Viv Anderson  (born 29/11/56 Nottingham) was the first black footballer to represent England in a full international. He played a groundbreaking role in the progress of black footballers within the game and achieved a great deal as a player in his own right. Playing full-back, right-back and central defence, he was a much admired tackler, nicknamed ‘spider’ for his lanky build and skills in handling the ball on the pitch. He won nearly every cup going; the European Cup in 1979 and 1980, European Super cup in 1979 and played for Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Middlesborough, and of course England.

Anderson played 400 games for Forest in the height of their success. Anderson’s World Cup debut was in the 1982 qualifier competition against Norway in a 4-0 win for England. In 1984, Anderson moved to Arsenal for £222,000. During 3 years there he scored 15 goals in 150 appearances and became a mentor to the upcoming talent of Tony Adams. Alex Ferguson’s first signing; Anderson fulfilled his childhood dreams by playing for Manchester United for 4 seasons. He then went on to play for Sheffield Wednesday and helped them to be promoted to the First Division. His final appearance for England was in 1988. In 1993, Anderson managed Barnsley and was assistant manager to Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough. His last game was in 1995 against Barnsley, a former team. In 1999 Anderson was awarded an MBE for his services to football.