Herbert Chapman: Football Revolutionary?

 Mr Chapman with Arsenal players on the golf course in 1929. L-R: Unknown, Tom Parker, Alex James, David Jack, Herbert Chapman. David Jack with a cigarette , Alex James with plus fours that are about the same length as his football shorts.

Herbert Chapman was undoubtedly one of the most influential figures in the development of Association football. Here is a link to a paper by Tony Say of the University of Warwick entitled
Herbert Chapman: Football Revolutionary? It's a good read.
http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/SportsHistorian/1996/sh16h.pdf

Some of Chapman's most notable tactical innovations are given some historical context- maybe not so much revolution as evolution.

Situation Vacant

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

Athletic News  11.05.25 

Imports

Hiden

In 1930 Herbert Chapman was very keen on signing Rudolf Hiden for Arsenal. 

We have seen how Glasgow Rangers had imported Karl Pekarna (sadly the Scottish public did not witness the full extent of his undoubted talents) and Tottenham Hotspur had flirted with the recruitment of the French goalkeeper Pierre Chayriguès from Red Star in 1913.
Hiden was probably the best goalkeeper in the World. In May 1930 the 21 year old had impressed in a 0-0 draw with England in Vienna.  Chapman, ever the progressive, had strong connections with Hugo Meisl and the sophisticated world of Danubian coffee house football culture. 
The transfer of Hiden to Arsenal from Wiener Athletiksportclub was opposed by both the players' union and the Football League. They lobbied the Ministry of Labour to prevent the deal, based on the argument that for Arsenal to employ Hiden would be a simple case of taking a job from an Englishman and giving it to a foreigner. 
The combined forces of the Football Association, The Football League, the player's union and the Ministry of Labour ensured that the Hiden transfer was never completed. Hiden moved to Racing (Paris) in 1933. His first name became Rodolphe and he earned 1 cap for France in 1940.
On 1 June 1931 the  FA Council approved the following:
A professional player who is not a British-born subject is not eligible to take part in any competition under the jurisdiction of this Association unless he possesses a two-year residential qualification within the jurisdiction of the Association.
This move reflected the attutude expressed by senior FA councillor and Football League Management Committee member  Charles Sutcliffe in August 1930 ; The idea of bringing foreigners to play in league football is repulsive to the clubs, offensive to British players and a terrible confession of weakness in the management of a club. It will be a bad day for club managers when they have to cultivate team spirit in a team of players where some would not understand a word said to them.

In the 1930-31 season Arsenal did feature a foreign goalkeeper-Gerrit Keizer of the Netherlands. 
Keizer had joined Ajax as a 16 year old. He moved to England to study the language in 1930, playing as an amateur for Margate Town (he was registered with Milwall but never turned out  for the Lions). Keizer's status as an amateur seems to have diffused any protests regarding his playing in England.  Chapman signed Keizer for Arsenal, but the extent of his first team career was 12 matches from August to October 1930. The following season he appeared 17 times for Charlton Athletic in Division 2 . Before moving back to Ajax (he was first choice goalkeeper for 15 years, making over 300 appearances) he was briefly on the books at Queen's Park Rangers. 

Keizer

Gone but not forgotten- Leeds City

Leeds City have the dubious distinction of being the only team to be booted out of the League whilst the season was in progress.
Formed in 1904 they were elected to the League in 1905- the League favoured applications from clubs based in non soccer areas (Yorkshire, aside from Sheffield, being very much a Northern Union region).

	League	FA Cup
1905-06	Div.2 6th	Q3
1906-07	Div.2 10th	R1
1907-08	Div.2 12th	R1
1908-09	Div.2 12th	R2
1909-10	Div.2 17th	R1
1910-11	Div.2 11th	R1
1911-12	Div.2 19th	R2
1912-13	Div.2 6th	R1
1913-14	Div.2 4th	R2
1914-15	Div.2 15th	R2
1919-20	Div.2 expelled

In  1912–13 Herbert Chapman became club secretary. His involvement with the club during the war years nearly deprived English Football of one of it's authentic geniuses.  

When club Directors refused to cooperate in an FA / Football League investigation into irregular payments Leeds City were expelled from the League and 5 club officials, including Chapman, were banned from football for life. The irregularities arose from the club's failure to follow the Football League's directive, set out in 1915, that players could only receive expenses for playing in the stop gap wartime competitions, In effect all players were amateurs for the duration- no one was supposed to make a living from the game. 

Here is one version of the events, gleaned from contemporary press reports:

Mr Connor, former chairman of the board of directors told the press (The Yorkshire Evening Post) that his syndicate (effectively the banned parties) had taken over the club in 1914, when, he said, the club was on the verge of collapse.

Mr Connor said that the club was then (October 1919) actually in credit.

Mr Connor states that when Herbert Chapman left the club to do his war work he recommended that his assistant (referred to by Mr Connor as Mr Chapman’s ‘personal employee’) Mr Cripps, should take on the financial management of the club. Mr Connor claims to have been opposed to this. After one season the club’s books were in such a chaotic condition that Mr Connor threatened to resign.

Mr Cripps was replaced by an accountant and went back to the team selection role. However, the directors did not want Cripps to travel to away matches with the team, preferring instead to send one of their own number. This led to the players threatening to go on strike.

Relationships got very strained and the directors decided to fire Cripps, at which point he made accusations of financial impropriety against the club.

