Seventy-One Guns: The Year of the First Arsenal Double

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Random House, Apr 13, 2012 - History - 240 pages

In the summer of 1970, England was buzzing about the new football season. More than 30 million television viewers had watched the previous year's FA Cup final and the brilliant Brazilians had dazzled audiences during the Mexico World Cup. The new age of televised highlights meant that football's profile had never been greater, generating a new celebrity status for footballers and catapulting them into the limelight like never before.

The 1970-71 season did not disappoint as Arsenal achieved the first Double of football's televised era amid controversy and drama. The Football League and FA Cup were won at the end of a campaign that included a street fight in Rome, the emergence of new young stars and unrest and unhappiness among some of the older players. Seventy-One Guns includes extensive interviews with the Arsenal players and coaches and, through their memories, ancedote and opinions, recreates the drama of that memorable season.

Looking beyond Highbury's Marble Hall, the book also recounts some of the events that made 1970-71 a historic time in English football in general, including: the rise of Leeds under Don Revie; the demise of Manchester United and the problems of George Best; football's attempt to clamp down on the hard men; and troubled times for Alf Ramsey's England in the wake of the Mexico World Cup.

Seventy-One Guns is a must for all Arsenal fans and all those who fondly recall the days of mutton-chop sideburns, white boots and mud-heap pitches.

 

Contents

Acknowledgements
Foreword by Bob Wilson
Introduction
Captain Fantastic
Back to the Future
Hard Bastards
Winging It 5 Fighting in the Streets
A Perfect Match
Something in Reserve
Charlie
Odd Man
Banksie Bottled It
Alf and the Assassin
Closing
Happy Returns
Champions

The Arsenal
Accidental Heroes
Courage in a Duffel Coat
United They Fall
Double
Postscript The Willow Foundation
Copyright

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About the author (2012)

David Tossell has more than 20 years experience in sports journalism and is a lifelong Arsenal fan. He is the author of Playing for Uncle Sam: The Brits Story of the North American Soccer League, The American Match and Bertie Mee: Arsenal's Officer and Gentleman.

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