losing finalists and league leaders, were clear favourites to win the match. On the day, five of the Arsenal first team were out with injury or flu
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
and had their place taken by reserves, but despite six first-team players Arsenal lost 2–0 in one of the greatest FA Cup upsets of all time. Chapman was enraged by the result, and showed his ruthlessness by selling one player, Tommy Black
Tommy Black (Scottish footballer)
Thomas "Tommy" Black was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a left half.Black was born in Holytown. He began his career as an amateur with Strathclyde before joining Football League club Arsenal in 1931...
, who had conceded a penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
in the game, to Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle F.C.
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Plymouth, Devon, that plays in Football League Two.Since becoming professional in 1903, the club has won five Football League titles, five Southern League titles and one Western League title. The 2009–10 season was the...
within a week of the result; another, striker Charlie Walsh, was sold to Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
a week later.
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
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, in that season's title-deciding match. In the following close season, Chapman became the first professional manager in charge of England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, albeit in an ad hoc unofficial capacity, for a summer tour of Europe. He did not have any input into the selection process, the team being determined by the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
's International Selection Committee, but did advise on tactics and gave pre-match team talks. Chapman was in charge for a friendly against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on 13 May 1933, which finished 1–1, and England's 4–0 win over Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
a week later.
Wary of his ageing Arsenal team and the club's inadequate reserves (as proven by the Walsall match), around this time Chapman noted to club director George Allison
George Allison
George Frederick Allison was an English football journalist, broadcaster and manager. He was the BBC's first sports commentator and Arsenal's second longest serving manager.-Journalism career:...
: "The team's played out, Mr Allison, we must rebuild." Chapman started the process, signing Ray Bowden
Ray Bowden
Edwin Raymond "Ray" Bowden was an English footballer.Born in Looe, Cornwall, he played for local non-league side Looe; a prolific centre forward, despite his slight frame he scored over 100 goals in a season, including ten in a single match...
, Pat Beasley
Pat Beasley
Albert "Pat" Beasley was a professional footballer and manager.-Football career:Born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, Beasley began his career as a winger playing for local sides in Kidderminster, before joining Stourbridge. In 1931, while still only seventeen he was signed for £550 by Arsenal...
and Jimmy Dunne
Jimmy Dunne
James Dunne , commonly referred to as Jimmy Dunne, was an Irish footballer who played for, among others, Shamrock Rovers, Sheffield United, Arsenal and Southampton...
, and had converted the young George Male
George Male
Charles George Male was an English footballer.Born in West Ham, London, Male trialled with West Ham United before playing with non-league Clapton. He joined Arsenal as an amateur in November 1929, turning professional in May 1930 and made his debut in a 7-1 victory over Blackpool on December 27,...
from left half to right back. However, he would not live to see the end of the season, let alone complete the task of rebuilding his side. Arsenal went into 1933–34
1933-34 in English football
The 1933–34 season was the 59th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
looking to retain the title, and started consistently; they worked their way to the top of the league and were a comfortable four points clear after a goalless draw with Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 30 December 1933. This proved to be Chapman's last match in charge.
Death
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
play Notts County
Notts County F.C.
Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
on 1 January 1934. The following day he travelled back to his native Yorkshire to watch Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
, Arsenal's next opponents, before spending a final night in his home town of Kiveton Park. He returned to London nursing a cold
Common cold
The common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
but was well enough to watch an Arsenal third team match against Guildford City
Guildford City F.C.
Guildford City Football Club is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was originally established in 1921, folded in 1974 and were reformed in 1996...
. However soon after, his illness suddenly worsened; pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
set in, and Chapman quickly succumbed. He died in the early hours of 6 January 1934 at his home in Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
. He was buried four days later at Hendon St Mary Parish Church.
Chapman left behind a widow, Annie, two sons, Ken (born 1908) and Bruce (born 1911), and two daughters, Molly (born 1915) and Joyce (born 1919). Ken was a rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player for Harlequins
Harlequin F.C.
The Harlequin Football Club is an English rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby, the Aviva Premiership. Their ground in London is Twickenham Stoop...
