Eddie Hapgood,  (24 September 1908-20 April 1973) legendary full-back for Arsenal and England, was one of the stars of the great Gunners' team of the 1930s.   Arsenal's success in the 1930s, which brought five league championships and three cup final appearances, was based on manager Hurbert Chapman's strategy of sound defence and rapid counter-attack. Hapgood, as left full-back, played a key role in this system. Of average height and medium build, he relied upon exceptional speed, precision in the tackle, excellent positional sense, and, despite his height, outstanding heading ability. His technique was to manoeuvre his opponent away from dangerous positions, dispossessing them with a well-timed tackle or interception, and setting up an attack with a shrewdly placed, often short, pass. Stanley Matthews recalled: '[Hapgood] could give and take a pass; a classic player, one of the first footballing full-backs'. His method would influence future generations of full-backs.  Chapman Hapgood went on to succeed Alex James as Arsenal captain, leading the side to the league title in 1937–38.  In 1933 Hapgood was also appointed captain of the national team: his first game as captain was the "Battle of Highbury", an ill-tempered match against the world champions, Italy. A broken nose forced his temporary withdrawal from the field but, in the era before substitutions, he returned to lead his team to victory. He remained England's captain throughout the 1930s, and played thirty times. Hapgood continued to play in club, international, and services football during the war, but when the league resumed in 1946–7 he felt he had reached retirement age. Arsenal's failure to pay the full long-service benefit he considered was owed to him he left the club. He moved into club management, first with Blackburn Rovers, then (after a brief resumption as a player with Shrewsbury Town) with Watford and Bath City.