Happy 43rd Birthday to ex-Arsenal Double Winner Alex Manninger! : Gunners
Came in for David Seaman and made his first start of an awesome run in the FA Cup against Middlesborough in January 1998. He played the next 13 Premiership, FA Cup and League Cup games, keeping a joint club record six clean sheets in a row in the league, the last being that 1-0 win away at Old Trafford. He made a number of key saves in the FA Cup Quarter Final against West Ham when we went down to 10 men, and saved a penalty from Eyal Berkovic.
In March 1998, Alex Manninger was named the Premier League player of the month, an award rarely handed out to goalkeepers – David Seaman played 344 Premier League games for Arsenal and was named player of the month just once, Jens Lehmann played 148 matches and never received the award.
Seaman returned after the West Ham game for the league and cup run-ins. Manninger played less than the ten Premier League games required for a winners medal at that time, but a special case was made, and the Austrian was deservedly awarded a medal due to his huge contribution.
*Much of this lifted from https://www.nostalgicgooner.com/2019/03/alex-manningers-role-in-arsenals-1997.html. A damn shame I can’t find a highlights video because some of this guy’s saves were top drawer.
