John Wark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
John Wark

Wark in 2006
Personal information
Full name	John Wark
Date of birth	(1957-08-04) 4 August 1957 (age 68)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1975–1984	Ipswich Town	266	(94)
1984–1988	Liverpool	70	(28)
1988–1990	Ipswich Town	89	(23)
1990–1991	Middlesbrough	32	(2)
1991–1997	Ipswich Town	154	(18)
Total		611	(165)
International career
1977–1980	Scotland U21	9	(2)
1979–1984	Scotland	29	(7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

John Wark (born August 4, 1957) is a Scottish former footballer. He spent most of his career playing for Ipswich Town. John won a record four "Player of the Year" awards for the club. He was also one of the first four players to be added to Ipswich Town's Hall of Fame.

Wark played for Ipswich Town for long periods. He also had shorter times playing for Liverpool and Middlesbrough. He was a very flexible player. He mostly played as a midfielder, but sometimes as a central defender or even a striker.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Wark played for the Scottish national team. He played 29 games and scored seven goals for his country. This included playing in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where he scored twice.

During his time as a player, Wark appeared in the movie Escape to Victory. After he stopped playing professionally in 1996, he continued to work for Ipswich Town. Since 2008, he has worked in the club's hospitality department. His book about his life, Wark On, was released in 2009.

Early Life and Football Beginnings

John Wark was born on August 4, 1957, in Glasgow, Scotland. He was the third of four children. His family didn't have much money when he was young. He even slept in a drawer when he was a baby because they couldn't afford a cot. Even though his real name was John, his family called him Johnny, and the nickname stuck.

When he was young, his family moved to Scotstoun. John started playing football in his backyard from the age of six. He loved football and wanted to be like his older brother Alex, who became a professional player. John became captain of his school football team. He also played for a youth team called Drumchapel Amateurs.

John was noticed by big clubs like Celtic, Bristol City, Manchester City, and Ipswich Town. Even though he was a big fan of Rangers (Celtic's rivals), he trained with Celtic. But he chose Ipswich Town after trying out for them and Manchester City. When he arrived at Ipswich, the manager, Bobby Robson, welcomed him personally. Wark later said Robson was the person who helped him the most in football.

Club Career Highlights

First Time at Ipswich Town

Wark started at Ipswich in the youth team, playing in different defence positions. He became a professional player on his 17th birthday. His first game for the senior team was on March 27, 1975, in an FA Cup match against Leeds United. He was nervous and missed home, but manager Bobby Robson told him, "I wouldn't put you in the team if I didn't think you were good enough."

He played mostly for the reserve team in his second season and won the club's Young Player of the Year award. He then moved into midfield and started scoring goals, including penalty kicks.

Wark scoring for Ipswich in a friendly match in 1981.

In the 1977–78 FA Cup, Ipswich Town had a great run. Wark scored in the semi-final against West Bromwich Albion. Ipswich then won the FA Cup Final at Wembley by beating favourites Arsenal 1–0. Wark said, "We were underdogs but on the day we hammered them."

Ipswich came close to winning the league title twice in the next three seasons. But they did win their only European trophy, the 1980–81 UEFA Cup. Wark set a record in this competition by scoring 14 goals. He scored two goals in the final as Ipswich beat Dutch team AZ 67 Alkmaar 5–4 overall. Wark's amazing goal-scoring earned him the "Young Player of the Year" award in Europe. He also won the PFA Player of the Year award in England. He finished the 1980–81 season with 36 goals.

After Bobby Robson left Ipswich to manage the England team in 1982, the Ipswich team started to change. Wark asked for a pay raise, and when it was not given, he asked to leave the club. He then signed for Liverpool in March 1984.

Time at Liverpool

Wark joined Liverpool, a very successful club at the time. He made his first appearance for Liverpool on March 31, 1984, and scored his first goal for them in a 2–0 win against Watford. Liverpool won the English league title that season, and Wark played enough games to earn a medal.

He showed his amazing ability to score goals as a midfielder in the 1984–85 season. He was Liverpool's top goalscorer with 27 goals in 62 games, even more than star striker Ian Rush. Wark scored three hat-tricks that season. Liverpool reached the 1985 European Cup Final, but the game was sadly remembered for the Heysel Stadium Disaster, a terrible event that Wark called "a nightmare memory."

In the 1985–86 season, Wark got a broken ankle and then an Achilles tendon injury. This meant he missed Liverpool's run to winning both the League and FA Cup. He later struggled to get back into the team. He came on as a substitute when Liverpool lost the 1987 League Cup Final to Arsenal.

With new midfielders joining Liverpool, Wark was no longer a regular player. He decided to return to Ipswich Town on January 4, 1988. He chose Ipswich even though other clubs offered him more money, following Bobby Robson's advice: "Money isn't everything—go where you will be happiest." Wark left Liverpool having scored 42 goals in 108 games.

Second Time at Ipswich Town

When Wark returned to Ipswich, the club was playing in the second division of English football. He played almost every game during his second spell, missing only two matches in two seasons. He was the club's joint top-scorer in the 1988–89 season.

