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.jpg) Mariner managingPlymouth Argyle in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paul Mariner[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1953-05-22)22 May 1953[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Farnworth, England[2] | ||
| Date of death | 9 July 2021(2021-07-09) (aged 68) | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1971–1973 | Chorley | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1976 | Plymouth Argyle | 135 | (56) |
| 1976–1984 | Ipswich Town | 260 | (96) |
| 1984–1986 | Arsenal | 60 | (14) |
| 1986–1988 | Portsmouth | 56 | (9) |
| 1988 | Wollongong City[4][5] | 2 | (0) |
| 1989–1992 | Albany Capitals[6] | 17 | (1) |
| 1990-1991 | Naxxar Lions | ||
| 1992–1993 | San Francisco Bay Blackhawks[6] | 10 | (0) |
| Total | 555 | (179) | |
| International career | |||
| 1978–1980 | England B | 7 | (2) |
| 1977–1985 | England | 35 | (13) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2003 | Harvard Crimson (assistant) | ||
| 2004–2009 | New England Revolution (assistant) | ||
| 2009–2010 | Plymouth Argyle | ||
| 2012–2013 | Toronto FC | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Paul Mariner (22 May 1953 – 9 July 2021)[7] was an Englishfootball player andcoach.
Acentre forward during his playing days, Mariner began his career withChorley. He became a professional player in 1973 withPlymouth Argyle, where he scored 61 goals in 155 appearances and is considered to have been one of the club's best ever players. He joinedIpswich Town in 1976, where he achieved domestic and European success under the guidance ofBobby Robson. He was called up to play for theEngland national team during his time atPortman Road, and went on to represent his country at the1980 European Championships and the1982 World Cup. In total, Mariner played 35 times for England, scoring 13 goals. He spent two years withArsenal and thenPortsmouth before finishing his career abroad. He played for clubs in Australia, the US, andMalta.
He took up coaching during his time withAlbany Capitals and focused on it fully when he retired from playing. After spending time working inJapan, he returned to America to coach, firstly inArizona and then atHarvard University. He joinedMajor League Soccer clubNew England Revolution in 2004 as a member ofSteve Nicol's coaching staff. After five years inMassachusetts, Mariner returned to Plymouth Argyle in 2009 as their head coach. He succeededPaul Sturrock as the club's manager two months later before returning to his role as head coach upon the arrival ofPeter Reid. In January 2011, he returned to Major League Soccer as director of player development atToronto FC.
Mariner was thecolor commentator for New England Revolution of MLS. Starting in 2020, he commentated for some of the Revolution games, and shared the duty withCharlie Davies.
Mariner started his career as anamateur player at non-league clubChorley, close to his Lancashire roots and his style at the helm of their attack caught the attention ofPlymouth Argyle, for whom he signed in 1973.[8]
So began an impressive scoring record with theDevon club, with 56 goals in 135 appearances coming beforeBobby Robson, who had been personally monitoring Mariner's progress, took him to Ipswich Town for a club record £220,000[9] with John Peddelty andTerry Austin moving in the opposite direction as part of the deal. Mariner chose Ipswich ahead of similar offers fromWest Bromwich Albion andWest Ham United.[10]
Mariner made his debut in September 1976[11] and quickly settled into the Ipswich side as an old-fashioned number 9 – i.e., a forward capable of taking hard tackles and rough treatment fromdefenders but willing to give it back, while also scoring a fair share of goals. Received wisdom suggests that Mariner was only a 'target-man'-type centre forward but he scored plenty of goals with his feet and had the skill to create his own chances on the deck, rather than relying entirely on service through the centre and via the flanks.[12]
Such was Mariner's impact that six months after joining Ipswich, he made his England debut as asubstitute in a 5–0 win overLuxembourg atWembley and played from the beginning in the following game againstNorthern Ireland in theBritish Home Championship atWindsor Park,Belfast.[8] He impressed in both games, though did not score and was not selected for the next six matches. During this period, Ipswich finished third in theFirst Division, with Mariner contributing ten goals from 28 games.[8]
Mariner's third England cap came in the return World Cup qualifier in Luxembourg, scoring a last-minute goal in a 2–0 win.[8] By now, Mariner had become one of a number of 'target man'-type centre forwards for England coachRon Greenwood to select from, withStuart Pearson andBob Latchford also on the scene. It was Mariner, however, who would be selected the majority of the time.[13]
