Viv Anderson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vivian Alexander Anderson | ||
| Date of birth | 29 July 1956 | ||
| Place of birth | Clifton, Nottingham, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0.5 in (1.84 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1984 | Nottingham Forest | 328 | (15) |
| 1984–1987 | Arsenal | 120 | (9) |
| 1987–1991 | Manchester United | 54 | (3) |
| 1991–1993 | Sheffield Wednesday | 70 | (8) |
| 1993–1994 | Barnsley | 20 | (3) |
| 1994–1995 | Middlesbrough | 2 | (0) |
| Total | 594 | (38) | |
| National team | |||
| 1978 | England U21 | 1 | (0) |
| 1978–1988 | England | 30 | (2) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1993–1994 | Barnsley (player-manager) | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Vivian Alexander "Viv" Anderson MBE (born 29 July 1956) is an English football coach and former player. Born in Clifton, Nottingham, he played for various clubs in The Football League in the 1970s and 1980s, including Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday. He is also notable for being the first black football player to represent England in a full international match.
Anderson had broken into the Nottingham Forest team during 1974 and became a regular after the arrival of Brian Clough as manager of the East Midlands club, then in the Second Division, in January 1975. He was part of the side that won promotion to the First Division in 1977, winning the title, along with the League Cup, a year later.
Anderson was one of the first black players to represent top English clubs at the time, and regularly suffered racial abuse from fans of rival teams. He was regularly pelted with bananas and targeted with racist chants.
When Anderson received the call-up for England in 1978, coach Ron Greenwood was insistent that no political issue was at stake, despite the ever rising number of young black stars in the game, born and raised in England. There was no doubt that Anderson was playing outstandingly in a form team that season and got his call-up entirely on merit. A gangly, awkward figure, he was a much-admired tackler and was also quick going forward and occasionally scored vital goals. Vindication for his selection on merit was further supplied when Anderson was part of the Forest team that retained the League Cup and then clinched the European Cup in 1979 with victory over Malmö.
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