Indeed, during the latter period of Rowe's reign he had been appointed as acting manager due to his predecessor's ill-health.
[2] After a poor season in 1955, Spurs finished second and then third in the Football League First Division in successive years.
Under Anderson, however, the team's overall performance (played 153, won 72 drew 32 and lost 49) was not considered good enough for the ambitious directors and supporters of the club who were wanting nothing short of a First Division Championship title.
This plus a very public falling out with his captain, Danny Blanchflower, with whom he had not always seen eye-to-eye, led ultimately to his retirement on 11 October 1958.
Indeed, during most of the time Anderson was manager, Nicholson had been developing his skills in the capacity of first team coach and in many contemporaries' eyes was the main influence both on and off the field.