George Frederick Allison was an English football journalist, broadcaster and manager.
12 Facts About George Allison
2.
George Allison was the BBC's first sports commentator and Arsenal's second longest serving manager.
3.
George Allison started out as a judge's secretary in his native North East, while playing for a local amateur team in Stockton-on-Tees.
4.
George Allison ran a sideline in writing about his own team's exploits, and he was eventually convinced by his editor to become a full-time journalist.
5.
George Allison moved to London in 1906, as the sports representative of the Hulton group of newspapers.
6.
George Allison became the club's programme editor and continued his association with the team after they moved to Highbury and renamed themselves "Arsenal".
7.
George Allison became a member of the club's board of directors soon after the end of the First World War; he was at first club secretary and then managing director.
8.
George Allison famously appeared in a 1939 film set at Highbury, The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, where he had a speaking part as himself.
9.
George Allison took a hands-off approach to managing, unlike his predecessor Chapman; Joe Shaw and Tom Whittaker took charge of training and squad discipline, while George Allison concentrated on transfer policy and the club's relationship with the media.
10.
George Allison's proponents have cited the trophies won under his reign, though by the end of the 1930s Arsenal were no longer the all-conquering team that they had once been.
11.
George Allison was unable to replace many of the stars from the first half of the decade, especially Alex James.
12.
George Allison died in 1957 after several years of illness.