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Clough gives stray Black Cat a new home!
Clough gives stray Black Cat a new home!
Saturday, 16th Jan 2010 13:55

Nigel Clough added some experience to his desperate defence with the signing of Russell Anderson. And for once it was an actual signing, not a loan, a genuine, honest to goodness signing… even if it was for free!

 

With talk that Nigel has been on the phone during the week to ex-teamate Roy Keane about possible transfers, perhaps Roy had a word in his ear about one of his signings while at Sunderland, that never quite got off the ground.

Although Derby is probably not the best choice of club... if you want to stay injury free, Anderson has joined Derby on a six month contract which ends a horror stint at Sunderland.

Before his nightmare at the Mackems, he was widely acclaimed for solid performances that had made him one of the standout defenders for nearly ten years in the SPL.


At 31 years of age, Anderson was born and bred in Aberdeen and playing with his home team, rose through the ranks until making a debut with their first team in 1997.

Over the years and 300 plus appearances he became the heart and soul of their defence. His solid and passionate performances won the hearts of fans and were rewarded when he was appointed captain of the club in 2003. He would retain the armband until his move to Sunderland in 2007.

His popularity in the SPL also extended to those who handed out various awards as he was named ‘Best Defender’ in 05/06 plus most league ‘man-of-the-match’ awards from BBC Radio Scotland.

Anderson was also nominated for Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year for the 2006/07 season, which was all the more impressive because he was the only Scottish candidate up for the award plus the only player who did not play for Celtic. That year he was also named in the Scottish PFA team of the year.

In 2006, Anderson celebrated ten years at the club with a testimonial match against Everton, a match where the Aberdeen fans showed their massive respect for the player with 12,000 fans making the trip to the match.

Anderson has also been capped by Scotland on eleven occasions after also playing for his country at Youth and U-21 level.
Anderson had never made a secret of the fact he had hoped to be an Aberdeen player for his whole career but in June of 2007 completed a £1 million transfer to the Premiership with Sunderland on a three year deal.

Anderson made his first appearance for Sunderland in a friendly match against Juventus and made his League debut as a substitute against Wigan Athletic. This turned out to be his only Premier League appearance for the Black Cats with his next two years decimated by injury.

After missing three months with ruptured ankle ligaments he was loaned to Plymouth Argyle until the end of the 07–08 season and played in all 14 of their final league games of the season.

For the 08/09 season he found himself once again in the Championship with Burnley and played for the first five games of the season until he damaged his cruciate ligament which meant he would miss the rest of the season.

Fourteen months later, in December 09, Anderson finally returned to the field in a Sunderland reserve game. With his contract expiring at the end of this season the club decided to release him on a free transfer. Although there was speculation he would join SPL club Hibernian, it was Derby County that swooped in for his services until at least the end of the 09/10 season.

I was quite surprised that many Derby fans have reacted quite negatively to the signing of Anderson (perhaps i shouldn't be as it seems to be in fashion at the moment). Although he has had injury problems in recent years, before that he was a proven performer in the heart of defence. If it had not been for one of the most debilitating of all sports injuries, he may very well have proven himself in the top flight.

On the surface it may seem another bargain basement signing of a player who is out of sorts or perhaps at the end of his career. But what the Rams have lacked most is presence and leadership at the back and from all accounts Anderson could bring that to the team in abundance.

As an ex-club captain for Aberdeen and a 300+ game player, he could be the stability our patchwork defence has been crying out for.

The danger of a re-occurrence of his injury is always a possibility but considering previously fit players have become injury prone disasters just by signing for Derby, that could apply to anyone. If he can get some games under his belt, the desire for a proud, talented player to prove he is not past it can be a powerful thing (see: Paul Dickov).

If he can recapture the form and fitness that made him a favourite in the SPL for Aberdeen then he could very quickly become a best friend to all Rams fans who like Bonnie Tyler are holding out for a hero.

Nigel Clough on signing Anderson:

“Russell is an excellent defender who brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge. He is the type of character we are looking to add to the squad".

“It might take Russell a couple of weeks to get up to full speed, but we need a fresh face in central defence and we believe Russell has the qualities and courage to step up to the mark if we ask him to.”

Anderson on signing for Derby:

“I want to play and show people what I can do. Hopefully I will get that opportunity here although I know I will have to work hard to be in contention".

“I played in the Champion-ship last season with Burnley so I just know how competitive a league it is".


 

Photo: Action Images



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