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Happy Birthday Sir Henry George Norris You know, there is a great movie to be made of the life of Sir Henry George Norris. The guy was involved in everything, but obviously loved football the most. Despite his title he was born to working class parents in Kennington in south London on 23rd July 1865. But it was he who turned Arsenal from a struggling south London team into the greatest ever London team. He, more than anyone else, can be said to have created the Arsenal. Highbury in 1913- the start of Henry Norris's plans for greatness But first he had to create himself because was born into humble beginnings. Such people struggle in class ridden Britain to rise up. But Henry Norris was not such a person. He always found a way. Astrologists among us would say it was because he was a Leo – dramatic, fiery, outgoing and self assured. I reckon he would laugh at that nonsense because he made himself by himself and not by some accident of birth. A talent for the dark arts His first area was education, where he showed promise, and then a long stint in a solicitor’s office until at 32, he found his direction. He became a property developer in the booming 19th century London, where industrialisation and an empire that stole resources from half the planet created a massive Capital city screaming for places to live. He had places springing up mostly around Fulham. His talent for corruption meant that he could always get his permissions. He moved into politics alongside this once he made his fortune, becoming Mayor of Fulham, then a councillor, then an MP for, yes you guessed it, the hated Tories. The Grand Lodge of England He was prominent in the Freemason’s, becoming Grand Deacon of the United Grand Lodge of England. Power, riches, and political and trade influence were guaranteed to the Freemason’s and only those who bought into their ways had any chance of advancement. This was a man who knew how to move himself upwards and they recognised a man who would also move them upwards. They were the not-so-secret cabal who ran the empire and embracing the dark side of life was their forte, whenever they had to. He made Highbury He was chairman of Fulham well before his political career, showing his love of football. He then became chairman of Arsenal in 1910 and wanted to create a new superclub by merging them both. The league blocked him so he devoted his attention to the Arsenal. If he hadn’t, would Fulham now be the prominent club in London and Arsenal gone the way of East Ham, Islington Corinthians and Shepherds Bush? No longer around and nobody ever heard of them. Randall Thomas Davidson - a friend in high places He realized that he needed a base so he called up his old crony, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Randall Thomas Davidson, and secured a religious plot at Highbury. By 1913 he had created the Arsenal Stadium, a ground fit for a top club and was the first to be known as the home of football. A World War? Great! The war was to intervene the next year but when you have an impeccable eye for the main chance this becomes, not a disaster, but an opportunity. Arsenal were barely above a midtable 2nd division team but when the war ended, the man who had spent his days giving bribes for building permissions got several men onside in Charlie Roberts, Eric Shawn, Dick Fitzwell and Phil McCracken (all chairmen of Football League clubs in 1919) to accept bribes, to get a free promotion to the top league. By 1927 this all came out and all were banned from football forever. Arsenal kept their spot, though, as many years had passed. The horrors of war - no, an opportunity Getting Arsenal into the top flight meant that he could get Herbert Chapman, the man who had worked miracles at Huddersfield, to take over. A bit like getting Pep Guardiola today. Although it took a bit of time, Chapman was to make Arsenal the top team in England for more than 20 years as those that came after him built on the strong foundations. Between 1930 and 1953 we won 7 league titles and 3 FA cups and probably more if the war hadn’t intervened for 6 years. Chapman gives us the glory But Chapman could have done nothing if Henry Norris had not taken over Arsenal in 1910, created the mighty Arsenal Stadium, corruptly got Arsenal into the First Division and then took on the master to create the greatest football club of its time. The FA Cup in 1930 - the first of many trophies Is it embarrassing to know that a convicted crook made the Arsenal juggernaut? For me, yes, as Chapman was generally regarded as honest (although a canny transfer operator) and Arsenal tried to keep high standards after the Norris epoch. We cannot get away from the fact that the top Freemason of his day manipulated people to dishonestly advance the Arsenal. Legal, illegal, schemegal! Nowadays, as I explained in last week’s blog here, all top clubs will chase any margin they can to get ahead, whether legal or not. If Henry Norris was around today, he sounds like the perfect man to make sure we win and keep on winning. Fans don’t really seem to care as long as that is happening. So maybe we should all hail the 23rd of July, the birthday of Henry Norris as the most important date in Arsenal’s history. Without him we may well be like Gnome Athletic, Barnes football club, and Hawks fc, another three football clubs from London who are long gone and forgotten. The guy who came from nowhere and took a team from nowhere and brought both to the top while sacrificing himself so that Arsenal could be the greatest, probably deserves far more recognition. Now, compared to the crooks that run football, he seems more like a guy that dived to get a penalty or pulled the keeper's jersey at a corner. Let’s get him the biggest statue of all. He built Arsenal. We will need a new motto We may have to change our motto, though – Victoria per fraudem et corruptionem– is more appropriate. Ah, well.