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When I was about 8 years old, it was announced that PM, Warky and Terry Butcher were signing autographs at Solar in Sproughton Road one Friday evening.
Myself and my dad approached down the aisle they were in and I could see Russell Osman was there too so I was doubly excited another Town legend was drafted in. Directly in front me sat a man with his back to me sporting dark, wavy locks and without really looking, I opened my autograph book and said (politely as briefed by my dad) "Can I have your autograph please Mr Wark". When I looked up, it wasn't John Wark but the photographer instead and Russell had been dragged in as a replacement.
Mariner nearly fell off his chair laughing then regained his composure and said "Mr Wark's not here but I'll sign your book for you". I got his signature again a couple of years later, in a birthday card as by this time he was the club captain and therefore Junior Blues president.
I was a bit young for his stellar years here and am finding it hard to pick out individual moments from those early games I went to, but always remember him just being the go to man up top. And looking an absolute nightmare to play against.
By the time I was fully able to appreciate him, he was soon to be on his way to Arsenal for peanuts.
RIP Paul. Thanks for everything and hope England can provide a fitting tribute tomorrow.
My memory of him is a slightly unusual one. I got introduced to him at the Tendring Show, or possibly the Hadleigh Show I’m not certain, when I was about 6 or 7, making it 80 or 81. My dad vaguely knew his wife as they both kept and showed chickens! I was a bit star-struck but he soon put me at ease talking to me for ages about ITFC and football in general, even asking me about what sort of music I liked as I recall. He signed my ticket stub and my t-shirt, and totally made my day. Great player, great man. RIP Paul
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 19:23 - Jul 10 with 2788 views
For me it’s Liverpool at home in December 1976. It was the golden age of Liverpool and we were the young upstarts battling them for the title. It was nip and tuck until about 15 minutes from the end when PM rose like a salmon to head in a magnificent winner.
If you haven’t seen the goal, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it on YouTube. Beyond my technical capabilities to post it here I’m afraid
When Ipswich were away, me and my mate Mick took to watching Harwich and Parkeston, as Kevin Beattie was playing for them. (1985-1986, I think) We used to sit on the 'Main Road' terrace, there was no need to stand as there was only about 10 other punters. On one occasion, Mick turned to me and said "there's Paul Mariner, he's coming over". I thought he was taking the piss but it was indeed PM and he sat with us for most of the match, just chatting about football and asking how we were doing at school etc. Unbelievably nice man. During the game, he advised me to stop smoking (PM, not Mick) : I was 14 then and am still on the tabs now : I wish I'd listened to him. RIP big man, thanks for the memories. PS : Despite The Beat being unfit and overweight, he played up front for H&P and weighed in with loads of goals that season.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 20:56 - Jul 10 with 2725 views
Tuesday 2nd May 1980 - Away to Spurs. My first ever live Ipswich game.
Was right behind the goal when Paul Mariner scored the first goal in the 2--0 win with a diving header at the back post. He celebrated by scrubbing my 7 year old hair when he got up. It was a such special moment for me. Mentioned this to Paul on Twitter a few years back. He remembered doing it. Stunned me that.
Also goal against Hungary was a special moment. Not only my first England game but my first visit to Wembley. He scored the winner in a 1-0 win where we qualified for the 1982 world cup. Watching Him & Mick Mills in the flesh for the first time in a England shirt was a great moment for me.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 21:21 - Jul 10 with 2699 views
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 19:23 - Jul 10 by southnorfolkblue
For me it’s Liverpool at home in December 1976. It was the golden age of Liverpool and we were the young upstarts battling them for the title. It was nip and tuck until about 15 minutes from the end when PM rose like a salmon to head in a magnificent winner.
If you haven’t seen the goal, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it on YouTube. Beyond my technical capabilities to post it here I’m afraid
I looked on YouTube and eventually found it as part of an ITV goals compilation of 1976-77’s best goals. Well worth the few minutes it might take to locate it. A real bullet header.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 21:31 - Jul 10 with 2691 views
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 19:23 - Jul 10 by southnorfolkblue
For me it’s Liverpool at home in December 1976. It was the golden age of Liverpool and we were the young upstarts battling them for the title. It was nip and tuck until about 15 minutes from the end when PM rose like a salmon to head in a magnificent winner.
If you haven’t seen the goal, I’m sure you’ll be able to find it on YouTube. Beyond my technical capabilities to post it here I’m afraid
around 43 seconds in
[Post edited 10 Jul 2021 21:35]
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 22:07 - Jul 10 with 2672 views
I was a paperboy when Paul joined us. No internet then so I used to scan all the papers each morning for the rare piece of Ipswich news. Remember the morning when I read he had joined us and was lucky to see most of his home games. What a player. Top memory being at the Ian Gillan gig at Ipswich when some of the Ipswich players appeared on stage as backing singers.
