Darren Anderton - ouch! Sugar has a point

[Al From Bromley]

Anderton told: Stop moaning and show loyalty
By Ian Cole

Former Tottenham chairman Sir Alan Sugar has told Spurs winger Darren Anderton to 'stop moaning like an old woman' and show some loyalty to the club.

Sugar, who stepped down as White Hart Lane chief in February, accused Anderton of trying to 'join the bandwagon of the Sol Campbell saga' and added: 'It makes me laugh.'
While Sugar appreciates that defender Campbell has honoured his contract and 'done absolutely nothing wrong', he is less sympathetic with Anderton's claims for a new contract.
He argues that Anderton has not once in nine years been available for every game of the season; was always available when England managers called; seemed to lack confidence in the Spurs medical staff; and sought faith healer Eileen Drewery's advice with his medical regime.
Sugar said: 'We have Darren Anderton joining the Sol Campbell debate. Anderton is also out of contract and wonders why the board never did more to keep Sol at the club.
'I guess that he spent so much time away in rehabilitation or convalescing that he missed all the efforts that went into trying to keep Sol in the last two years. Or maybe he is trying to swirl up pressure against the current board to give him a new deal.
'In the nine years he's been at Tottenham I don't think there has been one season in which he has been eligible for all the games. I do recall, though, that he was eligible when it came to playing for England, especially when his mentor Terry Venables called on his services.
'Dazza got himself fit for the last couple of games of the season, went on to play in the European Championship and then was not fit when our season started.
'So desperate was he to play for England that the newly- appointed manager, Glenn Hoddle, decided to take the rehabilitation of Anderton by the horns.
'Eileen Drewery took over from our medical staff. Dazza wouldn't listen at all to our doctors or physio. In fact, on one occasion I got so frustrated that I called up Glenn and asked him what was going on.
'Eileen said it was wrong for Darren to have been asked to do some cross-country running at the start of the pre-season."It's not right to run in the forest and up and down hills". Poor diddums.'
Sugar said that Tottenham reluctantly went along with the Drewery scheme because 'you tend to do what you think will make a player happy so as to get him back playing for your club'.
He added: 'I asked for her to send me a rehabilitation programme that we could put Anderton through. This was eventually sent from the offices of the FA for some unknown reason.
'When I questioned our then chief physio on what Eileen actually did to Anderton on his numerous visits to her, he told us that she allegedly placed her hands strategically above his body and told him to have positive thoughts.
'I recall a friend of mine rolling about in hysteria when he asked me how Anderton was doing and my reply was: "Oh he's fine. We're paying him £20,000 a week while he lies on a couch so that Eileen can put her hands two inches above his body while tuning into his karma".'
Sugar continued: 'It's true that Juventus, Milan, Barcelona and Liverpool are all queueing up for Campbell's signature, but I am not sure that there is the same demand in Anderton's case.
'If there was, it would be a close run thing between the British Medical Association and the American Federal Drugs and Administration department in the hope of acquiring his services for future research.
'It might be closely contested by a City consortium who wish him to be the leading donator to the Harley Street Hall of Fame. The bottom line is that no-one is going to be paying Anderton's wages after June 30 and panic is setting in.
'His only ally seems to be Glenn Hoddle, who obviously sees something in him, and no doubt his agent, in playing on this point with the Tottenham board. I'm sure that everyone agrees that on the odd occasion when he has played he can be an outstanding asset - but odd occasion is the key phrase.
'Three is an odd number and that is about how many good games he has in a season. It's certainly not for me to decide what he should be paid, but it is easy to work out that if he is that great and that desperate to play, he should accept a contract which pays him say £5,000 a week and £30,000 a game.
'Stop moaning like an old woman, Anderton. We paid your wages for nine years. It's time you showed some loyalty. Spurs stuck by you when you were injured and now it's time for you to stick by them.
'You may have got 29 caps playing for England but don't forget the 150 plaster casts you had at Tottenham.'

[BaldEagle69]

Considering Anderton has only played 1 in 2 games for Spurs this past couple of seasons it is about time he started showing them some of the loyalty they have shown him through all his "sick" time away from the club.

He is one of the biggest moaners in the game and should just get on with it now!!

[nookiebear]

I never thought Alan Sugar would make me laugh, quality!

Knowing our luck sicknote will sign for us!

[Daniel_Nash]

He should sign up to repay Spurs for the treatment and sticking with him when he was injured. It would show loyalty.

He does moan like an old woman sometimes, first he says he is excited to be playing with Teddy Sheringham next year and next he blasts the club for not trying to keep Sol. End of the day, if Sol wanted to go he would do - and he did.

I thought it was funny that Sugar said "If he hadn't have been at home injured all the time then he might have seen some of our attempts to keep Sol over the last 2 years".

[markholmes1991]

I agree that he should show loyalty to Spurs for sticking with him.

How much loyalty is being shown from the people that make the game, nmot enough in my view!

[Daniel_Nash]

You can see his point though, but he is not in the position to criticise in my view.

It was rumoured he would be on a pay-as-you-play deal, but he'd be bankrupt by now i think. When he is fit he is a useful player to have on the pitch, but, sadly, he is not fit that often.

[markholmes1991]

Comparisons to our own Johhny Salako perhaps??

[firesign]

Anderton is a complete waste of space and a big girl's blouse. There is no point in having a player is injured so often - how can you include him any plans. And what a moaner... he's like an old woman. Someone ought to give him a slap!

Er... that's it.

[Gooders]

Yep - agree with every word Sugar said. Made me laugh out loud on the flight home today when I read it...top man.

[Daniel_Nash]

Rory McGrath, they think its all over tonight: "He's just like a tampon... 1 week in, 3 weeks out"

[Del Boy]

I've never understood how Anderton continues to get away with playing record at Spurs.

In most other businesses, he'd be medically retired by now. He ought to shut up, work and show he's worth a new contract.

[Jim Cannons Moustache]

Can i make a quick confession........wait for it!......I actually do like Alan Sugar, i thought the spurs fans were ungrateful to him for what he did and i've always thought he had a good sarcastic sense of humour, still laugh when i remember him saying he wouldn't wash his car with klinsmans shirt (alright he spoilt it when he re-signed him a couple of years after but we'll forget about that for the sake of my argument) and more importantly he really winds The Spiv (TV) up like no one else can!

[Nork]

Apparently Anderton had a clause in his contract saying that if Spurs signed anyone on higher wages, Anderton would have to be paid the same. As far as I remember Spurs signed Ginola and Anderton was straight into Sugar's office demanding more money even though he'd only played about 5 games in 10 months. I'm not a fan of Alan Sugar but his response to Anderton..."FU*K OFF" or words to that effect made me think he ain't that bad after all.
Anderton makes me sick. He's a talented player when it suits him but it seems to me he can't be arsed unless it's for and England cap. It's a case of trying to motivate someone who's going to get paid 20 grand a week no matter what he does... playing the occasional (and I mean occasional) game or sitting on the subs bench watching the cash roll in for doing f**k all. The man is a disgrace.

[Celestial Empire]

Alan Sugar nearly always talks (funny) sense - Carlos Kickaball was a classic. Only trouble is, that (ominously) like our own SJ, after all these years, he still seems to be baffled by the world of football.
Anderton is a case like Gascoigne - led to the big time prematurely by Venables, never achieved what he might have done, always a poor professional. The Venables effect.