Arthur Shaw's cheeky sense of humour shone through when he pulled off an epic prank at Highbury, exploiting a trio of phones to send coach Ernie Collett into a frenzy.
In what can only be described as a classic of football banter, Shaw found himself in a small office nestled between the dressing rooms and medical facilities. With three telephones at his disposal, he quickly hatched a plan.
While closely situated to Collett, the former Arsenal player turned coach, Shaw picked up one of the nearby phones and dialled another. When Collett answered, Shaw transformed his voice and kicked off the act.
With a sense of urgency, he demanded to speak to coach Billy Milne. When informed Milne was unavailable, the prankster shifted gears and asked for Bert Owen. Again, no luck.
Frustration began to seep into Collett’s voice as he wondered where everyone was and if they’d decided to stage a walkout.
Shaw's mock frustration escalated, and when Collett inquired about the caller's identity, Shaw claimed to be the secretary of Arsenal’s president, Sir Bracewell Smith.
The situation quickly took a turn as Collett started to feel the heat. Shaw, now firmly in character, instructed Collett to gather his belongings and report immediately to the president for… a massage.
Collett, understandably perplexed and unable to abandon his responsibilities with the team, attempted to object. But Shaw, maintaining the guise of the authoritative secretary, was unrelenting.
In an amusing twist, it was clear the coach was caught between duty to his players and the bizarre request made by the club’s so-called higher-ups.
Fortunately for Collett, Shaw eventually revealed the prank before any real panic could ensue. This lighthearted ruse was a testament to the simplicity of pre-mobile phone humour — just three telephones and a daring player.
Shaw had already made a name for himself as one of the biggest jokers in the squad. However, his playful nature was met with a dose of footballing irony during a match against Charlton. While preparing to clear the ball, a rival player yelled, 'Leave it!' Mistakenly taking it as instruction from his teammate, Shaw let the ball go, leading to a goal for Charlton that counted on the scoreboard.
It seems that in football, karma has a sense of humour of its own, rewarding Shaw with a taste of his own medicine.
