ANDERTON, Darren Robert (1992-2004)
Position: Forward
Height: 6ft 1in
Weight: 12st 7lbs
Born: Southampton, Hampshire, 3 March, 1972
Signed from Portsmouth, June, 1992
Transferred to Birmingham City, August, 2004
Also played for: Portsmouth, Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Bournemouth, England
Spurs Record:
Debut: 15 August, 1992 v Southampton (a) drew 0-0
Appearances: League 273(26), FA Cup 26(2), League Cup 30(1)
Goals: League 35, FA Cup 6, League Cup 8
Darren Anderton had played barely 18 months of First Division football when Terry Venables snapped him up from Portsmouth, taking something of a gamble on the 20-year-old but one which certainly paid off.
Viewed as a bit of an old-fashioned winger, Anderton had made his name as the outstanding performer for Pompey as they made their way to the 1992 FA Cup semi-finals and proved the star of the battles with Liverpool they were unfortunate to lose on penalties.
With Portsmouth, Anderton played out wide, tracking back when needed but very much an attacking player, a real handful for any full-back with his pace and trickery. Since the departure of Chris Waddle, Spurs had been missing pace and guile on the flanks. Anderton was expected to fill the void.
Initially he struggled, not helped by a niggling injury but as he overcame his injury problems he found his feet in the top flight.
Principally operating on the right, Anderton had a coltish style of running and the ability to beat his marker before swinging in dangerous crosses, just the type of service demanded by Teddy Sheringham. When he got into his stride there were few full-backs who could keep up with him but once clear he did not just hammer the ball into the middle. He was an intelligent player and would hold the ball up until making a calculated pass or rolling it into the path of a colleague.
Anderton was not just a winger in the old sense of the word. There was far more to his game. His incredible stamina allowed him to work back and defend and he also had a penchant for moving into midfield where his passing could come to the fore or he could show the range of his shooting.
Shortly after joining Spurs, Anderton made his England Under-21 debut and in March, 1994, collected his first full cap against Denmark in Venables’ first game as England coach, giving a performance that marked him out as a natural for football at the highest level. It was this spell in his career that was to prove to be Anderton’s peak.
Injured early in the 1995-96 season he only recovered just in time for Euro 96 and proved himself one of the stars of the competition but from then on, he suffered one injury after another and for two years made only sporadic appearances. The work ethic remained as strong as ever though, particularly useful as Anderton adapted to a more central role and he played a full part in helping Spurs lift the Worthington Cup in 1999.
When he left us in the summer of 2004, Darren had made a then-club record 299 Premier League appearances which stood until Hugo Lloris overtook him in August 2021.
Anderton moved to Birmingham City but played there for only one season before joining one of his former Spurs and England manager, Glenn Hoddle, at Wolves. He moved to Bournemouth in September, 2006 and spent just over two years on the south coast. In early December 2008, he announced his retirement from playing would come on 7 December, one day after his last game and in that final match against Chester City, he came off the bench to score a spectacular 88th-minute volley which won the game!