Players - Mark Lawrenson

Mark Lawrenson
Birthdate: 2 June 1957
Birthplace: Preston, England
Other clubs: Preston North End (1971-77), Brighton & Hove Albion (1977-81), Barnet (1988-89), Tampa Bay Rowdies (1989), Corby Town (1991-92), Chesham United (1992-93)
Signed from: Brighton & Hove Albion
Signed for LFC: £900,000, 14.08.1981
International debut: 24.04.1977 vs. Poland
International caps: Ireland 39/5 (24/3 at LFC) - 10.11.1987
Liverpool debut: 29.08.1981
Last appearance: 16.01.1988
Debut goal: 30.09.1981
Last goal: 22.03.1986
Contract expiry: March 1988
Win ratio: 60.11% W:214 D:84 L:58
Honours: League Championship 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1987/88; FA Cup 1986; League Cup 1982, 1983, 1984; European Cup 1984
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 3 / 0
League games / goals / assists: 241 / 11 / 9
Total games / goals / assists: 356 / 18 / 12

Player Profile

Lawrenson was playing for his local team, Preston, in the lower half of the Second Division in 1977 when Brighton offered £100,000 for the Irish international. Former Brighton manager, Alan Mullery, revealed Liverpool could have signed Lawrenson four years earlier: "We outbid Liverpool to get him. I phoned the Preston manager, Harry Catterick, and he told me Liverpool had offered £75,000. Mark was only 19, but when I told Mike [Mike Bamber - Brighton's Chairman] he said: 'Offer £100,000.' Liverpool weren't prepared to up their bid so we got him and four years later we sold him for a million." Brighton were promoted to the First Division in 1979 but a financial crisis in 1981 meant the club had to sell their biggest asset. Mullery wanted to hold on to his best player: "I didn't want to sell Mark but was told the club needed the money to pay an overdraft. I'd had four or five first division clubs on the phone most Fridays wanting to know if he was available and when I was told about our money situation I phoned up Ron Atkinson and sold him to Manchester United. The only trouble was Mike sold him to Liverpool which is where he eventually went." Bob Paisley was especially impressed by Lawrenson's tackling: "We nearly bought him from Preston in 1977, but it was playing at the heart of Brighton defence against Kenny Dalglish in March 1980 that he really caught my eye. Kenny is notoriously difficult to tackle. He is so clever and deceptive and uses his body to shield the ball from opposing defenders. And yet here was a 22-year-old, fresh out of the Second Division, winning the ball from him with sharp, clean challenges." Lawrenson was bought for a club-record fee for Liverpool and became as well the most expensive defender in Britain. "I was nervous as a kitten," Lawrenson remembers when he met Paisley: "I had on my best suit, shirt and tie, my best bib and tucker. I went down to reception and the doorman spotted me and said 'Mr Paisley is waiting for you in his car outside.' When I got in the car I saw that Bob was wearing slippers and a cardigan. I couldn't believe it. That was my first meeting with Bob Paisley and I knew I'd come to the right place. They'd just won the European Cup and there was this fellow, who everyone in football thought was an absolute god, driving me to the ground in his slippers and cardigan! I thought 'You'll do for me!'" 

Lawrenson was a great tackler, strong and possessed considerable skill and speed. He started out at Liverpool as a left-back, replacing Alan Kennedy for a while. The 1981/82 Championship had been an unlikely prospect with many changes in personnel to the squad which had become champions of Europe the previous spring. He figured in 39 of the 42 League games and played a big part in the 3-1 win over Spurs in the penultimate fixture of the season that clinched the title. His towering header past former Anfield favourite, Ray Clemence, equalised Glenn Hoddle's first-half strike before Lawrenson hooked the ball over his head just four minutes later to lay on a goal for Kenny Dalglish. Ronnie Whelan's late volley ensured that Liverpool could not be caught in the title race. It was the first of three successive League titles for the club and Lawrenson only missed five of the 126 fixtures that brought about that remarkable achievement. Lawrenson had played the first part of the 1982/83 season in midfield when he took over the number four shirt from Phil Thompson on 28 December 1982 to play alongside Alan Hansen. Lawrenson could also play any position in defence, but his partnership with Hansen in the centre of defence was the one he was most admired for. Lawrenson certainly enjoyed the historic 1983/84 season as Liverpool won their third consecutive League title, fourth consecutive League Cup and the European Cup for the fourth time. Liverpool were soon on their way to their fifth European Cup final following a convincing aggregate win over the Greek champions which was especially enjoyable for Lawrenson. "One of the best nights we had was after the Panathinaikos semi in 1985. We'd already beaten them 4-0 at Anfield and I scored in the away leg, we strolled it. As it was so far away we stayed overnight and ended up having an impromptu hat party in one of the rooms with all the lads together. It wasn't reported at the time, but, well, you didn't have to wear anything except a hat. One of those things you do." Lawrenson was out injured in three games leading up to the final. He only lasted three minutes against Juventus at Heysel before aggravating his shoulder injury.

