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Viv Anderson

Viv Anderson

Vivian Alexander Anderson, born Nottingham, England, July 29, 1956. Viv Anderson emerged as one of the most important players in the immensely talented Nottingham Forest team of the late 1970s.

While with Nottingham Forest, Viv Anderson won the First Division in 1978, the League Cup in 1978 and 1979, the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, the Charity Shield in 1979, and the Super Cup in 1979. After amassing 328 appearances in the Football League for The Tricky Trees under the highly successful leadership of Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, the elegant defender decided to further his professional career and eventually joined Arsenal for a transfer fee somewhere in the region of £250,000 at the end of the 1983-84 campaign. Anderson made his Arsenal debut in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Highbury on the opening day of the 1984-85 season and went on to win the League Cup with The Gunners in 1987. Following 120 First Division matches for Arsenal, he was signed by Manchester United for a tribunal agreed fee of £250,000 in the summer of 1987 and debuted for The Reds in a 2-2 draw against Southampton at The Dell on the 15th of August. But although newly appointed manager Alex Ferguson prepared to build a team which he felt was capable of winning trophies, it took the ex-Aberdeen boss some time to turn things around at Old Trafford. And by the time Manchester United finally started to enjoy the sweet taste of success, the attack minded full-back had left for Sheffield Wednesday on a free transfer.

Finding a new lease of life, Anderson woulkd go on to make 70 League appearances for The Owls and was part of the team which won promotion back to the First Division in the 1990-91 campaign. He then had a relatively short spell as player-manager at Barnsley before he was appointed assistant-manager to former teammate Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough where he helped the club gain promotion to the Premier League in the 1994-95 campaign. Known for his discipline and determination, he also had a taste of international football and was the first black player to appear for the full England team. After being handed his senior debut by Roy Greenwood in a 1-0 friendly win over the Republic of Czechoslovakia at Wembley Stadium on the 29th of November 1978, he proceeded to play 30 games for the country of his birth. Viv Anderson Playing Career: Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley, Middlesbrough. Playing Honours: English Football League First Division 1978, English FA Cup 1990, English Football League Cup 1978, 1979, 1987, English FA Charity Shield 1978, 1990, UEFA European Cup 1979, 1980, UEFA European Super Cup 1979.