Gerry Francis and Darren Anderton

  • The Fighting Cock is a forum for fans of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Here you can discuss Spurs latest matches, our squad, tactics and any transfer news surrounding the club. Registration gives you access to all our forums (including 'Off Topic' discussion) and removes most of the adverts (you can remove them all via an account upgrade). You're here now, you might as well...

    Get involved!

Latest Spurs videos from Sky Sports

I was thinking back to Tottenham's past managers and I looked up Gerry Francis online.
On Wikipedia (admittedly, not always a 100% reliable site) it said that:

'Francis became resented by the fans over his handling of star player Darren Anderton. It has been argued that Francis is largely responsible for Anderton's recurring injuries, placing him in the team without sufficient time to recover'

Is this true? Because I don't remember this being an issue with the fans.

I never had much time for Anderton, anyway. He only seemed to get his arse off the treatment table when an international tournament was looming.
He made 8 league appearances in 95/96, yet played every game for England in Euro '96...

He made 15 league appearances in 97/98, yet played every game for France in Euro '98...

I thought he was a talented player who just took the piss.
 
Last edited:
I’ll caveat this post with the acknowledgment that I read this on 606 several years ago.

Someone posted that they met Anderton in a bar and asked him how he can sleep at night being paid so much when he’s never fit. Apparently his response was to get out his wallet, wave a wad of cash in the guy’s face, and say “this is how”.

Could well be bollocks, but a strange thing to make up.

Talented player though.
 
I was thinking back to Tottenham's past managers and I looked up Gerry Francis online.
On Wikipedia (admittedly, not always a 100% reliable site) it said that:

'Francis became resented by the fans over his handling of star player Darren Anderton. It has been argued that Francis is largely responsible for Anderton's recurring injuries, placing him in the team without sufficient time to recover'

Is this true? Because I don't remember this being an issue with the fans.

I never had much time for Anderton, anyway. He only seemed to get his arse off the treatment when an international tournament was looming.
He made 8 league appearances in 95/96, yet played every game for England in Euro '96...

He made 15 league appearances in 97/98, yet played every game for France in Euro '98...

I thought he was a talented player who just took the piss.
I have read his autobiography and from what I recall there is no resentment or blame towards Francis.
I think gross forced him to play while injured and the injury got alot worse. But he lays the blame with misdiagnosis. I think he had issues with Alasdair beattie I think but i ain't 100% on that
 
I remember the massive bandage on he's knee in the FA cup semi final against Everton Which he started instead of Ronny and Francis was in charge then.
 
Francis had a lot of injury problems during his time with us and shortly after he left there was something in the paper about Gross claiming Francis created his injury crisis by overdoing it with the fitness training. At least, that's how I remember it.

We haven't had injury problems of that magnitude either before or after Francis so draw your own conclusions.
 
Francis had a lot of injury problems during his time with us and shortly after he left there was something in the paper about Gross claiming Francis created his injury crisis by overdoing it with the fitness training. At least, that's how I remember it.

We haven't had injury problems of that magnitude either before or after Francis so draw your own conclusions.

Perhaps.
But that still doesn't explain why Anderton's injury record was still bad before Francis arrived and after Francis left.
Nor does it explain how Anderton managed to make miraculous recoveries immediately before Euro '96 and France '98.
 
Not a fan of sick note, TBH, but then again didn't see enough of him to really make an opinion!
(Sorry being facetious, I was near enough an ever present round that time). The only thing that immediately comes to mind is the goal he scored against Leeds in the cup (and that was when GG was in charge).
 
Aside from the Leeds goal, I recall the Paxton giving him abuse when the rumours were that despite being injured, he had turned down an improved contract due to interest from Man Utd....still recall shaggy making a ssshhh gesture .......as he sat on the bench, injured!
 
Ahhhh Gerry Francis the man who could never quite make full eye contact with a TV camera, would look absolutely everywhere but at it. As for Anderton, had all the ability in the world but no heart.
 
He was very good player, talented and technical. He spent most of his career by the treatment table, no body to blame for if I remember correctly, he was just fragile.
 
I liked Sicknote just for his technical ability and the fact that he was total "Spursy". Moments of uncelebrated genius followed by a fortnight on the recovery table.
[Edit because I like the joke]: An unhappy Darren Anderton walks into a pub.
Landlord: Why the long face.?
Top player imho
 
Last edited:
Myths and rumour more fun than the facts and truth. Mind you only Anderton really knows the truth of his injuries, but he certainly was loyal to Spurs and stayed when others ( Teddy ) fucked off.

I thought that we were generally always better with him in the team than not, and I was sorry to see him go.

Looking at his stats there was a 3 year period where he struggled badly with injuries and the 95-96 was especially bad, but by 98-99 season the worst of the injuries were behind him and he played 32 out of 38 that season. As an average he played 30 games a season across 12 years. That is not bad at all.

there is a Spurs Show live podcast you can download which has an excellent interview with Anderton. I think hearing what he has to say is a must if you question his desire to be a Spurs player. The David Howells episode is good too and worth a download.

Gerry Francis should never have been Spurs manager. Always worried about everyone else, never seemed to set up a team to dominate games, lots of passive play.
 
Back
Top Bottom