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The definitive story of the father of modern football, Herbert Chapman.
Herbert Chapman, the boss of the all-conquering Arsenal team of the 1930s, was the father of modern football management. A relative journeyman as a player, he moved into the dugout aged 29 with Northampton Town, before building a multiple-title-winning team with Huddersfield in the 1920s. It was at Arsenal, however, where Chapman would leave an indelible mark on the landscape of football.
Patrick Barclay’s poignant and detailed biography weaves Chapman’s story into the momentous times through which he lived, including the tragedy of the First World War, the subsequent Depression and the rise of fascism. Deeply influential on Arsenal successors such as George Graham and Arsène Wenger, he also pioneered changes in the game’s scenery and tactical approaches. As Sir Matt Busby later remarked, Herbert Chapman changed the game of football.
Herbert Chapman, the boss of the all-conquering Arsenal team of the 1930s, was the father of modern football management. A relative journeyman as a player, he moved into the dugout aged 29 with Northampton Town, before building a multiple-title-winning team with Huddersfield in the 1920s. It was at Arsenal, however, where Chapman would leave an indelible mark on the landscape of football.
Patrick Barclay’s poignant and detailed biography weaves Chapman’s story into the momentous times through which he lived, including the tragedy of the First World War, the subsequent Depression and the rise of fascism. Deeply influential on Arsenal successors such as George Graham and Arsène Wenger, he also pioneered changes in the game’s scenery and tactical approaches. As Sir Matt Busby later remarked, Herbert Chapman changed the game of football.
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Reviews
Affectionate, insightful and rich in historical context.
Barclay vividly and brilliantly conjures up a forgotten sporting age.
Anyone, Gooner or not, who gazes up at his statue standing in slightly paunchy, plus-foured glory in front of the Emirates stadium and desires to learn more about the Yorkshireman who first too Arsenal to the heights need look no further than this, surely definitive, biography.
Barclay's hugely entertaining story is as full of off-ball incidents and punch ups as today's game....(the book is) robust as Herbert Chapman's desk..
Barclay's eloquent writing is a fine tribute to the Arsenal legend. With a backdrop of war and accusations of illicit player payments while at Leeds City, there's also plenty for non-Gooners.