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FULL NAME : DARREN ROBERT ANDERTON
Born on 3rd March 1972 in Southampton,
England. Position : Midfield/Winger Height : 1.85m (6' 1") Weight : 80 kg (12st 5lbs) Signed trainee forms with Portsmouth in 1988 and two years later he turned professional with Pompey. His senior debut for the Second Division side was as a substitute at home to Cardiff City on 9th October 1990 in the League Cup. He played a major part of Portsmouth's 1992 FA Cup run and he scored in 1-1 draw against Liverpool in semi-final before the team lost on penalties. The Cup run brought him to the attention of the nation and he moved to Tottenham in the summer of 1992 for £1.75m. He also scored the winning goal on his England Under-21 debut in Spain and Anderton made his England senior debut against Denmark in a 1-0 win in March 1994 at Wembley and a year later signed up for four more years with Spurs. While many Spurs fans regarded him as a player who was too often injured, his loyalty to Tottenham should not be forgotten, as he spurned the attention of Manchester United in 1995 and could easily have left White Hart Lane behind. His England career developed under Terry Venables and he was a regular in the England side en route to the Euro '96 semi-final before he had to undergo a hernia operation in September of that year. Injury struck again with two months of the new season missed after sustaining a hamstring injury. Darren was named in Glenn Hoddle's squad for 1998 World Cup finals. A target for England's boo-boys, the national press and TV's "experts", "Sicknote" showed that he can still turn it on when he's fit. His goal against Colombia in World Cup 1998 was as good as any he has scored for Tottenham and having missed most of the last two seasons, he finally recovered some fitness and reproduced some of that form for Spurs. We've certainly missed his ability to provide chances for the forwards and his accurate passing, while he also regularly chips in goals from his midfield position. His ability to go past opponents may have been diminished by the injuries he has suffered, but his regular presence in a Spurs shirt will be a bonus for all supporters and for Darren himself. He deserves some good fortune after all he has been through. His desire to play in the middle of midfield may be satisfied by Glenn's intentions and if needed he could provide the supply from the right side. His recent contributions to the team are erratic and while he works hard, the quality of ball to the front men is what is really required of him. Having signed a new contract to keep him at the club for the rest of his career should help him settle down and play for Spurs now. Darren linked well with Teddy Sheringham, making their corner routine with Teddy moving to the near post to meet Anderton's ball in a trademark move. His crossing was accurate and his high stepping runs caused defenders problems, as he was happy to cut inside onto his supposed weaker foot. The athletic ability, despite the mounting injuries showed their worth when he played a major part in the club's winning of the League Cup in 1999, despite being reduced to ten men, with Anderton covering a lot of ground in the team's cause. At the end of the 1999-2000 season, signing a one year extension to his contract at Tottenham wasn't exactly the level of commitment that fans were looking for, but then he didn't get the salary he wanted either. I still think his best role was out wide (even though he had lost the ability to go past players) rather than in the middle of midfield. Season 2000-2001 started very well for him. Pulling out of the England Euro 2000 squad to give himself a rest paid dividends, as he was doing well for Spurs and then got an England recall against France. Then he was struck down by another injury, which effectively ruled him out for most of the season, although in July 2001, he signed a new four-year deal with Spurs. He played most of the 2001-2002 season and was one of the more consistent players, being recalled for a friendly for England against Sweden, although he failed to make it to the World Cup. At this stage of his career, he lacked the ability to go past players as he used to, but could still deliver a good pass/cross. At the start of 2002-03, he was being touted to link up with Terry Venables again at Leeds United, with Robbie Keane making the opposite journey to White Hart Lane. However, Keane arrived and Anderton stayed, even throughout January he was linked to a move to his former club Portsmouth. Injury hampered his season, but when he did play, he was reasonably effective. Season 2003-04 started without him, but when he returned to the side, he was energetic and produced some good assists, especially when caretaker boss Pleat introduced the 4-4-2 system, but he did not feature in the plans of new Head Coach Jacques Santini. Darren left in the summer of 2004 to join Birmingham City on a free transfer before rejoining Glenn Hoddle at Wolverhampton Wanderers, until he was released at the end of the 2005-06 season. Returned to the South Coast with Bournemouth, where Darren scored a 40 yard free-kick on his debut, hit his first career hat-trick and got sent off just before Christmas. He enjoyed his time at Bournemouth and became a father figure to some of the younger players there, being appointed as captain of the team by manager Kevin Bond. The team suffered relegation to League Two at the end of the 2007-08 season and were hit with a big points deduction because they went into administration, so, after 569 games, Darren played the final game of his professional career on 6th December 2008, coming on as a substitute to score the only goal of the game in the 88th minute against Chester City after twenty years in the game. NICKNAME : "Dazza", "Sicknote", "Shaggy", "Dazzler"
Career Record
Portsmouth
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