Oct 1979: Liam Brady of Arsenal in action during a Football League Division One match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Molineux Grounds in Wolverhampton, England. \ Mandatory Credit: Allsport UK /Allsport
Ranking the 5 best Arsenal wingers/attacking midfielders of all-time
by Kenneth Daly
3. David Rocastle
#DavidRocastle @Arsenal @touchofpowder7 @Wrightie7 pic.twitter.com/YEfChIR3LB
— FootballRetroPlus (@robertmdaws) July 4, 2022
Lewisham-born Rocastle rose through the Arsenal ranks from a young age, and an obvious abundance of grace, skill and resilience on the pitch soon made him a force to be reckoned with.
‘Rocky’ first earned a taste of first-team football under the management of Don Howe and while frequent game-time allowed him to show glimpses of his capabilities, it was upon the 1986 appointment of former player George Graham to the hot seat that he truly began to flourish.
For two consecutive seasons which culminated in the historic title win at Anfield in 1989, Rocastle did not miss a single league fixture and his excellence as a playmaker earned him many individual accolades, including two Barclays Young Eagle awards in 1987 and ’89 and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.
Early promise was sustained in the new decade as he became the fulcrum of Graham’s title-winning side in 1991, and his incredible service in the final third – in addition to a prolific strike force – brought some of the most exciting football ever witnessed on the hallowed Highbury turf.
Similar to others mentioned, Rocastle’s departure for Leeds was unbefitting of his impact in north London and fans were left outraged by the manager’s seemingly cold-hearted treatment of such a popular figure. His career would go on for years afterwards until retirement beckoned in 1999, and Rocky died of cancer just two years later at the age of 33.
A terrible illness took him far too soon, but he will never be forgotten.
Continued on the next slide…
#DavidRocastle</a> <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@Arsenal <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://twitter.com/touchofpowder7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@touchofpowder7 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://twitter.com/Wrightie7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@Wrightie7 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://t.co/YEfChIR3LB">pic.twitter.com/YEfChIR3LB
<p>— FootballRetroPlus (@robertmdaws) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://twitter.com/robertmdaws/status/1543977575650934785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>July 4, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Lewisham-born Rocastle rose through the Arsenal ranks from a young age, and an obvious abundance of grace, skill and resilience on the pitch soon made him a force to be reckoned with.</p>
<p>‘Rocky’ first earned a taste of first-team football under the management of Don Howe and while frequent game-time allowed him to show glimpses of his capabilities, it was upon the 1986 appointment of former player George Graham to the hot seat that he truly began to flourish.</p>
<p>For two consecutive seasons which culminated in the historic title win at Anfield in 1989, Rocastle did not miss a single league fixture and his excellence as a playmaker earned him many individual accolades, including two Barclays Young Eagle awards in 1987 and ’89 and a place in the PFA Team of the Year.</p>
<p>Early promise was sustained in the new decade as he became the fulcrum of Graham’s title-winning side in 1991, and his incredible service in the final third – in addition to a prolific strike force – brought some of the most exciting football ever witnessed on the hallowed Highbury turf.</p>
<p>Similar to others mentioned, Rocastle’s departure for Leeds was unbefitting of his impact in north London and fans were left outraged by the manager’s seemingly cold-hearted treatment of such a popular figure. His career would go on for years afterwards until retirement beckoned in 1999, and Rocky died of cancer just two years later at the age of 33.</p>
<p>A terrible illness took him far too soon, but he will never be forgotten.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 best Arsenal playmaker ever </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2><strong>2. Liam Brady</strong></h2>
<div id="attachment_127514" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127514" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2132,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F658679430.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2132" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/658679430.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/658679430-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – JULY 23: Arsenal player Liam Brady pictured ahead of the 1980/81 season at Highbury on July 23, 1980, in London, England. (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>An exceptional technician who embodied many ideals of the perfect creative midfielder, Brady could do anything courtesy of his expert vision, close control and tenacious Irish spirit and he exerted his influence on the Gunners’ attack through the wondrous faculties of a trusted left boot.</p>
<p>He joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1970 and turned professional on his 17th birthday three years later, but a need for adaptation to First Division life saw him utilised sporadically by Bertie Mee and he would not become a first-team regular until the following season.</p>
<p>Now a key component of the squad, Brady played his part in helping Arsenal stave off the threat of relegation and he later ascended to the creative throne, with his orchestration providing ample service for the forwards and guiding the club to three successive FA Cup finals.</p>
<p>Although he did experience some great moments in north London, such as a sensational strike against Sp*rs in 1978 and becoming the first foreign player to win the PFA Player of the Year award months later, Brady’s trophy collection did not match his talent and he left for Juventus at the end of the decade.</p>
<p>But after more than 300 appearances, an FA Cup winners medal and three successive PFA Team of the Year inclusions, there is no question that Brady ranks among the very best to have represented The Arsenal.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The best Arsenal playmaker ever </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2><strong>1. Robert Pires</strong></h2>
<div id="attachment_127515" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-127515" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/07/11/ranking-5-best-arsenal-playmakers-all-time/3/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1135,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F2709855.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1135" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/2709855.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/2709855-768x545.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">LONDON – NOVEMBER 8: Robert Pires of Arsenal celebrates scoring the first goal for Arsenal during the FA Barclaycard Premiership match between Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury Stadium on November 8, 2003, in London. (Photo by Phil Cole/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>Pires faced a myriad of challenges when he first arrived at Arsenal in the summer of 2001, namely the weight of expectation to replace Barcelona-bound Marc Overmars and his own concerns that he would not adapt to the physicality of English football.</p><div class="widget fs_ads"> <div class="fs_ad_widget-ad" style="margin:0 auto; width: 300px;"> <div class="fs-ll-ad" data-ad-type="minutemedia_slideshow_inline_300x250__desktop__tablet" data-vendor="minutemedia">
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<p>However, the club’s healthy French contingent enabled the Ligue 1 man to find his feet and he would soon combine outstanding creativity and speed with a clinical touch to take the Premier League by storm.</p>
<p>Flashes of individual brilliance and a few memorable strikes lit up short periods of his debut campaign, but it was during the following year when Pires really began to shine. A series of fantastic performances catapulted him to the top of the league’s assist charts, while he also claimed Arsenal’s Player of the Season award and was named FWA Footballer of the Year.</p>
<p>Despite being forced out of the 2002 World Cup due to a devastating cruciate knee ligament injury, Pires did not let the disappointment linger and demonstrated his immense resilience to recover the next season – where he still recorded 14 goals in 20 league starts and rounded the campaign off by scoring the decisive goal in the 2003 FA Cup final.</p>
<p>He continued to go from strength to strength and enjoyed his best season in the 2004 Invincibles campaign, bouncing back from a sluggish start (with only one goal before October) to terrorise defenders across the division and end the term as the Gunners’ second top scorer.</p>
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<p>A premature substitution in the 2006 Champions League final meant his Arsenal career did not get the conclusion it deserved, but he nevertheless made an indelible impact and is rightly considered one of our greatest ever players.</p><!—pageview_candidate—></p>">
