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22 October 2020
 
 

Viv Anderson

Nottingham Forest FC, Arsenal FC, Manchester United FC

30 appearances, 2 goals

P 30 W 16 D 9 L 5 F 49: A 14
68% successful
1978-88

disciplined:
none
captain:
none
minutes played:
1350

Viv Anderson

Profile

Full name Vivian Alexander Anderson MBE
Born 29 July 1956 in Clifton, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire [registered in Nottingham, September 1956].
Attended Greencroft Middle School and Fairham Comprehensive, Clifton

Source

Some sources, like is own autobiography, state 29 July. The PFA states 29 August 1956. Another source, Football Unites, Racism Divides states 29 November. Viv himself, personally stated, says he was born on 29 July 1956.

Married to Debra E. Tassi [registered in Rushcliffe, Nottinghamshire]
Height/Weight 5' 11", 10 st 4lbs [1983]

Source

Douglas Lammings' An English Football Internationalist Who's Who [1990].

Biographies Viv Anderson - Andrew Longmore. [Heinemann Kingswood, London: 31 October 1988]
 

Covers the distinguished career from 1974 of the England international right-back during his playing days with Nottingham Forest and Arsenal before his 1987 move to Manchester United. This publication pre-dates his time with Sheffield Wednesday and subsequent move into management. - A Football Compendium, Peter J. Seddon (1999).

  First Among Unequals - Lynton Guest. [FullBack Media: 12 April 2010]

Club Career

Club(s): Played schoolboy football in Nottingham before joining Nottingham Forest FC as an apprentice, turning professional in August 1974. He played in 328 league matches, scoring fifteen times. Joined Arsenal FC in July 1984 for £275,000 and featured in another 120 league appearances, scoring nine.  Joined Manchester United FC as Alex Ferguson's first signing in May 1987 for a tribunal-set fee of £250,000, going on to play in 54 league matches, scoring three.  Anderson left on a free transfer, joining Sheffield Wednesday FC in January 1991, playing another 70 league matches, scoring eight.  He joined Barnsley FC in June 1993 in the role of player-manager, playing twenty league matches, scoring three.  Played for Middlesbrough FC in 1994-95. Played twice in the league, then retired from playing at the end of the season.
Club honours Football League Cup winner 1977-78, 1986-87, runners-up 1979-80, 1992-93; Football League Champions 1977-78; European Challenge Cup winner 1978-79, 1979-80; UEFA Super Cup winner 1980; FA Cup runners-up 1992-93;
Individual honours PFA Division One Team of the Year 1978-79, 1979-80, 1986-87; Awarded the MBE 31 December 1999. Inducted into the National Hall of Fame 2004.  One of 100 great black Britons.
Ballon d'Or =sixteenth 1980;
Distinctions None

Source

Barry J. Hugman's PFA Yearbook [1995].

Management Career

Club(s): Became the player-manager of Barnsley FC in June 1993.  Resigned from his post less than a year later after narrowly missing out on relegation. Joined Middlesbrough FC as Bryan Robson's assistant, still registered as a player, and did so twice in the 1994-95 promotion winning season.  Left the club in June 2001.

England Career

Player number 936th player to appear for England.
BME number The First BME player at Senior level.
Position(s) Right-back.
First match No. 526, 29 November 1978, England 1 Czechoslovakia 0, a friendly match at Wembley Stadium, London, aged 22 years 123 days.
Last match No. 634, 24 May 1988, England 1 Colombia 1, a Rous Cup match at Wembley Stadium, London, aged 31 years 300 days.
Major tournaments World Cup Finals 1982, 1986; European Championship 1980, 1988;
British Championship
1980-81, 1981-82, 1983-84;
Team honours British Championship winners 1981-82;
Individual honours England B (seven appearances, two goals), England U21 (one appearance).
Distinctions First BME player to appear for the England senior team.
most appearanced BME player between May 1981 and October 1983.

Beyond England

Whilst playing at Manchester Utd, the club he has supported since being a child, he was introduced to sports events company, North West Events. The biggest independent dealer of corporate hospitality at Old Trafford, as well as for other venues including the Manchester Arena, Viv works from their offices in Altrincham, attends matchdays in the corporate boxes and also commentates for MUTV. He has also been a sports consultant and helped deliver training camps in Dubai for touring teams and helped set up their Soccer Academy. - Sportsworksuk.com

 

Viv Anderson - Career Statistics
Squads Apps comp. apps Starts Sub on Sub off Mins. Goals goals ave.min comp. goals Capt. Disc.
50+ 30 19 30 0 0 2700 2 1350 min 2 none none
minutes are an approximation, due to the fact that many matches rarely stick to exactly ninety minutes long, allowing time for injuries and errors.

