Arsenal

Book excerpt: A history of the Gunners told through in-depth biographies of the team’s key players on and off the pitch, from its late 19th century beginnings to today. Arsenal: The Story of a Football Club in 101 Lives tells the history of the team through the biographies of key individuals associated with the club from its formation in the gas-lit days of Victorian Britain through to the present day. From David Danskin, the Scottish mechanical engineer and footballer who was the driving force behind the team raised at Dial Square, a workshop at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, to Arsene Wenger, the longest-serving and most successful manager in Arsenal’s history. The in-depth stories of the characters—players, managers, chairmen—here paint a fascinating picture of how the club—indeed, the game of football itself—has developed from workers playing for fun to today’s multi-million-pound business.