Arsenal 1996/97 season summary

Arsenal - summary of the 1996/97 season

Pre-season preview

Most Arsenal fans agreed that the 95/96 squad would not have been strong enough to mount a serious challenge for the championship, and would have identified two key areas in the team which most need strengthening. For several years Arsenal have lacked a genuine midfield "general" - a playmaker who can control and shape the course of a game from the middle of the park. The signing of Dennis Bergkamp last season, and a more consistent contribution from Paul Merson at least partially addressed the problem of a lack of creativity. David Platt was hampered by injury for much of the season, but has anyway always been noted more for his goalscoring than his passing ability.

The other position in urgent need of attention is left back (or wing back if the new manager sticks to 3/5 at the back). Nigel Winterburn, since 1987 one of Arsenal's most dependable players, has noticeably lost pace and confidence on the ball over the last year or two. A replacement left back of quality would restore the balance to a defence which was partially rejuvenated last year by the switch to deploying 3 centre backs, the emergence of Scott Marshall and the resurgence of Martin Keown.

The signings of Patrick Vieira and Remi Garde just a day before the deadline for participation in the UEFA cup would seem to suggest that the new manager (strongly rumoured to be the Frenchman Arsene Wenger) has already taken steps to plug the midfield gap. Wenger is greatly respected across Europe as a habitually successful coach who is noted for getting the best out of his players.

Most Gunners' fans will thus start the new season in a slightly more optimistic frame of mind than would have been the case prior to Rioch's sacking. However, Wenger is not expected to take control before September (Stewart Houston and Pat Rice are in temporary charge of the 1st team) and, realistically, it would be a surprise if Arsenal did any better than a top five finish in the league, and a good cup run or two. The Gunners' exemplary European record in recent years will inspire hopes of a decent performance in the UEFA Cup.

Key Players

Tony Adams: The inspirational Arsenal and England captain is likely to miss the start of the season through an injury aggravated during the European championships. His return as the prime motivating force behind the team cannot come too early.
Dennis Bergkamp: After a slow start in a season interrupted by injury, the Dutch master still put in some outstanding performances and scored some stunning goals. With the initial settling in period behind him, fans will be expecting even more this year.
Ian Wright: With the continued lack of midfield goals, and John Hartson's seeming failure to build on a promising start, much will again depend on the volatile striker's partnership with Dennis Bergkamp. Whether he can stay on the right side of referees and couple this with a retention of his edge and pace will also be crucial.
David Seaman: Confirmed his status as England's (and arguably Europe's) best keeper during the European championships. The signing of John Lukic as a more experienced cover is an indication of how vital his presence is behind the Arsenal back line.

Unknown Player to Watch for

Patrick Vieira has just joined Arsenal from AC Milan for a fee reported to be about 3.5 million pounds. This 20 year old French U21 midfielder, born in Senegal, has been touted as the "new Desailly", though other reports have compared him to Ruud Gullit. He made his reputation with Cannes (becoming their captain, the youngest in French football) before Milan signed him last November for 3.3 million pounds. Though he made only 3 full appearances for Milan, the coaching staff there were said to to be keen to keep him and he is one of the most talked about rising stars of French football and an exciting prospect. Gunners fans will be hoping he can fill the role of playmaker so long yearned for at Arsenal.

Post-season review

Close Season Transfer Activity

In: Patrick Vieira    (midfield)   from AC Milan    (ITA)  (3.5 million)
    Remi Garde        (midfield)   from Strasbourg  (FRA)  (free)
    John Lukic        (goalkeeper) from Leeds United       (free)

Out:

Squad for 1996-1997 Season

 1. David Seaman          (England international goalkeeper)
 2. Lee Dixon             (England int right back)
 3. Nigel Winterburn      (England int left back)
 4. Patrick Vieira        (French U21 international midfielder)
 5. Steve Bould           (England int central defender)
 6. Tony Adams            (England captain, centre half, club captain)
 7. David Platt           (England international midfielder)
 8. Ian Wright            (England int forward, last term's top scorer)
 9. Paul Merson           (England int midfielder, reformed bad-boy)
10. Dennis Bergkamp       (Dutch international forward)
11. Glenn Helder          (Dutch int left winger)
12. Andy Linighan         (Eng B int central defender, brother of David)
13. Vince Bartram         (Reserve goalkeeper)
14. Martin Keown          (England int central defender)
15. Ray Parlour           (Eng U21 int midfielder with silly haircut)
16. John Hartson          (Welsh international striker)
17. David Hillier         (Eng U21 international midfielder)
18. Steve Morrow          (Northern Ireland int defender/midfield)
19. Remi Garde            (French former international midfielder)
20. Chris Kiwomya         (Striker, cover for Wright)
21. Eddie McGoldrick      (Irish int midfielder, also known as Shoot)
22. Ian Selley            (Eng U21 international midfield)
23. Paul Dickov           (Scotland U21 international forward)
24. John Lukic            (Reserve goalkeeper, 2nd stint at Highbury)
25. Scott Marshall        (Reserve centre half)
26. Lee Harper            (Reserve goalkeeper)
27. Paul Shaw             (Reserve striker)
28. Stephen Hughes        (Reserve midfielder)
29. Adrian Clarke         (Reserve striker/winger)
30. Gavin McGowan         (Reserve fullback)
31. Matthew Rose          (Reserve defender)

