John Anderson (Irish footballer)
Encyclopedia
John Christopher Patrick Anderson (born 7 November 1959 in Dublin) is a former Irish
international football
er who played as a defender
. His clubs included West Bromwich Albion
, Preston North End
and Newcastle United
.
between 1976 and 1979. Despite playing in 92 reserve team games for the club, he never made a single first team appearance for the club in a major competition.
Anderson signed for Newcastle United
in 1982 on a free transfer from Preston North End
. His signing was low key because the club had recently pulled off a major coup in signing England captain Kevin Keegan
. A very versatile player, Anderson made his debut in the 2–1 win at Blackburn Rovers
on 1 September 1982.
In 1983–84
, Anderson played in one of the most entertaining sides in Newcastle United's history as the club scored 85 goals and gained promotion back to the top flight, in a side that featured Chris Waddle
, Peter Beardsley
, Kevin Keegan
and Terry McDermott
. Anderson played in 41 of the 42 league matches that season. He was given a testimonial by the club in 1992 after 10 years as a Newcastle United player, during which time he made 337 league appearances, scoring 14 goals. One of his goals was a 25-yard free kick in a game at Vicarage Road
in the early 1990s against Watford
.
Anderson's only international goal was the match winner in the 3 - 2 victory over the US
in a friendly game at Dalymount Park
on 29 October 1979.
This was only his second cap, coming on as a substitute for Pierce O'Leary
. It was a much better result than his first cap, also as a substitute but for John Devine.
That game was the 4 - 1 defeat to Czechoslovakia
, played in the Stadion Evžena Rošického
on 26 September 1979.
Anderson's first international start would came in the 1 - 0 defeat to Chile
, played in the National Stadium
in Santiago
on 22 May 1982.
He would win 16 caps for the full team
and was in the squad for the 1988 European Championship finals
, although he was an unused substitute for all of the 3 Group B matches. He missed out on going to the 1990 FIFA World Cup
in Italy
. His last game for Ireland was in the testimonial for Peadar O'Driscoll against Tunisia
on 19 October 1988, with Ireland winning 4 - 0.
and he is regularly asked to come to the club for ex-players' events. He also works as an analyst on Republic of Ireland international matches for RTE radio and summariser
on Newcastle games for BBC Radio Newcastle
.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
international football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
er who played as a defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
. His clubs included West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
and Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
.
Club career
Anderson was on the books of West Bromwich AlbionWest Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
between 1976 and 1979. Despite playing in 92 reserve team games for the club, he never made a single first team appearance for the club in a major competition.
Anderson signed for Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in 1982 on a free transfer from Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
. His signing was low key because the club had recently pulled off a major coup in signing England captain Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
. A very versatile player, Anderson made his debut in the 2–1 win at Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
on 1 September 1982.
In 1983–84
1983-84 in English football
The 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...
, Anderson played in one of the most entertaining sides in Newcastle United's history as the club scored 85 goals and gained promotion back to the top flight, in a side that featured Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle
Christopher Roland "Chris" Waddle is a former footballer from England. He played for a number of clubs in the 1980s and 90s, including Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield Wednesday in England, and Olympique de Marseille in France...
, Peter Beardsley
Peter Beardsley
Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE is an English former footballer who played between 1979 and 1999. He once set a record transfer fee in the game and represented his country 59 times between 1986 and 1996, once as captain...
, Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
and Terry McDermott
Terry McDermott
Terence "Terry" McDermott is a former football midfielder and current coach. He is currently the assistant manager at League One side Huddersfield Town.He is the father of Newcastle United player Greg McDermott and Marsaxlokk player Neale McDermott-Early career:McDermott joined Bury as a youngster...
. Anderson played in 41 of the 42 league matches that season. He was given a testimonial by the club in 1992 after 10 years as a Newcastle United player, during which time he made 337 league appearances, scoring 14 goals. One of his goals was a 25-yard free kick in a game at Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road
Vicarage Road, a stadium in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, is the home of the football club Watford and their tenants, the Saracens rugby union club. An all-seater stadium, its current capacity is 17,477.-History:...
in the early 1990s against Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
.
International career
Anderson represented the Republic of Ireland at schoolboy, youth and under-21 levels.Anderson's only international goal was the match winner in the 3 - 2 victory over the US
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in a friendly game at Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park
Dalymount Park is an Irish football stadium situated on Dublin's Northside. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known as 'Dalyer' by fans, it was also historically the "home of Irish football" holding Irish internationals and FAI Cup...
on 29 October 1979.
This was only his second cap, coming on as a substitute for Pierce O'Leary
Pierce O'Leary
Pierce O'Leary is an Irish former professional footballer. Pierce is the brother of former Arsenal star and fellow Irish international David O'Leary....
. It was a much better result than his first cap, also as a substitute but for John Devine.
That game was the 4 - 1 defeat to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
, played in the Stadion Evžena Rošického
Stadion Evžena Rošického
Stadion Evžena Rošického, also known simply as Strahov, is a multi-purpose stadium in Strahov, Prague in the Czech Republic. It is used mostly for football matches, although no team plays at the stadium regularly. It served as the home ground for SK Slavia Prague from August 2000 until May 2008...
on 26 September 1979.
Anderson's first international start would came in the 1 - 0 defeat to Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
, played in the National Stadium
Estadio Nacional de Chile
The Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos is the national stadium of Chile, and is located in the Ñuñoa district of Santiago). It is the largest stadium in Chile with an official capacity of 47,000, and is part of a 62 ha sporting complex which also features tennis courts, an aquatics center, a...
in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
on 22 May 1982.
He would win 16 caps for the full team
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
and was in the squad for the 1988 European Championship finals
1988 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1988 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in West Germany. West Germany won the right to host the tournament with five votes ahead of a joint bid from Norway, Sweden and Denmark, who gained 1 vote, and a bid from England. It was the eighth European Football...
, although he was an unused substitute for all of the 3 Group B matches. He missed out on going to the 1990 FIFA World Cup
1990 FIFA World Cup
The 1990 FIFA World Cup was the 14th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 8 June to 8 July 1990 in Italy, the second country to host the event twice. Teams representing 116 national football associations from all six populated...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. His last game for Ireland was in the testimonial for Peadar O'Driscoll against Tunisia
Tunisia national football team
The Tunisia national football team , nicknamed Les Aigles de Carthage , is the national team of Tunisia and is controlled by the Fédération Tunisienne de Football. They have qualified for four FIFA World Cups, the first one in 1978, but have yet to make it out of the first round...
on 19 October 1988, with Ireland winning 4 - 0.
After football
Anderson retired from playing football in 1992. He was always a fans' favourite at St James' ParkSt James' Park
St James' Park, known for sponsorship reasons as the Sports Direct Arena, is an all-seater stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is the home of Newcastle United Football Club and is the sixth largest football stadium in the United Kingdom with a capacity of between 52,387 and 52,409.St James'...
and he is regularly asked to come to the club for ex-players' events. He also works as an analyst on Republic of Ireland international matches for RTE radio and summariser
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
on Newcastle games for BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Radio Newcastle
BBC Newcastle is the BBC Local Radio service English metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, broadcasting from studios on Barrack Road in Newcastle upon Tyne.- Technical :...
.