At club level, Mariner was having a mixed time. He scored 11 goals for Ipswich, but the team underperformed in the First Division and finished 18th. However, they reached theFA Cup final at Wembley where they memorably beatArsenal 1–0. Mariner hit the goal-frame with one chance.[8]
Greenwood did not select Mariner for England throughout 1979, although Mariner had his most productive spell for Ipswich that season, scoring 13 goals in 33 matches. It was not until 1980 that he won a sixth England cap – almost exactly two years after his fifth – and he scored England's goal in a surprising 4–1 defeat againstWales atWrexham. He stayed in the reckoning thereafter, scoring in a 2–1 win overAustralia inSydney in the final game before England took to the field for the1980 European Championships. Mariner was named in Greenwood's squad for the tournament, despite not playing during the whole qualifying campaign.[8]
He did not play in the opening 1–1 draw versusBelgium inTurin but came on as a substitute in the remaining two group matches – a defeat againstItaly and a victory overSpain, which ensured England's elimination from the competition.[14]
Mariner maintained his England place as his Ipswich goalscoring record continued to improve – 17 from 41 games had come in 1980 and Ipswich made the early running as the next season got underway. England began their qualifying campaign for the1982 World Cup with a conclusive 4–0 win overNorway, with Mariner scoring a superb goal with a deft turn and shot from 25 yards. He was, however, left out of the next game, which turned into a gruesome 2–1 defeat againstRomania inBucharest. Greenwood put him back in the side a month later for a now vital match againstSwitzerland, and Mariner scored the opener in a 2–1 win.[15]
Ipswich were challenging for three trophies as the 1981 season approached its climax, with Mariner again to the fore, scoring 13 times in 36 matches. However, they were to miss out on two domestic fronts, withAston Villa winning the First Division (after Ipswich failed to beatMiddlesbrough) andManchester City defeating Ipswich in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. But in theUEFA Cup, Mariner was proving to be a real hero as glory beckoned.[16]
He scored twice in the early rounds as Ipswich progressed to an attractive quarter final againstSt Étienne. In the first leg in France Mariner put two away as Ipswich went 4–1 up, and added another as Ipswich completed the task in the second leg. After winning the semi-final, Mariner scored again in the first leg of the final againstAZ Alkmaar as Ipswich coasted to a 3–0 lead, ultimately winning the competition 5–4 onaggregate. Weeks later, Greenwood put him back in the England side as the World Cup qualification campaign resumed with a defeat in Switzerland, a vital victory inHungary and a shock defeat in Norway. It appeared that they might miss out on the World Cup finals for an unthinkable third tournament in a row, but results elsewhere went their way, meaning England only needed to draw with the already qualified Hungary at Wembley in the final game to guarantee qualification. It was Mariner who scored the only goal in a 1–0 win, though he got it after a stumble which saw him score via a deflection rather than an actual shot on goal.
Injuries to bothAchilles tendons restricted Mariner's football over the next few months, and he only scored eight times in 25 games for Ipswich. But in the five final England warm-up matches prior to the World Cup in Spain, he scored four times, including a stunning solo run and strike against theNetherlands at Wembley. He was named in Greenwood's squad and started the first match of the tournament, againstFrance.
England went into a 2–1 lead thanks to a brace fromBryan Robson – the first of which was one of the World Cup Finals' quickest-ever goals – before Mariner slammed home a close-range volley to complete an impressive 3–1 win. It was his eleventh international goal in his 22nd match – an admirable ratio of one goal every other game. It was his also his sixth consecutive scoring game for England – a feat previously achieved only byJimmy Greaves.
Greenwood selected Mariner for the rest of the tournament but he didn't score again and England went out in the second phase after two disappointing goalless draws. Mariner is best remembered for dragging a devastatedKevin Keegan to his feet in support after the England captain, on as a substitute after a tournament ruined by injury problems, sank to hisknees, head in hands, having just missed an open goal with a header which would have given England the lead in their goalless final game againstSpain. (As England needed to betterWest Germany's earlier 2–1 victory against Spain, a goal at this point would still have been insufficient in isolation to send England into the semi-finals.)
