After Italia 90, the England manager, Bobby Robson, selected his “dream team” for his autobiography, Against The Odds. He rated his chosen sweeper, Mark Wright, as

“perhaps the quickest in the world at the back,” while regretting that he is “a complicated character.”

That character-assessment seems a long way from 1982, when the gangly, freckle-faced teenager arrived at The Dell. He had played only 10 Third Division games for Oxford, so it looked, on the surface, as if he was very much the rookie-makeweight in a deal that entailed Trevor Hebberd and George Lawrence going to Oxford, while Keith Cassells and Mark came to Southampton. But ex-Saint Joe Mallett, a canny scout, had spotted the 17 year-old’s potential (McMenemy, Saints manager at the time begs to differ on this), even if his best position was not initially clear. It very soon was, though. He commandeered the No.6 shirt and was voted Player-of-the-Year at the end of his first full season, during which he won his first two U-21 caps.

The first of his 45 full England caps followed at the end of the next season. He had just played his 13th international in March 1986 and was seemingly bound for the World Cup finals in Mexico when he broke his leg in the FA Cup semi-final v Liverpool (see scrapbook section). After one more season at Southampton, he was lured to Derby County, flush with Robert Maxwell’s cash. When that money ran out, Mark moved to Liverpool, where he finished his playing career in 1998.

He began managerial life back at Oxford but before long he resigned following allegations of inappropriate remarks to match officials. There would be further accusations, in subsequent posts, of bust-ups with players, officials or owners, although he had successes, here and there. He kept returning to Chester, but left them in 2009, after they were demoted to the Conference, with a points-penalty. “I think I deserve to be in the Championship now,” he claimed, “for what I know and what I’ve done.” But his next managerial post would be in Malta. He made headlines of a different kind, though, in the autumn of 2013, when his ambassadorial role for Foster Care Associates was announced. With five years’ experience of fostering vulnerable youngsters, Mark and his wife, Sue, are well-qualified for this role. Mark’s comings and goings as a manager might suggest that Robson’s “complicated” label was something of an under-statement. But he would surely be at centre-back in the “dream team” of those Saints’ fans who watched him as a player.