List of Arsenal F.C. managers

This is a list of Arsenal Football Club's managers and their records, from 1897, when the first professional manager was appointed, to the present day.

History

Although the club was founded in 1886, it wasn't until 1897 did the club appoint a permanent manager in charge of first-team affairs, with Thomas Mitchell being universally recognised as Arsenal's first professional manager.cite web | url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/the-managers | title=Arsenal Managers | work=Arsenal.com ] cite book
author=Roper, Alan
title=The Real Arsenal Story: In the Days of Gog
publisher=Wherry | year=2004
id=ISBN 0-9546259-1-9 | pages=p. 120 | quote=After their humiliating defeat the Arsenal FC directors decided to appoint their first professional manager, and the first to be signed as Thomas Brown Mitchell, a Scot. ] While Sam Hollis is credited by some sources as being Arsenal's first "manager" (in an amateur capacity) three years earlier in 1894, others claim he was only the club's trainer. [cite book | author=Joy, Bernard
title=Forward Arsenal!
publisher=Phoenix House
year=1952 | quote=Arsenal's trainer, Hollis, however, was true to the nineteeth century pattern. | pages=p.11 ] and many sources, including the club's own official history, make no mention of Hollis and state that Mitchell was Arsenal's first manager.cite book
author=Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin
title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal
publisher=Hamlyn | year=2005
id=ISBN 0-600613-44-5 | pages=p. 30 | quote=A disastrous FA Cup defeat by non-League Millwall (2-4 away) on 16 January 1896 proved one turning point for the committee. They decided to appoint a secretary-manager, one T.B. Mitchell from Blackburn,... ] cite book | author=Joy
title=Forward Arsenal!
year=1952 | page=p. 12 | quote=The first manager was T.B. Mitchell, from Blackburn Rovers and he was succeeded after a few months by G. Elcoat of Stockton. ]

The role was known originally as "secretary-manager", as the manager also managed the club's affairs off the pitch as well as on it. However following the death of Tom Whittaker in 1956, the role was split and all in the role, from then to this day, have been given the title of manager and concentrated mainly on first-team affairs.cite web | url=http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/twallace/history.htm | title=Arsenal: The History ]

Records

There have been eighteen permanent and four caretaker managers of Arsenal since 1897; one caretaker (Stewart Houston) has managed the club in two separate spells. The longest-running manager in terms of time is George Allison (1934–1947) while the longest-running in terms of games is current manager Arsène Wenger (1996–). Wenger is also Arsenal's only manager from outside Great Britain or Ireland and is Arsenal's most successful permanent manager in terms of percentage of wins with 57.36%, while Leslie Knighton is Arsenal's least successful (34.46%). Two Arsenal managers have died in the job - Herbert Chapman and Tom Whittaker.

Managers

"As of September 13, 2008. Only competitive matches are counted. Wins, losses and draws are results at the final whistle; the results of penalty shoot-outs are not counted. [cite web | url=http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/projects/arsenal/ | title=Arsenal results database ]

;Key:* Served as caretaker manager. :† Served as caretaker manager before being appointed permanently.

;Notes

:A note label|note01|A|^Though not officially named secretary-manager, McEwen was in charge of first team-affairs at Arsenal and thus "de facto" manager after Morrell left the club; the vast majority of his time he oversaw wartime matches, which do not count to the official record. [cite book | author=Joy, Bernard
title=Forward Arsenal!
publisher=Phoenix House
year=1952 | pages=p.26 ] :B note label|note02|B|^Joe Shaw was appointed caretaker manager, while John Peters was appointed caretaker secretary. [cite book | title=Arsenal handbook 1934-35 | publisher=Arsenal FC | pages=p.6 ] :C note label|note03|C|^Whittaker was taken ill in the summer of 1956, and although he officially remained in charge at the start of the 1956-57 season, in practice Jack Crayston was team manager from then up until Whittaker's death in October; his record for this time reads P14 W7 D1 L6 F31 A25.:D note label|note04|D|^Wenger's statistics include the FA Cup match played against Sheffield United on February 13 1999; Arsenal won 2–1 but the match was replayed following a controversy about the winning goal.

References