26 years ago today - Saturday, October 12, 1996 - a new era dawned on English football.
Arsene Wenger, fresh from an escapade in Japan and amid overwhelming skepticism from critics - Sir Alex Ferguson being one - took charge of Arsenal Football Club for the first time, kicking off a glorious 22-year reign. But long before his marvellous feats such as going a full Premier League season unbeaten and lifting the title, winning seven FA Cups and reaching a Champions League final, his first task would be to pick up three points against the side bottom of the division.
Despite becoming champions a mere 18 months earlier, Blackburn Rovers were propping up the rest of the table, winless after eight games. The Lancashire outfit proved to be the perfect opposition for Bruce Rioch 's successor, as Ian Wright scored either side of half-time to help Wenger and co claim victory, with a baying Ewood Park as the backdrop to a memorable occasion - on and off the pitch.
But who else starred in the legendary Gunners boss' first game? Here's the lowdown on the Arsenal XI that day.
Goalkeeper and defenders
Littered with legends, you wouldn't even want to face this rearguard now.
In goal - looking onto a 5-3-2 formation, which worked wonders for the great George Graham - was David Seaman . The shot-stopper was in his prime and on the way to 405 appearances for the Gunners, as well as 75 England caps. Back in 2015, Seaman married 2006 Dancing on Ice partner Frankie Poultney - and he wasn't the only TV dancer in-the-marking at Ewood Park.
Tony Adams , currently starring on Strictly Come Dancing after four failed managerial stints, including one a stint in Azerbaijan, was part of the three-man back line which also included Martin Keown and the more experienced Steve Bould .
While Keown wouldn't go into coaching and has instead focussed on punditry since hanging up his boots at Reading 2005, Bould certainly did. Following his retirement in June 2001, the former centre-half spent the next two decades back at Arsenal; firstly managing their academy before becoming Arsene Wenger's assistant in 2009.
Now Bould - who reverted back to an academy position in 2018 after one season working alongside Unai Emery - is the manager of second-tier Belgian club, Lommel Sportkring.
Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn were the trusted wing-backs that afternoon in autumnal Lancashire. Both of whom are bona fide legends in north London and have spent most of their time doing football punditry for various broadcasters in the years since they hung up their boots - in 2002 and 2003 respectively.
Midfielders
Much like the trio at the heart of Wenger's first defence, his midfield had two seasoned pros either side of someone who'd be a pillar of the Arsenal team for most of the next decade.
Paul Merson was the chief playmaker, notably playing a part in Wright's slick second goal. The Gunners icon left the club at the end of that season, joining recently-relegated Middlesbrough in a surprise £4.5million transfer. Boro were the first of four clubs who Merson would strut his stuff for post-Arsenal, but he'd unfortunately face a severe battle with alcoholism and a gambling addiction during that time.
David Platt was his fellow old-schooler, enjoying the second of three seasons in north London when Wenger rocked up from Japan. The Lancashire lad was infamously player-manager for Nottingham Forest from 1999 to 2001, a watershed period not fondly remembered by the City Ground faithful, who endured relegation to the third tier of English football four years after his departure.
Still, Platt got the England under-21s job shortly after his exit from Forest and was later among Roberto Mancini's coaching staff at Manchester City until the Italian's sacking 2013.
Completing the midfield triplet was none other than Patrick Vieira , who'd only joined Arsenal less than two months prior to Wenger's left-field appointment. Ultimately becoming arguably the most iconic player of the French tactician's era, Vieira won three Premier League titles, two of them being doubles among his four FA Cups.
Blackburn's players saw first-hand his quality, as the now Crystal Palace gaffer played a magnificent outside-of-the-boot pass towards Wright, who completed his brace just six minutes after the interval. Vieira's assist came courtesy of a neat one-two with Merson, as the Gunners showed a glimpse of the fluid football which Wenger's side would become synonymous with.
Forwards
Strike partnerships - remember those? Although it's not the most famous of Arsenal combination, John Hartson and Ian Wright proved a deadly duo at Ewood. Just three minutes in, Welsh ace Hartson - who was subbed off for Ray Parlour late on - headed down Winterburn's racking pass and found Wright, then 32, who chopped inside and produced a cultured finish past Tim Flowers.
By then, the Englishman's career was reaching its twilight, as he moved to West Ham in 1998 before spells with Nottingham Forest, Celtic and Burnley. Wright's record of 128 goals in 221 games for the Gunners remains an exemplary record, and he still provides entertainment on our television screens.
Whether it be Top of the Pops, Big Brother, I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! or Match of the Day, the Woolwich-born star has rarely failed to bring us a smile. Additionally, his passion for issues surrounding discrimination and women's football has come to the fore in recent years.
Hartson, meanwhile, also joined played for West Ham and Celtic post-Arsenal, with the latter club benefiting from his most prolific period. The Swansea native bravely battled testicular cancer, which had spread to his brain, in 2009 and - again like Wright - now enjoys a spot on punditry.
Have your say! How would this XI do in today's Premier League? Join the debate in the comments section.
While Wenger's focus was on the football, his first fixture also brought with it a number of off-the-pitch anecdotes which have been shared down the years. The ex-Nancy, Monaco and Nagoya Grampus Eight boss memorably stunned his new squad by calling them into the hotel ballroom at 8:30 in morning - six-and-a-half hours before kick-off - for a warmup and stretching session, hardly a staple of the English matchday back in the 1990s.
"We were all thinking, 'What is going on here?'," Wright recalled. "It took some time to get used to it because you are talking about a complete left turn when you have been used to straight lines."
With the morning session out of the way, surely the team would be able to have their usual bites to eat? Nope. "At half-time. I asked my physio Gary Lewin, 'Nobody is talking, what's wrong with them?'," Le Professeur explained, reflecting on his maiden outing. "He replied, 'They're hungry' - I hadn't given them their chocolate before the game. It was funny."
Then came the hilarious "Mars bar revolution," as Wenger got back on the team bus to head back home and was the subject of a mini mutiny. "The players were chanting, 'We want our Mars bars!'"
The taste of chocolate is good, but thankfully for the Gunners, success is even sweeter.
Arsenal XI vs Blackburn (5-3-2): David Seaman; Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Nigel Winterburn; Paul Merson, David Platt, Patrick Vieira; John Hartson (Ray Parlour), Ian Wright.
