davieG Posted 2 July 2019 Posted 2 July 2019 https://www.lcfc.com/news/1262022/the-transfer-record-arthur-chandler In a new long-running series on LCFC.com, Club Historian John Hutchinson looks at the stories behind a selection of Leicester City's transfer records. After the Football Club's reconstruction in 1919, following the demise of Leicester Fosse, Leicester City has since broken its transfer record over 30 times. Paddington-born striker Arthur Chandler was one of Leicester's first four-figure signings when he was purchased for a Club-record fee of £3,000 in June 1923. This was an inspired signing by secretary-manager Peter Hodge, who established the foundations for Leicester City’s halcyon days of the late 1920s. It was quite a gamble for the Club to pay this amount for a 27-year-old who until then had scored a career total of 18 goals in the old Third Division South for Queens Park Rangers. Few would have predicted that, over the next 12 years, Chandler would become Leicester City’s all-time record goalscorer. He was transformed in Leicester City blue. An ever-present during his first two seasons at Filbert Street, Chandler scored 62 league and cup goals, culminating in City becoming Second Division champions in 1925. Chandler then scored 203 top-flight goals in the next 10 seasons, by which time he was nearly 40. He netted 154 of them in the first five seasons in the First Division. These included the 34 strikes he registered during the 1928/29 campaign, when Leicester City agonisingly came within just a point of winning the First Division league title. Chandler's final tally of 273 goals in 419 games is still a Club record. His total included 16 hat-tricks and one double hat-trick, scored in October 1928 in a 10-0 victory over Portsmouth. Arthur left Filbert Street for a brief spell at Notts County in 1935, before joining Leicester’s backroom staff, where he served, in various capacities, until he retired in 1969 aged 73. The Club’s archives contain several newspaper cuttings detailing his career, several brittle sepia photographs of him in action and every one of his yearly contracts with Leicester City. Shirt crests from outings for the Football League and the FA's tour of South Africa in 1929 are on display in the reception area of King Power Stadium today. Browsing through some of the press cuttings, Chandler's talent and personality come to life. For example, when England selectors came to watch Arthur in a game against Sunderland, Chandler scored twice - his 100th and 101st goals for the Club - in the first five minutes. There was a problem though. Both goals occurred before the selectors had taken their seats. Seven minutes after their arrival, meanwhile, he went off injured. He never was picked for England, despite scoring five goals in his comeback game against Aston Villa and converting another five against West Bromwich Albion a month later. Another time, on the other hand, Chandler was told on a Sunday evening, while training with Leicester City in Skegness, that he had been selected for an England trial. The trial was in Sheffield the following afternoon. He started the long car journey at 6am on the Monday and broke down, meaning he arrived just a couple of hours before the game. In typical Arthur Chandler style, it did not distract him and the Leicester City legend still found the net.
Alf Bentley Posted 2 July 2019 Posted 2 July 2019 I hadn't realised that Chandler lived until 1984 (aged 88) and stayed on in Leicester. Do any older FT posters remember whether he used to make appearances back at Filbert Street in his older years?
fazzyfox Posted 2 July 2019 Posted 2 July 2019 Ignored by England despite two five goal matches? Only told about his trial the day before? Selectors fan**ing about at the hot dog stand and missing his goals (or their horse & cart was stuck in traffic). And we thought Vardy was hard done by by not being part of the clique. Some things don't change, without knowing who else was around at the time it sounds very unfortunate but thankfully we're still talking about his legend today, comparisons are impossible but I'm well aware of the Chandler and Rowley characters that may not be too well known outside of our club but who were undeniably a huge part of our history. Proud you chose our club Chandler.
StriderHiryu Posted 2 July 2019 Posted 2 July 2019 It's somewhat sad that the player who has our all time scoring record generates such little interest on the site and among fans, but it's totally understandable being so long ago with very few of us around to have seen him play. It's a genuine shame there's no way to see matches or some of the goals he scored for us, because you'd imagine that out 273 goals, there would be a few crackers in there! Thanks for posting the article - it's nice to know about heroes from a previous era.
Aus Fox Posted 2 July 2019 Posted 2 July 2019 One thing our club needs to do better is recognise the achievements of players who made this club. I would love a walk of legends or something similar with statues going back to Chandler, Rowley and moving through Banks, Weller, Shilton, Worthington, The Birch, Lineker, Walsh, Clarridge, Muzzy, and the title winners. we have had some amazing players over the years with great stories to tell. Let’s share them with the world.
KingsX Posted 3 July 2019 Posted 3 July 2019 3 hours ago, Aus Fox said: One thing our club needs to do better is recognise the achievements of players who made this club. I would love a walk of legends or something similar with statues going back to Chandler, Rowley and moving through Banks, Weller, Shilton, Worthington, The Birch, Lineker, Walsh, Clarridge, Muzzy, and the title winners. we have had some amazing players over the years with great stories to tell. Let’s share them with the world. If the KP expansion doesn't include a feature like this, it would be a lost opportunity. When our ballpark was updated, this plaza was added with the Indians Hall of Fame. It fits nicely and quietly behind center field. Pregame inductions of recent heroes fill the place early. It includes a few players who predate living memory -- all the more reason to recognize them in the present. They were the greats of their day and helped make the club what it is.
kushiro Posted 3 July 2019 Posted 3 July 2019 Loved that bit about the England selectors arriving late. Made me look up a bit of background info on the game: The date was October 9th 1926, Leicester 2 Sunderland 1, and the man who was chosen at centre forward for England for the game against Ireland 11 days later was Norman Bullock - later City manager of course. The result was England 3 Ireland 3, and though Bullock scored the late equaliser, he was never picked for England again. That doesn't seem so surprising though when you realise that the man who made his debut in the following international was Dixie Dean, who scored twice in a 3-3 draw with Wales and then hogged the centre forward spot for the next five years just when Channy was at his peak.
Guest Cujek Posted 3 July 2019 Posted 3 July 2019 13 hours ago, Aus Fox said: One thing our club needs to do better is recognise the achievements of players who made this club. I would love a walk of legends or something similar with statues going back to Chandler, Rowley and moving through Banks, Weller, Shilton, Worthington, The Birch, Lineker, Walsh, Clarridge, Muzzy, and the title winners. we have had some amazing players over the years with great stories to tell. Let’s share them with the world. That is a lot of statues, it might look a bit weird. I do agree though there should be more to celebrate our past and our players that have given everything to this club. Can you imagine the melt Downs we would have on here if we had a guy scoring that many goals and not being picked for England!
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