Arsenal’s Back Four: an enduring phenomenon that stayed stubbornly intact for 11 memorable years, defying the fickle tides of form and opinion to provide an unbending backbone for three Arsenal managers. Lee Dixon, Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn — it is difficult to imagine four players more in tune with each other, more committed to ensuring the job was done right. It was about professional pride. Clean sheets to them meant more than scoring goals. Shut-outs were their currency; it was how they were judged, and the history books show they earned every plaudit they received. In fact, no other rearguard in living memory has consistently hit the same heights as this dedicated crew.

Much of the credit must go to their first manager at Arsenal, George Graham, who set about skilfully assembling the quartet, recruiting Winterburn, Dixon and Bould, before working relentlessly on understanding and organisation in the following months. Two titles swiftly followed as reward, the second involving one solitary defeat and a meagre 18 goals conceded. With the medals piling up, their reputation spread, comfortably crossing the English Channel into mainland Europe when the 1994 European Cup Winners’ Cup was won.

But still they weren’t done. Upon Arsène Wenger’s arrival, when many people anticipated a parting of the ways, the fab four kicked on, their intelligence and ability somewhat surprising the Frenchman. That period, in a way, proved this group’s greatest achievement. Wenger’s discerning head had been comprehensibly turned. He came to see far beyond the uncompromising Anglo-Saxon angle, realising he had inherited four characters of extraordinary calibre.

In shoring up Arsenal’s defences over this period, other players, it must be said, played major parts, most notably Martin Keown who came into the equation in the mid-1990s. Neither should we forget the example and advice of the long-serving David O’Leary, as well as intermittent contributions from the likes of Andy Linighan and Gilles Grimandi, not to mention John Lukic and David Seaman, two top-class goalkeepers.

Yet there is something about the original back four that is hard to deny, due in part to an amazing longevity which demanded deep reserves of determination and talent. Seeing those names on the teamsheet created a warm feeling inside. With this four in place, Arsenal fans turned up for matches feeling reassured. By the time of its break-up in 1999 (when Bould’s departure for Sunderland signalled the dawn of a new era), this unit had become an institution at Highbury, revered and loved for its loyal service. In all probability, there will never be another unit like it. For this old teammate, then, getting them together for lunch was a great privilege…

Smith: OK, boys, let’s start at the beginning. What are your memories of first coming together?

Dixon: The first game we played was at Wimbledon on the first day of the 1988/1989 championship-winning season. We won 5-1 at Plough Lane.

Bould: How could I forget? It was my debut for Arsenal and from their very first free kick I lost John Fashanu at the far post and he crept in behind to score with a header. Not a great start. There must have been thousands of Arsenal fans behind the goal thinking: “Who the hell is this lanky idiot we’ve just signed?”

Dixon: I’ve got news for you. There were another 10 of us on the pitch saying the same thing!

Smith: So what about those early days getting to know each other on the training ground. There have been all sorts of stories regarding George Graham’s methods. What exactly did he do?

Winterburn: Bored the pants off us, that’s what! All that repetition, day in and day out. We would come in every morning and know exactly what we were going to be doing — attack against defence, shadow play, one-on-ones. Yes, it could be boring, but at the same time you knew it was doing some good. You could feel an understanding developing so in that way it was actually quite enjoyable.

Adams: People have said that George used to string a long rope across the pitch to keep us all in position, but that was a myth. He did talk about a rope, but that was only because he wanted us to imagine being linked together. It was his way of helping us to work as a unit, not individuals.