Cripps took legal action, claiming £400 but ending up with £50. He had to return any correspondence regarding the club to their solicitor and sign an undertaking not to make public any of the club’s affairs.

Charlie Copeland

Defender Charlie Copeland was the next key figure. He rejected the clubs pay offer of £3 10 s a week, and wrote to the directors saying that if they didn't pay him £6 a week he would blow the whistle regarding illegal payments. When his request was ignored and he was placed on the free transfer list, Copeland went to the FA.

The FA investigating committee requested access to the club’s documents, and the directors, knowing them to containing evidence of irregular payments to players, declined to cooperate.

Source: Interview with Mr Connor, Yorkshire Evening Post, 14.10.19

Football Stars Of Tomorrow? 1933

Pozzo vs Chapman

Stadio Nazionale del Partito Nazionale Fascista

Vittorio Pozzo was a friend and admirer of Herbert Chapman. When England traveled to Rome to play their first ever match against Italy in May 1933 Herbert Chapman was nominally the head coach of England - a progressive step for the FA when one considers that they did not appoint a national coach/ manager until 1950. However, Chapman did not select the team- this was still done by a committee. If Chapman had lived one wonders how many of his progressive ideas might have been taken on.

 

Commemorative medal 

The Italian XI had an average of 25 caps. England fielded 6 new caps.There were 50,000 at the Stadio Nazionale del Partito Nazionale Fascista to see Ferrari put the hosts in front in the 4th minute. Cliff Bastin equalised in the 24th and the game ended in a 1-1 draw.

*	Gianpiero Combi	Juventus	G	Harry Hibbs	Birmingham City
	Virginio Rosetta	Juventus	B	Roy Goodall (c)	Huddersfield Town
	Umberto Caligaris (c)	Juventus	B	Eddie Hapgood	Arsenal	*
	Mario Pizziolo	Fiorentina	H	Alf Strange	Sheffield Wednesday
*	Luis Monti	Juventus	H	Tom White	Everton	*
*	Luigi Bertolini	Juventus	H	Wilf Copping	Leeds United	*
	Raffaele Costantino	Roma	OR	Albert Geldard	Everton	*
*	Giuseppe Meazza	Ambrosiana	IR	James Richardson	Newcastle United	*
*	Angelo Schiavio	Bologna	CF	George Hunt	Tottenham Hotspur
*	Giovanni Ferrari	Juventus	IL	Billy Furness	Leeds United	*
*	Raimundo Orsi	Juventus	OL	Cliff Bastin	Arsenal
*	1934 World Cup Winners			Debutants		*

Clem Stephenson

Aston Villa
Season	Football League	FA Cup
1911–12	6th	R2
1912–13	2nd	Winners
1913–14	2nd	Semi-Final
1914–15	14th	R2
1919–20	9th	Winners

Huddersfield Town
Season	Football League	FA Cup
1920–21	17th	R3
1921–22	14th	Winners
1922–23	3rd	R3
1923–24	Champions	R3
1924–25	Champions	R1
1925–26	Champions	R4
1926–27	2nd	R3
1927–28	2nd	Runners Up
1928–29	16th	Semi-Final
1929–30	10th	Runners Up

I want to thank you personally for your play, your wholehearted efforts both on and off the field. I have never had such confidence in any captain of a team I have been associated with.
Herbert Chapman, writing to Stephenson in 1924.

Clem Stephenson had so impressed  during his wartime guest appearances for  Leeds City that when Chapman began assembling his Huddersfield Town side he paid £4,000 for the inside forward, who played a similar role to that which Alex James later performed for Chapman's Arsenal. 
Stephenson was later Huddersfield Town's longest serving manager (1929–42), guiding them to 2nd and 3rd in the League (1933–34 &1935–36).

Walsall v Arsenal 1933

Formidable ball from the  (in)famous cup tie.

The weekend of the third round of the FA Cup has always been one of the highlights of the football fan's calendar. For many it can be the biggest game of the season, if your team draws a big club. It can see small provincial grounds packed out or set the scene for away trips to famous stadiums, excursions that attain a legendary status over the years. 

What most will remember though is the upsets, the exploits of the Giantkillers. 

I recommend this site to anyone interested in this romantic aspect of the game, the occasions on which the glamorous world of the international superstar has collided with that of the part time journeyman. 

Third Division North side Walsall scored a famous victory over Arsenal in January 1933. Arsenal fielded 7 internationals and gave debuts to 4 reserve team players.  Walsall's 2-0 victory signaled the end of the Arsenal careers of 3 of those debutants. Incensed by a combination of ineptitude and foul play, Herbert Chapman actually told Tommy Black, who had conceded a penalty , that he was banned from Highbury and from training as soon as the game was over. Chapman was true to his word. 

Walsall		Arsenal
Joey Cunningham	GK	Frank Moss*
Jack Bennett	RB	George Male*
Sid Bird	LB	Tommy Black
Jack Reed	RH	Frank Hill**
George Leslie	CH	Herbie Roberts*
Harry Salt	LH	Norman Sidley
Billy Coward	OR	William Warnes
Chris Ball	IR	David Jack*
Gilbert Alsop	CF	Charlie Walsh
Bill Sheppard	IL	Alex James**
Freddie Lee	OL	Cliff Bastin*

* England international

** Scotland international

In the next round Walsall traveled to Manchester City and lost 2-0.