Well walk a million miles for one of your goal Paul Mariner
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 10:50 - Jul 11 with 2520 views
If you go on YouTube theres a 25 minute vid from the ESPN TV show last night where his colleagues all pay tribute to Paul and show lots of his best bits in the studio as a pundit. Very funny exchanges with Steve Nicol. The tributes are very moving, some of them could barely speak at times they were so choked up. I was in tears too...
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 13:01 - Jul 11 with 2468 views
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 12:31 - Jul 11 by mikeybloo88
If you go on YouTube theres a 25 minute vid from the ESPN TV show last night where his colleagues all pay tribute to Paul and show lots of his best bits in the studio as a pundit. Very funny exchanges with Steve Nicol. The tributes are very moving, some of them could barely speak at times they were so choked up. I was in tears too...
As a teenager I was in the North for his home debut, thinking ‘why have we sold David Johnson? I hope this Mariner chap is good’. Well we didn’t have to wait long!! What a player he was. As several others have said, as a youngster we all wanted to be Paul Mariner when playing football. An imperious striker and although I never met him, by all accounts a wonderful human being. Condolences to his family. He has been taken far too soon. RIP.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 00:11 - Jul 13 with 2108 views
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 14:45 - Jul 12 by Suffolktractor
As a teenager I was in the North for his home debut, thinking ‘why have we sold David Johnson? I hope this Mariner chap is good’. Well we didn’t have to wait long!! What a player he was. As several others have said, as a youngster we all wanted to be Paul Mariner when playing football. An imperious striker and although I never met him, by all accounts a wonderful human being. Condolences to his family. He has been taken far too soon. RIP.
Very sad to learn of this this week. Obviously my dad playing with him for several years… Which I we was very close with his family. Aside from my dad, he was my favorite player! I used to play with Mick mills s kids after school at micks house and Paul would often be e there too and I think my dad would get jealous how much I liked him. He was always so nice and funny in the locker room and when my dad would take me to practices just a gentleman from what I remember Rip. - Leon
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 09:13 - Jul 14 with 1859 views
I was one of only 3 town fans on a pre season tour of Norway in 1984 and got invited by Bobby Ferguson to have a meal with the players. Sat opposite PM and asked him what he thought of potential signing Cor Lems. He replied “Couldn’t trap a bag of cement”. Happy days.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 15:42 - Jul 14 with 1794 views
I used to play youth football for some teams around Felixstowe but we would travel out past Ipswich etc for the league.
Not sure how old I was but we were playing a team either in Kesgrave or Woodbridge and PM came to watch the game. John Wark was also there as I believe that PM was said to have flown back in from Florida or somewhere to see family and a son/nephew was playing for the opposition.
After the game he came into the dressing room and was really encouraging of all the boys, the game and offered some nice bits of advice. If I'm honest I am not sure I was old enough to appreciate who he was at the time but its something I've always remembered.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 09:28 - Jul 15 with 1692 views
As many are saying, that first home game against WBA proved to us that Bobby Robson had acquired a gem. I know that we were in a three-way battle with WBA and West Ham to sign him from Plymouth, it was great that we became the winners of that tussle. He had everything that a centre-forward could wish for because he had great ball control, great at hold up play, great in the air and had a good shot on him. He was also physically strong. I never met the man as such, although I do have his autograph in my 1978 Cup Final programme so, to that extent, I did. He was an important part of ITFC teams in a golden era. I think that although we knew we had a host of excellent players at that time, it is only at times like this that we fully realise just HOW good they were. Thank you for your part in my ITFC memories PM.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 13:22 - Jul 15 with 1639 views
I have a very vague memory of Paul Mariner going to Arsenal because they offered him 300 quid a week. Can anyone confirm this or is it something I've made up in my head? Were top footballers really so poorly paid, compared to today?
This was in the local Bermuda newspaper. Shows that not only was he a great player but also thought of as a great person all over the world.
I have many great memories of watching him play right from his home debut against WBA when he scored a cracking goal. Gone way to soon but thanks for the memories. RIP Paul.
I haven't really got any great tales about Paul Mariner as I never really had a conversation with him of note. All I can say was that he was one of my heroes and I took his death more badly than I would have imagined. I'm not the sort of person who gets upset by death as weird as it sounds. I sort of celebrate death in a crazy way, inasmuch as I like to look back on old times and celebrate the life. I don't see much point in getting upset as long as the dead person was at a good age and had a good life. Paul Mariner was at the sort of "Just about too young" stage but let's not forget he must have had a ball.
During that brilliant Ipswich era there were few games that I missed, two of them though were Mariners West Brom game and Brazils Southampton game
Mariner was an instant success, he was the player you wanted to be with jumpers for goalposts and all that sort of thing.
I can't believe I never had the opportunity to have a good old chit chat but I suppose there are a couple of things that stick out.
There have been mentions of all the stuff about Mariner being good friends with Ian Gillan and how they met at the Gaumont and how all these people saw Mariner in the Salutation pub before the concert. Well, it's a bit like who saw the Beatles in Hamburg or who saw The Sex Pistols at The Free Trade Hall because I was in The Salutation that night with Ipswich supporting legend Michael Kemp and I don't think there were more than a dozen people in there.
