Mark Burke Explained

Mark Burke
Fullname:Mark Stephen Burke
Birth Date:12 February 1969
Birth Place:Solihull, England
Height:[1]
Position:Midfielder
Youthclubs1:Solihull and District Schools
Youthyears2:1985–1987
Youthclubs2:Aston Villa
Years1:1987
Clubs1:Aston Villa
Caps1:7
Goals1:0
Years2:1987–1991
Clubs2:Middlesbrough
Caps2:57
Goals2:6
Years3:1990
Clubs3:Darlington (loan)
Caps3:5
Goals3:1
Years4:1991–1994
Clubs4:Wolverhampton Wanderers
Caps4:68
Goals4:11
Years5:1994
Clubs5:Luton Town (loan)
Caps5:3
Goals5:0
Years6:1994–1995
Clubs6:Port Vale
Caps6:15
Goals6:2
Years7:1995–1999
Clubs7:Fortuna Sittard
Caps7:108
Goals7:10
Years8:1999–2000
Clubs8:Omiya Ardija
Caps8:51
Goals8:9
Years9:2001
Clubs9:Rapid Bucharest
Caps9:8
Goals9:1
Years10:2001
Clubs10:IF Brommapojkarna
Years11:2001–2002
Clubs11:TOP Oss
Caps11:4
Goals11:0
Totalcaps:326
Totalgoals:40
Nationalyears1:1983–1984
Nationalteam1:England Schoolboys
Nationalyears2:1986
Nationalteam2:England Youth

Mark Stephen Burke (born 12 February 1969) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder. A player skilled at retaining the ball, he enjoyed a 15-year professional career in England, the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, and Sweden.

He began his career at Aston Villa, turning professional in February 1987. He was sold on to Middlesbrough for £50,000 in December 1987 and played for Fourth Division champions Darlington on loan in October 1990. He transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £25,000 fee in March 1991 before playing on loan at Luton Town in March 1994. He signed with Port Vale in August 1994 before moving on to Fortuna Sittard the following year. He joined Omiya Ardija in 1999 before signing with TOP Oss via Rapid Bucharest and IF Brommapojkarna in 2001, helping the latter to the Division 2 Östra Svealand title.

Career

Burke joined Aston Villa as a youth team scholar in June 1985 and played for England Schoolboys before signing professionally in February 1987.[2] He made his senior debut in a 1–0 defeat to Everton on 18 April 1987, as the "Villans" were relegated out of the First Division in 1986–87. They were immediately promoted in 1987–88, but Burke managed only eight appearances for the club before joining fellow Second Division side Middlesbrough for £50,000 in December 1987.[2]

"Boro" ended the campaign behind second-placed Aston Villa on goals scored. Yet, they too won promotion after beating Chelsea in the promotion/relegation play-offs to claim a place in the top flight; Burke did not feature in either leg of the play-off final. They finished one place and one point behind Aston Villa in 1988–89, but this time, their inability to surpass his former club cost them, as they occupied the final relegation place. "Boro" plummeted to 21st in the second tier in 1989–90, finishing just two points ahead of relegated Bournemouth. Burke was largely on the sidelines after falling out with manager Bruce Rioch. After a spell on loan at Darlington in October 1990, he finally left Ayresome Park in search of regular football at Wolverhampton Wanderers, signing for a £25,000 fee in March 1991.[3] This move reunited him with Graham Turner, who had been Villa manager at the time of Burke's arrival there. Darlington went on to top the Fourth Division in 1990–91, whilst Wolves finished 12th in the Second Division.

The midfielder made his Wolves debut in a 3–3 draw with Oxford United on 16 March 1991 but was again unable to hold down a regular first-team spot. The club improved slightly to post an 11th-place finish in 1991–92. His best season at Molineux came in 1992–93 when he managed 34 appearances, scoring 8 times – the best seasonal tally of his career, as Wolves again came 11th. He was again on the periphery for the following campaign, as his side finished 8th, three points behind Derby County in the play-offs.

