If it was goals you wanted, Ted Drake was your man.
A glance at the Arsenal record books shows just how valuable he was
to the all-conquering side of the 1930s. Drake plundered a staggering 42
League goals in the title triumph of 1934/35 but his finest and most
emphatic achievement came the following season in a league match at
Villa Park. The hosts were on the end of a 7-1 hammering, with Drake
bagging all the goals. His haul could even have been eight were it not
for the crossbar; indeed, Drake seemed hard done by as the ball appeared
to bounce down behind the line.
While the grace and guile of Cliff Bastin wowed the fans, Drake
bought the fear factor. His pace, bludgeoning power and ruthlessness in
front of goal earned him a fierce reputation, with international
recognition duly following. He made his England bow in the 'Battle of
Highbury' against Italy in November 1934 and, true to form, notched the
winner in a fractious 3-2 win.
Ted Drake lines up against Aston Villa in 1935
Drake topped the scoring charts in each of his five full seasons in
north London ending his spell at the Club with a tally of 136 goals from
182 games. Were it not for the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939
his record would almost certainly have been greater.
As it was Drake's career was curtailed by a spell in the Royal Air
Force, and although he represented the Club in non-competitive wartime
games he retired from playing at the start of peacetime. But he couldn't
bear to leave the game behind.
Drake turned to management and enjoyed a fruitful spell at Reading
before taking over at Chelsea where, in 1954/55, he led the Blues to
their only First Division triumph of the 20th Century. That achievement
made him the first player to win the Championship as a player and as a
manager.
A legend of the game, Ted Drake died in 1995, aged 82.
This list of 50 Gunners Greatest Players was determined by tens
of thousands of Arsenal fans from across the world. The vote took place
on the Club's official website from May 5 to 19. To help prevent
multiple voting by a single person, only registered members of
Arsenal.com could take part.
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