hente Profile picture
May 6 9 tweets 4 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
1/9

OTD 1939 final major #Arsenal game for Eddie Hapgood, one of the finest full-backs ever to have represented the club.

Born in Bristol in Sep 1908, he joined the Gunners in Oct 1927 from Kettering Town aged 19 for a fee of £1,000 what turned out be a real bargain. Eddie Hapgood, Arsenal.
2/9

Lightly built and a vegetarian, #Arsenal trainer Tom Whittaker put Hapgood on a new diet (yes, including meat) and to build up more muscle.

So having featured three times so far, 15 months after joining, he became basically ever present for over a decade in Jan 1929.
3/9

With Cliff Bastin, Hapgood is the other player who won all The #Arsenal first seven ever trophies during the 1930s; five league championships and twice the FA Cup.

He captained the club the last two seasons before the Second World War after Alex James' retirement in 1937. Arsenal captain Alex James ...
4/9

Hapgood was only 30 when the war began, so we can only guess just how much more impressive his records would be without the conflict.

He played 440 games for The #Arsenal scoring twice and featured 99 times in the wartime. Eddie was also very much a full England int'l.
5/9

30 England caps, captaining his country 21 times, first time in the 'Battle of Highbury' in Nov 1934 against Italy.

Fittingly for today, Hapgood skippered The Three Lions in 13 more games at wartime, lastly v Wales 80yr ago in Feb 1943 with The King George VI present. England captain Eddie Hapgo...England captain Eddie Hapgo...
6/9

From off the field, Eddie was (I'm not an expert) a very hansom bloke, who I read earned a few extra quids for modelling. That he was nicknamed 'Happy' sounds fair.

After retiring from playing in 1946, he managed Blackburn, (short stint player coaching Shrewsbury Town)..
7/9

..Watford and Bath City before a career as a warden of a Youth Hostel at Weymouth. Hapgood retired to Royal Leamington Spa in 1970.

It was there where Edris Albert Hapgood passed away almost exactly 50yr ago on Apr 20, 1973. He has two blue plaques to his name. Eddie Hapgood's blue plaque...Eddie Hapgood's blue plaque...
8/9

The first is in Bristol, where a street was named after him in 2009 and the second was unveiled in 2021 at Leamington where he died.

There's also just recently published book Eddie Hapgood Footballer From Beyond the Touchline, written by his daughter Dr Lynne Hapgood.
9/9

I'll end with Lynne's words at the book unveiling:

"My father was a great footballer but it was his remarkable leadership, his unfailing integrity and his public fight for justice that meant fans never forgot him."

As ever, do correct, add.. if so. Thanks for reading! 💟 Arsenal's Eddie 'Happy' Hap...

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More from @hente_afsc

May 5
1/9

OTD 1928 final #Arsenal game for Charlie Buchan MM, a Sunderland legend and the first signing by the new manager Herbert Chapman in Jul 1925.

Buchan, a local Plumstead boy born in 1891 first joined Woolwich Arsenal at Manor Ground as an amateur in Boxing Day 1909 aged 18. Charlie Buchan, Arsenal.
2/9

Due to financial difficulties, Buchan soon left the club after just few reserve outings. Brief spells at Northfleet and Leyton FC before joining the Black Cats in 1911.

Standing just over 6ft and weighing 12st/3lb, the forward was a tough nut for the defenders to crack. Image
3/9

Charlie spent 14 seasons at Roker Park winning the league in 1912/13, Golden Boot in 1922/23 and is Sunderland's all time second top scorer with 222 goals.

During the WW1 Buchan became also a war hero. He was involved in the battles of Somme, Cambrai and Passchendaele..
Read 9 tweets
May 4
1/4

OTD 30yr ago in 1993 only 18,817 attended Highbury to watch #Arsenal play a goalless draw against QPR in the first Premier League season.

That's 11 days before the FA Cup final v Sheffield W and some two weeks after The Gunners had beaten The Owls in the League Cup final.
2/4

#Arsenal had also won the league championship twice in the previous four seasons, being almost invincible in 1990/91 doing so.

It was of course the season when The North Bank was being rebuilt and the ground capacity was 29,000. Still the avg. attendance was 24,796. North Bank mural at Highbur...
3/4

It was a weird season with #Arsenal scoring the fewest goals in the league of all teams: 40 in 42 averaging 0,95 GpG.

That's equally (1923/24) the second worst figure in the club history with worst (0,68) being 1912/13, when we were relegated after winning only three games.
Read 4 tweets

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