Mariner's club boss Robson subsequently became England coach and he continued to select him as the qualification campaign for the1984 European Football Championship got underway. Mariner continued to score frequently for Ipswich, whose young and vibrant side had started to age and break up.[citation needed]
England's qualification campaign faltered, though Mariner scored in consecutive pool matches against Hungary and Luxembourg – the latter of which would prove to be his 13th and final England goal. By the time he next played for England, he was anArsenal player, with the Gunners taking him from Ipswich in February 1984 for £150,000. Making his Arsenal-debut atHighbury against Aston Villa on 18 February in a 1-1 draw, he scored his first goal at Nottingham Forest the next week. By now Mariner was in his thirties but he still initially performed well for Arsenal, scoring seven times in the final fifteen games of the season, as the Gunners had a resurgence and finishing 6th in the1983-84 season.[citation needed]
He was a regular throughout1984-85 missing only seven games but he only mustered nine goals in 41 appearances.[citation needed]
Mariner won two more England caps butMark Hateley, a tall and skilful young striker in the Mariner mould, was a candidate for his position andGary Lineker andPeter Beardsley were also establishing themselves as international strikers. Hateley came on as a substitute for Mariner in a friendly victory overEast Germany in September 1984, before Mariner picked up his 35th and final cap in a goalless draw against Romania in May 1985, a qualifier for the1986 World Cup.[17] With Hateley in the ascendancy and Mariner regularly sidelined at Arsenal, Robson opted not to select him for the England squad which qualified for Mexico 1986.[citation needed]
Meanwhile, at his club Mariner was rarely on the field, he was blighted by an Achilles heel injury which saw him only play nine times in1985–86, including matches as an emergencycentre half.[18] His final appearance seeing him come off the bench against Nottingham Forest on 8 April 1986.[19]
In August 1986 Arsenal's new managerGeorge Graham gave Mariner afree transfer in a decision that had been made before he took over; in all Mariner played 70 times for Arsenal, scoring 17 goals. He signed forPortsmouth, where he spent two seasons. In May 1989, he signed with theAlbany Capitals of theAmerican Soccer League.[20]
In 1990-91 Paul Mariner played forNaxxar Lions,Malta. Mariner returned to the Capitals in 1991 as the team now played in theAmerican Professional Soccer League, formed by the merger of the American Soccer League andWestern Soccer League. He played three seasons with the Capitals, where he was named to the league's Best XI in 1990.[21][22][23][24] During his three seasons in Albany, Mariner also served as an assistant coach. In the spring of 1992, the Capitals' owner offered him the position of head coach but when he heard a rumour that the team was about to collapse, he accepted a position as a player-assistant coach with theSan Francisco Bay Blackhawks. He accepted that position and soon after the Capitals announced they were ceasing operations. In the early 1990s Paul made two appearances for Byhams Dairy, a Sunday League team in Sudbury Suffolk.[25]
After retiring, Mariner worked as a football pundit forBBC Radio Lancashire for their Friday-night Non-League Hour[26] before setting up a management company for footballers. After a spell back in England coaching atBolton School,[27] he returned to the States to coach youth football at S.C. Del Sol inPhoenix, Arizona.[citation needed] In 2003, he became an assistant coach atHarvard University.[28][29] In 2004, he was hired by theNew England Revolution ofMajor League Soccer as assistant coach to formerLiverpool andScotland defenderSteve Nicol.[30] He was officially announced by the club on 5 February 2004.[31]He was interviewed by MLS expansion sideSeattle Sounders FC for their head coach role prior to their inaugural season in 2009.[32]
Speculation about his future was rife in October 2009 when he was linked with a coaching position at one of his former clubs,Plymouth Argyle, abetted by his visit toDevon to promote the city's2018 World Cup bid and his subsequent resignation on 17 October. It was announced the following day, 18 October 2009, that he was to become the new head coach ofPlymouth Argyle, withPaul Sturrock staying on as team manager.[33]
On 10 December 2009, Mariner replaced Sturrock as manager of Plymouth Argyle, following a run of poor form which left the Pilgrims second bottom in the Championship.[34] He was unable to keep Plymouth up, however, and they were relegated from the Football league Championship after a six-year stay, on 19 April 2010.[35]
On 6 May 2010, it was announced that Plymouth were to look for a new manager, however Mariner would remain as a member of the coaching staff.[36] Mariner's tenure as manager ended whenPeter Reid was hired on 24 June 2010.[37] Mariner stepped down from his role atHome Park on 30 December 2010 to pursue another opportunity.[38] "I have known Paul for a long time and working with him has been fantastic," said Argyle managerPeter Reid. "I'm sure he will be successful in everything he does in the future. He's a great personality and someone who is a legend with the fans at this football club."[39]
Mariner was named Director of Player Development forToronto FC on 6 January 2011, joining new head coachAron Winter at the club.[40] After starting the season with 9 straight losses, Winter stepped down as Toronto named Mariner as the new head coach on 7 June 2012.[41] Mariner recorded his first victory as Toronto manager on 27 June againstMontreal Impact, the game ended in a 3–0 away win.[42] The club rebounded briefly under the new coach, but after "a dismal 0-10-4 run in league play" to end the 2012 season,[29] Mariner was dismissed on 7 January 2013.[43] Mariner was praised by former Toronto FC playersAndrew Wiedeman[44] andEric Hassli.[45]
