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 67)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	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)
National team
1977–1980	Scotland U21	9	(2)
1979–1984	Scotland	29	(7)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

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

Wark had long periods playing for Ipswich Town. 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. This included playing in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where he scored twice.

During his playing days, 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 their corporate hospitality department. His book, Wark On, came out in 2009.

John Wark's Early Life

John Wark was born on 4 August 1957, in Glasgow, Scotland. He was the third of four children. His parents were Alex and Helen. His family lived in an apartment building in Partick. They were a poor family. When he was a baby, he slept in a drawer because his parents could not afford a cot. Even though he was christened John, his family called him Johnny. This nickname stayed with him throughout his football career.

In the early 1960s, his family moved to another apartment building in Scotstoun. His father found a job nearby. Their new home had a backyard where Wark played football from age six. He said football took up "99 percent" of his time as a child. He wanted to be like his older brother Alex, who became a professional player at St Mirren.

Wark went to Scotstoun Primary School. He became captain of the football team there. In secondary school, he was chosen for the Glasgow Schools team. He also played for Drumchapel Amateurs at the under-14 level. For a while, David Moyes' father, also named David, was his manager.

While at Drumchapel, Celtic became interested in Wark. He trained with them at their Parkhead ground. He was then invited to sign schoolboy forms for the club. However, Wark was a lifelong fan of Rangers, who are big rivals with Celtic. Also, "several English clubs" like Bristol City, Manchester City, and Ipswich Town were interested in him.

Wark tried out for both Ipswich Town and Manchester City. He chose Ipswich because Manchester City did not make a clear offer. When he arrived at Portman Road, the Ipswich manager, Bobby Robson, welcomed him. Wark later said Robson had the "single biggest influence" on him in football. Wark then signed with Ipswich as an apprentice.

Playing Football for Clubs

First Time at Ipswich

Wark started his career at Ipswich in the youth team. He first played as a left back, then moved to the center of defense, and sometimes played right back. He became a professional player for the club on his 17th birthday.

He played his first senior game on 27 March 1975. This was in an FA Cup match against Leeds United. Wark was nervous and missed home. Manager Robson told him, "I wouldn't put you in the team if I didn't think you were good enough." Robson was like a father figure to him.

Wark played four more games that season. He also helped the youth team win the FA Youth Cup. In the 1975–76 season, he mostly played for the reserve team. He won the club's Young Player of the Year award.

In the 1976–77 season, Wark played over 30 games in midfield. He scored his first goals for the club, getting 10 in total. He also started taking penalty kicks.

In June 1977, Wark was chosen for the Scotland squad for the first time. But a hamstring injury kept him from playing. This injury also kept him out of the Ipswich first team until January 1978.

Wark scoring for Ipswich in a friendly match in August 1981.

Ipswich did not play well in the league that season. They finished only three points above the relegation zone. But the season ended well as they won the 1977–78 FA Cup. Wark scored in the semi-final. He played in the final at Wembley. Ipswich beat the favorites, Arsenal, 1–0. Wark said, "We were underdogs but on the day we beat them easily."

In the next three seasons, Ipswich almost won the league title twice. They finished second to Liverpool and Aston Villa. However, Ipswich did win their only European trophy, the 1980–81 UEFA Cup. Wark set a record by scoring 14 goals in the competition. He scored two goals in the final as Ipswich beat Dutch team AZ 67 Alkmaar 5–4 on total score. Wark's record matched a scoring record in a European competition that had stood for a long time. That year, Wark won a European award for Young Player of the Year. He also won the PFA Player of the Year award in England. He finished the 1980–81 season with 36 goals.

Wark continued to play for Ipswich. But after manager Robson left in 1982 to manage England, the team slowly changed. Wark asked for more money but was told no. He then asked to leave the club, and his request was accepted. He signed for Liverpool for £450,000 on 10 March 1984. At that time, Liverpool was a very successful club.

In his last full season at Portman Road, 1982–83, Wark scored 20 goals in 42 league games. This was his highest league goal total ever.

Time at Liverpool

Wark's medical check for his transfer to Liverpool was a bit surprising. He said the doctor seemed to do a very quick check.

Wark played his first game for Liverpool on 31 March 1984. It was a 2–0 league win against Watford. He scored Liverpool's first goal in the 58th minute. Liverpool won the English league title that season, and Wark played enough games to get a medal.

Wark was known for scoring many goals as a midfielder. In the 1984–85 season, he was the club's top goalscorer. He scored 27 goals in 62 games, more than famous striker Ian Rush. Wark scored three hat-tricks that season. Liverpool reached the 1985 European Cup Final. However, the match was overshadowed by the Heysel Stadium Disaster, a sad event Wark remembers as "a nightmare memory".

In the 1985–86 season, Wark played 18 games and scored six goals. But he missed the end of the season when Liverpool won the League and FA Cup "double". He broke his ankle and then had an Achilles tendon injury. He got fit again but found it hard to get back into the Liverpool team.

Wark came on as a late substitute when Liverpool lost the 1987 League Cup Final to Arsenal. He was no longer a main part of manager Kenny Dalglish's plans. New midfielders like John Barnes had joined. So, Wark was sold back to Ipswich on 4 January 1988 for £100,000. He chose Ipswich over offers for more money from Watford and Coventry City. He followed Bobby Robson's advice: "Money isn't everything—go where you will be happiest." Wark left Liverpool with 42 goals in 108 games.

Second Time at Ipswich

Ipswich had been sent down to a lower league 18 months before Wark returned. They were still playing in the second tier of English football. During this second time at Ipswich, Wark played almost every game. He missed only two games in two seasons. He was the club's joint top-scorer in the 1988–89 season. He shared this with forwards Dalian Atkinson and Jason Dozzell.

