Longest-serving Arsenal managers of all-time? Which Arsenal managers have lasted the longest? Arsenal football managers? Terry Neill? George Graham? Harry Bradshaw? Who are the longest-lasting Arsenal managers?
Here, we look at the longest-serving Arsenal managers of all-time. We will look throughout history of Arsenal past managers to find out who served the club for the longest period of time.
When you think of long-term Arsenal managers, of course to all fans, Arsene Wenger pops up but who is the second longest-serving Arsenal manager of all time? I bet you’ll get a kick out of finding out who.
Arsenal fans recently bid farewell to Arsene Wenger after the Frenchman’s long run of 22 years as the club manager. He is the second longest-serving manager in England right after Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson, who managed the Red Devils for 27 years.
| Name | Nationality | From | To | Matches |
| Arsène Wenger | France | 01-Oct-96 | 13-May-18 | 1,235 |
| Bertie Mee | England | 20-Jun-66 | 04-May-76 | 539 |
| George Graham | Scotland | 14-May-86 | 21-Feb-95 | 460 |
| Tom Whittaker | England | 02-Jun-47 | 24-Oct-56 | 430 |
| Terry Neill | Northern Ireland | 09-Jul-76 | 16-Dec-83 | 416 |
| Herbert Chapman | England | 11-Jun-25 | 06-Jan-34 | 411 |
| George Morrell | Scotland | 10-Feb-08 | 13-Apr-15 | 309 |
| Leslie Knighton | England | 25-May-19 | 16-May-25 | 286 |
| George Allison | England | 28-May-34 | 31-May-47 | 279 |
| Harry Bradshaw | England | 30 June 1899 | 30-Apr-04 | 235 |
| George Swindin | England | 21-Jun-58 | 01-May-62 | 186 |
| Billy Wright | England | 01-May-62 | 13-Jun-66 | 182 |
| Phil Kelso | Scotland | 01-May-04 | 09-Feb-08 | 152 |
| Don Howe | England | 16-Dec-83 | 22-Mar-86 | 117 |
| Jack Crayston | England | 24-Oct-56 | 19-May-58 | 81 |
| Bruce Rioch | Scotland | 15-Jun-95 | 12-Aug-96 | 47 |
| Thomas Mitchell | Scotland | 30 March 1897 | 10 March 1898 | 45 |
| William Elcoat | England | 11 April 1898 | 16 February 1899 | 44 |
| Unai Emery | Spain | 23-May-18 | Present | 37 |
| Joe Shaw | England | 06-Jan-34 | 28-May-34 | 23 |
| Stewart Houston | Scotland | 21-Feb-95 | 15-Jun-95 | 19 |
| Arthur Kennedy | England | 21 February 1899 | 29 April 1899 | 15 |
| Steve Burtenshaw | England | 23-Mar-86 | 14-May-86 | 11 |
| Unknown | 11 March 1898 | April 1898 | 9 | |
| Stewart Houston | Scotland | 12-Aug-96 | 13-Sep-96 | 6 |
| Pat Rice | Northern Ireland | 13-Sep-96 | 30-Sep-96 | 4 |
| James McEwen | England | 19-Apr-15 | 24-May-19 | 2 |
Herbert Chapman was one of the most influential figures in Arsenal’s history. He laid down the very stones upon which this club stands on today, bringing their very first taste of success in the highest level of English football.
But what exactly makes him one of the Arsenal most attacking managers?
When Chapman first arrived at the club in 1925, he laid down a 5-year success plan by implementing a ruthless counter-attacking style of play, inspired by pace from his wide players and strikers. In a timely fashion, Arsenal won the FA Cup in 1930 and Chapman started the first form of football revolution at White Hart Lane.
He extraordinary signings in Charlie Buchan, Alex James and Cliff Bastin to elevate the team to such a high level. He went on to raise the team from the depths of relegation battles to two First Division titles.
His philosophy of playing attacking football is followed by the club to this day. Sure, it will get tweaked by every new manager but the basic idea remains the same. Some of his other innovations which has stood the test of time is changing the Gunner’s jersey to the red body and white sleeve.
George Graham played for Arsenal under another one of their legendary managers, Bertie Mee era and won plenty of silverware during his career. He returned to the club as a manager in 1986 and continued to bring glory to the North London outfit.
Graham became the second most successful Arsenal manager when he won two First Division titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup during his time in charge. Club legends like Ian Wright and David Seaman played under him.
If there is one manager who has been the most successful in the history of Arsenal, it would be Arsene Wenger but we are looking at the list through win percentage only.
There might not be a need to introduce this man to most people since everyone has come to associate the man with this club. Wenger is notably the longest-serving manager in Gunners history with a track record of 57.25% winning run.
He won the Premier League title three times with Arsenal and the FA Cup a record seven times. More than just winning a fair share of trophies in the English top-flight, he had a major influence on the game of professional football.
Wenger is also Arsenal’s most decorated manager. During his 21-year tenure, Arsenal won 17 trophies, more than the previous two Arsenal managers combined.
He implemented a lot of changes to scouting, players’ training and diet regimens. Wenger got the nickname “Le Professeur” from fans and the British media due to his studious demeanour.
| Name | From | To | M | W | D | L | Honours Won |
| Herbert Chapman | 11-Jun-25 | 06-Jan-34 | 411 | 204 | 97 | 110 | First Division champions: 1930–31, 1932–33 |
| FA Cup winners: 1929–30 | |||||||
| Charity Shield winners: 1930, 1931, 1933 | |||||||
| Joe Shaw | 06-Jan-34 | 28-May-34 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 6 | First Division champions: 1933–34 |
| George Allison | 28-May-34 | 31-May-47 | 279 | 129 | 74 | 76 | First Division champions: 1934–35, 1937–38 |
| FA Cup winners: 1935–36 | |||||||
| Charity Shield winners: 1934, 1938 | |||||||
| Tom Whittaker | 02-Jun-47 | 24-Oct-56 | 430 | 203 | 106 | 121 | First Division champions: 1947–48, 1952–53 |
| FA Cup winners: 1949–50 | |||||||
| Charity Shield winners: 1948, 1953 | |||||||
| Bertie Mee | 20-Jun-66 | 04-May-76 | 539 | 241 | 148 | 150 | First Division champions: 1970–71 |
| FA Cup winners: 1970–71 | |||||||
| Inter-Cities Fairs Cup winners: 1969–70 | |||||||
| Terry Neill | 09-Jul-76 | 16-Dec-83 | 416 | 187 | 117 | 112 | FA Cup winners: 1978–79 |
| George Graham | 14-May-86 | 21-Feb-95 | 460 | 225 | 133 | 102 | First Division champions: 1988–89, 1990–91 |
| FA Cup winners: 1992–93 | |||||||
| Football League Cup winners: 1986–87, 1992–93 | |||||||
| Charity Shield winners: 1991 (shared) | |||||||
| UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup winners: 1993–94 | |||||||
| Arsène Wenger | 01-Oct-96 | 13-May-18 | 1,235 | 707 | 280 | 248 | Premier League champions: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04 |
| FA Cup winners: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17 | |||||||
| Charity/Community Shield winners: 1998, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2014, 2015, 2017 |
Arsenal are currently being led by Unai Emery, who succeeded into Wenger’s spot in 2018. He led the Gunners to a fifth-place finish in his debut campaign and also lost out on the Europa League after reaching the finals.
The Spaniard has big shoes to fill but he is slowly making progress. If he received the full support of the club ownership the club supporters can really hope to see changes.
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