After his playing days ended in 1993, Mariner worked briefly as a commentator with BBC Radio Lancashire.[28] In 2014, after his brief coaching stint in Toronto, Mariner returned to the New England Revolution as a broadcaster, providing colour commentary for the team's television and radio broadcasts for six full seasons.[30] He also worked as an analyst forESPN broadcasts between 2009 and 2020.[46]
Mariner was born inFarnworth, nearBolton on 22 May 1953,[1][2] the son of James Mariner, a crane driver, and Margaret Catherine Mariner, née Turnbull,[47] and was baptised two months later at St Catherine's Church inHorwich on 19 July 1953.[47] He lived with his parents in Autumn Street, Horwich,[47] and went to Horwich County Secondary School (now the lower school ofRivington and Blackrod High School).[7] He married Alison Roscoe inPlymouth,Devon in 1976,[48][49] and they had three sons.[7] They eventually divorced in 1989.[50]
Mariner died ofbrain cancer on 9 July 2021, at the age of 68.[51]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Plymouth Argyle | 1973–74 | Third Division | 41 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 17 |
| 1974–75 | Third Division | 45 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 50 | 21 | |
| 1975–76 | Second Division | 38 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 16 | |
| 1976–77 | Second Division | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | |
| Total | 134 | 56 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 154 | 61 | ||
| Ipswich Town | 1976–77 | First Division | 28 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 13 |
| 1977–78 | First Division | 37 | 11 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 53 | 22 | |
| 1978–79 | First Division | 33 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 44 | 17 | |
| 1979–80 | First Division | 41 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 50 | 22 | |
| 1980–81 | First Division | 36 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 58 | 26 | |
| 1981–82 | First Division | 25 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 9 | |
| 1982–83 | First Division | 37 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 13 | |
| 1983–84 | First Division | 23 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 14 | |
| Total | 260 | 97 | 31 | 19 | 18 | 8 | 28 | 12 | 337 | 136 | ||
| Arsenal | 1983–84 | First Division | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 7 |
| 1984–85 | First Division | 36 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 9 | |
| 1985–86 | First Division | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 | |
| Total | 60 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 17 | ||
| Career total | 454 | 167 | 45 | 24 | 34 | 11 | 28 | 12 | 561 | 214 | ||
Other includes the UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winner's Cup, and FA Charity Shield.[52][53][54][55]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 1977 | 3 | 1 |
| 1978 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1980 | 8 | 4 | |
| 1981 | 5 | 1 | |
| 1982 | 11 | 5 | |
| 1983 | 4 | 2 | |
| 1984 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 35 | 13 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 October 1977 | Stade Municipal,Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg | 2-0 | 2-0 | 1978 FIFA World Cup qualification | [57] |
| 2 | 17 May 1980 | Racecourse Ground,Wrexham, United Kingdom |  Wales | 1-0 | 1-4 | 1979–80 British Home Championship | [58] |
| 3 | 31 May 1980 | Sydney Cricket Ground,Sydney, Australia |  Australia | 2-0 | 2-1 | Friendly | [59] |
| 4 | 10 September 1980 | Wembley Stadium,London, United Kingdom |  Norway | 4-0 | 4-0 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification | [60] |
| 5 | 19 November 1980 | Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom |  Switzerland | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification | [61] |
| 6 | 18 November 1981 | Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom |  Hungary | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1982 FIFA World Cup qualification | [62] |
| 7 | 25 May 1982 | Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom |  Netherlands | 2-0 | 2-0 | Friendly | [63] |
| 8 | 29 May 1982 | Hampden Park,Glasgow, United Kingdom |  Scotland | 1-0 | 1-0 | 1981–82 British Home Championship | [64] |
| 9 | 3 June 1982 | Olympic Stadium,Helsinki, Finland |  Finland | 1-0 | 4-1 | Friendly | [65] |
| 10 | 4-1 | ||||||
| 11 | 16 June 1982 | San Mamés Stadium,Bilbao, Spain |  France | 3-1 | 3-1 | 1982 FIFA World Cup | [66] |
| 12 | 12 October 1983 | Népstadion,Budapest, Hungary | Hungary | 3-0 | 3-0 | UEFA Euro 1984 qualification | [67] |
| 13 | 16 November 1983 | Stade Municipal, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 2-0 | 4-0 | UEFA Euro 1984 qualification | [68] |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Plymouth Argyle | 10 December 2009 | 24 June 2010 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 16 | 024.1 | [37][69] |
| Toronto FC | 7 June 2012 | 7 January 2013 | 28 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 021.4 | [41][43][70] |
| Total | 57 | 13 | 14 | 30 | 022.8 | — | ||
Plymouth Argyle
Ipswich Town
Individual
Births Registered: June 1953, Surname: Mariner, Given Name: Paul, Mother's Maiden name: Turnbull, District: Farnworth, Volume: 10c, Page: 248
Mariner finished his playing career in the United States and then joined the professional coaching ranks with the Revolution in 2004, when he was hired to serve as an assistant under Steve Nicol.... Mariner rejoined the Revolution in 2014 as a color commentator for the team's television and radio broadcasts and served in that role for six full seasons alongside play-by-play announcer Brad Feldman. He split television color commentary duties with former New England forward Charlie Davies in 2020.
The CD contains transcriptions, in PDF file format, of baptism and marriage records.
England squads | |||||||
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