After three seasons, the manager was replaced. Wark's contract was ending, and he felt the new offer from Ipswich was too low. So, he left the club as a free agent. During these two seasons, Wark scored 20 goals and won the club's "Player of the Year" award twice more.

Time at Middlesbrough

In August 1990, Wark signed for Middlesbrough, another team in the Second Division. He played as a central defender there. He played regularly and helped the team finish seventh in the league. However, after a disagreement with the manager, Wark's contract was ended, and he became a free agent again.

Third Time at Ipswich Town

Before the 1991–92 season, Wark trained with Ipswich to stay fit. When Ipswich defenders got injured, they offered him a contract. Wark played 43 games in his first season back. Ipswich had a great start to the season. They were promoted to the new Premier League after winning the Second Division championship. Wark was named the club's Player of the Year for the third time.

Wark signed a new contract for the 1992–93 season. Ipswich started well in the Premier League, but then had a long run without a win. They managed to avoid being relegated on the very last day of the season. Wark, now 37, signed another one-year contract. Ipswich again avoided relegation on the last day of the 1993–94 season. Wark was voted the club's Player of the Year for a record fourth time.

The 1994–95 season was tough for Ipswich. They lost 9–0 to Manchester United and had their worst season ever. Wark played fewer games in the next season because of a foot injury. He played his last professional match on November 30, 1996, at the age of 39. He was the oldest player at the club then. Out of 826 professional league games, Wark played 679 for Ipswich. As of 2009, he is Ipswich Town's third-highest goalscorer of all time, with 179 goals, even though he rarely played as a striker.

International Career for Scotland

From 1979, John Wark played for Scotland, usually as a defender. He played 29 games and scored seven goals for his country. Jock Stein was the Scotland manager who gave him his first game on May 19, 1979, against Wales. Scotland lost that game.

Wark scored his first international goal a week later against England at Wembley. Scotland lost that game too. A week after that, Wark played against Argentina, a game famous for Diego Maradona scoring his first international goal.

Wark was part of the Scotland squad that went to the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. He played three games and scored two goals in Scotland's 5–2 win over New Zealand. Scotland was knocked out in the group stage.

Wark's last game for Scotland was in September 1984.

Playing Style and Personality

John Wark was known for being a very flexible player. He could play as a central defender, a midfielder, and sometimes even as a striker.

He was not just a super-talented player, but someone who believed in teamwork. He was described as "a defensive midfielder with an astonishing goalscoring record" because he scored so many goals from midfield.

Over the years, Wark became well-known for his moustache. It became a kind of trademark for him.

Life After Professional Football

Personal Life

John Wark has been married twice. He has a son named Andrew from his first marriage. He married Karen in April 2009.

Film Appearance

In 1981, Wark and several other Ipswich players appeared in the Second World War football movie Escape to Victory. They acted alongside famous stars like Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Pelé. Wark played a character named Arthur Hayes.

After Retiring as a Player

After he stopped playing professional football, Wark continued to live in Suffolk. He kept playing football as an amateur for teams like Woodbridge Town. He also played in veteran football matches.

In 2005, Ipswich Town fans voted Wark as their "all-time cult hero" in a BBC television show called Football Focus. In 2007, he was chosen by Ipswich fans as their number one player in a poll by the Professional Footballers' Association. In the same year, Wark was one of four Ipswich Town players to be added to the club's Hall of Fame.

Since September 2008, Wark has worked in the corporate hospitality department at Ipswich Town, where he still works today.

Autobiography

Wark's book about his life, Wark On, was published on April 9, 2009.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Wark goal.

List of international goals scored by John Wark

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	26 May 1979	Wembley Stadium, London, England	England	1–0	1–3	1978–79 British Home Championship
2	25 March 1981	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Northern Ireland	1–1	1–1	1982 FIFA World Cup qualification
3	28 April 1982	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–1	1981–82 British Home Championship
4	15 June 1982	Estadio La Rosaleda, Málaga, Spain	New Zealand	2–0	5–2	1982 FIFA World Cup
5				3–0
6	13 October 1982	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	East Germany	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 1984 qualification
7	30 March 1983	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland	Switzerland	1–2	2–2	UEFA Euro 1984 qualification

Awards and Achievements

In 2006, John Wark was voted into the "100 Players Who Shook the Kop" list by Liverpool fans. This list was created from a survey where over 110,000 supporters chose their top 10 players.

In 2007, the Professional Footballers' Association asked fans of all Football League clubs to pick their number one player. Ipswich fans chose John Wark. In the same year, Wark was one of four Ipswich Town players to be added to the club's Hall of Fame.

Ipswich Town

• FA Cup: 1977–78
• UEFA Cup: 1980–81
• Football League Second Division: 1991–92

Liverpool

• Football League First Division: 1983–84, 1985–86
• FA Charity Shield: 1986 (shared)

Individual Awards

• PFA Players' Player of the Year: 1980–81
• UEFA Cup Top Scorer: 1980–81
• Bravo Award: 1981
• PFA Team of the Year: 1980–81 Football League First Division
• Ipswich Town F.C. Player of the Year: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1993–94
• Ipswich Town Hall of Fame: Inducted 2007

See also

In Spanish: John Wark para niños