After a short spell on loan at First Division rivals Luton Town in March 1994, he returned to his parent club to find Graham Taylor, another of his former managers from his Villa days, was now at the helm. Burke was unable to win a place in Taylor's plans, though, and had a trial at Tottenham Hotspur before eventually joining Port Vale in August 1994. He scored twice in 15 First Division games under manager John Rudge in 1994–95, before quitting England to explore foreign football.

His first foreign club were Fortuna Sittard in the Dutch Eredivisie, where he played under Pim Verbeek. Burke had been recommended to the club by Terry Lees.[4] He scored the winning goal on his debut against De Graafschap.[4] Fortuna finished 13th in the Eredivisie in 1995–96, 11th in 1996–97, 7th in 1997–98, and 10th in 1998–99. He did not get along with the new boss Bert van Marwijk, and so followed Pim Verbeek to J2 League club Omiya Ardija in June 1999.[4] He scored five goals in 20 games in 1999 and 4 goals in 31 games in 2000. Burke eventually returned to Europe after his contract expired in Japan and spent some time training with Fortuna Sittard again before signing for Rapid Bucharest on a short-term contract in March 2001, making him the first English footballer to ever play in Romania.[5] Rapid finished fourth in Liga I in 2000–01. Burke moved on to Swedish Division 2 club IF Brommapojkarna, and helped his new club to the Östra Svealand title in 2001. He then played four games for TOP Oss of the Eerste Divisie in 2001–02.

Style of play

He has been described as "sure of touch, calm of mind, he would lope around in seemingly lackadaisical fashion before offering a cute little pass here or a deft touch there. A man with an eye for ball retention."[6]

Personal life

In 2013, Burke released his first eBook A different kind of soccer book, which was aimed at children, coaches, and parents.

He is capable in several languages: English, Spanish and Dutch.

Career statistics

Source:

ClubSeasonDivisionLeagueNational CupOtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Aston Villa1986–87First Division10000010
1987–88Second Division60001070
Total70001080
Middlesbrough1987–88Second Division1602000180
1988–89First Division2951030335
1989–90Second Division1210030151
Total5763060666
Darlington (loan)1990–91Fourth Division51000051
Wolverhampton Wanderers1990–91Second Division60000060
1991–92Second Division1821021213
1992–93First Division3281010348
1993–94First Division1210041162
Total681120727714
Luton Town (loan)1993–94First Division30100040
Port Vale1994–95First Division1522030202
Fortuna Sittard1995–96Eredivisie31300313
1996–97Eredivisie34300343
1997–98Eredivisie34400344
1998–99Eredivisie9041131
Total108104111211
Omiya Ardija1999J2 League2050000205
2000J2 League3142000334
Total5192000539
Rapid Bucharest2000–01Divizia A81000081
TOP Oss2001–02Eerste Divisie400040
Career total3264010021335743

Honours

Darlington

1990–91

IF Brommapojkarna

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88 . Peter . Dunk . Queen Anne Press . London . 1987 . 50 . 978-0-356-14354-5 .
  2. Web site: Aston Villa Player Database. astonvillaplayerdatabase.com. 18 October 2016.
  3. Web site: Ahead of His Time – Or Asking Too Much? Mark Burke: Coach in Waiting. Instone. David. 20 August 2008 . 12 May 2009.
  4. News: Bate. Adam. Brits abroad - Mark Burke. 28 October 2016. Sky Sports. 11 December 2012.
  5. Web site: Burke makes Rapid move to Romania. 6 March 2001. BBC Sport. 12 May 2009.
  6. Web site: The Trouble with English Football: The Mark Burke Story. ghostgoal.co.uk. 22 March 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20130420050647/http://ghostgoal.co.uk/2010/07/08/the-trouble-with-english-football-the-mark-burke-story/. 20 April 2013.