Bournemouth vs Spurs | Boot in both camps | Darren Anderton

Everyone knows the Darren Anderton story at Spurs...

Signed from Portsmouth in 1992, the midfielder went on to make 299 appearances for us in the Premier League in a 12-year career at the Lane - a figure only toppled 

He won the League Cup in 1999 and played 357 times for us in all competitions before departing for Birmingham City in 2004.

Capped 30 times by England, Darren was a key member of Terry Venables’ team that took apart Holland on the way to the semi-finals of Euro 1996 - he set up Paul Gascoigne's iconic goal against Scotland - and then scored against Colombia in the 1998 World Cup Finals in France.

That's Darren's Spurs (and England) story.

What is less known perhaps is that Darren ended his 18-year career at Bournemouth.

Signed in 2006, he was there for the first half of Bournemouth's 'great escape' in 2008/09 when The Cherries recovered from a 17-point deduction to survive in League Two before beginning a journey that reached the promised land of the Premier League in 2015/16 via winning the Championship title in 2014/15. He went out in style, as well, coming off the bench in his final match at Chester on 7 December, 2008, Darren volleyed home a late winner from 25 yards.

Speaking to us back in 2019, here's what Darren, now based in the USA, had to say about his time on the south coast... 

First of all Darren, tell us about your move to Bournemouth...
Darren: “I’d been up at Wolves with Glenn (Hoddle) and really enjoyed it but my dad was ill at the time and I wanted to come back down to the south (he was born in Southampton). I had friends in the area, a few knew the Chairman and it all came about via a chance meeting. The club said to me ‘let’s try to make it happen’. It was a club with the reputation of trying to play the right way and that’s what I was all about. Sean O’Driscoll was manager when I signed, but he left that day! Kevin Bond then came in and it went from there. I had two-and-a-half great years down there.”

You clearly enjoyed your time there...
Darren: “It was a great set of lads, good young players and it was nice to be appreciated. They could see I wasn’t just there for a ‘jolly-up’ as such, I did things right. The fans were always good to me as well. To see where they are now, it’s fantastic.”

You were there in some difficult days in League Two. What was that like?
Darren: “At that time (2008/09) the club was more or less bottom of the Football League after a points deduction. Bondy left, Jimmy Quinn came in and we started okay, but it started going pear-shaped. As I said, I was there to enjoy my football and always promised myself if I wasn’t doing that, I’d retire and that’s what happened. The new owners accepted that. They soon sacked Jimmy Quinn, Eddie Howe came in and the rest is history. It’s incredible what has happened since then, unbelievable.”