After the disappointment of the 1971/72 season, Arsenal returned once again with a pre-season fixture against Watford at their London Colney training ground. Goals from Eddie Kelly and Charlie George – both coming on as substitutes – meant a 2-0 victory. Five days prior, the Provisional IRA carried out ‘Bloody Friday’ in Belfast, where at least twenty bombs exploded in the space of eighty minutes, most within a half hour period, which led to the deaths of nine people. Back to the football, and the Gunners then headed on a pre-season tour of Switzerland and West Germany.

First up would be Lausanne, who were on the receiving end of a 6-0 thumping with goals for John Radford, two apiece for Charlie George and Ray Kennedy and a Swiss own goal. The Gunners would then head to Zurich to meet Grasshoppers. Two goals for Charlie George (one a penalty) meant a 2-1 win. Forty eight hours on however, the Gunners would crash to a 0-4 defeat to SV Hamburg. Two days on from Arsenal’s last fixture in Germany, over in Uganda the tyrant Idi Amin created a humanitarian crisis with the expulsion of 50,000 Ugandan Asians who were holders of British passports, for their alleged ‘sabotage’ of the Ugandan economy.

Around this time however, a power struggle emerged at Highbury. While out in Switzerland, a pivotal moment occurred with a fall out between Frank McLintock and Bertie Mee. Some of the Arsenal players got a bit worse for wear on a wine tasting trip and Bertie Mee wasn’t greatly impressed with Frank serenading the players on the coach with Sinatra’s ‘Strangers in the Night’. On arriving back at the hotel, Frank complained within ear shot of Mee: ‘Did you see wee Bertie, the little Hitler. What’s his problem?’ The next day on the coach journey to a training session, Mee stood up and said ‘I’d just like to mention that I’ve never been so embarrassed by a team’s behaviour and our captain was a bloody disgrace to the Arsenal’.

Arsenal’s league season kicked off with a visit to Filbert Street to face Leicester City. An Alan Ball penalty gave the Gunners a 1-0 win. The following Tuesday would see the opening home fixture of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Charlie George dropped from the side over a dispute over wages. Goals for Ray Kennedy, Bob McNab, Peter Simpson and two for John Radford meant a 5-2 victory over Wolves. By the weekend, Arsenal made it three wins out of three (by this point, the only side in the old First Division with a 100% record) with a 2-0 victory over Stoke City, with Ray Kennedy bagging both goals.

In the midweek, the winning run would be disrupted by a 1-1 draw at Highfield Road, with a Coventry City side now managed by former Arsenal captain Joe Mercer after his ousting at Man City in favour of Malcolm Allison resulting from a boardroom struggle. On target would be Pat Rice for the Arsenal, while Bobby Graham would score for Coventry. By the final Saturday of August 1972, Arsenal headed to Old Trafford to meet Man United away. The match however ended in a 0-0 draw. Forty eight hours on, the Queen’s cousin - Prince William of Gloucester – would be killed in a plane crash.

The following day, the final fixture of the month would be a Tuesday night visit to Highbury for Ron Greenwood’s West Ham side. An Alan Ball penalty gave the Gunners a 1-0 win which left Arsenal atop of the Old First Division table, with Everton the only other side to come out of August unbeaten. On the first day of September 1972, the government raised the compulsory school leaving age to sixteen. For the Arsenal, the month started with another London Derby, with a Chelsea side who had lost just one of their opening six games. The game would be captured by the BBC’s ‘Match of the Day’. On the half hour, Charlie Cooke gave Chelsea the lead with a thundering drive in front of the North Bank.

In the second half, Arsenal brought on transfer listed Charlie George as a sub for George Armstrong, who got himself into a bit of a scape with Chelsea’s Steve Kember which led to a bit of afters with several Arsenal and Chelsea players. The Gunners unbeaten run however remained intact as a result of an own goal from Chelsea’s FA Cup hero of two years prior – David Webb. The match ending in a 1-1 draw. Arsenal would now be on level points at the top with Everton. Ironically, the two sides would be drawn together in the second round of the League Cup. At Highbury the following Tuesday, a goal for Peter Storey gave Arsenal a 1-0 win over the Toffees.

