Mark Lawrenson
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Thomas Lawrenson | ||
| Date of birth | 2 June 1957 | ||
| Place of birth | Penwortham, Lancashire, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1974–1977 | Preston North End | 73 | (2) |
| 1977–1981 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 152 | (5) |
| 1981–1988 | Liverpool | 241 | (11) |
| 1988–1989 | Barnet | 2 | (0) |
| 1989 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 20 | (3) |
| 1990–1991 | Corby Town | ||
| 1992 | Chesham United | ||
| Total | 488 | (21) | |
| National team | |||
| 1977–1987 | Republic of Ireland | 39 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1988 | Oxford United | ||
| 1989–1990 | Peterborough United | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Mark Thomas Lawrenson (born 2 June 1957) is a former Republic of Ireland international footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool, among others, during the 1970s and 1980s. After a short career as a manager, he has since been a radio, television and internet pundit for the BBC, TV3 and Today FM. Born and raised in England, Lawrenson qualified to play for Ireland through his grandfather, Thomas Crotty, who was born in Waterford.
Mark Lawrenson was born in Penwortham and attended Preston Catholic College, a Jesuit school. His father, Tom, had been a winger for Preston North End. He always wanted to be a footballer, although his mother, Theresa, wanted him to become a priest. He began his career, as a 17-year-old, with his hometown club, Preston North End in 1974 who were then managed by World Cup winner Bobby Charlton. Lawrenson was voted Preston's Player of the Year for the 1976–77 season.
After 73 league appearances for the Deepdale club he moved to Alan Mullery's Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer before the start of the 1977–78 season for £100,000. Ironically, they outbid Liverpool who also showed interest in the 19-year-old Lawrenson. Lawrenson made his Brighton debut on 20 August 1977 in a 1–1 draw against Southampton at The Dell. He settled in at the Goldstone Ground and made 40 league appearances by the end of his first season of the club. He went on to make 152 league appearances by the end of the 1980–81 season. However the club entered a financial crisis in 1981 and Lawrenson was forced to leave the club to make funds available. A number of clubs were interested in signing Lawrenson after his resilient performances for both Preston and Brighton, but it was Liverpool manager Bob Paisley who, finally, secured his signature.
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