All-time Arsenal

To mark the close season our statistician looks at some of Arsenal's all-time stats.

Next season will be Arsenal's 97th in the top flight of English football, and 110th overall in the league.

The 2013/14 season will also be the Gunners' 88th consecutive campaign in the top flight, extending their existing record.

During Arsenal's 109 league campaigns so far, they have played 4,334 games, winning 1,973 (45.5 per cent) drawing 1,084 (25 per cent) and losing the other 1,277 (29.5 per cent).

Of those 4,334 games, 428 (9.9 per cent) were played in the old Second Division, while there have now been 810 Premier League matches (18.7 per cent of the total).

At 53.8 per cent, Arsenal's win rate in the Premier League is far superior to that in the old First Division (42.7 per cent) while the Gunners have also scored more goals per game (1.75) in the Premier League era compared to the old Division One (1.62).

One of the biggest differences between the numbers for the old Division One and the Premier League is the disparity between the home and away records.

During the First Division days, Arsenal won just 29.7 per cent of their league games on the road (459 out of 1,548) yet since 1992/93 and the introduction of the Premier League the win rate for away games has improved to 44.2 per cent (179 out of 405). In fact during the last season Arsenal overtook Liverpool as the team with the most away wins in top-flight history (638).

The Gunners' home win rate has improved too in the Premier League, though not by as great a margin (63.5 per cent in the PL, 55.7 per cent in Division One).

Arsenal have accrued 5,173 points in top-flight football, second only to Liverpool (5,231) in the all-time English league table. This is based on points earned at the time - until the 1981/82 season two points were awarded for a win, rather than three.

Arsenal's average league position for those 109 seasons is 6.74, during the 21 Premier League seasons it is 3.62.

 

 

 

 

 

 

League football accounts for 82.5 per cent of all football the Gunners have played since playing their first senior fixture in 1889.

Including FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield and European football as well, the total playing record is: P5256, W2472, D1282, L1502, F8901, A6421. That translates to an overall win rate of 47.03 per cent since 1889.

 

After league football, the next most popular competition for Arsenal is the FA Cup, in which Arsenal have played 448 games (including 31 qualifiers) winning 241 of them (53.8 per cent).

Home advantage does not appear to count for much in the FA Cup, compared to other competitions. The win rate on the road in the FA Cup is 45.8 per cent - higher than in any other competition Arsenal have played in. That's just as well, because Arsenal have played more 54 more away games (including on neutral territory) than home games in the FA Cup.

In the League Cup there is more of a disparity between the home and away records, Arsenal have won 72.1 per cent at home, and 42.6 per cent away. The overall record in the competition is P212 W123 D40 L49 F395 A210.

Both of these domestic competitions have been put in the shade by the Champions League in recent seasons though, in terms of volume of matches. Since 1992, Arsenal have played more European matches (192) than League Cup and FA Cup games combined (190).

Overall the Club has amassed 243 European games - since their debut in continental competition in 1963 - and have played at least eight European fixtures per season since the turn of the century.

The vast majority of these 243 games have been in the Champions League (64 per cent) with the Cup Winners' Cup (27 games), UEFA Cup (25) and Fairs Cup (24) the next most popular.

Arsenal's overall win percentage in Europe is 50.6 - lower than in any other competition. There is also a big disparity between home and away form in European football - the win rate is 66.4 per cent at home and just 35.5 per cent away.

 

 

 

Arsenal had nine debutants during 2012/13, taking the overall number of players in the Club's history to 812.

Theo Walcott is the leading appearance-maker in the current squad (263 games) and is one of only two current players (Bacary Sagna is the other) with at least 200 appearances to his name. That places them in the top 13 per cent for all time players for the Club.

Nearly two thirds of all players played fewer than 50 games (496) for Arsenal, while 10 per cent (83 players) pulled on the red and white just once in a competitive first-team fixture.

Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs and Wojciech Szczesny all broke through the 100-appearance barrier during the season, placing them in the top 25th percentile for appearances for the Club.

Jack Wilshere should be the next to join them - he is three away from triple figures.

On average each Arsenal player appears 75.7 times for the first team during their Gunners career - 13 current players already exceed this average.

David O'Leary has held the Club's appearance record for more than 20 years (722 games, 681 from the start). That is 53 more than second-placed Tony Adams.

As for goals, Walcott leads this category too from the current squad. With 63 to his name, he is one of only 48 players (six per cent) to have reached a half century for the Club.

Nicklas Bendtner (who last scored for Arsenal on March 2, 2011 - a hat-trick v Leyton Orient) is second on the list with 45 goals, followed by Tomas Rosicky (22). Only 12 per cent of all players who turn out for the Gunners score at least 25 goals, with just over a quarter (26 per cent) reaching double figures.

Exactly 50 per cent (406 out of 812) either didn't score at all or netted just once during their first-team career. That includes 333 players who never found the net at all. Among that number are 67 goalkeepers - Frank Moss remains the only keeper ever to score for the Gunners.

Overall the average Arsenal player scores 18.3 times in his career. Four current Gunners exceed that number presently (Walcott, Bendtner, Rosicky and Diaby).

Only 18 players (2.2 per cent) reached 100 goals or more for Arsenal, while Thierry Henry is the only player to top 200 - he finished with 228.

 

 

 

Stats correct as at June 20, 2013. Josh James also provides the stats for the Official Arsenal Handbook, which will be available early next season