If you ask a football fan to name the first time Arsenal played Tottenham at Wembley, they might say the 1991 FA Cup semi-final. Alas, they would be incorrect. The two teams met in the inaugural Wembley International Tournament three years earlier. It was only a friendly but for Arsenal fans it proved the perfect appetiser for the 1988-89 season.
The match almost didn’t see the light of day. Indeed, the whole tournament was under threat despite event organisers announcing it to the world in June 1988. The FA threw a spanner in the works immediately, fearful that a tournament involving Arsenal, Tottenham, Bayern Munich and Milan would be a green light for hooligans to drag English football through the gutter once more.
Their concerns were understandable. Widespread violence at Euro 88 had hardly helped the chances of English clubs being invited back into European club competitions. “The emergency committee considers the English hooligans who disgraced football and the country in West Germany quite capable of attacking German and Italian supporters in a gesture of defiance,” said the FA.
Wembley chief executive David Griffiths was unimpressed by the FA’s intervention. “I’m astounded by their attitude. How can we ever test the water over the hooligan problem if they don’t give is a chance? How can we ever get back into Europe?” After weeks of negotiations and threats of legal action, the FA finally backed down. But there were conditions to be met. Arsenal and Tottenham would be allocated 20,000 tickets each, with another 20,000 being sold at the Wembley Box Office; there would be no tickets sold in Europe; and the tournament would be played in front of a maximum 60,000 all-seated crowd.
Attendances were surprisingly low, with only 30,486 and 27,364 people turning up on the two days. Admittedly Bayern were not the force they once were, but with the two North London clubs involved, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten in the Milan squad just a few weeks after their triumph for Holland at Euro 88 and reasonably priced tickets for two matches in a day, the organisers were disappointed not to attract bigger crowds.
Pre-season tournaments were commonplace on the continent, but the concept was a bit alien to English supporters at the time. The tournament format was also a bit odd. Arsenal played Tottenham at 1.30pm on the Saturday, with Milan v Munich following at 3.30pm. The winner of each game played the loser of the other on the Sunday and the team with the most points, or better goal difference, was awarded the £60,000 prize.
Arsenal manager George Graham was delighted at the chance to pit his side against European opposition on the Sunday. “It represents a tremendous opportunity for my young players to taste world-class opposition,” Graham said. It also allowed him a chance to integrate some players. Alan Smith (£750,000), Kevin Richardson (£225,000), Lee Dixon (£400,000), Brian Marwood (£600,000) and Steve Bould (£390,000) had all been signed in the previous 12 month and Graham was hoping to mould them and his exciting group of youngsters into title winners.
One youngster under the spotlight was 20-year-old Paul Merson. After missing out on signing Kerry Dixon and Tony Cottee, Graham turned to the gifted Merson to form a partnership with Smith. Merson had impressed on a pre-season tour of Sweden and Graham was adamant that he was up to the task. “I certainly believe we can save £2m if we have a player at the club already who can score the goals. It would have been nice to get Cottee but now I am going to give Merson the opportunity. It’s a big step for him but he has got so much natural ability.”
Tottenham, meanwhile, were in a state of transition. Where Graham mainly searched for bargains and internal solutions, Terry Venables opened the chequebook. After signing Paul Stewart for a club record £1.7m, Venables then snapped up Paul Gascoigne for a British record of £2m. With their new training facilities at Mill Hill and increased season ticket sales there was a buzz around the club, but Venables was urging caution.
“It’s come a little bit early for us,” said Venables in the buildup to the tournament. He was proved right when the two teams took to the field at Wembley. Dixon, David Rocastle and Marwood put in eye-catching performances down Arsenal’s flanks, which was good news for Smith. The centre-forward thrived on service from wide positions and he was fed constantly during the 1988-89 campaign, finishing the season with the golden boot.
Merson gave Arsenal the lead in the first half, picking up a pass from Paul Davis before creating an opening and finishing well past Bobby Mimms. Tottenham had no response, their new signings struggling to make an impact. Cries of “What a waste of money,” and chants about Gazza’s weight filled the air. For Venables and Tottenham, the afternoon was slowly developing into a nightmare.
Three late goals put the icing on the cake for Arsenal. After a brilliant jinking run from Rocastle, Marwood slotted home at the back post and the winger added another after a deep cross from Dixon. The full-back got forward to good effect again, setting up Smith for the fourth goal as Arsenal sent out a marker for the season ahead.
“It is not fair at this stage to compare us with Spurs,” Graham said diplomatically after the tournament. “Terry Venables has had to go out and virtually buy an instant team. We have had two years to build and now the youngsters, like Paul Merson, are maturing nicely.” Graham then turned his attention to Liverpool. “Only time will tell if we’re strong enough to go all the way this time. But I’m certainly going into the new season in confident mood.”
Arsenal beat Bayern Munich 3-0 on the Sunday to win the tournament on goal difference in front of Milan, who also won on the Sunday, defeating Spurs 2-1. It was a perfect confidence-building exercise for Arsenal before a season that would end with them winning the title in glorious fashion. But for Tottenham, it demonstrated just how far they had to go to bring back the glory days.
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