The big news that day however would be the eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team held hostage in Munich by members of the Black September movement, which led to their tragic deaths the following day. Back to the football and Arsenal’s unbeaten league run however would last just another four days, as the following Saturday the Gunners would crash to a 1-2 defeat to Newcastle at a St. James’s Park in the process of re-development. Covered by Tyne Tees for their football magazine show ‘Shoot’, David Craig and Malcolm MacDonald would be on target for the Tynesiders, while Ray Kennedy would be on target for the Arsenal. This result meant that Arsenal dropped to third, behind Everton and Spurs.

In the midweek, the sinking of British trawlers by an Icelandic gunboat led to second ‘Cod War’ between the two nations. Next up at Highbury the following weekend would be Bill Shankly’s Liverpool. During the first half, linesman Dennis Drewitt had torn knee ligaments and was unable to continue. In those days, there had been no fourth official to stand in and as Football League rules required a referee and two linesmen for a match to proceed, there was a huge danger in the match being called off. Over the tannoy, an appeal went out for a qualified official to take part. With no takers, Jimmy Hill, attending the game with LWT’s ‘The Big Match’ who were covering events, stepped in to run the line.

This however turned out to be the most noteworthy event of this fixture. Prior to the linesman’s injury, the game was played at a fast pace. After Jimmy Hill replaced him, it failed to get back to its previous tempo and ended in a 0-0 draw. A week later, Arsenal headed to East Anglia to face newly promoted Norwich City for the first time in the league. Two goals for former Arsenal star Terry Anderson inflicted a 2-3 defeat on the Gunners, with John Radford and Peter Storey on target for Bertie Mee’s side. This result meant that Arsenal dropped to sixth, two points behind table topping Liverpool, who rose up on the back of a 5-0 home win over Sheffield United.

In the midweek, Arsenal got back to winning ways with goals for Charlie George and Peter Storey securing a 2-0 win over Birmingham City. September 1972 ended with a visit from Southampton. A goal from George Graham gave the Gunners a 1-0 win, with Arsenal ending the month in second place behind Liverpool on goal average having played one game more. The Mereseysiders that afternoon managing a 2-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road. The first game of October would be the visit of Rotherham United in the third round of the League Cup.

Goals for Charlie George, Peter Marinello, Peter Storey and two for John Radford meant that Arsenal eased through to the next round. Playing his final game for the Gunners meanwhile would be Welsh Centre Half John Roberts who headed to Birmingham City later that month. Coming into the Arsenal side in that same position would be Jeff Blockley, who Bertie Mee signed from Coventry City would make his debut the following week away to Sheffield United. Arsenal however crashed to a 0-1 defeat at Bramall Lane. Arsenal got back to winning ways one week later with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town at Highbury, secured by a goal from George Graham.

Forty eight hours later, with the rise of unemployment under Ted Heath, the government saw fit to exploit a newly found TV audience by allowing the introduction of Daytime television for the first time, by relaxing restrictions on broadcasting hours. Previously, TV started up around noon to show schools programmes. Now the schools programme was moved to the mornings, to allow the afternoons to be freed up for new daytime programming, which included the introduction of shows such as Crown Court, Emmerdale Farm, a short lived chat show for Terry Wogan on ITV or Kids TV such as Rainbow. One day later, Arsenal faced a trip to Devon to face Plymouth Argyle in a testimonial for Bill Harper, who played in goal for Arsenal and later Plymouth back in the twenties and thirties. A goal for Ray Kennedy meant a 1-1 draw.

There then followed a trip to bottom of the table Crystal Palace, who had won just two of their thirteen games played. Highlights of the game would be covered by LWT’s ‘The Big Match’. Arsenal were awarded a penalty with a handball on the line by Martin Hinshelwood from a John Radford shot, which today obviously would have been a red card however the offender not only stayed on the pitch but wasn’t even booked. Charlie George put Arsenal ahead from the resulting penalty, which the Palace goalkeeper got his hands to, but had crossed the line. John Craven (not he of ‘Newsround’ fame) equalised for Palace. Within a minute, Arsenal restored the lead when John Radford pounced on a stray back pass, before former Chelsea star Bobby Tambling pulled it back to two apiece. Pat Rice however secured the points to put Arsenal 3-2 ahead.

