page_title: History of Arsenal F.C. (1886–1966)
section_title: The post-war years (1945–66)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Arsenal F.C. (1886–1966) / The post-war years (1945–66)
caption_attribution_description: This file is in the public domain, because Arsenal FC itself has said the old crest is ineligible for copyright, see below. In case this is not legally possible: The right to use this work is granted to anyone for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. Please verify that the reason given above complies with Commons' licensing policy. Full size version: en:Image:Arsenal fc old crest.png This was the crest of Arsenal Football Club from c.1949 to 2002. In 2002, the club replaced the crest, stating in a press release: "Principally, as the current crest incorporates many separate elements, which have been introduced over a number of years, there is uncertainty surrounding its exact origination. As a consequence, the Club is unable to copyright this crest." The release is no longer available on the club website but an Internet Archive copy of it is here: [1]. Another copy is here: [2] (link now dead: Internet Archive copy here: [3]. A BBC news story on the new crest is available here: [4] Since the club has admitted the crest is ineligible for copyright, it has been given the {{Insignia}} image tag. en:Category:British coat of arms images
context_page_description: The history of Arsenal Football Club between 1886 and 1966 covers the time from the club's foundation, through the first two major periods of success and the club's subsequent decline to mid-table status in the 1960s.
  Arsenal Football Club was founded in 1886 as a munition workers' team from Woolwich, then in Kent, now southeast London. They turned professional in 1891 and joined The Football League two years later. They were promoted to the First Division in 1904 but financial problems meant they were liquidated and reformed. They were bought out by Sir Henry Norris that year and to improve the club's financial standing, he moved the team to Arsenal Stadium, Highbury, north London in 1913. After the First World War he arranged for the club's promotion back to the First Division, in controversial circumstances.
  It was not until the appointment of Herbert Chapman in 1925 that Arsenal had their first period of major success; Chapman modernised and reformed the club's practices and tactics, and under him and his successor George Allison, Arsenal won five First Division titles and two FA Cups in the 1930s.
context_section_description: The war had claimed the lives of nine Arsenal first team players, the most of any top flight club, and the intervening time had cut short the careers of several others, including Bastin and Drake. Additionally, the debts from the construction of Highbury and the costs of repairing war damage were a heavy financial burden, and Arsenal struggled at first when competitive football resumed in 1946. They lost 6–1 on aggregate to West Ham United in the third round of the 1945–46 FA Cup, and upon the league's resumption in 1946–47 the club finished 13th, their worst in 17 years. George Allison decided to retire from football at the end of that season, and was replaced by his assistant Tom Whittaker, a long-time servant of the club who had been trainer under Chapman.
  Whittaker enjoyed immediate success, winning the League title in 1947–48; led by captain Joe Mercer's strong defence and with goals from attacking front two of Reg Lewis and Ronnie Rooke, Arsenal were top of the table from October until the season's climax, winning by a seven-point margin. However, given the age of the Arsenal side at the time (Rooke and Mercer were both over thirty, as were Denis and Leslie Compton), long-term success was not possible. In response, Whittaker had brought in younger players such as Doug Lishman, Alex Forbes and Cliff Holton. Although Arsenal were unable to sustain any challenges for the League title, with the new blood they won the FA Cup in 1949–50, with Reg Lewis scoring both goals in a 2–0 win over Liverpool.
  The 1951–52 season saw the club nearly win the Double, but ultimately end up empty-handed; a series of injuries and a fixture pile-up at the end of the season saw Arsenal lose their last two matches, including the title decider against eventual champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on the last day of the season; after losing 6–1, the Gunners finished third, equal on points with Tottenham. A week later, Arsenal played Newcastle United in the 1952 FA Cup Final, with several recovering players rushed back into the first team; Walley Barnes was taken off injured with a twisted knee after 35 minutes (no substitutes were allowed then), and ten-man Arsenal suffered further injuries to Holton, Roper and Daniel, so that by the end of the match they had only seven fit players on the pitch; with the numerical advantage in their favour, Newcastle won 1–0 with a goal from George Robledo.
  Despite the disappointment of the previous season, Arsenal won their seventh League title in 1952–53; in one of the closest title races, they beat Preston North End to the title on goal average after finishing level on points. The title looked to be Preston's after Arsenal lost to them 2–0 at Deepdale in the penultimate game of the season, but Arsenal came from behind to beat Burnley 3–2, to take the title on 0.099 of a goal. That proved to be Arsenal's last trophy for seventeen years, as Arsenal's fortunes began to wane, particularly after the unexpected death of Tom Whittaker in October 1956.
  As the club's fortunes declined, they found themselves unable to attract many stars (Welsh international goalkeeper Jack Kelsey being a notable exception), while up and coming players such as David Herd left for more successful clubs. Jack Crayston and George Swindin, both former players, followed Whittaker but could not replicate his success. Apart from finishing third in 1958–59 and fifth in both 1955–56 and 1956–57, Arsenal usually finished in mid-table. Nor did the club have much luck in the FA Cup — after reaching the final in 1951–52, Arsenal would not get beyond the quarter-finals again until 1970–71. To make matters worse for the club, Tottenham Hotspur won the Double in 1960–61.
  In 1962, Arsenal made the bold but ultimately unsuccessful step of appointing former England and Wolves captain Billy Wright as manager, despite his lack of managerial experience and the fact he had no prior experience with the club. Like his two immediate predecessors, Wright was not very successful, although it was under his leadership that the club made their debut in Euro
caption: Arsenal adopted this red crest in 1949, which was a familiar sight until its replacement in 2002.
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