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Arsenal Head-to-Head is another simple idea for a book,
done beautifully. All the clubs we've played
against in England are listed in alphabetical order,
and for each there's a list of all the games between
the clubs with date, result, and competition. I was
particularly pleased to see that "attendance" was left
out. Everyone seems to assume that it's crucial information
but does anyone but the most dedictade statto actually
care?
As well as the results list each club also has a panel of
trivia, lists of Arsenal's top scorers and hat-trick scorers
in the head-to-head fixtures, and a sometimes-fascinating
list of players who've played for both clubs.
At the end of the book there are pages listing European results,
this time sensibly done according to the country of origin
of the opposition.
Given the statistical nature, it could have turned out a dry
book. Well, it's probably not one that you'll read through
from front to back, but as well as all the stats it is the
kind of book that as an Arsenal fan you can always pick up
and find something curious or interesting in. One to have a
quick look in before each game, to help put it in its historical
context, perhaps. If you're into the history that is.... which I know
many of you are and some of you should be a bit more (judging by the number
of emails Arseweb gets from fans who think Arsenal would somehow
disappear if Wenger and/or Vieira left us!).
And there are lots of excellent pictures.
A few curiosities to whet your appetite:
- Of all Arsenal's 116 opponents, Tranmere Rovers are the only team against whom we
have never scored (we've only played them once)
- Of all the teams that we've played more than once, the team with the best record
against the Arsenal is Brentford (who only lost twice in 14 league games, not that
we've played them since 1947, mind!)
- Only 4 sides have played Arsenal more than 20 times and won more times than they've
lost. These are: Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle Utd, and..... Notts County
- Arsenal's current lead of 9 wins over Tottenham (54 to their 45) is the largest
ever gap between the sides.
There's loads more. It's highly recommended whether as a coffee-table book,
one for the bog, or as a present for any Arsenal fan.
Publishers Breedon books have let us have a copy for
a competition prize. To enter, please send your answer to the following
multiple-choice question using this link
or email to the usual address with the subject line "HeadToHead_Competition", by Saturday 18th September.
Question: how many players have played for both Arsenal and Tottenham?
A: 3
B: 11
C: 53
If you can't wait for the competition, you can buy the book here. See Arseweb book shop for more books and reviews. See also Arseweb's own head-to-head section Arsenal vs the World, which is as yet less comprehensive than the book, covering mainly events that have happened during Arseweb's lifetime, but which does have some interactive features such as links to recent match reports and links to the other teams' web pages.
Rupe adds...
We've had a lot of entries for this competition already. Breedon books have let us have an extra copy so there are 2 prizes now. |
