Jump to content

 

 

Recommended Posts

What a fantastic goal scoring record he had from midfeild!. He was on the radio yesterday and still is a great bluenose.Said Rangers never came for him also Billy McNeil tried to sign him, he knocked them back as he was a Rangers man. Good on you big man for sticking to your principles!

Link to post
Share on other sites

What a fantastic goal scoring record he had from midfeild!. He was on the radio yesterday and still is a great bluenose.Said Rangers never came for him also Billy McNeil tried to sign him, he knocked them back as he was a Rangers man. Good on you big man for sticking to your principles!

 

Never knew that although he was a wee bit before my time.

Link to post
Share on other sites

aye, he was a hard player jon.

 

film star too.

 

us oldies all know this one, but if anyone wants to watch the film `escape to victory` theres more than just a few professional footballers starring in that hollywood movie.

 

must admit wasn`t aware he was a gers man though.

 

with ipswich he was a sensational player and was only young but remember him steaming into the box with the head usually.

 

be good to see his stats to see what his ratio was.

 

 

ipswich were some team back then with bobby robson in charge. he knew his players alright, still does too.

Link to post
Share on other sites

John Wark (born Glasgow, 4 August 1957) was a footballer who grew up in the outstanding young Ipswich Town side of the 1970s and went on to become a player synonymous with the club. Wark was an attacking goalscoring midfield player who could also play effectively in defence.

 

Wark came through the ranks at Ipswich, making his debut in 1975, and was part of the young side managed by Bobby Robson which surprised favourites Arsenal in the 1978 FA Cup final, winning the game 1-0. Wark twice hit the post with shots in the second half of the game at Wembley. In 1979, Wark was selected to play for his country, winning 29 caps eventually for Scotland and scoring seven goals.

 

Twice in three seasons thereafter Ipswich came within one game of winning the League championship, but missed out to Liverpool and Aston Villa respectively. However, they did win the UEFA Cup in 1981, with Wark setting a record for the competition by scoring a phenomenal 14 goals, including one in the final as Ipswich overcame AZ 67 Alkmaar 5-4 on aggregate. He triumphed personally that year too, winning the acclaim of his fellow professionals to earn the Player of the Year award.

 

In the same year, Wark was one of many players recruited to act in the football film Escape to Victory. He played Arthur Hayes.

 

Wark continued to ply his trade for Ipswich but the side was gradually being broken up after Robson left to become England manager in 1982. Wark, who in the same year was in the Scotland squad which went to the World Cup in Spain and scored two goals, eventually joined the exodus in a 450,000 pounds deal when he signed for Liverpool in 1984 as a replacement for Graeme Souness, who was leaving to play in Italy that summer.

 

Wark settled into life at Anfield well to start with, playing enough matches at the back end of his first season to earn a championship medal, then showed his worth as a goalscoring midfielder the following year. Sadly, he broke his leg in 1986 and missed out on the club's run-in to their only League and FA Cup "double", though Wark played in enough matches before his injury to earn another title medal.

 

He battled back to fitness but struggled to regain his place, and came on as a late substitute (and consequentially never touched the ball) when Liverpool lost the 1987 League Cup final to Arsenal. Manager Kenny Dalglish sold him back to Ipswich the following year for 100,000 pounds. Despite his injury, Wark left Anfield with an impressive record of 42 goals in 108 appearances.

 

Two more productive years at Ipswich followed, although by now they were in the second division. Wark's experience and stamina were a big help as he missed just two games in two seasons and scored another 20 goals. He was then surprisingly sold to Middlesbrough but returned for a third spell at Ipswich within 12 months.

 

Wark ultimately became one of Ipswich's legendary players and one of football's most respected and dedicated individuals, playing on with Ipswich until he was 39. An astute conversion from midfield to the less physically arduous position of central defender prolonged his playing career. His final tally was 531 League games for the club from a total of 771 as a professional.

 

He now works in the corporate hospitality department at Ipswich.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Honours As Player

 

Ipswich Town

Winner

 

1977-78 FA Cup

1980-81 UEFA Cup

 

Runner Up

 

1980-81 Football League First Division (Level 1)

1981-82 Football League First Division (Level 1)

 

Liverpool

Winner

 

1983-84 Football League First Division (Level 1)

1985-86 Football League First Division (Level 1)

 

Runner Up

 

1984-85 Charity Shield

1984-85 Intercontinental Cup

1984-85 European Super Cup

1984-85 Football League First Division (Level 1)

1984-85 European Cup

1986-87 League Cup

1986-87 Football League First Division (Level 1)

 

Ipswich Town

Winner

 

1991-92 Football League Second Division (Level 2)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.