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Viv Anderson
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2004 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Viv Anderson, the owner of two European Cup winners' medals, made a vital breakthrough when he became the first black footballer to play for England – on his way to collecting 30 caps.
During a distinguished career with Nottingham Forest , Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday, Anderson was voted the best right-back of the 1970s in a poll of managers.
George Graham, the Arsenal manager, described him as ‘exceptional going forward. He's one of England 's finest post-war full-backs.'
Anderson regards his selection for England in the friendly international against Czechoslovakia at Wembley in November 1978 as, above all, a cause for professional satisfaction.
‘At the time all I thought about was doing my job and trying to impress the manager enough to get selected again,' Anderson recalls. ‘It is only looking back that I realise the importance of it all, and the responsibility I was carrying.'
It's not every player, after all, who receives a ‘Good Luck' telegram from the Queen. At the age of only 22, Anderson won universal praise for his dignified assurance as a role model.
Starting out in the game as an apprentice at the City Ground, Anderson endured racist abuse from the terraces on a depressingly regular basis.
‘Winning that first cap may have been a small step for him in his career but it was a huge leap forward for black footballers in this country,' Ian Wright wrote in 1997.
Nicknamed ‘Spider' on account of his long legs, Anderson made his mark when Forest emerged as a major force after scraping promotion from the Second Division in 1976-77.
The First Division championship was won at the first attempt on the back of an undefeated run of 26 games and a defence that let in only 24 goals in the league.
Anderson played in successive European Cup finals, in 1979 and 1980. First, Malmo , then Hamburg were beaten 1-0: a combined total of 180 minutes of football without Forest conceding a goal.
Forest gained a reputation for resilience, particularly away from the home, during a record unbeaten run of 42 League games between November 1977 and December 1978.
The methods the European Cup final against Hamburg in 1980 was the epitome of their methods. ‘We were under siege,' Anderson said, ‘but our concentration and discipline never lapsed.' Forest won one-nil.
The Forest fans recognised his contribution. In a poll conducted in 1997, 96 per cent of supporters voted Anderson the best right-back in the club's history.
George Graham brought Anderson to Highbury in 1984. In each of his three seasons at Highbury, the team's defensive record improved, a run that ended with Arsenal lifting the League Cup.
Such consistent performances alerted Alex Ferguson, who made Anderson his first signing as manager of Manchester United, in 1987. Ferguson wanted to add experience and physical presence in a side he considered too ‘lightweight' to compete for honours.
‘His resolute professionalism at right-back and bubbly, contagious enthusiasm in the dressing-room were worth a lot more than the £250,000 we paid for Viv,' Ferguson recalled.
Throughout this time Anderson had been adding to his collection of caps, highlighting his consistency, without ever being a regular choice. ‘I was unable to win an extended run in the side of nine or 10 games unfortunately,' he said, ‘but I am delighted with my total of 30 appearances.'