Paul Mariner RIP
Top English player
Top English player
One of my favourite English players when i was a teenager in the early 1980's and Mariner was playing for Bobby Robson's successful Ipswich side, then Arsenal and was an important player for England at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Mariner also played in New Zealand, first touring with England B in 1978 and then returning towards the end of his career to play for North Shore in our national league.
His second wife was from Devonport and they met while Mariner was playing here.
ESPN FC football opinion show devoted most of an episode to him the other week.
He'd appeared on it regularly over the last decade.
Mariner's best mate was Steve Nicol the former Liverpool and Scotland player who still appears regularly on ESPN FC.
It was a very moving tribute by everyone on the show who new Paul (except Steve Nicol who took time off to mourn).
Shaka Hislop had tears streaming down his face....
Bobby Almond remembers marking Mariner on his All Whites debut in 1978:
https://www.odt.co.nz/star-news/all-whites-loud-mouth-friendly-faced-fuel-boy
"the defender became eligible to play for New Zealand and soon after made his All Whites debut in 1978 against a touring England B side at the Basin reserve in Wellington. The England B side featured the likes of Glenn Hoddle, Paul Mariner, Brian Talbot, Joe Corrigan and Alan Kennedy.
Almond says Mariner was one of the toughest strikers he ever had to mark. The two had a run in during the match in Wellington, which flowed through to the second match in Auckland.
“I rushed into a tackle with him and caught him on the nose. He had quite a large nose, but it was bigger after that . . . he got his own back in the game in Auckland when he did me in a tackle,” he said.