Top 5 facts about Arsenal FC

The Gunners are one of a select few Premier League teams to have spent almost their entire existence in the top flight, save for a few years between 1913 and 1919.

The team’s history runs deep in the league, being the first southern club to join the football league in 1893.

The unique Arsenal facts and achievements don’t stop there either. In recent times, Arsene Wenger made history by overseeing the first and only entirely unbeaten Premier League season.

The 2003-2004 “Invincibles” have a permanent space in history as a result. The Gunners are a popular team for sports bettors worldwide due to their heritage and remarkably colorful history.

Although the chances of another unbeaten season are slim at the moment, the bookies are favoring Mikel Arteta’s young Arsenal side a lot more this year.  

Arsenal isn’t the only team enjoying popularity with sports bettors currently. US sports such as ice hockey and baseball are also rapidly drawing in new bettors.

Platforms such as these

offer numerous bet types and generous odds on baseball teams. Elsewhere, bettors will find it easy to wager on the NFL, NBA and other leagues.

But back to Arsenal, which is arguably the most historically important football club in England. We’ve whittled down the abundance of interesting facts about the Gunners down to five of the best. Stay with us to find out more.

Longest uninterrupted time in English top flight

Amazingly, Arsenal has spent 97 consecutive seasons in the English top flight, the most out of any other club. Contrary to popular belief, the Gunners have been relegated once, all the way back in 1913.

While many people think they were promoted via conventional points in 1919, Arsenal was actually elected to join the newly formed First Division.

They remain the only club to have been promoted for anything other than the number of points accrued.

Despite this, there’s no denying how well the Gunners have done to stay in the top flight for more than a century. Football clubs tend to go through ups and downs,

spending one era at the top of the English game, and the next wallowing in the lower leagues.

Clubs such as Blackburn, Nottingham Forest and Leeds have all met this fate, but Arsenal has managed to stay in the tightly contested First Division and Premier League throughout the past century.

Not only have they simply managed to stay up, but the club has also won the league on 13 separate occasions, making them true English footballing royalty.

2003-2004 “The Invincibles”

Arsenal’s record-breaking 49 Premier League games without a loss is arguably the greatest achievement in the club’s history.

Arsene Wenger’s team achieved something their rivals could only dream of, as they never went into the last 20 minutes of any game trailing.

Winning 26 games and drawing 12, The Invincibles racked up 90 points during the 2003-2004 Premier League season.

Although Manchester City and Liverpool have smashed this points total in recent years, no team has managed to replicate Arsenal’s feat.

Liverpool did come close, mind you. Jurgen Klopp’s team went 44 matches unbeaten before falling at one of the final hurdles, to the delight of Gunners fans worldwide.

Understanding how

comes down to several factors. Firstly, the French manager’s refreshingly passing-driven

and offensive tactics were unlike any other teams in the Premier League at the time. His emphasis on passing was particularly successful in a league that had embraced a more direct playing style prior to this.

The Invincibles also benefited from an extraordinarily talented squad, especially in attack. Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires were the three most important players, scoring almost 50 goals between them.

Arsenal’s defense also matched their offensive prowess, with legendary defenders such as Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Ashley Cole providing rigidity and attacking runs from the fullback positions.

Patrick Viera in midfield was the team captain and dominant enforcer, providing a solid foundation in the middle of the field and leadership that few other players could match.

Despite the quality across the field for Arsenal, Bergkamp and Henry ultimately led them on the record-breaking unbeaten run.

The Dutchman’s intelligence and tendency to play between the lines was a perfect foil for Henry’s pace and skill. They were a fearsome combo, with Henry bagging 30 goals in 37 appearances.

The Invincibles’ unbeaten run came to an end against Everton in October 2002, when a certain Wayne Rooney bagged his first senior goal in the last minute of the game.

Arsene Wenger and the English football revolution

Arsene Wenger is undeniably one of the most important and iconic Premier League football managers for several reasons.

Of course, his success with The Invincibles is the main reason he will go down in history, but he also profoundly changed how football is played in England.

are plentiful, from a much stricter emphasis on players’ diets to a passing style of football and increased signings of foreign players.

He himself was the first foreign manager to win a Premier League trophy, and in 2005, he fielded the first team made entirely of foreigners.

Later in his spell at Arsenal, Wenger was also revolutionary in developing young players for the first team. This was partly done out of necessity,

as he had to play a careful economic game in the transfer window to keep funds available for a new stadium.

Ultimately, this also ended up being his downfall, as the Gunners slowly fell behind a resurgent Manchester United and a Roman Abramovich-powered Chelsea. Still,

with a recently completed Emirates Stadium and several English trophies to his name, Wenger left Arsenal as arguably the most important figure in their history.

How Arsenal received “The Gunners” nickname

Ever wondered why Arsenal’s nickname is “The Gunners”? Workers at the Royal Arsenal munitions factory formed the club in 1886.

They were originally based in South-East London, eventually moving north of the river to Highbury in 1913.

Part of Arsenal’s original Woolwich stadium was burnt down by suffragettes demanding the right to vote, resulting in the club taking up its new home.

It never lost sight of its roots though, with the cannon on the club’s crest being a continued homage to its origins.     

First English team to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, AC Milan at San Siro and Bayern Munich at Allianz Arena

Although Arsenal has never tasted Champions League glory, the club is the first English team to beat Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich at their respective home grounds.

Beating these European football titans is never easy, and to do it away from home deserves applause.

While Mikel Arteta is sowing the seeds of change, Arsenal still has a

this summer to allow them to compete on the biggest European stage.

The signs are all there for a remarkable transformation under the Spaniard. Only time will tell if he can recreate Wenger’s past glory. 

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