Lawrenson was also a key member of the 'Double' squad in 1986, although perhaps fortunate to play in the FA Cup final against Everton. He got injured against Oxford towards the end of March and missed the semi-final against Southampton. He played the full 90 minutes when Liverpool clinched the Championship at Chelsea to stake his claim. Gary Gillespie's late withdrawal from the Wembley squad due to injury made Dalglish's selection headache a lot easier and Lawrenson wore the number two shirt at Wembley adding an FA Cup winners' medal to his achievements. Lawrenson had shown remarkable consistency for Liverpool, having been chosen four seasons running as part of the PFA Team of the Year! He started the 1986/87 season with seemingly several years of good football still ahead of him at the age of 29. Disaster struck against Wimbledon at Anfield on 28 March 1987 when he ruptured his Achilles tendon and was out for five and a half months. "I was certain that I'd been brought down, even though I couldn't see anybody near enough to have done it," Lawrenson recollects. "I remember standing up to test my right foot and felt as though I was standing on a ramp. On reflection, I should have known I hadn't been fouled. There wasn't even a murmur from the crowd." Lawrenson had started nine games in a row in the 1987/88 season when he limped off against Southampton on 12 December 1987. After being out for one month he played 180 minutes in three days and wanted to play against Arsenal on 16 January to complete 270 minutes in space of just one week. Lawrenson booted the ball into the stands in the fifty-first minute against the Gunners, came off and never played again for Liverpool: "None of the other Liverpool players in the Liverpool side had any idea how badly I was struggling," Lawrenson remembers."They were playing so well and winning that their performances masked my weaknesses. When I got back into the team, I found I couldn't turn and run like I used to be able to do. I was just getting by on my positional play and my experience. I found I was a yard slower than everyone else and I couldn't get away with it against top-class teams. When Arsenal's Martin Hayes beat me to the ball over 20 yards twice in a minute, I looked at the bench and knew it was time to pack it in. It came as a complete bombshell to Kenny Dalglish. When the surgeon and I told him, he was speechless. I just couldn't run at all. My Achilles is 2 1/2 times bigger in my right leg now."

Lawrenson quit Liverpool officially in March 1988 and later that week joined Oxford as manager where he only lasted seven months because he was furious that the club sold top-scorer Dean Saunders to Derby. He threatened Robert Maxwell that he would quit and the following day he was sacked! He moved to Tampa Bay in Florida in 1989 where he was a few months as a player-coach. He was hired as manager of Peterborough in the 1989/90 season but lasted only 14 months before he resigned after a row with the Chairman over players' appearance money. Lawrenson took out his boots again with amateur teams Corby Town and Chesham United in the early '90s. He made a short return to the game in 1996 when he was appointed defensive coach at Kevin Keegan's Newcastle. He is now a member of BBC's "Match of the Day" team.

Bob Paisley didn't have anything but the highest praise for Lawrenson. "Every manager values versatility in a player, but most of the game's jack of all trades are masters of none. Mark is a master wherever he plays. Apart from the all-round ability that he possesses, he has a perfect attitude. He is a very intelligent and easy-going individual. He is quick to grasp exactly what is required of him in a particular area of the field and doesn't allow anything to upset him. He has the ideal physical makeup for a 'ball winner'. I don't suppose he would win too many prizes for his running action. He is not an elegant mover, but he is particularly quick. He possesses very long legs and a correspondingly long stride. So although he looks a bit leggy when he's in full flight, you can be sure that he has the speed to get himself out of trouble. There is a wiry strength about him too. He doesn't weigh much over 11 stone, but he's a tough and durable customer. You won't see him being barged or knocked off the ball by bigger, bulkier men. He is steely and hardy. But he times a tackle so precisely that very often there is little or no physical contact between him and the opponent in his sights. They are painless, clinical challenges. The ball is nicked off the toe of the attacker as clean as a whistle, almost without him realising it. Indeed, sometimes you see them run on for a stride or two as if they've still got it. But, like a thief in the night, Mark has made off with their possession before the alarm can be raised, and they can give chase."

