Paul Mariner

[Hot Orange]

..has passed away. He had brain surgery last year and hadn't been well for a while.

I was a little too young to have witnessed Kevin Beattie's best days so Mariner is the first of the fabulous team that I started supporting to die.

He was a bloody great player. RIP.

[ursus arctos]

Very sad news

He spent a good deal of this century in the US, including a spell as an assistant with the university team I once covered.

He was an essential part of those legendary Ipswich Town teams and will be missed.

68 is no age at all these days.

RIP

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/paul_mariner/status/1413761826441949193

[Sits]

Oh no. He was my hero and the reason I was a teenage Ipswich supporter, despite never having been there. I started supporting them when he moved there from Plymouth in 76. Led the line throughout those golden years under Bobby Robson. RIP indeed.

[Greenlander]

I moved to Plymouth just after his time at Argyle so never got to see him play for us, but the tales of him are legend to this day. There's not many Argyle players that deserve the title 'legend' but he is certainly one of those that do.

RIP Paul.

[Sporting]

That is so sad.

[Ray de Galles]

How terribly sad, I'm not sure I'd even registered that he was ill.

A player I have very fond memories of despite not being a supporter of any of his teams and who I inexorably link with my peak sticker-collecting years for some reason. Perhaps those two things are linked.

Black armbands in tribute for the England team tomorrow, you would imagine.

[Sporting]

His first goal for Ipswich:

[Capybara]

This is really sad news.

[ad hoc]

Yes very sad

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Very sad news indeed. For some reason whenever anyone mentions that iconic 1982 England shirt I always think of Paul Mariner. He was probably wearing it on the front of that year's Shoot! annual or something.

[Jah Womble]

RIP. Mariner was never the most obvious striker for England, but he worked harder than most to get us to Spain in 1982 - and at the tournament itself.

[Nocturnal Submission]

Very sad. RIP. This is going to be a tough one for Ipswich fans.

(Incidentally, I heard yesterday that Terry Venables has Alzheimers and is very unwell).

[Mumpo]

Incredibly sad. My favourite player from those early 80's teams.

[elguapo4]

That's so sad. I'm another who associates him with the 1982 England team.

[delicatemoth]

Very sad indeed. It seems very cruel for an ex-England player to die on the eve of their first final in 55 years, I hope he was able to enjoy at least some of their progress. Sympathy to Plymouth and Ipswich fans, I would imagine he'd get into both clubs' all-time XIs.

[loosehandlebars]

At university in Colchester 71-74 I saw a lot of Ipswich Town developing an affection for them and especially for David Johnson. I thought that Mariner would have to go some to replace him. By 1980-81 Ipswich were my team Villa's rivals in our run for the title. With keeper Paul Cooper their player of the season and the two Dutchmen supplying Mariner, Brazil and Gates it was a challenge that we didn't see off until the final day of the season. Bobby Robson had assembled an outstanding team and the UEFA Cup win was some reward. Paul Mariner was a fine leader of the forward line. He was my age which always causes a little thought and his passing is sad news.

[tee rex]

He was one of my first pantomime villains, Mariner and Rafferty knocking them in for Argyle, boo. Much easier to like when he moved on, a very unselfish and intelligent striker, one of those who could have had more glory if the dice of career timing had been more in his favour. Worse players have won more.

But it's his post-playing career that marks him out as a widely respected and popular football man, a natural enthusiast without "side". Will be much missed in so many places. RIP.

[Uncle Ethan]

That debut goal was one of 6 stunning efforts by Town in a 7-0 win. A hero was born. A fantastic centre forward with no little ability and an eye for spectacular goals.

Later he was an extremely approachable guy on Twitter, often responding rather than using it as a promotional tool. That mid 70s to early 80s Ipswich squad stayed very close down the years. Sad for his family, friends and teammates (both Town, before and after). Another one gone too soon, like Kevin Beattie.

Mariner, Mariner, born is the King of Portman Road.

RIP.

[nmrfox]

That's really sad news.

[treibeis]

Sad news indeed.

I spent a lot of time during my years in London playing football on a concrete pitch near Warren Street. Whenever one of the blokes there scored, he'd shout, "Mariner!" and do that thing that Paul Mariner used to do, when he put his arms behind his back as though he were about to dance to The Birdie Song.

This bloke also used to shout "Chris Nicholl! Strength!" when he won a header, which, seeing as he was an Aston Villa fan, was a bit more understandable than the "Mariner!" thing.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Very sad. RIP. This is going to be a tough one for Ipswich fans.

(Incidentally, I heard yesterday that Terry Venables has Alzheimers and is very unwell).

I was thinking yesterday that there was no sign of him in all this euro 96 nostalgia, and that usually only means one thing nowadays.

[Foot of Astaire's]

He lived just up the road from me. A keen Wanderers fan he became another in a depressingly long list, of great players who the club rejected. In his case it was because at the time he was considered too small.

He went to play for Chorley and a mate of mine who knew him well, says they were all amazed when Plymouth came in for him. He was obviously a late developer because when they saw him again 12 months later, his neck was described as 'massive' and he'd not only grown in height but really filled out from the training regime at Argyle.

All his acquaintances of that time described him as down to earth, really friendly and always happy to chat.

Rip big man

[David Agnew]

Really sad news.

I didn't get into football until after Mariner had left Ipswich, but he was always one of the first names fans of other teams would mention when the would reel off our team 20/30 years later.

[Sits]

And of course there was “Mariner in oceans of space.”