After three seasons of finishing in the middle of the league table, manager John Duncan was fired. John Lyall took over. Wark's contract was ending, and he felt Lyall offered him a "very low" new contract. He turned it down. Wark then became a free agent. He signed for Middlesbrough in August 1990. In his two extra seasons with Ipswich, Wark had scored 20 goals. He also won the club's Player of the Year award in both seasons.

Time at Middlesbrough

Wark signed a two-year contract with Middlesbrough. He moved back to play in the center of defense. He played regularly and helped the team finish seventh in the season. This meant they qualified for the Second Division play-offs.

After a 1–1 draw with Notts County, manager Colin Todd told Wark he would not play in the next game. Wark was very upset. Middlesbrough lost the second game 1–0. Todd left the club and Lennie Lawrence became the new manager. Lawrence wanted all players to live close to the stadium. Wark was still living in Ipswich. So, he and Lawrence agreed to end his contract, and Wark became a free agent again.

Third Time at Ipswich

Wark did not have a club before the start of the 1991–92 season. He trained with Ipswich to stay fit. He turned down offers from other clubs. When Ipswich had many defenders injured, they offered him a contract. At first, it was week-by-week, then a year-long deal.

Wark played 43 games in his first season back at Ipswich. The team started the season very well. In the FA Cup, Ipswich played Liverpool. In the replay game at Anfield, Wark received a standing ovation from both sets of fans. Ipswich lost the match 3–2 after extra time. Ipswich finished strong in the league. They became Second Division champions and were promoted to the new Premier League. Wark was named the club's Player of the Year for the third time.

Wark signed a new one-year contract for the 1992–93 season. Ipswich was the only Premier League club to be unbeaten after eight games. Wark scored his first Premier League goal in a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. In February, Ipswich was fourth in the league. People talked about them finally winning the title. But then they went 13 games without a win. They finished 16th, just three points above the relegation zone. A win on the last day of the season kept them safe.

Wark, now 37, got another one-year contract before the end of the 1993–94 season. Ipswich avoided being sent down to a lower league again on the last day. Wark was voted the club's Player of the Year for a record fourth time.

Ipswich and Wark had a worse time in the 1994–95 season. The club lost 9–0 to Manchester United. Wark played fewer than 20 games the next season because of a foot injury. He played three more games in the 1996–97 season. He also had a testimonial game against Arsenal. Wark played his last professional game on 30 November 1996, at age 39. He was the club's oldest player at this point.

Wark played 826 league games as a professional. He played 679 of those for Ipswich. As of 2009, he is Ipswich Town's third-highest all-time scorer, with 179 goals for the club. This is amazing because he rarely played as a striker.

Playing for Scotland

From 1979, Wark was chosen to play for Scotland. He usually played as a defender. He played 29 games for Scotland and scored seven goals. Jock Stein was the Scotland manager who gave him his first game. It was on 19 May 1979, against Wales. Scotland lost 3–0.

Wark scored his first international goal a week later, on 26 May, against England at Wembley. Scotland lost that game 3–1. A week later, Wark played for Scotland in a friendly against Argentina. That game is famous because Diego Maradona scored his first international goal in Argentina's 3–1 win.

After a 3–1 loss to Belgium in December 1979, Wark was not chosen for Scotland again until February 1981. This was for a 1982 World Cup qualifying game against Israel. Scotland qualified for the World Cup in Spain. Wark was in the squad. He played three games and scored two goals. Both goals were 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. He was replaced by Paul McStay at halftime in a 6–1 win over Yugoslavia.

Life After Football

Personal Life

Wark has been married twice. First to Toula, in 1981. They have a son, Andrew, born in 1983. He married Karen in April 2009.

Movie Role

In 1981, Wark and other Ipswich players appeared in the Second World War football movie Escape to Victory. Stars like Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine, and Pelé were also in the film. Wark played a character named Arthur Hayes. His only line in the movie had to be dubbed over because his Glaswegian accent was very strong.

After Retiring as a Player

After stopping professional football, Wark continued to live in Suffolk. Many other former Ipswich players also live there. Even though he retired from the pros, Wark kept playing football as an amateur. He signed for Woodbridge Town in 1999. He also played veterans football and represented Liverpool veterans in the Sky Sports Masters series.

In 2005, Ipswich Town fans voted Wark their "all-time cult hero" on the BBC show Football Focus. In 2008, Radio Suffolk announced he would join their commentary team. Since September 2008, Wark has worked in the corporate hospitality department at Ipswich Town. He was still in that job in March 2014.

His Book

Wark's book Wark On was published on 9 April 2009. The book shared some interesting stories. For example, Wark sold his FA Cup Final tickets for cash to a ticket tout.

How John Wark Played

Wark could play as a central defender, a midfielder, and sometimes as a striker.

He was not seen as the most "talented" player. But, according to football journalist Jim White, he was great at teamwork and team spirit. White said that the "one-for-all, all-for-one" attitude at Liverpool helped the team a lot. Wark has been called "a defensive midfielder with an amazing goalscoring record."

Over the years, Wark became known for his moustache. People often called him "Ipswich's immortal moustache." Wark himself said it was like his "trademark."

Awards and Achievements

In 2006, Wark was voted into the final spot in the "100 Players Who Shook the Kop" poll by Liverpool fans. In 2007, fans of all Football League clubs voted for their favorite player. Ipswich fans chose Wark. In the same year, Wark was one of four Ipswich Town players to be put into 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

Images for kids

• 

  Wark at Portman Road in 2007

See also

In Spanish: John Wark para niños