 

Viv Anderson - Match Record - All Matches
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Home 12 8 3 1 20 3 +17 3 9 1.667 0.083 79.2 +7
Away 16 6 6 4 24 10 +14 7 9 1.50 0.625 56.3 +2
Neutral 2 2 0 0 5 1 +4 0 1 2.50 0.50 100.0 +2
All 30 16 9 5 49 14 +35 10 19 1.633 0.467 68.3 +11

 

Viv Anderson - Match Record - By Type of Match
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L

WCP

6 3 3 0 14 1 +13 2 5 2.333 0.167 75.0 +3
WCF 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 =0
World Cup 6 3 3 0 14 1 +13 2 5 2.333 0.167 75.0 +3

ECP

5 4 1 0 9 0 +9 1 5 1.80 0.00 90.0 +4
ECF 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 0 0 2.00 1.00 100.0 +1
European Championship 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 1 5 1.833 0.167 91.7 +5
British Championship 4 2 1 1 5 1 +4 2 3 1.25 0.25 78.1 +1
Rous Cup 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1
Minor Tournament/Cup 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
Friendly 11 6 3 2 18 8 +10 3 6 1.636 0.727 68.2 +4
All 30 16 9 5 49 14 +35 10 19 1.633 0.467 68.3 +11

 

Viv Anderson - Match Record - Tournament Matches

World Cup Preliminary Competition

Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCP 1980-82 2 1 1 0 4 0 +4 1 2 2.00 0.00 75.0 +1
WCP 1984-86 4 2 2 0 10 1 +9 1 3 2.50 0.25 75.0 +2
WCP All 6 3 3 0 14 1 +13 2 5 2.333 0.167 75.0 +3

World Cup Final Tournament

Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WCF 1982 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 =0
WCF 1986 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 =0
WCF All 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 =0
World Cup
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 1980-82 2 1 1 0 4 0 +4 1 2 2.00 0.00 75.0 +1
WC 1982-86 4 2 2 0 10 1 +9 1 3 2.50 0.25 75.0 +2
WC All 6 3 3 0 14 1 +13 2 5 2.333 0.167 75.0 +3
European Championship Preliminary Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
ECP 1978-80 1 1 0 0 2 0 +2 0 1 2.00 0.00 100.0 +1
ECP 1986-88 4 3 1 0 7 0 +7 1 4 1.75 0.00 87.5 +3
ECP All 5 4 1 0 9 0 +9 1 5 1.80 0.00 90.0 +4
European Championship Final Tournament
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
ECF 1980 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 0 0 2.00 1.00 100.0 +1
ECF 1988 0 0 0 0 0 0 =0 0 0 0.00 0.00 00.0 =0
ECF All 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1 0 0 2.00 1.00 100.0 +1
European Championship
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
EC 1978-80 2 2 0 0 4 1 +3 0 1 2.00 0.50 100.0 +2
EC 1986-88 4 3 1 0 7 0 +7 1 4 1.75 0.00 87.5 +3
EC All 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 1 5 1.833 0.167 91.7 +5
British Championship Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
BC 1980-81 2 0 1 1 0 1 -1 2 1 0.00 0.50 50.0 -1
BC 1981-82 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4 0 1 4.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC 1983-84 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1 0 1 1.00 0.00 100.0 +1
BC All 4 2 1 1 5 1 +4 2 3 1.25 0.25 78.1 +1
Rous Cup Tournaments
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
RC 1984-85 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
RC 1987-88 1 0 1 0 1 1 =0 0 0 1.00 1.00 50.0 =0
RC All 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1
Minor Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
Azteca 1985 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
TC All 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
All Competition
Type P W D L F A GD FTS CS FAv AAv Pts% W/L
WC 6 3 3 0 14 1 +13 2 5 2.333 0.167 75.0 +3
EC 6 5 1 0 11 1 +10 1 5 1.833 0.167 91.7 +5
BC 4 2 1 1 5 1 +4 2 3 1.25 0.25 78.1 +1
RC 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1 0 0.50 1.00 25.0 -1
TC 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 1 0 0.00 1.00 0.00 -1
All 19 10 6 3 31 6 +25 7 13 1.632 0.316 68.4 +7

 

