#7 Herbert Chapman
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It’s impossible to do Herbert Chapman’s influence on football justice in a mere few paragraphs; that in itself epitomises how much he contributed to the game. Many regard the former Arsenal and Huddersfield manager as an innovator, years ahead of his time.
In his first season at the former, in 1925, Chapman lead the Gunners to both their highest-ever finish in the first division (2nd) and an FA Cup quarter-final. He moulded one of the greatest Arsenal teams of all-time which, despite his untimely death in 1934, went on to win five league titles that same decade. It wasn’t though what he achieved, it was how he achieved it; Chapman was a pioneer for modern management.
He ensured the club had physiotherapists and masseurs to maintain the physical fitness of his squad, requested that he chose the team each week, rather than members of the board, and instituted the concept of signing players from abroad, including one of the first black professionals Walter Tull.
Pretty much every aspect of football management today can be linked back to Chapman’s revolutionary work. As well as new tactical prowess, Chapman spearheaded developments in the game such as the addition of clocks in stadiums, the implementation of floodlights and numbers on player shirts.
