Bob John

Robert Frederick John (3 February 1899 – 17 July 1982) was a Welsh football player and coach. Born in Barry, John played for Barry Town and Caerphilly, before joining English club Arsenal, who signed him amongst stiff competition, in January 1922 for a fee of £750. John made his Arsenal first-team debut on 28 October 1922 in a 2–1 defeat at home to Newcastle United, and quickly became a regular, succeeding Tom Whittaker at left half. His ability was such that soon after, made his debut for the Welsh national side, against Scotland on 17 March 1923; it was the first of fifteen caps. John was displaced from the Arsenal side in 1923–24 thanks to competition from Billy Blyth and Andrew Young, but after being switched to left back to cover for Andy Kennedy, he was a near ever-present in 1924–25. Eventually however, John was switched back to left half, and this time he remained a first-team regular. A prodigious ball-winner and noted passer of the ball, John reached (but lost) the FA Cup Final with Arsenal in 1926–27, after a mistake by his compatriot and close friend Dan Lewis; it was John who consoled Lewis after the final whistle, assuring him he would get another chance to a win a medal (although Lewis never did). He played in Arsenal's 2–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the Charity Shield at Stamford Bridge in October 1930.John remained in the Arsenal side through the first half of the 1930s, despite competition from the likes of Charlie Jones. He finally won some silverware with an FA Cup win in 1929–30, followed by three First Division titles, in 1930–31, 1932–33 and 1933–34. John also scored Arsenal's only goal of the 1932 FA Cup Final, in which Arsenal were controversially beaten by Newcastle United. By this time he was one of the senior members of the Arsenal squad, and mentored many of the club's younger new arrivals, such as Alex James. Although John played for Arsenal until his retirement in 1938, for the final three years of his career he was mainly a r