It was one of Frank Skinner’s better lines, albeit a little unfair. When Glenn Hoddle was prattling on about people paying for their sins in the next life, talking himself out of the England job, Skinner defended him on the basis that “Glenn couldn’t have been anti-disabled, otherwise he wouldn’t have picked Darren Anderton every game”.
Anderton smiles wanly at the old “Sicknote” jibes that will not go away, despite statistical evidence to gainsay his effete reputation. It is a surprising fact — even to him — that no player made more than his 35 appearances for Tottenham in the Premiership last season. That said, the feeling persists that this most elegant of midfielders ought to have made much more of a natural talent which is the equal of David Beckham’s. The underlying reason he has failed to do so became apparent during an interview by way of preview of this afternoon’s north London derby, which takes Arsenal to White Hart Lane. He has settled for the comfortable life.
Easygoing to a fault, Anderton revealed that he had turned down a move to Manchester United in 1995, and had “no regrets” that he could never do what Sol Campbell did and go over to “the enemy”, Arsenal.
As he shrugged, the thought occurred that if he had a bit more of Campbell’s mental toughness, he would have joined United and would now possess a full set of honours and 50 England caps, instead of two Worthington Cup finals and 30 international appearances, but my suggestion to that effect left him utterly unperturbed.
Anderton is in his 11th season at Spurs, having joined from Portsmouth in June 1992, just as Paul Gascoigne left for Lazio. His seniority is pointed up by a glance at the teamsheet the day he made his debut at Southampton, alongside the likes of Terry Fenwick, Jason Cundy, Gordon Durie and Andy Gray. Including Terry Venables, who signed him, he has played for seven Tottenham managers, rising to 11 if caretakers are included.
Had he ever been tempted to try his luck elsewhere? “Never,” he said.
The closest he came to it was in the summer of 1995. “I could have gone to Man United, that could definitely have happened, but I decided to stay here, and I don’t regret it in any way.” It was a startling, “I beg your pardon?” sort of admission.
Invited to elaborate, Anderton explained that Alex Ferguson had turned to him in search of a replacement for Andrei Kanchelskis, who had just left Old Trafford. Anderton had a clause in his contract entitling him to a transfer if any would-be buyer offered £7m, which United had been prepared to pay, so the decision was his.
“It was up to me in the end,” he said. “There’s no doubt that if I’d gone, I would have won more, but you never know how things are going to work out, and at the time Mark Hughes and Paul Ince had just left, as well as Kanchelskis, and nobody could tell what was going to happen next. At the time, I thought staying was the right decision, and I still do. I’d never had a problem here, and never have had since.”
As a Spurs apprentice, Campbell cleaned Anderton’s boots — “not very well” was the senior pro’s recollection — and they became friends over the years. One stayed, the other moved on — who was right? Anderton fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, then said: “Sol felt it was the right decision for him to go, and to be fair, he won the Double with Arsenal last season, and he always maintained that the desire to win things was his reason for going.
“I definitely wouldn’t play for Arsenal, that’s for sure.” He would be more inclined to rejoin Portsmouth, with whom he began his career under Jim Smith, and for whom he retains a soft spot. “I owe them everything,” he explained. “They gave me my chance when I was a kid, and I’ll always be grateful for that. Jim is back there now (as Harry Redknapp’s assistant, and I really hope they get promoted.” The likelihood, however, is that Anderton will stay with Spurs for as long as he is wanted. “I’d be happy to finish my career here. I’m Tottenham through and through. I’ve been here a long time now, so the rivalry with Arsenal is probably more important to me than it is to others, and for all the success they’ve had at Highbury, I’d rather wear the Spurs shirt.
“Of course I would have liked to have won more here. Two Worthington Cup finals is all I have to show for 11 seasons, which is obviously disappointing, but I do feel the present squad is the strongest we’ve had since I’ve been with the club. We had a great team under Terry (Venables, but now the squad is a lot bigger, and when there are injuries we can handle it a lot better.”
The objective was to “push on” and qualify for Europe via a top-six finish, but Anderton accepted that a better level of consistency would be needed to get there. A knee injury sustained in pre-season rendered him an impatient spectator while the team’s fortunes fluctuated, but he returned to the starting line-up for the visit of Leeds, which saw Spurs win 2-0, since when they have drawn 1-1 at Birmingham before beating West Brom 3-1 last weekend. Arsenal will provide the acid test for this upturn in form. Arsenal won the corresponding fixture 3-0 at Highbury four weeks ago, underlining the gap that now exists between these two traditional rivals. “It is going to take years for us to catch up with them,” Anderton admitted. “They’ve done very well, especially since Arsène Wenger has been there, and for a Tottenham player it has been very frustrating, seeing it happen.” The 3-0 defeat, in which he appeared as a substitute, had been the heaviest he had experienced in a derby, leaving him particularly keen to make amends today.
“Playing them so soon gives us the chance to put that right. I’ve played in more of these games than most, and we usually do a lot better at White Hart Lane, which is encouraging.” Patrick Vieira’s absence, injured, was another reason to be cheerful, as was Arsenal’s sudden inability to locate the target. When the two teams met at the Lane last season, soon after Campbell’s move, the England defender was given a traitor’s welcome, over the top even by football’s neanderthal standards. Anderton offered the hand of friendship immediately afterwards, and would be doing the same today. “It wasn’t nice for Sol last time, but he knew it was coming and, knowing him as I do, he thrives on that. I think he likes the attention — enjoys it. From the players’ point of view, we have to accept that he’s gone. But I know the fans won’t see it like that, and I expect he’ll get more of the same this time.”
Longer-term, the most youthful-looking 30-year-old in the game still has his ambitions, despite that casual disposition. Overlooked by Sven-Göran Eriksson since the friendly against Sweden a year ago, he still hopes for an England recall. “I don’t see why I can’t get back into the squad,” he said. “I think I’ve always done okay at that level. I’ve always felt my style is suited to international football, where if you give the ball away, you don’t get it back for five minutes.”
With Spurs, his aims are more modest. “I haven’t played for the club in Europe, and that’s something I’d really like to do. When we were last in the Uefa Cup (against Kaiserslautern three years ago, I wasn’t involved because I’d torn my Achilles tendon at the start of the season.”
Meanwhile, Campbell and Arsenal have their sights set on the Champions League. In terms of aspirations, as well as standards, they are operating on a higher plane.
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal
Today, Sky pay per view, 1.25pm, kick-off 2pm