, and later served as president of the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
.
Legacy
Chapman 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, he 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 socialise in extra-curricular activities such as golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. He also wrote regularly on football for the Sunday Express newspaper, and a collection of his writings was published after his death in a book, entitled Herbert Chapman on Football.
Unlike many of his contemporaries in Britain, Chapman was a fan of the continental game and counted among his friends Hugo Meisl
Hugo Meisl
Hugo Meisl , brother of the journalist Willy Meisl, was the multi-lingual football coach of the famous Austrian 'Wunderteam' of the early 1930s, as well as a referee.-Background:...
and Jimmy Hogan
Jimmy Hogan
James "Jimmy" Hogan was an English football player and coach of Irish descent...
, coaches of the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n "Wunderteam
Wunderteam
Wunderteam was the name given to the Austria national football team of the 1930s. Led by manager Hugo Meisl, the team had an unbeaten streak of 14 games between April 1931 and December 1932. The style of the team was based on the Scottish school of football that focused on quick passing introduced...
" of the 1930s. As long ago as 1909, he had taken his Northampton side on a tour of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to play Nuremberg, and at Arsenal he had instituted an ongoing series of home-and-away friendlies against the likes of Racing Club de Paris. Chapman had proposed a Europe-wide club competition more than twenty years before the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
was instituted, and regularly took his teams abroad to play foreign sides. He was one of the first managers to consider signing black and foreign players; as well as signing Walter Tull
Walter Tull
Walter Daniel John Tull was an English professional footballer who played as an inside forward for Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town...
, one of the first black professionals in the game, for Northampton Town in 1911, he attempted to recruit Austrian international
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
goalkeeper Rudy Hiden for Arsenal in 1930, but was blocked by the Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour
The Ministry of Labour was a British civil service department established by the New Ministries and Secretaries Act 1916. It was renamed the Employment Department in 1988, and finally abolished in 1995...
, after protests from the Players' Union
Players' Union
The Players' Union was the popular name for the Association of Football Players’ and Trainers’ Union in the United Kingdom; the original association that became the Professional Footballers' Association....
and the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
. He did however succeed in signing Gerard Keyser, the first Dutchman to play English league football, as an amateur the same year, and Hiden was signed by Jimmy Hogan for Racing Club de Paris.
After attending a night-time match in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
in 1930 with his friend Hugo Meisl, Chapman became an early advocate of floodlights
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
. He had lights installed in Highbury's new West Stand when it was constructed in 1932; however they were only used for training and Arsenal would have to wait until the 1950s for their officially-sanctioned use in matches. Chapman oversaw much of the development of Highbury in the early 1930s, including the building of the West Stand and the addition of a clock which was eventually placed by the south terrace, giving it the name of the "Clock End". He is also credited with being behind the renaming of London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
's Gillespie Road
Gillespie Road
Gillespie Road is a road in Highbury, North London, running east-west along the north side of the Arsenal Stadium, previously home of Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal tube station was originally named Gillespie Road, before being given its current name in 1932 following pressure from the club...
station to Arsenal
Arsenal tube station
Arsenal tube station is a London Underground station located in Highbury, London. It is on the Piccadilly Line, in Travelcard Zone 2, between Holloway Road and Finsbury Park. Originally known as Gillespie Road, it was renamed in 1932 after Arsenal Football Club, who at the time played at the nearby...
. He even designed the scoreboard
Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
and turnstile
Turnstile
A turnstile, also called a baffle gate, is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. It can also be made so as to enforce one-way traffic of people, and in addition, it can restrict passage only to people who insert a coin, a ticket, a pass, or similar...
s at the stadium.
