Herbie Roberts
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Herbert Roberts | ||
| Date of birth | 19 February 1905 | ||
| Place of birth | Oswestry, Shropshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 19 June 1944 (aged 39) | ||
| Place of death | London, England | ||
| Position(s) |
Centre half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1922–1926 | Oswestry Town | ||
| 1926–1937 | Arsenal | 297 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 1931 | England | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Herbert Roberts (19 February 1905 – 19 June 1944) was an English footballer.
Playing career
Born in
policeman. A tall, but quiet and unassuming right half, he was signed by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in December 1926 for £200 and turned professional. He made his debut against Aston Villa
on 18 April 1927, although he was not a regular in his first two seasons at the club, playing just five games.
Roberts' time came when Chapman converted him to a
centre half, and he replaced Jack Butler in that position. In the new "WM" formation that Chapman and Arsenal captain Charlie Buchan pioneered, Roberts served as the tall "stopper" centre half in the middle of defence; at the time this was a new tactic, created in response to the 1925 relaxation of the offside law
, but soon became a ubiquitous position in English football. Nevertheless, at the time Roberts was often abused and pilloried by opposition fans for what they saw as overly negative play.
By
on 28 March 1931.Roberts' long and successful career with Arsenal came to a sudden end early on in the
1937–38 season, when he broke his leg in a match against Middlesbrough
and was subsequently forced to retire. Arsenal won the First Division title for a fifth time that season, but Roberts had only played 13 matches that season, one short of the minimum required for a medal at the time. In all he played 335 matches for Arsenal, scoring 5 goals.
Upon retiring he worked as a trainer to Arsenal's reserve side. When World War II broke out, Roberts joined the Royal Fusiliers, serving as a lieutenant. He died whilst on duty at the age of 39 from erysipelas, and was buried at Southgate Cemetery, north London;[3] he was one of the 9 Arsenal players to perish in the war.
See also
References
- ^ "Fortune smiles on the Arsenal". Sheffield Independent. 8 October 1930. p. 10. Retrieved 22 March 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "1931/32 F.A. Charity Shield". footballsite.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ CWGC entry
- Harris, Jeff (1995). Hogg, Tony (ed.). Arsenal Who's Who. Independent UK Sports. ISBN 1-899429-03-4.
