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Seventy-One Guns: The Year of the First Arsenal Double
In the summer of 1970, England was buzzing about the new soccer season. The new age of televised highlights meant that the sport's profile had never been greater, generating a new celebrity status for players and catapulting them into the limelight like never before. The 1970-71 season did not disappoint as Arsenal achieved the first Double of soccer's televised era amid controversy and drama. The Football League and FA Cup were won at the end of a campaign that included a street fight in Rome, the emergence of new young stars, and unrest and unhappiness among some of the older players. Seventy-One Guns includes extensive interviews with the Arsenal players and coaches, and through their memories, anecdotes, and opinions, recreates the drama of that memorable season.
238 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2002
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About the author
David Tossell
28 books6 followersDavid Tossell has been a sports journalist for four decades. Long-time head of European Public Affairs for the NFL (National Football League) and former Executive Sports Editor of the Today newspaper, he is the author of 17 sports books. He has been short-listed seven times in the British Sports Book Awards - for Bertie Mee (Best Biography, 2006); Grovel! (Best Cricket Book, 2008); Nobody Beats Us (Best Rugby Book, 2010); Tony Greig (Best Cricket Book, 2012); The Great English Final (Best Football Book, 2014), Natural: The Jimmy Greaves Story (Best Biography and Best Football Book, 2020). He has also been short-listed twice for MCC/Cricket Society Book of the Year.
He has written books on football, cricket, rugby and American football.
He has written books on football, cricket, rugby and American football.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 8, 2011
A good independent work on the Double winning Arsenal team. None of them superstars but who worked hard and showed loyalty to the club and it's supporters.
Unlike the overpaid ponces that infest the beautiful game nowadays across the globe.
Unlike the overpaid ponces that infest the beautiful game nowadays across the globe.
May 12, 2021
Champions
Thoroughly enjoyed the book brought back some memories,might be me,but with football books I like to read the off the pitch stuff,but hey that’s just me,good read
Thoroughly enjoyed the book brought back some memories,might be me,but with football books I like to read the off the pitch stuff,but hey that’s just me,good read
March 3, 2024
Written a full thirty years after the Double season, I can't believe I only found out about this book until recently - 22 years after it was published!
The author basically does what it says on the tin - pretty much the full story of Arsenal's historic season 1970-71. Back in the late 1990s, the BBC ran a series of ten hour-long documentaries on the entire 1970s decade on English football ("Match of the 70s" - excellent - check it out if you can find it), and the first in the series featured '70-'71. In it, there was a brief mention of "Arsenal stars in Rome street battle", with Frank McLintock commenting on what he recalled - basically a free-for-all fisticuffs between players of the two teams outside the ground afterwards. Exactly the sort of thing that you'd expect between rivals fans, but not players! I was pleased to see that this book does include that incident, with Frank McLintock and others recalling the extraordinary event.
The whole season is covered, of course, and individual players' side stories are also included - such as new signing Peter Marinello's brief success before quickly fading; and Jon Sammels' departure at the end of the season.
Although not the most exciting team in the world, I personally feel that that Arsenal team was good enough to keep going - to carry on winning things in the 1970s. But of course, as we know, they did not. That side was already starting to break up as early as season 1971-72. One-season wonders? One is tempted to say, yes they were - quite needlessly. While Leeds and, especially, Liverpool quickly stole Arsenal's thunder, the Gunners themselves sank without trace, at least as far as silverware was concerned. Such a pity.
So yes, one-season wonders - but WHAT a season. This book is a fine momento of it.
The author basically does what it says on the tin - pretty much the full story of Arsenal's historic season 1970-71. Back in the late 1990s, the BBC ran a series of ten hour-long documentaries on the entire 1970s decade on English football ("Match of the 70s" - excellent - check it out if you can find it), and the first in the series featured '70-'71. In it, there was a brief mention of "Arsenal stars in Rome street battle", with Frank McLintock commenting on what he recalled - basically a free-for-all fisticuffs between players of the two teams outside the ground afterwards. Exactly the sort of thing that you'd expect between rivals fans, but not players! I was pleased to see that this book does include that incident, with Frank McLintock and others recalling the extraordinary event.
The whole season is covered, of course, and individual players' side stories are also included - such as new signing Peter Marinello's brief success before quickly fading; and Jon Sammels' departure at the end of the season.
Although not the most exciting team in the world, I personally feel that that Arsenal team was good enough to keep going - to carry on winning things in the 1970s. But of course, as we know, they did not. That side was already starting to break up as early as season 1971-72. One-season wonders? One is tempted to say, yes they were - quite needlessly. While Leeds and, especially, Liverpool quickly stole Arsenal's thunder, the Gunners themselves sank without trace, at least as far as silverware was concerned. Such a pity.
So yes, one-season wonders - but WHAT a season. This book is a fine momento of it.
June 8, 2025
The first year I really started following football… brought back so many memories of my childhood heroes like Frank McClintock and Charlie George - I so wanted my hair like his, but Dad always said “short back and sides” when he took me to the barbers. Lots of interviews with the players from that great team.
September 27, 2022
A match by match guide of the first Arsenal double season.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews