Anderson: A pioneer, Forest icon and Arsenal hero | Feature | News

At the start of the 1984/85 season, there were few more inspiring sights for the Gooners than right-back Viv Anderson marauding down the right wing, preparing to launch another attack, or perhaps even scoring a goal himself.

Don Howe’s Gunners made a blistering start to the campaign, leading the table at the end of the summer and scoring numerous goals. In tandem with left-back Kenny Sansom, Anderson – signed last season from Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest for £250,000 – moved effortlessly between attack and defense.

Anderson is a key figure in the history of English football. The son of Audley and Myrtle Anderson, who arrived in England from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation, Viv became the first black player to play for the England senior men’s national team on his debut in 1978, and would go on to win 30 caps for his country. A pioneer, Anderson later admitted “that he thought more and more about its importance as I got older. At the time, I just took it in my stride.”

Under Clough, the ultra-reliable Anderson won a league title in 1978, with Forest only achieving promotion to the top flight the year before and back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. “I don’t think it would be possible for a club the size of Forest to replicate what we did in the modern era,” he said.

Aged 28, Anderson’s move to Highbury in 1984 reinvigorated him. With Charlie Nicholas now playing behind strikers Tony Woodcock and Paul Mariner, the tall, lanky Anderson has been given the pass to move. In a famous Highbury match against champions Liverpool in early September 1984, he also turned provider.

With us already 1-0 up, Anderson moved forward, exchanged passes with his former Forest teammate Woodcock and crossed into the box for Woodcock to head home from a scrum, then the charismatic defender slotted in another precise cross which was superbly headed in by Brian Talbot. The 3-1 victory prompted Howe to say: “There is no better player in the country at the moment than Viv. »

However, Arsenal’s form collapsed mid-winter and by 1986 Don Howe had been replaced by George Graham. The Scot was keen to mix young local talent like Tony Adams, David Rocastle, Martin Hayes and Niall Quinn with experienced professionals such as Anderson and Sansom.

Footage from an Arsenal v Manchester City match in November 1986 shows Anderson training Adams on the corners – telling him when to close down the opposition striker and when to stand still. “Viv has been invaluable during this process,” Graham said.

Anderson, O’Leary, Adams and Sansom were Arsenal’s first four backs during the Graham era; four very talented individuals trained tirelessly to perform as a unit. “It was hard and unforgiving,” Anderson explained, “but it sowed the seeds of Arsenal’s success.”

After scoring a crucial goal at White Hart Lane against Tottenham in the semi-final second leg (Arsenal went on to win 2-1 in the replay), Anderson ended his third – and final – season at Highbury with a League Cup winner’s medal, as his trademark came down the wing in the second half at Wembley, causing panic in the Liverpool backline during our 2-1 victory.
Aware of the potential of young right-back Michael Thomas, Anderson left for Manchester United, then played for Sheffield Wednesday.

A pioneering figure for black players in this country, Anderson will rightly remain a Forest legend, who also played a vital role in Graham’s early rebuilding processes in north London.