|
A year after leaving Middlesbrough to take over the managerial reigns at
Stamford Bridge, manager John Neal returned to his former club to
procure the services of his ex-captain, the experienced midfielder Tony
McAndrew. Signed for the slightly curious figure of £92, 500 in
September 1982, McAndrew was one of two former players - the other being
Joey Jones - earmarked and recruited by the astute Geordie to add steel
to a soft underbelly that threatened to compromise Chelsea's position
in Division Two. Unfortunately, whilst Jones dug-in to such effect that
he was eventually rewarded with the 1982/83 Player of the Year trophy,
McAndrew was rarely fit enough to bring his undoubted talents to bear on
Neal's young team. He made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Leicester at
Stamford Bridge but after just nine games, seven in the League plus both
legs of a League Cup clash with Tranmere Rovers, Tony was sidelined by a
painful back injury which required surgery and brought his first season
to a swift end.
Had McAndrew been given the opportunity to display his
steely attributes more often that season, Chelsea just might have
avoided being involved in an embarrassing scrap to avoid relegation to
Division Three. His fitness restored, Tony was overlooked at the start
of the following campaign as John Bumstead and Nigel Spackman formed a
solid partnership at the heart of Chelsea's midfield and it wasn't until
Boxing Day that he was given his first opportunity to shine in a
rejuvenated Blues side en-route to the Second Division title. In
thirteen consecutive League appearances Tony let nobody down with his
uncompromising, battling displays although a lack of pace and mobility,
clearly exacerbated by his back problems, led to him receiving the
occasional bout of heckling from the terraces. This notwithstanding,
Neal handed the captain's duties to Tony once John Hollins had been
dropped from the team and he led from the front, taking on the thorny
responsibility of penalty kicks and showing his more wayward colleagues
the way to do it with a 100% record from the spot.
At the beginning of
January a goal at Ayresome Park against his old club Middlesbrough
proved to be in vain as Chelsea slipped to their final defeat of that
memorable season but his well-struck shot from the edge of the box was
enough to beat Cambridge as the run-in to the title began. Tony made way
for the younger, more energetic Bumstead in April ' handing over the
captaincy to Colin Pates ' and was a mere observer as the Blues ended
the season in top spot but his enthusiasm and experience behind the
scenes was much appreciated and often commented upon by his team-mates.
Tony was an unused substitute on the day that Chelsea made their return
to the top-flight with a trip across town to Highbury and the only
slight on an otherwise excellent day was the ridiculous and totally
unwarranted booing that he was subjected to from some of his own
supporters when he left the bench to warm-up. Unappreciated and
unfortunate in his time with the club, this consummate professional left
Chelsea in September 1984, returning to Middlesbrough as a makeweight
in the deal which took Darren Wood to Stamford Bridge. (Kelvin Barker).
1973–1982 Middlesbrough 247 (13)
1976 Vancouver Whitecaps (loan) 21 (5)
1982–1984 Chelsea 20 (4)
1984–1986 Middlesbrough 66 (2)
Willington
1988–1989 Darlington 11 (0)
1989 Hartlepool United 4 (0)
|