Some Familiar Names

If a football programme could be described as epoch making it is surely this one. The issue for the first game of the 1983/84 season against Luton Town perhaps marked Arsenal's arrival as a club with an eye on the bottom line for one.

It was our first real decent programme and the season marked the first time we changed the front cover picture every game. There was a new editor in place and a whole range of new features prompting Miller and Lerman in their excellent book Arsenal FC The First XI Official Programme Guide 1946 - 1993 to describe it as 'an instant hit with the fans'.

There had been nothing wrong with the more traditional approach but the previous seasons had certainly seen the quality of the programme fall behind clubs like Leicester City and Aston Villa whose colour packed issues were well received by fans and collectors alike.

Some familiar names get name checks in the programme. Jerome Anderson was introduced as resident disc jockey; he went on to become a high profile agent and his involvement with Blackburn Rovers is well documented. He got his break spinning tunes at Highbury!

On the reserves and youth page there is a picture of Terry Burton while the final paragraph says 'Youth players to watch are imposing centre half pair Martin Keown and Tony Adams'...prophetic words indeed. Adams was to make his debut later that season at home to Sunderland and had a reasonable career I think!

A very young looking Paul Johnson gets mentioned on the Fanfare looking forward to a busy season with the Travel Club which he ran so efficiently. Today he arranges the travel stuff of the first team, not the fans and also has the subs stretching after games. I was jealous of him then when I travelled to away games and I am jealous of him now!

The Junior Gunners was entering its first season and the mascot was a seven year old lad named Daniel Quy and it looks like he is still involved with the club on the travel side! Eee, last time I saw him lad, he were wearing short trousers etc!

Then there is the front cover of Tony Woodcock. Wearing a red shirt with blue sleeves. Were we worried? Remember, this came the season after our away shirt was green with blue sleeves! So, were we worried this was to be our new shirt? Damned right we were. At least until we read it was a one off for the Boys Brigade Jubilee against Aberdeen. Boys Brigade eh?