Ex-Portsmouth and Spurs star Darren Anderton: Jim Smith was a father figure - my England and Tottenham career owes him so much

The attacking midfielder appeared for England 30 times, while occupies a place in Tottenham’s Hall of Fame following a glittering Premier League presence.

However, his breakthrough occurred at Pompey, with Smith overseeing regular participation in the Blues’ first-team.

Having featured largely as a substitute in the previous campaign, it was the manager appointed in the summer of 1992 who truly put his faith in the promising Anderton.

That 1992-93 seasonn saw him make 54 appearances and score 13 times, including against Liverpool in the 1992 FA Cup semi-final at Highbury.

And from that point a switch to Spurs followed.

Anderton told The News: ‘I turned into a man that year playing under Jim. It was men’s football, you have to grow up and be counted very quickly.

‘He was a big name when he came to Pompey, I looked up to him. As a youngster, all you wanted was a chance,and he told us we would have ours – and did just that.