On 6 September 2018, Mark announced that he had just had the all-clear after treatment for a cancerous skin blemish on his face
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 241 24 50 28 13 356
1981-1982 39 3 10 6 1 59
1982-1983 40 3 8 3 1 55
1983-1984 42 2 12 9 1 66
1984-1985 33 4 2 10 1 50
1985-1986 38 7 7 0 6 58
1986-1987 35 3 8 0 3 49
1987-1988 14 2 3 0 0 19
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
20 1830 Everton
18 1628 Tottenham
17 1590 Manchester United
17 1381 Southampton
14 1251 Arsenal
14 1245 Ipswich Town
12 995 Coventry City
11 1020 Luton Town
11 990 Aston Villa
11 990 West Ham United
11 990 Nottingham Forest
11 973 Norwich City
11 904 QPR
10 900 Stoke City
10 886 Watford
10 856 WBA
9 766 Sunderland
9 727 Birmingham City
8 720 Chelsea
8 720 Newcastle United
8 637 Leicester City
7 630 Manchester City
7 630 Sheffield Wednesday
7 544 Brighton & Hove Albion
6 540 Notts County
5 510 Fulham
5 450 Swansea City
4 360 Wolves
4 360 Benfica
4 295 Oxford United
3 270 Barnsley
3 270 Middlesbrough
3 226 Wimbledon
3 210 Charlton Athletic
3 206 Blackburn Rovers
2 210 York City
2 207 CSKA Sofia
2 180 Exeter City
2 180 AZ Alkmaar
2 180 Din. Bucharest
2 180 Brentford
2 180 Athletic Bilbao
2 180 Odense BK
2 180 Widzew Lodz
2 180 Lech Poznan
2 180 Austria Vienna
2 180 Panathinaikos
2 180 Oldham Athletic
2 180 Leeds United
2 180 Burnley
2 116 Oulun Palloseura
2 49 Juventus
1 120 Roma
1 120 Stockport County
1 90 Rotherham United
1 90 Walsall
1 90 HJK Helsinki
1 90 Flamengo
1 24 Portsmouth
1 12 Derby
Total Started/substitutions
346 Started
2 On the bench
10 Substitute
15 Substituted
Total Venue
174 Home
167 Away
15 Neutral
Total Competition
241 League
50 League Cup
27 European Cup
24 FA Cup
8 Screen Sport Super Cup
4 Charity Shield
1 European Super Cup
1 World Club Championship
Total W D L Win % Manager
126 77 32 17 61.1% Kenny Dalglish
116 63 32 21 54.3% Joe Fagan
114 74 20 20 64.9% Bob Paisley
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 11 2 2 2 1 18
1981-1982 2 1 0 1 0 4
1982-1983 5 0 2 0 0 7
1983-1984 0 0 0 0 0 0
1984-1985 1 0 0 1 0 2
1985-1986 3 1 0 0 1 5
1986-1987 0 0 0 0 0 0
1987-1988 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 9 0 2 1 0 12
1981-1982 2 0 0 0 0 2
1982-1983 0 0 1 1 0 2
1983-1984 2 0 0 0 0 2
1984-1985 0 0 0 0 0 0
1985-1986 2 0 0 0 0 2
1986-1987 3 0 1 0 0 4
1987-1988 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 29.08.1981 Wolves Molineux League
50 10.04.1982 Manchester City Maine Road League
100 12.03.1983 West Ham United Anfield League
150 14.01.1984 Wolves Anfield League
200 07.11.1984 Benfica Estadio da Luz Europe
250 02.11.1985 Leicester City Anfield League
300 30.09.1986 Everton Goodison Park Other
350 24.11.1987 Watford Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 72 30.09.1981 Oulun Palloseura Anfield Europe
Related Articles
The elegance of Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson, Liverpool’s finest defensive pairing

Published 29 August 2018.

Michael Robinson - joining his boyhood club

LFChistory had the rare opportunity of spending an evening with Michael Robinson, a warm individual who possesses such an abundance of intelligence and enthusiasm towards sport and life in general.

Lawrenson at home with trivia

From The Independent 16.05.2001.

Mark Lawrenson in Match's Star Spot

Mark Lawrenson is featured in Match in 1984.

Paisley's opinion on Mark Lawrenson

Paisley knew players better than anybody else. Here is his view on Mark Lawrenson.

Related Quotes

"It was midnight on a summer's night in 1981. There was no game, but it was the night I signed for Liverpool and I went out on the pitch just to soak up the surroundings. It was incredible, every player's dream come true. That was what changed my career, a turning point in my life and I will never forget it."