Viv Anderson - Match History
 Club: Nottingham Forest F.C. - 11 full appearances

manager: Ron Greenwood - 10 full capsx

Age 21
1 b 30 May 1978 - Malaysia A 1 England 1, Merdeka Stadium, Kuala Lumpur tour AD Start 2
2 b 7 June 1978 - New Zealand A 0 England 4, Christchurch AW Start 2
3 b 11 June 1978 - New Zealand A 1 England 3, Wellington AW Start 2
4 b 14 June 1978 - New Zealand A 0 England 4, Auckland AW Start 2
5 b 18 June 1978 - Singapore A 0 England 8, National Stadium, Singapore City AW Start 2
Age 22
1 526 29 November 1978 - England 1 Czechoslovakia 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 2
2 532 10 June 1979 - Sweden 0 England 0, Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna Fr AD Start 2
6 b 12 June 1979 - Austria 0 England 1, Klagenfurt - abandoned after 60 mins Fr Aab Start 2
Age 23
3 536 22 November 1979 - England 2 Bulgaria 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley ECP HW Start 2
7 b 26 March 1980 - England 1 Spain 0, Roker Park, Sunderland Fr HW Start 2
- 544 12 June 1980 - Belgium 1 England 1, Stadio Comunale di Torino, Torino ECF ND squad member 12
- 545 15 June 1980 - England 0 Italy 1, Stadio Comunale di Torino, Torino AL
4 546 18 June 1980 - Spain 1 England 2, Stadio San Paolo, Napoli NW Start 12
Age 24
5 547 10 September 1980 - England 4 Norway 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley WCP HW Start 2
6 551 29 April 1981 - England 0 Romania 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley WCP HD Start 2
7 553 20 May 1981 - England 0 Wales 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley BC HD Start 2
8 554 23 May 1981 - England 0 Scotland 1, Wembley Stadium, Wembley HL Start 2
Age 25
9 558 23 February 1982 - England 4 Northern Ireland 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley BC HW Start 2
10 563 2 June 1982 - Iceland 1 England 1, Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík Fr AD Start 2
- 564 16 June 1982 - England 3 France 1, Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao WCF NW squad member 2
- 565 20 June 1982 - England 2 Czechoslovakia 0, Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao NW
- 566 25 June 1982 - England 1 Kuwait 0, Estadio San Mamés, Bilbao NW
- 567 29 June 1982 - England 0 West Germany 0, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid ND
- 568 5 July 1982 - England 0 Spain 0, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid AD
x

manager: Bobby Robson - 20 full capsx

Age 27
11 586 4 April 1984 - England 1 Northern Ireland 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley BC HW Start 2
 Club: Arsenal F.C. - 16 full appearances

x

Age 28
12 595 14 November 1984 - Turkey 0 England 8, Inönü Stadyumu, Ístanbul WCP AW Start 86 2
13 596 27 February 1985 - Northern Ireland 0 England 1, Windsor Park, Belfast AW Start 2
14 597 26 March 1985 - England 2 Republic of Ireland 1, Wembley Stadium, Wembley Fr HW Start 2
15 598 1 May 1985 - Romania 0 England 0, Stadionul 23 August, Bucureşti WCP AD Start 2
16 599 22 May 1985 - Finland 1 England 1, Olympiastadion, Helsinki AD Start 2
17 600 25 May 1985 - Scotland 1 England 0, Hampden Park, Glasgow RC AL Start 2
- 601 6 June 1985 - Italy 2 England 1, Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México TC NL unused -
18 602 9 June 1985 - Mexico 1 England 0, Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México AL Start 2
- 603 12 June 1985 - England 3 West Germany 0, Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México NW unused -
19 604 16 June 1985 - United States 0 England 5, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Fr AW Start 2
Age 29
20 610 26 March 1986 - USSR 0 England 1, Dinamo Stadion, Tbilisi Fr AW Start 2
21 612 17 May 1986 - Mexico 0 England 3, LA Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Fr NW Start 2
- 613 24 May 1986 - Canada 0 England 1, Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, BC Fr AW squad member
- 614 3 June 1986 - Portugal 1 England 0, Estadio Tecnologico, Monterrey WCF NL squad member 12
- 615 6 June 1986 - England 0 Morocco 0, Estadio Tecnologico, Monterrey NL
- 616 11 June 1986 - England 3 Poland 0, Estadio Universitario de Nuevo León, Monterrey NW
- 617 18 June 1986 - England 3 Paraguay 0, Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México NW
- 618 22 June 1986 - Argentina 2 England 1, Estadio Azteca, Ciudad de México NL
Age 30
22 619 10 September 1986 - Sweden 1 England 0, Råsunda Fotbollstadion, Solna Fr AL Start 2
23 620 15 October 1986 - England 3 Northern Ireland 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley ECP HW Start 2
24 621 12 November 1986 - England 2 Yugoslavia 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley HW Start 57 2
25 622 18 February 1987 - Spain 2 England 4, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid Fr AW Start 2
26 623 1 April 1987 - Northern Ireland 0 England 2, Windsor Park, Belfast ECP AW Start 2
27 624 29 April 1987 - Turkey 0 England 0, Atatürk Stadyumu, İzmir AD Start 2
 Club: Manchester United F.C. - 3 full appearances

