Former Plymouth Argyle striker and manager Paul Mariner has passed away at the age of 68.
Mariner made 155 appearances for the Pilgrims between 1973 and 1976 and scored 61 goals before going on to appear for Ipswich Town, Arsenal and Portsmouth. He would also represent England at the 1982 World Cup. After coaching in North America for several years, Mariner returned to Home Park as Head Coach in the 2009-10 season before departing midway through the 2010-11 campaign.
Bolton-born Mariner first made his name with non-league side Chorley, whom Pilgrims manager Tony Waiters paid £6,000 for his services in the summer of 1973. On his arrival at Home Park, Mariner struck twice on his debut in a 5-0 win over Rochdale on September 11, 1973 at Home Park. Over the course of the 1973-74 season, he formed the useful partnership with Alan Welsh as the duo helped Argyle reach the semi-finals of the League Cup in the 1973-74 season, where they were beaten by Manchester City. They famously beat Queens Park Rangers, who were then in the top-flight, in the fourth round of the competition.
Following Welsh's departure to Bournemouth in 1974, Waiters signed Billy Rafferty to partner Mariner and the pair went on to spearhead the Pilgrims' side who won promotion from the 'old' Third Division in the 1974-75 campaign.
By this time, Mariner was attracting from a number of top-flight clubs. In 1976, the Pilgrims accepted a bid from Ipswich Town for his services, despite competition from West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United.
Mariner's spell at Portman Road proved to be the most successful of his career. He won the FA Cup with the Tractor Boys in 1978 and also won the UEFA Cup in 1981. He also made his England debut in March 1977 in a World Cup qualifier and would eventually win 35 caps and scored 13 goals. Mariner would represent at Euro 80 in Italy and in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. He was on target in their 3-1 win over France in their opening game of the 1982 finals - a match best remembered for Bryan Robson scoring what was then the fastest goal in World Cup final history after 27 seconds.
In 1984, Mariner left Ipswich for Arsenal and spent two years at Highbury before joining Portsmouth in 1986 - where he stayed until the end of the 1987-1988 season.
His next career move saw him head across the Atlantic to America, which saw him begin his career in coaching. Mariner held a variety of different coaching roles, including assistant coach of New England Revolution under former Liverpool and Scotland defender Steve Nicol.
He would return to Home Park as head coach in the 2009-10 season. Initially, Mariner worked under Paul Sturrock before assuming control of first team affairs after Sturrock was moved upstairs. However, he was unable to prevent the Pilgrims from being relegated to the Championship at the end of the campaign. Mariner would remain at Home Park in the 2010-11 season, after Peter Reid was brought in to work above him as manager, before leaving the club midway through the campaign to accept a coaching position with Toronto FC in the MLS.
Sadly Mariner passed away on July 9, 2021, following a battle with brain cancer and deepest sympathies go out to all his family, friends and former teammates.