The win put Arsenal one point behind Liverpool in second place. One day later would bring the sad news that Stoke City and England World Cup winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks had lost an eye in a road traffic accident, which would result in the end of his distinguished footballing career. Arsenal’s final home league fixture of October 1972 would be a visit from a Man City side languishing in seventeenth place, after Malcolm Allison had ousted Joe Mercer from the hot seat at Maine Road. The game ended in a 0-0 draw. On the last day of the month, the Gunners headed to Bramall Lane to meet Sheffield United in the fourth round of the League Cup. Goals for Charlie George and John Radford gave Arsenal a 2-1 win. After four games without loss, fifteenth place Coventry City came to Highbury for Arsenal’s opening league fixture for November 1972.

This game would be final appearance of George Graham, who came on as sub for Eddie Kelly but had expressed his annoyance to Bertie Mee at being dropped from the starting eleven for this game. Goals for Brian Alderson and Tommy Hutchinson (who famously scored at both ends while playing in the FA Cup Final for Man City nine years on) meant a 0-2 defeat for Bertie Mee’s side. Next up would be a visit to Molineux to play eleventh place Wolves, coverage of which would be captured by ATV’s ‘Star Soccer’. Arsenal took the lead with a volley from John Radford, before a Wolves equaliser on the hour by John Richards.

Arsenal however bagged the points with two in the last minute – another for Radford while Peter Marinello made it a 3-1 victory. The result moved Arsenal to within a point of Liverpool who crashed to a 0-2 away defeat to Man United. In the midweek, three days after Armistice Day, Arsenal journeyed across the channel to face a Paris XI in a benefit game for War veterans. The game saw the return of Bob Wilson after his injury in last year’s FA Cup Semi Final. Arsenal won 1-0 with a goal from Pat Rice. The following weekend back at Highbury, another for John Radford meant a 1-0 victory over Everton.

The Gunners form however would take another downward turn three days later as Norwich City visited Highbury for the League Cup Quarter Final tie. Norwich sat in sixth place, though many expected a secure passage to the Semi Finals for Arsenal. A Graham Paddon hat-trick for the Canaries however meant a shock 0-3 defeat for the Gunners (the Canaries progressed all the way to the Final that year, where they would lose to Spurs). Meanwhile, the poor form for Bertie Mee’s side continued into the weekend with a visit to the Baseball Ground to play reigning Champions Derby County. The Rams sat in fifteenth place, while Arsenal were one point behind leaders Liverpool in second.

The match would be covered by ATV’s ‘Star Soccer’, meaning that a humiliating 0-5 battering would be captured for posterity. Goals for Roger Davies, Alan Hinton, John McGovern, Kevin Hector and Roy McFarland meant a heavy loss and eight goals conceded for Bertie Mee’s side in less than a week. Arsenal ended November 1972 being leapfrogged by Leeds United and dropping to third, with Liverpool now three points clear of the Gunners and a game in hand. It would however be Leeds United next up to visit Highbury for Arsenal’s first fixture of December 1972. After defeat at Derby the previous week, club captain Frank McLintock would be dropped in favour of Jeff Blockley and Peter Simpson in the centre of Defence. Bob McNab would be assuming captaining duties in Frank’s absence.

The Gunners gained some sort of revenge for the Cup Final defeat from the previous May, with goals for John Radford and an Alan Ball penalty securing a 2-1 win over Don Revie’s side, which left them three points behind Liverpool, who that same day came back from 1-3 down to defeat Birmingham 4-3 at Anfield. One week later, Arsenal headed to White Hart Lane to meet Spurs in a North London Derby match that would be covered by LWT’s ‘The Big Match’. Peter Storey gave Arsenal the lead, with Radford doubling the lead. Former Hammer Martin Peters pulled one back for Spurs, however Arsenal would run out 2-1 winners to give Bertie Mee’s side back to back victories.