Product Description

It was Sir Henry Norris, the original, well-connected property-dealing chairman, who bulldozed through a great deal of opposition to relocate Woolwich Arsenal from their muddy riverside home, north to Islington. Having also secured Arsenal's 'promotion' to the First Division as football restarted after the First World War, Norris eventually left under a cloud following match-fixing allegations on the final day of the 1927-28 season (despite a surprising 0-2 home defeat to Portsmouth, Charlie Buchan and his team-mates were delighted to receive 'new fangled refrigerators' from the chairman; Spurs were relegated as a result). The antics of Norris, and previously unpublished fans' recollections of the first game at Highbury (an unconvincing 2-1 victory over Leicester Fosse) and of the emerging championship-winning side of Herbert Chapman - one fit, at last, to perform beneath the art-deco splendour of the East Stand - are some of the earliest memories captured in Highbury: the story of Arsenal in N5. After several years of sitting in Highbury's local pubs and cafes with a Dictaphone, Jon Spurling has pooled hours of interviews with fans, programme sellers, local publicans and even those who dug the foundations of the Laundry End and later cleared rubbish from its terraces, to meticulously construct the biography of the ground and chart the ups and downs of one of England's greatest league clubs. Spurling has also spoken to numerous players: the late greats of yesteryear (Ted Drake, George Male and Reg Lewis); as well as legends of a more recent vintage - from Bob Wilson, Charlie George and Malcolm MacDonald to Anders Limpar and various legends of the Wenger era, including Edu and Patrick Vieira. In the season that Arsenal finally move to Ashburton Grove, Jon Spurling has produced the definitive account of the club's ninety-three years at Highbury.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #264339 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 344 pages

Andrew Baker, DAILY TELEGRAPH
'Spurling is a diligent researcher and this is local sporting history at its best.'

Review
'Spurling is a diligent researcher and this is local sporting history at its best.' (Andrew Baker DAILY TELEGRAPH )

'The second of at least three homages to Highbury, but the others will do well to match this one, not just for the depth of research, but for its wit and vibrancy... A terrific read and a worthy tribute.' (FOUR FOUR TWO )

'Some would argue that a building cannot have a soul: I'd beg to differ and would suggest that Spurling has found it.' (ARSENAL WORLD )

ARSENAL WORLD
'Some would argue that a building cannot have a soul: I'd beg to differ and would suggest that Spurling has found it.'

Customer Reviews

Another excellent Arsenal book by Jon Spurling
Too many Highbury obituaries focussed purely on the development of the buildings and the stands, and how they changed over the years. Yet as Jon Spurling points out throughout the book, the Highbury experience for Arsenal fans over the years consisted of much more than that. What Spurling has written is nothing short of incredible. Around 50 players and 100 fans have been interviewed over a 15 year period, and together, the testimonies combine to produce the most comprehensive social history of Highbury. Quite literally, everything is in the book which you need to know about how the match day experience has changed over the last ninety years. Cult heroes, great games, fan culture, fashions, chants, and the fact that the club has not always had the best of relations with the neighbours... Spurling proves that there are several common themes right through the history of Highbury.
The fact that the author is an Arsenal fanatic helps - but fortunately he avoids taking a purely rose tinted view of the past. Fans' jarring experiences of terrace culture in the 70s is a reminder that life at Highbury wasn't always a joy.
A superb read, and a worthy successor to his other excellent Arsenal tome - Rebels For The Cause.

Highbury Highs
For anyone who believes that there is more to supporting a football team than what happens on the pitch , this book is for you. The book features contributions and observations from players, fans, club officials and those like programme sellers who are part of the game day experience.
The story of Highbury needs to be told, I found the chapters relating to the move from Woolwich and the role of Herbert Chapman fascinating.The development of the ground and the impact of the Taylor Report are covered thoughtfully. There are constant reminders that although Arsenal have been a top flight team throughout their time at Highbury, they have not always challenged for honours.
The book will obvious appeal to Gooners , but perhaps more significantly it deserves to be read by a wider audience of football supporters. A first rate read.

Never to be replaced & never forgotten!
This is the ultimate read for any Arsenal Fan. The home of football has gone but this book will take you on a worlwind tour of the 93 years that Arsenal spent in the most unique football ground in the world. From the early days of Sir Henry Norris through to the historic days of Herbert Chapman, the offside days of George Graham & to the total football days of Arsene Wenger this book has it all. Jon Spurling has truly done his home work and it must have taken years to compile and put together all the storys and peoples accounts and memorys right through from ex-players, peanut sellers, mascots & even ticket touts. The autor in his own words gets to be a bit of a politically correct bore in some chapters & to state that Rocky Rocastle was one of the best players to wear the number 10 shirt was a glaring error. Yes Rocky was one of my all time favorites but unless my memory fails me i`m sure he was one of the best Arsenal players to wear the number 7 shirt. This however does not spoil what is a cracking read that had me laughing and crying all the way through!