Wednesday, December 20, 2006

100 Person Who Shock The Kop - NO 100: John Wark



We kick-off our new summer series by unveiling John Wark as the first inductee into the coveted '100 Players Who Shook The Kop' hall of fame.

Name: John Wark

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Years at Liverpool: 1984 to 1988
Position: Midfielder

Date-of-birth: 4/8/1957
Birthplace: Glasgow

Signed from: Ipswich Town (March 1984)

Games played: 108
Goals scored: 42

Honours won: First Division Championship (1983/84, 1985/86)

A prolific goalscoring midfielder, Wark first achieved fame as a member of Bobby Robson's successful Ipswich side of the late seventies/early eighties – with whom he won FA and UEFA Cup winners medals, as well as the PFA Player of the Year award in 1981. Joe Fagan paid £450,000 to sign him for Liverpool towards the end of the 1983/84 season and he quickly made his mark by scoring on his debut away to Watford. The following campaign, with Graeme Souness having departed for Italy, Wark assumed a key role in the team that finished runners-up to Everton in the League and Juventus in the European Cup. The Scottish international was regarded as a fierce midfield competitor but was more renowned for the goals he scored. So often an elusive player to mark, his surging runs into the opposition box earmarked him as a dangerous attacking weapon in the Reds armoury and during that 1984/85 season he even outshone Ian Rush in the goalscoring stakes, netting 27 times in all competitions. A broken leg the following year was to sadly deny him the opportunity of a part in Liverpool's final push towards the coveted League and FA Cup double, not to mention a place in the Scotland World Cup squad. When eventually fully fit again he struggled to regain his place and in January 1988 returned to Ipswich.

Sold to: Ipswich Town (January 1988)

Claim to fame: Top scored for Liverpool during the 1984/85 season despite playing as a midfielder.

Did you know? He starred in the film Escape To Victory

Where is he now? Back living in Suffolk where he works for Ipswich in the corporate hospitality department

Roy Evans on John Wark: "He was one of those guys who just loved playing football. He could play at the back but was more famous for coming from midfield. Could score goals from deep and was a great all-round player."

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