Mark Ward

[The Situation]

An old story but I've just seen this now and can't remember it at the time:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2005...eatures.sport4

My football career lasted two decades, during which I achieved many of my ambitions. I played for Everton, my hometown club, and scored in Merseyside derbies. I played in cup finals at Wembley. At West Ham we came within a couple of games of winning the league in 1986. I committed everything to football because it was so important to me. When my career came to an end it left a huge hole in my life. I ended up making some terrible decisions for which I am now paying the price.

I grew up as one of seven brothers and sisters in Huyton, Liverpool. It's the same place that Steven Gerrard, Peter Reid and Joey Barton come from; Huyton United would have had a hell of a midfield. My family were Everton fans and I used to be a ballboy at Goodison when I was 12. When I left school they signed me up and, by my late teens, I was playing in the reserves. It was a dream. But when I was 18 Everton let me go because they said I wasn't big enough. I went home and cried my eyes out.

Soon afterwards I got a second chance, at a much lower level with Northwich Victoria. My wife, Jane, got pregnant with our daughter, Melissa, and after that I treated every game like a cup final. I knew I had mouths to feed. I once ran 12 miles to training because I didn't have a car at the time.

Eventually, Joe Royle came in for me and I went to Oldham for £9,000 in 1982. It was a big step up to the old Second Division, but I played well and never missed a game in two years. One night, Joe called me while I was watching Coronation Street. He said: 'John Lyall [the then West Ham manager] is about to knock on your door. The board have agreed to sell you to West Ham for a quarter of a million pounds.'

There was no mention of whether I wanted to go or not - that was what it was like in those days. I signed on the same day as Frank McAvennie. We went on to achieve West Ham's best league position ever [third, in 1985-86]. It was the only side I ever played in where I felt like we could beat anyone. But we failed to build on that success over the following two seasons.

After we were relegated in 1989, the board sacked Lyall and I wanted out. I signed for a £1 million fee for Manchester City under Howard Kendall and thought he was a great manager. When he returned to Everton, I became one of his first signings, this time for £1.1m. It had taken me 10 years, but I'd eventually made it back to Goodison. I made my debut against Arsenal and scored twice in the best game of my career [Everton won 3-1].

My time under Howard was brilliant - but he eventually left and I moved on to Birmingham City as player-coach. Barry Fry was in charge, but we never really got on. By the mid-Nineties I was looking for another club, but it was hard. With my level of experience a lot of managers at smaller clubs saw me as a threat to their job.

My big break came when i was named manager of Altrincham. It was a good job, but they were in financial crisis. Although we were doing well, a new chairman came in and sacked me with no explanation. He obviously wanted his own man in charge. It was the worst day of my career. I remember going round to the kit man's house and bursting into tears.

That was when things started to go bad for me. Jane and I split up and I struggled to find more work in the game. People saw I had been sacked and that put them off. I helped out in my brother's pub and then spent some time in Australia. But I had to come home eventually to arrange a work permit.

On my return to England, I became severely ill, with a suspected aneurysm, and had to spend months in hospital. By the time I got out I'd missed my chances in Australia and I was skint. My family helped out financially, but there are only so many handouts you can take. That was when someone made me an offer I shouldn't have accepted. They said they'd pay me a weekly wage if I rented a house in my name and handed the keys over to them. I was surviving on income support at the time and foolishly agreed to go along with it.

I knew something dodgy was going on in the flat, but wasn't sure how dodgy. I never went there. Then the police raided it one day and found £700,000 worth of cocaine. My name was on the rental agreement; I was arrested. Through overcrowding, I was put in remand on the lifers' wing at Walton prison, Liverpool. It was a shocking experience.

In my initial statement to the police I had admitted to handing the keys of the flat over to someone to use as a drug stash. That basically obliged me to plead guilty to possession with intent to supply once the case came to trial in October and I was sentenced to eight years in prison. I'm hoping to do my time as straightforwardly as possible and get out as soon as I can. I'm keeping fit and trying to write a book about my life.

I've never been in trouble before and have never dealt in drugs. Adapting to life after football was too much for me at times. When today's Premiership stars retire they'll be set up for life. But the biggest contract I ever had was £2,000 a week and, when my playing career ended, I soon wound up with nothing. When the money, fame and glamour disappear it's hard to adjust.

But that's no excuse for the stupid things I've done. I'm proud of what I achieved in football - I was a tough player and Stuart Pearce described me as the most difficult opponent he faced. Brian Clough told the newspapers I should have gone to the 1986 World Cup finals with England. I hope that the strong attitude that saw me through my career will see me through my time in prison.

The life facts

Mark Ward was born in Liverpool in 1962. He was released as an apprentice by Everton but, after playing for West Ham and Manchester City, rejoined his boyhood club in 1991. After a spell at Birmingham City, he retired in 1996. In October he was jailed for eight years for possessing cocaine with intent to supply

[Perryqhill]

Think I must have missed it too. Obviously things haven't worked out for him, but he'll still have been earning a decent wage if the highest he was on was 2k per week in the early nineties so he must have wasted a fair bit of it.

[KNGHTHOOD]

Let's hope that Ward's off other players making the same mistakes

[Waxon]

Remember him well, economical with the truth like

[Rip Van Fish]

The autobiography was a great read.

Especially getting lifts to and from Oldham training with Mickey Quinn. As it was his car, Wardy had to be on his "Agenda."

Also, tales of rooming with Frankie Mc for West Ham aways and having to suffer listening to Frank shagging a different bird in the room on every trip.

[Waxon]

Originally Posted by Rip Van Fish

The autobiography was a great read.

Especially getting lifts to and from Oldham training with Mickey Quinn. As it was his car, Wardy had to be on his "Agenda."

Also, tales of rooming with Frankie Mc for West Ham aways and having to suffer listening to Frank shagging a different bird in the room on every trip.

the common donominator

[LineMonkey]

Originally Posted by Waxon

Remember him well, economical with the truth like

Care to elaborate?

I don't really remember him though I think I should - i.e. I was watching a lot of football in the 90's (early 90's was when he would have been around at Everton but I can't place him)

[scallyban]

His daughter Mellisa was my girlfriend when i was 10. Always thought he was a bit of a tit. Didn't surprise me when i heard he got himself into trouble after his playing career finished. Bought me an ice cream once though!

[ChrisHunt]

£2k a week and he's complaining?

[Rip Van Fish]

Originally Posted by Waxon

the common donominator

denominator even.