Mark Aizlewood

shirty5

Born: 1/10/1959 Newport
Debut: Leeds United Away 6/11/82. Final Match: Nottingham Forest Home 31/1/1987
Honours: 39 Wales Caps. 4 caps won whilst at Charlton. 1984/1985 and 1985/1986 Supporters player of the year.

Mark Aizlewood was one of Ken Craggs last signings for Charlton when he joined for £50,000 from Luton Town in November 1982. Aizlewood started his time at Charlton as a left back before being moved into midfield by Lennie Lawrence. Not an fans favourite at first and this led to him directing a V Sign at a minority of fans after he scored at a home game against Oldham Athletic in September 1984. However the fans soon grew to appreciate him and he was voted supporters player of the year two seasons running (1984/1985 and 1985/1986).

During the promotion winning season of 1985/1986 to Division One, Aizlewood was made captain and went on to win his first Welsh cap away in Saudi Arabia in February 1986. He became the first player to be capped at full international level whilst playing for Charlton since Leighton Phillips was capped by Wales in 1981.

Aizlewood made 170 League and Cup appearances, scored 10 goals and was sent off on two occasions before being sold to Second Division Leeds United for £200,000 in February 1987. His career at Elland Road only lasted for 2 seasons after he repeated the V Sign to home fans once again after scoring a goal.

He also played for Bradford City, Bristol City and Cardiff City before taking up a player coach role at Merthyr Tydfil. He later finished his career with spells at Aberystwyth Town and Cwmbran Town before retiring in 2000.

In 2001 he was given the role as technical director for the football association of Wales trust, whilst continuing his role as a TV pundit for BBC Wales. Aizlewood had a spell on the coaching staff of Carmarthen Town during 2003/2004, but left to become assistant manager to Ian Rush at Chester City for 2004/2005. He was sacked by Chester chairman Stephen Vaughan in April 2005 with the club struggling.

In 2009 he released his Welsh language autobiography entitled "Amddiffyn fy Hun" (Defending Myself) in which he revealed his 27 year long battle with alcoholism and contemplating suicide.

Aizlewood was appointed manager of Carmathen Town in January 2012.

What do people remember of his time at Charlton?

Bedsaddick

Great player. Solid as a rock.

E_cafc

I liked Mark Aizlewood, on his day he was a good quality midfielder. He had a great season during our promotion year at Selhurst and I can still see him bursting through the middle to score at Carlisle when we clinched promotion..

We had a very good team that year. Even though we started the season well no-one walking out of the Valley for the last time on that day against Stoke could have imagined that we were going to go up. It was a good job we did in the end as the club could have died and been lost forever if we hadn`t.

DaveMehmet

Remember him getting booked at Watford because he called for a Watford player in front of him to leave the ball. The player turned round and went nuts when he realised what had happened.

Scored a great free kick against Brighton in a 2 2 draw at sellhurst.

markmc68

Remember him being a really good player. It did take him time to settle. Had a lovely left foot. Could mix it up but was really quite a cultured player. The goal celebration at Carlisle was superb. He rallied the players and fans that day. An under estimated legend in my eyes. The club was in turmoil and he showed real leadership qualities to guide us through difficult times. Good luck in your managerial career.
I'm going to look out for that book now.

cafcfan

He could point better than any player we've ever had. The number of times he pointed in a match was simply staggering. It was always someone else's job to mark a player, never his.

Stig

It's a real pity that he chose the publish his biography in his hobby language rather than in the language of the fans that paid to watch him.

DaveMehmet

Stig said:

It's a real pity that he chose the publish his biography in his hobby language rather than in the language of the fans that paid to watch him.

Apart from anything else, it limits the sales potential to a pretty limited market.

Swisdom

I was very young when he played for us. All I remember is my dad used to call him The Plank and Mark Stuart was known as The Pigeon

Addick Addict

markmc68 said:

Remember him being a really good player. It did take him time to settle. Had a lovely left foot. Could mix it up but was really quite a cultured player. The goal celebration at Carlisle was superb. He rallied the players and fans that day. An under estimated legend in my eyes. The club was in turmoil and he showed real leadership qualities to guide us through difficult times. Good luck in your managerial career.
I'm going to look out for that book now.

Certainly early on the crowd did start to get on his back but he did win them over. The sort of player you wouldn't necessarily want to get on the wrong side of but at the same time could play.

oohaahmortimer

He was an excepetion to the rule that boooooing doesn't help players , he got booooed and then really improved ;-)

Big turnaround for him because he was quite pony at the beginning

don't know what the exact circumstances and reasons for him going to dirty leeds were because we were top flight and they were 2nd tier (maybe he liked big away followings) and we eventually met in the play off finals and as they say the rest is history

AllHailTheHen

Best handball I have ever seen from a player. Admittedly against us rather than for us but still impressive

Paddy7

After struggling and looking clumsy at left back he moved inside to become an excellent defensive midfielder. Two particular strengths he had were the ability to "hang" in the air at the far post and turn long floated free kicks into dangerous crosses with his head, and a wonderful ability to volley long goal kicks away accurately, immediately turning defence into attack.

He was quite rightly voted POTY twice; a fine mixture of steel and finesse which none of us originally thought he had.

masicat

Read his book and didn't understand most of it. Only 'yakey dah' dah on page 10.

