Invincible - Arsenal’s Greatest Ever Season

Friends and family of Arsenal supporters, that loyal bunch affectionately known as the ‘gooners’, now have Christmas all sewn up. A fantastic new book, Invincible, written by sports journalist and football fan Amy Lawrence, takes an in-depth look at the record breaking 2003-04 season where Arsenal were unbeatable.

An Insider’s Account

Invincible is an insider’s account of the golden year Arsenal became the first team in a century to go undefeated for an entire season. It is a loving tribute to one of the best teams England has ever had and there are so many interviews with the squad of the time that you will feel as if you are a close personal friend of the likes of Sol Campbell, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp.

Serendipity

The book seeks to tell the story of how Arsene Wenger became manager of Arsenal by a curious twist of fate. Wenger, who was manager of Monaco at the time, was passing through London on his way back to Istanbul. Being a huge football fan, he decided he wanted to watch a game, so he secured a ticket for the Arsenal game that day. Whilst in the VIP area, he got talking to the wife of the club’s deputy chairman, who then persuaded her husband to come through at half time to meet Wenger. Wenger was then invited to a game of charades that night and made such an impression (despite his poor grasp of English back then), that he was subsequently brought in to manage the team. And as they say, the rest is history.

A Glimpse into the Inner Workings of Arsenal’s Greatest Squad

This is just one of the many ‘inside stories’ the book has to offer. It is a fascinating glimpse inside the inner machinations of the Arsenal squad and their manager. There are stories of dressing room squabbles and pitch jubilation, and the book offers some amazing insights into the psychology of the team and how the individual players came together to become formidable opponents that year.

Arsene Wenger Speaks

Arsene Wenger has written a foreword and afterword for the book, in which it is clear that he still holds great admiration for the players of that time. He talks with great affection about other key members of the squad from the summer of 2004. He says he chose Jens Lehmann as a new goalkeeper because he: “liked his attitude, his intelligence, his personality… After two conversations I thought, this is the right guy for this team because he is at the same level of motivation and personality as the rest of the team.”

Wenger’s biggest regret, which he freely admits, is that he let Ashley Cole go.  “He should have stayed,” he says in the book. Of course we can but speculate what Ashley Cole thinks since he was the only player from 2003-04 who declined to be interviewed for the book.

So when you are visiting the gym in Camden by thefitnessmosaic.com, download Invincible on to your e-Reader and settle down for a right riveting read as you wait for your fitness class to begin.

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