Close Season Transfer Activity

In:  Nicolas Anelka   (attack)     from PSG (FRA)          (0.5 million)

Out: Eddie McGoldrick (midfield)   to Manchester City      ()
     Paul Dickov      (midfield)   to Manchester City      ()
     Paul Shaw        (midfield)   to Peterborough United  ()
     Andy Linighan    (defence)    to Crystal Palace       (0.25 million)
     John Hartson     (attack)     to West Ham United      (3.5 million)

Retrospective review of the season

A transitional season which began in turmoil, with the club in disarray following the sacking of Bruce Rioch as manager just 5 days before the opening match, but ended in a mood of optimism with the team only just failing to qualify for a place in this year's Champions' League. The Arsenal board cited Rioch's "failure to communicate" with them as one of the reasons for his dismissal, but the signings of Frenchmen Remi Garde and Patrick Vieira barely 24 hours later suggested that moves to install the widely respected French coach Arsene Wenger as Rioch's eventual successor had been made well before the latter was sacked.

Wenger eventually negotiated his release from Grampus Eight in Japan and officially took over at the end of September, and in the interim Arsenal had two caretaker managers. Stewart Houston started the season in charge, and under him Arsenal made a solid but unspectacular start with 2 wins, 2 draws and a loss in their first five league games. However, soon after Arsenal lost at home in the 1st round of the UEFA cup to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Houston abruptly resigned and moved to QPR to take over as manager.

Pat Rice then took charge of the 1st team during the two weeks until Wenger's arrival, and oversaw a 100% league record with 3 wins out of 3, though the Gunners went out of the UEFA cup, losing the return leg to BMG in Cologne. Another significant event during this period was the introduction of Patrick Vieira to the Premiership, when his debut as substitute in the 4-1 win against Sheffield Weds offered Arsenal fans a glimpse of a genuine world class midfielder at last.

Arsenal were thus in a healthy 2nd place in the league at the start of Wenger's first match in charge - the 2-0 win at Blackburn - and they maintained the good run, losing only one of their first 12 league games. The second defeat, somewhat unluckily at Manchester United in the middle of November, was perhaps one of the most significant pointers of the whole season, ending United's bad run and characterising Arsenal's ultimate league form: doing well against the lesser teams but failing in the crunch games against their title rivals.

The Gunners bounced back with 3 successive league wins, including a thrilling 3-1 home victory over local rivals Tottenham, and a superb 2-1 win at Newcastle with only 10 men after captain Adams was controversially sent off early in the game. However, further evidence of the team's failings in the big games came during a comprehensive defeat in the 4th round of the Coca Cola cup at Liverpool.

Another worry during the season was Arsenal's disciplinary record, highlighted by sendings off for Ian Wright and Dennis Bergkamp in the only two league defeats during December and January, at Nottingham Forest and Sunderland respectively. In a sequence of 10 games during the middle part of the season, the Gunners received a total of 5 red cards, and the resulting suspensions disrupted their form during this period.

However, most key players were back in the team for the games which really accounted for Arsenal's championship ambitions. In February, following a home defeat by George Graham's Leeds in the 4th round of the FA Cup, Arsenal could only draw away at Spurs, and then lost successive home games to Manchester United and Wimbledon. They then bounced back with 3 successive wins, only to lose at home again to another title rival, Liverpool.

The final few games of the season were given extra excitement by the chase for second place (and the chance to play in the 97-98 Champions' League), which Arsenal only lost out on goal difference to Newcastle. Again the significant result was the home loss to the Magpies in the penultimate game, though the draw against Blackburn when Chris Sutton infamously ignored the unwritten rules of fair play to win a corner from which his team scored a last minute equaliser, also stuck in the throat.

Overall, it was a season in which Arsenal performed much better than most fans could have realistically expected during the confusion which surrounded the club before the season began. However, at the end there was a slight feeling of disappointment about what might have been. Arsenal lost 5 out of the 6 games against the other top sides - just one more win and a draw from these games might have been enough to pinch the league championship. Nonetheless, Arsene Wenger's arrival at the club and the resulting change in atmosphere and attitude, along with the transformation of the team's style of play has engendered great optimism amongst fans, and the close season transfers have left us looking forward to the new season with tremendous excitement.

Previous season

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