Slow settler but after that a very good player. Always remember his expression of disappointment when Shirtliff scored against Leeds in the play off.

Ormiston_Addick

Wondered for years why Lennie sold Aizlewood and Pearson mid-season, always assumed it was cash related?

shirty5

AllHailTheHen said:

Best handball I have ever seen from a player. Admittedly against us rather than for us but still impressive

Was that the West Ham away game in October 86? Two handed catch

_MrDick

I remember when the supporters were doing their bit to get us back to the Valley. There was a meeting at the Valley Club and the Charlton guest was Mark Aizlewood. At that point he was adored by the fans. The chant of Aizlewood, Aizlewood, Aizlewood was deafening for such an enclosed space ...

AllHailTheHen

shirty5 said:

AllHailTheHen said:

Best handball I have ever seen from a player. Admittedly against us rather than for us but still impressive

Was that the West Ham away game in October 86? Two handed catch

Play off final against Leeds. Just put his hand up in the air and caught a through ball. If he did against Wet Spam too he was clearly playing in the wrong position!

ChicagoAddick

Started horribly and to those younger that think it is only nowadays we don't give a player a chance - Aizlewood got booed after a handful of games. But turned from zero to hero and was ever so important to Lennie's team.

That goal he scored at Carlisle was one of the top 10 moments of my life.

Covered End

So he joined us in 1982 and in 2009, released his Welsh language autobiography, entitled "Amddiffyn fy Hun" (Defending Myself) in which he revealed, his 27 year long battle, with alcoholism and contemplating suicide.

Hmmm.

RedChaser

Saw his debut at Leeds in November 82 when Carl Harris scored in a 2-1 away win. Strong player over 6ft, good left foot, who could play LB, CB or midfield and took no prisoners.

JohnnyH2

Remeber hIm being a good passer of the ball and a real git to the oppo!

Both handballs mentioned in this thread were something I have never seen another player do. Just simply catches the ball to stop a move

Oggy Red

Rememember him being a bit of a liability at LB, when he first joined.

Seemed to lack the positional awareness that full back requires and very laissez faire in his attitude.

After a couple of seasons Lennie moved him to DM and apart from a slow start finding his feet, he became a revelation driving the team on. Inspirational at times.

golfaddick

FA Cup game 3rd round away to Spurs. I remember singing " we all agree Aizlewood's better than Hoddle" and I think he scored our goal that day (a pen ?) in a 1-1 draw.

mid_life_crisis

Started poorly and was unpopular with the fans, but turned things around to the extent he became our most influential player, a real leader on the pitch and a crowd favourite.
Odd then that probably the single most important match of his club career should be against us and he ends up on the losing side. He looked utterly devastated when Peter Shirtliff headed the winner.
Had 'attitude'.

DaveMehmet

JohnnyH2 said:

Remeber hIm being a good passer of the ball and a real git to the oppo!

Both handballs mentioned in this thread were something I have never seen another player do. Just simply catches the ball to stop a move

To be fair, he was probably pissed.

Viewfinder

.

DaveMehmet

Viewfinder said:

golfaddick said:

FA Cup game 3rd round away to Spurs. I remember singing " we all agree Aizlewood's better than Hoddle" and I think he scored our goal that day (a pen ?) in a 1-1 draw.

Aizlewood did indeed score in that Cup game, 5 January 1985, though I don't recall it being a pen. I'm pretty sure we were bottom of the Second Division, and Spurs were top of the First. I can still see Mike Flanagan being set free in the last minute with only the keeper to beat - and he slid the ball agonisingly wide of the post. We lost the replay at The Valley, 1-2.

He missed the penalty but scored on the 2nd rebound.

Viewfinder

DaveMehmet said:

Viewfinder said:

golfaddick said:

FA Cup game 3rd round away to Spurs. I remember singing " we all agree Aizlewood's better than Hoddle" and I think he scored our goal that day (a pen ?) in a 1-1 draw.

Aizlewood did indeed score in that Cup game, 5 January 1985, though I don't recall it being a pen. I'm pretty sure we were bottom of the Second Division, and Spurs were top of the First. I can still see Mike Flanagan being set free in the last minute with only the keeper to beat - and he slid the ball agonisingly wide of the post. We lost the replay at The Valley, 1-2.

He missed the penalty but scored on the 2nd rebound.

Well remembered. Ray Clemence - an England regular - was the Spurs keeper.

Simonsen

Ormiston Addick said:

Wondered for years why Lennie sold Aizlewood and Pearson mid-season, always assumed it was cash related?

Think Lennie got both decisions right. We needed the money and neither were quite good enough for regular 1st Division football. These days, they'd both be kept on and would hardly play.

shirty5

Covered End said:

So he joined us in 1982 and in 2009, released his Welsh language autobiography, entitled "Amddiffyn fy Hun" (Defending Myself) in which he revealed, his 27 year long battle, with alcoholism and contemplating suicide.

Hmmm.

On Valentine's weekend 2003, the Newport-born former international and TV commentator stood on a motorway bridge in Rome - what should have been a truly romantic time in one of the world's most romantic cities - and thought about taking his own life by jumping to his death, sick and tired of his battle with alcoholism.

Something pulled him back from the brink, possibly fuelled by thoughts of home and family, and shortly afterwards, he took his last drink and began to turn his life around.

And he also reveals how his struggle against alcoholism began at the tender age of 18 - when he took his first alcoholic drink.