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With Bertie Mees resignation being agreed and announced in March it gave the board plenty of time to look at the options available to it. It would appear that Miljan Miljanic was first choice, the legendary Yugoslav who was then in charge at Real Madrid. In the end, though, he ended up staying in Spain, and our new manager came from much closer to home.
Terry Neill had spent the 60’s as a player at Arsenal, and played nearly 300 games for the first team. By the 70’s Simpson and McLintock were undisputed first choices in the centre of defence, and he left at 28 to become one of the leagues youngest ever managers when he took the job of player/manager at Hull City (which he also held for Northern Ireland). After four years at Hull he was the surprise choice to replace Bill Nicholson at White Hart Lane. He was there for two years before he couldn’t resist the chance to return home as Arsenals manager, appointing another returnee – Don Howe – as his assistant.
Virtually the first thing that happened after Neill joined was the signing of Malcolm ‘Supermac’ MacDonald for the (then) enormous some of one third of a million pounds. We had, in fact, been trying to sign MacDonald for months and Newcastle had in fact accepted, then backed out of deals at £275k and £300k. When raising the cheque Ken Friar queried why it should be made out for £333,333.33 ½p Chairman Dennis Hill quipped that he wasn’t going to lose his man for a third of a penny!
MacDonalds signing augured well for a new era. Big, brash and bold he was the superstar the fans craved to turn things round. Neill plundered his previous club with Willie Young, Pat Jennings and Steve Walford arriving for small fees. Young, the big ginger center half, was hated by the Arsenal fans when he signed, but his whole hearted approach led to him becoming a cult hero at Highbury, even scoring the occasional wonder goal in Europe! Jennings (who was considered finished at White Hart Lane) went on to be Arsenals number 1 for nearly a decade. Neill was lucky to also inherit a blossoming youth system, with amongst others Liam Brady, David O’Leary and Frank Stapleton all ready for the first team at almost the same time.
Despite everything looking good, Neills reign as Arsenal manager was definitely a time of underachievement, partly due to Neills inability to enforce discipline, and partly due to the boards lack of investment in the team. In the seven full seasons as manager, and despite four cup finals and three more semis, the only trophy he brought to Highbury was the FA Cup in 1979. On a day when Brady was able to show the world exactly how good a player he was, we were 2:0 up from just before half-time until the 87th minute. Two goals in two minutes brought Manchester United level, with extra time beckoning. Although in his modest way Brady would later say his only idea was to keep the ball away from our goal, he had other ideas. A strong driving run, a little shimmy, and a perfect pass to Graham Rix wide on the left. Rix didn’t have to break stride, crossed and although Gary Bailey in the United goal came for the ball he floundered, allowing converted midfielder Alan Sunderland to slide in at the far post to net the winner.
Neills tenure at Highbury was ended by half a brick! There had been a campaign on the terraces for change, and the feeling of unrest was gathering momentum. Whilst there is no doubt Neill brought some good players to Highbury there was too much inconsistency and not enough desire on the pitch. Distinct cliques had been allowed to develop in the dressing room, and for the fans things came to a head after a home League Cup game late in November 1983. Exactly one month earlier the same team had traveled to Aston Villa to play a side containing most of the players who had recently won the League and European Cup, and played them off the park. Tony Woodcock scored five first half goals and a superb display ended in a 6:2 win. A month after that triumph 3rd Division Walsall visited North London. The same Walsall that had caused such a shock knocking the mighty Arsenal out of the FA Cup fifty years earlier, beat a shoddy, disjointed Arsenal 2:1. After the game, thousands of fans congregated outside the main entrance in Avenell Road to express displeasure. Things were getting more and more heated until someone in the crowd threw half a brick through the dressing room window. It was enough for the police to disperse the crowd, and the board (one of whom is thought to have been in the dressing room at the time) to finally remove Neill. Arsenals youngest ever manager lasted less than a fortnight (and two defeats) longer.
The fans had wanted a total clear out of staff, but assistant Don Howe was promoted to caretaker manager until the end of the season. Partly because a new man was expected in the summer, but mainly out of a respect for a truly great coach, the crowd was back on side. It certainly didn’t do his stock any harm when in his 2nd game in charge our shortest away trip gave us a Boxing Day present of a 4:2 win!
Don Howe was a top coach, but he wasn’t a manager and this became obvious. On the field things improved slightly, but off the field the divisions were still there. What there is no doubt about is that Howe is a great judge of players, and in just over two years he blooded the likes of Tony Adams, Martin Keown, Martin Hayes, David Rocastle, Niall Quinn, and, er, Gus Caesar.
In the spring of 1986 the board decided that Howe should be replaced in the summer. Unfortunately (certainly for the board) news of approaches (particularly one to Terry Venables) leaked out and knowing his future Howe asked to be released from his contract. Steve Burtenshaw took over as caretaker manager until the end of the season.
The summer of 1986 wasn’t a good time to be a Gooner. The club, that 15 years earlier had been basking in the glory of the double, was now rooted in mid table with no manager, no team spirit, no discipline and falling gates. Apparent first choice Venables snubbed Arsenal to stay at Barcelona.
The club was in trouble and the board was in trouble. The next appointment had to be the right one and the managers the board decided to pursue were George Graham, and … Alex Ferguson (then at Aberdeen)! When the players reported back for pre-season training it was double winner Graham who was in charge.