x

Age 31
28 627 9 September 1987 - West Germany 3 England 1, Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf Fr AL Start 2
29 632 27 April 1988 - Hungary 0 England 0, Népstadion, Budapest Fr AD Start 2
- 633 21 May 1988 - England 1 Scotland 0, Wembley Stadium, Wembley RC HW squad member
30 634 24 May 1988 - England 1 Colombia 1, Wembley Stadium, Wembley HD Start 2
- 635 28 May 1988 - Switzerland 0 England 1, Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lausanne Fr AW squad member
- 636 12 June 1988 - England 0 Republic of Ireland 1, Neckarstadion, Stuttgart ECF NL squad member 14
- 637 15 June 1988 - England 1 Netherlands 3, Rheinstadion, Düsseldorf NL
- 638 18 June 1988 - England 1 USSR 3, Waldstadion, Frankfurt NL

Notes

History was made on an icy cold, dank Wembley evening [in November 1978].

Viv Anderson, then a key part of Brian Clough's newly promoted Nottingham Forest side that was taking the top flight by storm, was selected at right-back by manager Ron Greenwood for England's friendly against reigning European champions Czechoslovakia at Wembley Stadium.

Nowadays, the colour of a player's skin doesn't warrant so much as a passing mention in the media, but in 1978, at a time when black players were routinely abused from the terraces, Anderson's appearance grabbed the headlines.

And while the game itself was a tepid affair, the then 22-year-old was inadvertently blazing a trail in which the likes of John Barnes, Ian Wright and Paul Ince, England's first black captain, would follow.

"The game itself was fairly non-eventful" Anderson recalls. "It was a cold evening and I remember one half of the pitch was soft, the other was hard - nothing like the green baize you see at Wembley these days. We had to change boots at half-time. Fortunately I had a hand in the goal and we won 1-0."

If the game itself was nothing special, Anderson was acutely aware of its wider significance. "Of course I was, because it was a big thing at the time. There were no black faces on the football field.

"Ok, there was Brendan Batson - and Clyde Best before him - but that was it. And to be the first black player to don an England shirt in a full international, I can see why people made a bit of a fuss."

Anderson, who was Bryan Robson's assistant-manager at Boro from 1994-2001, cites Trevor Brooking and captain Kevin Keegan as being instrumental in helping him prepare mentally for the occasion. "They were the big players at the time and it was good to have them on hand to pass on some of their knowledge and experience.

"I remember Bob Latchford telling me that I'd remember the night forever. He was right."

And it wasn't just fellow pros who showed their support, as the England faithful made their voices heard too.

"It was a very positive reaction from the terraces. To them, it was all about the football."  Anderson went on to play 30 times for England, being selected for two World Cup squads.

Thirty years later and England's....game against Germany in Berlin [2007] saw seven black players make an appearance.

He urges those currently on the fringes of the squad to be persistent in waiting for their break.

"The likes of (Ashley) Young and (Gabriel) Abonglahor are talented individuals whose chance will come if their attitude is right. They need to listen to the older pros like I did and appreciate every ounce of time they have as part of the national set up.

Anderson, who now works in events in Manchester and is an ambassador for the anti-racism body Kick It Out, looks back fondly on his England years.

"I played in an age where it wasn't the norm for a black man to represent his country so to do it not just once, but 30 times, is more than I could've ever asked for."

Kick It Out spokesman, Piara Powar, added: "Many of today's younger England fans will take for granted the black faces in Fabio Capello's team.  But in 1978, it was a rarity to see a young black man achieving so highly, both on the football pitch and society in general. This is a milestone for Viv, and gives the rest of us an opportunity to take stock of a significant turning point for sport in this country."

Viv Anderson began his career at Nottingham Forest in 1974 and spent a total of 10 years at his hometown club, winning numerous honours including a league title, two League Cups and two European Cups.  He had spells with Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday and was player manager at Barnsley before linking up with Bryan Robson at Boro, for whom he played twice. - Gazettelive

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CG