George Allison: Arsenal’s Showman Manager Who Carried Chapman’s Legacy
George Allison arguably achieved a rare feat in football back in the day as both a great manager and journalist, all whilst serving Arsenal.During his time in charge at Highbury, he merited three First Division titles (1934, 1935, 1938), one FA Cup (1936) and two Charity Shields (1934, 1938). He also helped select England teams […] The post George Allison: Arsenal’s Showman Manager Who Carried Chapman’s Legacy appeared first on Just Arsenal News.
RR aka Rishi-Raj
George Allison arguably achieved a rare feat in football back in the day as both a great manager and journalist, all whilst serving Arsenal.
During his time in charge at Highbury, he merited three First Division titles (1934, 1935, 1938), one FA Cup (1936) and two Charity Shields (1934, 1938). He also helped select England teams during the 1930s when they were committee-run.
Allison had always been involved with Arsenal from the early 1900s, having moved from the North East where he trained to become a journalist. At the Gunners, he was the programme editor and writer of Gunner’s Mate before ending up on the board of directors towards the end of the 1910s. He further progressed at N5, moving into the positions of club secretary and managing director, before being handed the chance of a lifetime in 1934 after serving as assistant manager.
After Arsenal’s legendary manager Herbert Chapman, who had put the Gunners on the world stage, passed away from pneumonia, Allison was given the reins of one of the greatest sides ever to play together. Under Chapman, Arsenal had won a plethora of trophies including one FA Cup (1930) and two First Division titles (1931, 1933). Allison helped build upon that foundation, as the club went on to win five titles in eight seasons during their “Golden Era”.
Titles and Triumphs
In the final months of the 1933/34 campaign, Allison rounded off the First Division season by bringing the trophy back to Highbury, before securing a hat-trick of league titles the following year. After a difficult season in the league, he ensured the FA Cup returned to Highbury in 1936 for the second and final time of the decade, defeating Sheffield United 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a single strike from Ted Drake, who was a key figure in Allison’s attack.
Within two more years, Allison picked up the 1938 First Division title, Arsenal’s last of the decade, achieved in a campaign where they were far from their best. He also became known for breaking the world record transfer fee of the time by signing Bryn Jones in 1938 for £14,000, though the Welshman struggled to live up to his eyewatering price tag.
At heart, Allison was a showman. He appeared in The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, filmed at Highbury in 1939 before the outbreak of the Second World War. While still with Arsenal, he was also the BBC’s first ever sports commentator, even covering the club’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Cardiff City in 1927 from the Wembley press box.
Journalism and Legacy
During the early 1900s, Allison worked as a sports correspondent for the Hulton group of newspapers, which included the Sunday Chronicle, Athletic News, Daily Sketch, Sunday Herald, Sporting Chronicle, Empire News, Evening Standard and more. He was also a London writer for the New York Post, before working under William Randolph Hearst until 1934, contributing to his chain of American newspapers.
Once wartime had come to an end, Allison retired in 1947 after 13 years as Arsenal manager, his career bookended by success despite the interruption of the Second World War. Sadly, he passed away a decade later in 1957 at the age of 73, due to ill health.
George Allison not only resumed Herbert Chapman’s legacy but helped shape Arsenal Football Club into the legendary outfit they are today.
Liam Harding
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