Arsenal 1994/95 season summary

Arsenal - summary of the 1994/95 season

Pre-season preview

Without exaggeration, Arsenal hopes and certainly has the talent to win the league and every cup tournament they enter. However, Newcastle, Blackburn and Man Utd. are probably more favoured in the league, though the addition of the Swedish midfielder Stefan Schwarz to the squad will inspire hopes of a resurgence in league form. In Cup competition anything can happen, but it will be interesting to see if we can defend the title in European competition.

There is also some expectation that the introduction this season of the new FIFA guidelines, particularly on tackles from behind, will lead to an increase in the number of suspensions certain Arsenal players will suffer, though there is quite a lot of cover in midfield and defence.

Key Players

Ian Wright: vital to Arsenal's attack and source of nearly half of Arsenal's league goals last season.
Tony Adams: the rock at the centre of Arsenal's defence, and inspirational captain.
Stefan Schwarz: hoped to be the "missing link" in Arsenal's midfield. Reputed to be a strong tackler and good distributor with a strong shot. Maybe the source of midfield goals Arsenal have been lacking in recent years.
Paul Merson: possibly Arsenal's most skilful player, though occasionally criticised for not contributing enough. Noted for spectacular goals.
David Seaman: currently England's first choice goalkeeper, an additionally formidable barrier to beat on the few occasions the defence does get breached.

Unknown Player to Watch for

The Arsenal mailing list seems to have reached consensus on Paul Dickov. Though somewhat on the short side, this Scottish striker has impressed in pre-season games, and if given enough of a chance could be the partner Ian Wright requires, should Kevin Campbell again fail to live up to his early-career promise. Scored two league goals in 92/93 season when given limited opportunity late in the year.

Post-season review

Close Season Transfer Activity

In:  Stefan Schwarz       (Midfield) From Benfica (POR)         (1.8 million)
     Vince Bartram        (Keeper)   From Bournemouth           (0.3 million)
     Lee Harper           (Keeper)   From Sittingbourne         (0.15 million)

Out: Alan Miller          (Keeper)   To Middlesbrough           (0.5 million)
     Jim Will             (Keeper)   To Dunfermline             (Free)

Squad for 1994-1995 Season

 1. David Seaman          (England international goalkeeper)
 2. Lee Dixon             (England international right back)
 3. Nigel Winterburn      (England international left back)
 4. Paul Davis            (England B international midfielder)
 5. Andy Linighan         (Eng B international central defender, brother of David)
 6. Tony Adams            (England international centre half, club captain)
 7. Kevin Campbell        (England U21 international striker)
 8. Ian Wright            (England international forward, last term's top scorer)
 9. Alan Smith            (Eng international veteran striker, scored winner in ECWC final)
10. Paul Merson           (England international midfielder)
11. Eddie McGoldrick      (Irish international midfielder)
12. Steve Bould           (England international central defender)
13. Vince Bartram         (Reserve goalkeeper)
14. Martin Keown          (England international central defender)
15. Stefan Schwarz        (Swedish international midfielder)
17. John Jensen           (Danish international midfielder)
18. David Hillier         (Eng U21 international Midfield)
19. Jimmy Carter          (Winger)
20. Pal Lydersen          (Norwegian international defender)
21. Steve Morrow          (Northern Ireland international defender/midfield)
22. Ian Selley            (Eng U21 international midfield)
23. Ray Parlour           (Eng U21 international midfielder with silly haircut)
24. Mark Flatts           (Midfield)
26. Lee Harper            (Reserve goalkeeper)
27. Paul Dickov           (Scotland U21 international forward)

Retrospective review of the season

Quite possibly the most traumatic and turbulent in the club's history, the 94/95 season will go down as one most Arsenal fans would prefer to forget. Off the field the abiding theme was scandal, first with star player Paul Merson admitting in a newspaper interview to an addiction to gambling and alcohol, and also to having used cocaine. Then several months of rumour and newspaper stories about alleged kickbacks on player transfers for some Premiership managers culminated in February with the sacking of manager George Graham by the Arsenal board after they had been told the findings of an FA Premier League inquiry into the whole affair. Graham had received (and later paid back) a total of 425000 pounds from agent Rune Hauge as 'an unsolicited gift' for the transfers of John Jensen and Pal Lydersen to Arsenal. Graham was later found guilty of misconduct by an FA commission and banned from football for a year.

On the playing side, form in the League could probably be best described as inconsistent. In fact it wasn't until a few weeks before the end of the season that Arsenal were safe from relegation and the final position of 12th was the lowest since 1976. The aging defence was more easily breached than is traditional with key players such as Tony Adams and David Seaman out through injury for significant periods. The addition of Swedish star Stefan Schwarz to the midfield failed to provide the hoped-for inspiration in that area of the field while once again the attack was over-reliant on Ian Wright for goals, though the purchase of 20 year-old John Hartson provided some hope towards the end of the season.

In the cup competions, the FA Cup saw ignominious defeat at the hands of 1st division Millwall in the 3rd round, while in the Coca-Cola Cup Arsenal lost at the quarter-final stage to Liverpool. It was only in the campaign to defend the European Cup Winners Cup that we saw the familiar Arsenal we all know and love. The highlight was the stirring against the odds victory over Sampdoria on penalties in the semi-final, though the final against Real Zaragoza in Paris was a huge disappointment with the tables being turned when Nayim scored that goal in the final seconds of extra time.

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