Mark Fish
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Anthony Fish | ||
| Date of birth | 14 March 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Cape Town, South Africa | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Arcadia Shepherds | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1991–1993 | Jomo Cosmos | 55 | (3) |
| 1993–1996 | Orlando Pirates | 110 | (11) |
| 1996–1997 | Lazio | 15 | (1) |
| 1997–2000 | Bolton Wanderers | 103 | (3) |
| 2000–2005 | Charlton Athletic | 102 | (3) |
| 2005 | → Ipswich Town (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2007–2011 | Jomo Cosmos | 0 | (0) |
| Total | 386 | (21) | |
| National team | |||
| 1993–2004 | South Africa | 62 | (2) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Mark Anthony Fish (born 14 March 1974 in Cape Town) is a retired South African footballer.
Fish started his career in his native South Africa under the guidance of renowned coach Steve Coetsee, playing for Arcadia Shepherds, an amateur team based at the Caledonian Stadium in Pretoria. He was spotted by then Jomo Cosmos coach Roy Matthews and turned professional as a striker. It was at Cosmos that he was converted into a central defender and went on to become one of the most promising defenders in South Africa at the time.
In 1994 Fish was signed by Orlando Pirates after Cosmos were relegated. At Pirates he arguably played the best football of his career under the tutelage of Mike Makaab. He also won the league championship at Pirates, as well as the BP Top Eight Cup in 1994, the 1995 African Champions League and the 1995 Bobsave Super Bowl (then the premier cup in South Africa). He captained The Buccaneers when they beat JS Kabylie in the 1996 CAF Super Cup. In the same year he was part of the history making South African national team to have won the African Cup of Nations at the first attempt after South Africa's readmission to FIFA in 1992.
Soon foreign scouts came knocking and he was signed by Lazio of Italy, after he turned down an opportunity to play for his boyhood club, Manchester United. However he did move to England after just one season at Lazio to become the highest paid player at Bolton Wanderers. Fish was a mainstay in Bolton's back four for much of their first season back in the Premiership, he received praise from both team mates and those whom he played against, most notably Manchester United forward Andrew Cole. Despite Fish's efforts Bolton were relegated on the last day of the season despite having accumulated 40 points, normally enough to stave off the drop. Once playing back in the lower leagues Fish applied himself well, quickly gaining a cult status amongst the Bolton faithful, backed up by his nickname "Feesh", and a particularly eyecatching headgear in the shape of a giant Blue fish being made available in club stores. However, new suitors soon came calling, and only after the appointment of Sam Allardyce did Fish's star begin to fall in Lancashire. Fish soon followed his Danish team mate Claus Jensen and at Alan Curbishley's second time of asking moved to Charlton Athletic in a £700,000 move in November 2000. "The Big Fish" as he was affectionately known throughout his playing career went on to make 102 Premiership appearances for the Addicks, scoring three times.
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