Chapman also advocated the use of white footballs and numbered shirts, as well as adding hoop
Hoop
Hoop may refer to:*Hoop is one apparatus in Rhythmic Gymnastics*Hoop , an American basketball magazine*"Hoops" , a song by Ruby*Hoops , a basketball video game...
s to Arsenal's socks to make it easier for players to pick each other out. 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
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 4 March 1933; the same kit theme of red with white sleeves or trim survives to this day. 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
1908-09 in English football
The 1908–09 season was the 38th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Tottenham Hotspur played their first ever season in the Football League, gaining promotion to the First Division in the process...
with Northampton Town, four Football League titles (1923–24
1923-24 in English football
The 1923–24 season was the 49th season of competitive football in England.-Events:*On 11 November 1923, Aston Villa centre-half Tommy Ball was shot dead by his neighbour, thus becoming the only Football League player to have been murdered.-Honours:...
and 1924–25
1924-25 in English football
The 1924–25 season was the 50th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
with Huddersfield Town, 1930–31
1930-31 in English football
The 1930–31 season was the 56th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Of note this season was Manchester United's record of the worst start in a major European league – they lost their first twelve games of the season and went on to be relegated....
and 1932–33
1932-33 in English football
The 1932–33 season was the 58th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
with Arsenal) and two FA Cups (1922–23
1922-23 in English football
The 1922–23 season was the 48th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Liverpool retained the First Division title, but halfway through the season their manager David Ashworth left the club to take over at Oldham Athletic, who ended the season relegated.-Honours:Notes = Number in...
with Huddersfield Town, 1929–30
1929-30 in English football
The 1929–30 season was the 55th season of competitive football in England.-Events:The Wednesday officially changed their name to Sheffield Wednesday prior to the start of this season....
with Arsenal). After his death the team he had built at Arsenal, under his successors Joe Shaw
Joseph E. Shaw
Joseph Ebenezer "Joe" Shaw was an English football player and coach.Born in Bury, Lancashire, Shaw first played for his home club, Bury, and then Accrington Stanley, helping the side win the Lancashire Combination...
and George Allison
George Allison
George Frederick Allison was an English football journalist, broadcaster and manager. He was the BBC's first sports commentator and Arsenal's second longest serving manager.-Journalism career:...
, went on to win the 1933–34
1933-34 in English football
The 1933–34 season was the 59th season of competitive football in England.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
and 1934–35
1934-35 in English football
The 1934–35 season was the 60th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Arsenal become only the second team to win the League three consecutive times.-Honours:Notes = Number in parentheses is the times that club has won that honour...
titles, emulating his Huddersfield Town team by completing a hat-trick. No team was to repeat the feat until Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
between 1982 and 1984. Chapman was honorary president of Scottish amateur football club Chirnside United
Chirnside F.C.
Chirnside F.C. previously known as Chirnside United F.C. are an amateur football club which plays in the village of Chirnside in Berwickshire, Scotland. They play in the 'A league' of the Border Amateur league which is affiliated to the Scottish Amateur Football Association...
until his death in 1934.
In 2003, Chapman was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in recognition of his impact as a manager. An English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
blue plaque
Blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....
commemorating Chapman was unveiled in March 2005, at the house in Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
where Chapman lived from 1926 until his death. Chapman was the first footballer or football manager to be commemorated in this way by English Heritage. In 2004, on the seventieth anniversary of his death, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
named him the greatest British manager of all time in a poll.
In tribute to his achievements at Arsenal, a bronze bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
of Chapman, sculpted by Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
resided inside the marble halls of the East Stand of Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
, Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
until its closure in 2006 and will be reinstated there once redevelopment work in the stadium is completed. A replica sits in the Directors' Entrance at Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
; he is one of only two Arsenal managers to be honoured this way, the other being current manager Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
. Furthermore, Arsenal's white away kit for the 2007–08
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
season was dedicated to Chapman and his achievements.
Huddersfield Town were presented with a replica of Chapman's bust by Arsenal, to celebrate their centenary in 2008. Additionally, as part of their centennial, Huddersfield also contested the inaugural Herbert Chapman Trophy against Arsenal at the Galpharm Stadium
Galpharm Stadium
The Galpharm Stadium, formerly the Alfred McAlpine Stadium, is a multi-use sports in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England. Since 1994, it has been the home ground of Huddersfield Town and Super League side, Huddersfield Giants.-The Stadium:...
on 6 August 2008, which Arsenal won 2–1.