Mariner popped in with a very awkward and very young Terry Butcher who was sporting a brand new metal studded leather jacket. Poor old Terrance looked like Rodney Trotter. Mariner looked the part as all god like people would.
The only other Mariner thing of note I have is when we all got on the pitch in Amsterdam after we won the cup. We went up to Mariner who was already on some fans shoulders and shall we say that he was a bit non committal and all he wanted to do was get back to the dressing room with his team mates. I still remember being a bit p1ssed off at the time but I can completely understand now, the bloke had played 60 games and wanted to celebrate with his team mates rather than a load of completely shot to pieces imbeciles. Fair enough Paul.
So, that was all rather uninteresting really but I suppose when I think of him I think of him as a lanky bulk of a player awaiting a corner at the North Stand end - whereupon he would either score or leave his elbow in a centre halfs nut.
Oh and one thing which I almost forgot. I think Bobby Robson looked at Paul Mariner and Paul Gascoine in similar ways. Not that they were similar footballers but that SBR would clip them both around the ear like a schoolmaster - and in Paul Mariners case it was to get his hair cut.
It will always be a regret that I never really met you Paul.
RIP baby
[Post edited 15 Jul 2021 23:08]
“Hello, I'm your MP. Actually I'm not. I'm your candidate. Gosh.”
Boris Johnson canvassing in Henley, 2005.
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 23:07 - Jul 15 by Lord_Lucan
I haven't really got any great tales about Paul Mariner as I never really had a conversation with him of note. All I can say was that he was one of my heroes and I took his death more badly than I would have imagined. I'm not the sort of person who gets upset by death as weird as it sounds. I sort of celebrate death in a crazy way, inasmuch as I like to look back on old times and celebrate the life. I don't see much point in getting upset as long as the dead person was at a good age and had a good life. Paul Mariner was at the sort of "Just about too young" stage but let's not forget he must have had a ball.
During that brilliant Ipswich era there were few games that I missed, two of them though were Mariners West Brom game and Brazils Southampton game
Mariner was an instant success, he was the player you wanted to be with jumpers for goalposts and all that sort of thing.
I can't believe I never had the opportunity to have a good old chit chat but I suppose there are a couple of things that stick out.
There have been mentions of all the stuff about Mariner being good friends with Ian Gillan and how they met at the Gaumont and how all these people saw Mariner in the Salutation pub before the concert. Well, it's a bit like who saw the Beatles in Hamburg or who saw The Sex Pistols at The Free Trade Hall because I was in The Salutation that night with Ipswich supporting legend Michael Kemp and I don't think there were more than a dozen people in there.
Mariner popped in with a very awkward and very young Terry Butcher who was sporting a brand new metal studded leather jacket. Poor old Terrance looked like Rodney Trotter. Mariner looked the part as all god like people would.
The only other Mariner thing of note I have is when we all got on the pitch in Amsterdam after we won the cup. We went up to Mariner who was already on some fans shoulders and shall we say that he was a bit non committal and all he wanted to do was get back to the dressing room with his team mates. I still remember being a bit p1ssed off at the time but I can completely understand now, the bloke had played 60 games and wanted to celebrate with his team mates rather than a load of completely shot to pieces imbeciles. Fair enough Paul.
So, that was all rather uninteresting really but I suppose when I think of him I think of him as a lanky bulk of a player awaiting a corner at the North Stand end - whereupon he would either score or leave his elbow in a centre halfs nut.
Oh and one thing which I almost forgot. I think Bobby Robson looked at Paul Mariner and Paul Gascoine in similar ways. Not that they were similar footballers but that SBR would clip them both around the ear like a schoolmaster - and in Paul Mariners case it was to get his hair cut.
It will always be a regret that I never really met you Paul.
RIP baby
[Post edited 15 Jul 2021 23:08]
[Redacted]
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 16:28 - Jul 16 with 1309 views
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 13:22 - Jul 15 by noggin
I have a very vague memory of Paul Mariner going to Arsenal because they offered him 300 quid a week. Can anyone confirm this or is it something I've made up in my head? Were top footballers really so poorly paid, compared to today?
From vague recollection, I think it was nearer 1k a week.
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Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 18:15 - Jul 16 with 1270 views
Paul Mariner memories.....share away on 16:28 - Jul 16 by MJR101
From vague recollection, I think it was nearer 1k a week.
In one book I read (may have been the book about John Cobbold), I think it was Paul Cooper who was in his prime and mentioned that he knocked on Robson's door and was going to ask for a £30 a week pay rise. Robson twigged it and pretended he was just on the phone to some club about a keeper and asked Coopers opinion of said keeper.
After a 5 min chat Robson asked Cooper why he had come to see him to which he replied, "Oh nothing important Boss, see you later"
“Hello, I'm your MP. Actually I'm not. I'm your candidate. Gosh.”
Boris Johnson canvassing in Henley, 2005.
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