(1992/93-1997/98)
Scott Marshall left Highbury for Southampton on a free transfer in the
1998/99 pre-season having failed to retain a regular place in the Arsenal
first-team since turning professional in March 1991. During 1998/99,
Southampton escaped from relegation on the final day of the league season,
beating Everton 2-0 at The Dell, but Scott was unable to establish himself
as a member of the first-team. He only made 2 league appearances for the
South Coast club throughout the campaign and had a loan spell with Scottish
Premier League side Glasgow Celtic where he made 2 league appearances.
Having failed to make a single league appearance for Southampton during
1999/00, Scott signed for Brentford of Division Two during October 1999 in
a £250,000 deal. He made 22 league appearances for the club in his first
season and a further 29 followed during 2000/01, when 'The Bees' finished
the campaign in seventeenth position.
Brian Marwood (1987/88-1989/90)
Sheffield United signed Brian Marwood in a £350,000 deal during September
1990, having lost his place in the Gunners first-team to new Swedish
signing Anders Limpar. He spent two and-a-half years at Bramall Lane,
although only making 22 league appearances. Brian had a loan spell with
Second Division runners-up Middlesbrough during 1991/92, where he made 3
league appearances, but failed to make the Sheffield United first-team
during the following campaign and joined Swindon Town in March 1993. He
helped Swindon to gain promotion to the Premiership under Glenn Hoddle,
making 11 league appearances during his time at the County Ground. His stay
was short-lived and signed for the fellow newly promoted Second Division
side, Barnet on a free transfer in the summer of 1993. After playing in 23
league games for Barnet during 1993/94, Brian called a halt on his
professional playing career and is now a highly successful co-commentator
and football analyst for Sky Sports.
(1993/94-1996/97)
Eddie McGoldrick left Arsenal for First Division Manchester City (40 league
appearances) during September 1996 in a cut-price £300,000 deal. He joined
up with his former Arsenal team-mate, Paul Dickov, at a club who were
aiming to make an immediate return to top-flight football having suffered
relegation from the Premiership. It did not plan out that way with City
experiencing two seasons of managerial musical chairs where former Arsenal
player Alan Ball, Asa Hartford, Steve Coppell, Phil Neal, Frank Clark and
Joe Royle all spent periods in the hot-seat. Manchester City finished 10
points short of the play-offs zone during 1996/97 and during 1998/99, Eddie
was loaned to fellow First Division side Stockport County (2 league
appearances). City were relegated to Division Two on the final day of
1997/98 and during the summer of 1998, when the club underwent a mass clear-
out of players, Eddie announced his retirement from the game. Ironically,
his last ever appearance in the Football League was for Stockport in a 4-1
away defeat against Manchester City on Saturday, April 4, 1998. In November
2000, he was appointed manager of the Dr Martens League Eastern Division
side, Corby Town.
(1992/93-1997/98)
Gavin McGowan left Arsenal for Second Division Luton Town on a free
transfer in the summer of 1998, having only made 6 appearances during his
time with 'The Gunners'. He appeared 31 times for Luton in the league
during 1998/99 but only made a further 13 appearances in a 1999/00 season
that was delayed after he sustained injuries to the knee ligaments. In
April 2001, shortly after the arrival of Joe Kinnear as Director of
Football at Kenilworth Road, Gavin was released on a free transfer as part
of a mass clear-out operation. During the 2000/01 campaign, which started
with optimism following the return to Kenilworth Road of Ricky Hill as
manager, he only made 6 league appearances and could not prevent Luton from
suffering their third relegation in ten seasons.
(1986/87-1996/97)
In the summer of 1997, Paul Merson joined First Division Middlesbrough,
recently relegated from the Premiership, in a £4,500,000 deal. He made 45
league appearances during 1997/98, helping the club towards an immediate
return to the Premiership and a place in the Coca-Cola Cup final. Paul
scored in both legs against Liverpool in the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final, with
Middlesbrough winning 3-2 on aggregate, but it was Chelsea who had their
name engraved on the trophy after a 2-0 (AET) victory in the final. He
played in the first 3 Premiership games of 1998/99 for Middlesbrough before
handing in a transfer request, which resulted in a £6,750,000 move to Aston
Villa. Paul appeared on 26 occasions for Villa in the league during
1998/99, with the club leading the table at the turn of the year but
finishing the season in sixth place. He made a further 32 league
appearances in 1999/00 to help Villa reach the semi-finals of the
Worthington Cup, the final of the FA Cup and sixth place in the league.
During 2000/01, Paul had one of his most consistent seasons as a
professional, featuring in each one of the clubs 38 league games and as
despite a bad start to the season, the club salvaged some pride by
finishing in eighth position.
Alan Miller (1992/93-1993/94)
Alan Miller left Arsenal for First Division Middlesbrough in the summer of
1994 for £500,000 having failed to make more than 6 league appearances for
'The Gunners'. He firmly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper
at Middlesbrough during 1994/95 and helped steer the club towards the
Division One Championship in his first season. Alan found himself playing
second fiddle to Gary Walsh during 1995/96 and had loan spells with
Division One side Huddersfield (where he never appeared in the first-team)
and First Division Grimsby Town (3 league appearances) during 1996/97. In
February 1997, he completed a £400,000 move to First Division West Bromwich
Albion, making 98 league appearances over a three-year spell, and began to
show the kind of form that made him so highly thought of during his early
Arsenal days. He moved to Blackburn Rovers of the First Division in
February 2000 for £50,000 but only made a single league appearance for the
club in 1999/00. During 2000/01, despite failing to feature in the league
for Blackburn, he made 4 league appearances for Second Division Bristol
City on loan and also made a substitute appearance in the league during a
loan spell with Coventry City. Following the arrival at Ewood Park of Brad
Friedel, Alan is now fourth-choice goalkeeper at the club, with Alan Kelly
and John Filan also above him in the pecking order.
(1991/92-1996/97)
Steve Morrow signed for First Division Queens Park Rangers from Arsenal in
March 1997, initially on loan until the end of the season. A pre-contract
permanent deal was arranged with Steve joining QPR for £500,000 in 1997/98
pre-season. The Northern Ireland International, who scored the winning goal
for Arsenal against Sheffield Wednesday in the 1993 Coca-Cola Cup final,
played 5 times for Rangers in the league before the end of the season but
could not help the side in reaching the play-offs. During the relegation-
threatened seasons of 1997/98 and 1998/99, Steve made 31 and 24 league
appearances respectively and added some much-needed experience to the team.
He only managed 7 league appearances during the clubs successful 1999/00
season having sustained injuries to the shoulder ligaments. In March 2001,
he joined Second Division Peterborough United on loan until the end of the
season having failed to command a regular place in the side at Rangers
throughout 2000/01. He failed to earn himself a permanent move to Posh,
whom he made 11 league appearances and helped steer to twelfth position,
and returned to QPR in May 2001. Steve's days at Loftus Road were numbered
in the summer of 2001 as he was released on a free transfer in an enormous
cost-cutting exercise. The Northern Ireland International, who is still yet
to find a club for the new season, made 25 league appearances for QPR in
their relegation season of 2000/01.
© Richard Tufft & ArseWeb 2001