Mark Lawrenson

"One of the best nights we had was after the Panathinaikos semi in 1985. We'd already beaten them 4-0 at Anfield and I scored in the away leg, we strolled it. As it was so far away we stayed overnight and ended up having an impromptu hat party in one of the rooms with all the lads together. It wasn't reported at the time, but, well, you didn't have to wear anything except a hat. One of those things you do."

Mark Lawrenson

"We outbid Liverpool to get him. I phoned the Preston manager, Harry Catterick, and he told me Liverpool had offered £75,000. Mark was only 19 but when I told Mike he said: 'offer £100,000. "Liverpool weren't prepared to up their bid so we got him and four years later we sold him for a million.

I didn't want to sell Mark but was told the club needed the money to pay an overdraft. I'd had four or five First Division clubs on the phone most Fridays wanting to know if he was available and when I was told about our money situation I phoned up Ron Atkinson and sold him to Manchester United. The only trouble was Mike sold him to Liverpool which is where he eventually went."

Alan Mullery recalls his days as Brighton manager. He considered Mark Lawrenson his best signing

"I was nervous as a kitten. I had on my best suit, shirt and tie, my best bib and tucker. I went down to reception and the doorman spotted me and said 'Mr Paisley is waiting for you in his car outside'. When I got in the car I saw that Bob was wearing slippers and a cardigan. I couldn't believe it. That was my first meeting with Bob Paisley and I knew I'd come to the right place. They'd just won the European Cup and there was this fellow, who everyone in football thought was an absolute god, driving me to the ground in his slippers and cardigan! I thought 'you'll do for me!'"

Mark Lawrenson was signed from Brighton late one Friday night and deposited at the Atlantic Tower hotel for safekeeping,

What lives most in the memory about Lawrenson are his last-ditch tackles. Remember Eric Gates about to pull the trigger? In comes Lawro from behind to nick the ball away with the stretch of a telescopic leg. Did it countless times. One of the greats... except... except anything he can do, Alan Hansen, his partner on the pitch and colleague in the studio, can do better. That's across the board. Central defender? Hansen. Pundit? Hansen. Everything. If he grew a moustache, Hansen's would be neater, bushier and more attractive. Life can be so cruel.

Tony Evans from Times online on Mark Lawrenson

Scrapbook
A man for all seasons
A man for all seasons
Aldridge predicts the title for Liverpool - 1985/86
Aldridge predicts the title for Liverpool - 1985/86
Brighton boy
Brighton boy
Brighton boy 1980
Brighton boy 1980
Brighton focus in Shoot!
Brighton focus in Shoot!
Brighton star
Brighton star
England lost Lawrenson - September 1983
England lost Lawrenson - September 1983
Lawro's crippling injury - 1988
Lawro's crippling injury - 1988
Learning to live with the Anfield pressure - 11 August 1987
Learning to live with the Anfield pressure - 11 August 1987
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
March 1985
March 1985
Mark Lawrenson on the cover of Shoot! 14 April 1984
Mark Lawrenson on the cover of Shoot! 14 April 1984
On the Spot
On the Spot
Poster of Mark Lawrenson - 1982
Poster of Mark Lawrenson - 1982
Poster of Mark Lawrenson - 1983
Poster of Mark Lawrenson - 1983
Poster of Mark Lawrenson - 1984
Poster of Mark Lawrenson - 1984
Reds to remember by Ronnie Moran
Reds to remember by Ronnie Moran
Star Spot 1983
Star Spot 1983
Super Focus 1981
Super Focus 1981
Top class signings all the way
Top class signings all the way
When Irish eyes are smiling - LFC Club magazine
When Irish eyes are smiling - LFC Club magazine
Where are they now? - Liverpool club magazine
Where are they now? - Liverpool club magazine
Who is the best centre-half in Britain? - Lawro or Willie Miller
Who is the best centre-half in Britain? - Lawro or Willie Miller
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Preston North End 1974-1975 England Third Division 3 0 3 0
Preston North End 1975-1976 England Third Division 24 0 25 0
Preston North End 1976-1977 England Third Division 46 2 52 2
Brighton & Hove Albion 1977-1978 England Second Division 40 1 48 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1978-1979 England Second Division 39 2 44 3
Brighton & Hove Albion 1979-1980 England First Division 33 1 37 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1980-1981 England First Division 40 1 45 1
Barnet 1988-1989 Conference 2 0 2 0
Tampa Bay Rowdies 1989-1990 American Soccer League 20 3 20 3
Corby Town 1990-1991 Southern League Midland Division N/A N/A N/A N/A
Chesham United 1992-1993 Isthmian league N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 247 10 276 11