“But where are my brothers?”: How Kevin Campbell helped amend the famous North Bank mural

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On March 25, a fundraising event was held to honour the late former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell.

Campbell spent seven years at Arsenal between 1988 and 1995, scoring 59 goals in 210 appearances. During his time at the club, he won the First Division title and FA Charity Shield in 1991, the FA Cup and League Cup in 1993, and the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.

On the latest special episode of Handbrake Off, podcast regulars Amy Lawrence and Adrian Clarke were joined by Paul Davis, Alan Smith, Andy Cole and Lee Dixon at the Finsbury Park Picturehouse. They looked back on Campbell’s legacy and, as detailed below, remembered a special encounter he had with former Arsenal co-owner and vice-chairman David Dein after the North Bank Stand Mural was unveiled in August 1993.

A partial transcript of his interview has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on the Handbrake Off feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Amy: We’ve spoken a lot, and it’s such vivid memories about the player Kevin was coming through and the personality that he brought. But there’s something else that is crucial that I would really like Andy and Paul to address. We’ve got David Dein here in the Picturehouse, and it’s a story that he’s very familiar with. But I’m sure you all remember the mural that was erected when the North Bank was being redeveloped.

It was quite a forward-thinking thing to do at the time, which was to cover up the building work with something big and impressive, so it was all hidden away. You see it now at big five-star hotels and big developments, but it was quite new at the time and had lots of pictures of fans to feel a bit like the impression of a crowd rather than just an end that was a building site.

Of all the players and everybody who was around, Kev was probably the youngest of the Black guys in the squad at the time, and he was the one who turned round to Mr. Dein and said, “But where are my brothers?” because he noticed there were no black faces in what was a homogenous image that was just used at that time. That impresses me, to have that character and that sense of almost activism, of standing up for things that are important at such a young age. That’s something he carried through with him in his life. How much does that tell you about him and what was important to him?

Paul: I was there, and I remember we were training on the Highbury pitch. The mural was up, and to be honest, I didn’t even recognise that. But Kevin did, and he said it to Mr. Dein, and Mr. Dein said, “Kevin, you’re right.” And within a couple of weeks, it was all rectified.

But you’re right. Kevin, for how much people talk about him as a laughable guy, he had that serious side. If something was wrong and he felt that something needed to be changed, he wasn’t afraid of saying that. And the way he would do it wouldn’t be aggressive, and the person who was receiving it would know that he was serious, but not in an aggressive way. But Kevin would get the answer that he needed or the action he needed, and in that case, he did.

To go up to a senior member at the club as a young player and say that just says a lot about Kevin.

The old crowd mural at Highbury (Photo by Allsport/Getty Images)

Alan: It was almost a jokey thing at the time, while being serious as well. You’re like, ‘Where’s the brothers and everything?’ And everyone was having a laugh and a joke. I don’t know if Rocky (David Rocastle) was there at the time as well because he would have been somebody who would have had a laugh and joke about it, but also point it out as something that needed changing.

Paul: That’s what was so unique about Kevin. He had that jokey side, but he also had that serious side. That was a serious matter, and to be honest, I didn’t recognise it. I’m older than Kevin, but he recognised it. And Kevin did a great thing for Arsenal. He recognised that there is a colour difference and that there are differences because of our cultures, and he relaxed the atmosphere around that.

He joked about things, and he brought people in, and that made us stronger as a group. We didn’t ignore that we were different. Sometimes we can think, ‘Yeah, we’re all the same,’ but actually, we’re not all the same. Kevin made that a norm and made us grow together, and we were a better team because of it.

Andy: Kevin was very good with his mannerisms. And like you said, with serious subjects like that, he wasn’t scared to voice his opinion. He was doing it in a way that wouldn’t make anyone feel uncomfortable, but was very forceful at the same time. He always knew what he wanted, and he would address it. And if he didn’t get what he wanted, he would let you know that he was disappointed that he didn’t get what he wanted.

Paul: He would keep going, wouldn’t he?

Andy: Yeah, he would. You know what Kev was like? He would just attack, attack and attack until he got it.

You can listen to full episodes of Handbrake Off for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

(Top Photo: Allsport UK /Allsport)

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