Name: Mark Anthony Fish
Country:
South AfricaClub: Orlando Pirates F.C. (1993-1996), S.S. Lazio (1996-1997), Bolton Wanderers F.C. (1997-2000)
Position: *CB
Side: RF/BS
Age: 22-24 years (14/03/1974)
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 81 kg
Attack: 65
Defence: 84
Balance: 88
Stamina: 81
Top Speed: 76
Acceleration: 75
Response: 82
Agility: 79
Dribble Accuracy: 77
Dribble Speed: 75
Short Pass Accuracy: 76
Short Pass Speed: 80
Long Pass Accuracy: 79
Long Pass Speed: 77
Shot Accuracy: 61
Shot Power: 81
Shot Technique: 64
Free Kick Accuracy: 59
Curling: 61
Header: 85
Jump: 78
Technique: 76
Aggression: 70
Mentality: 82
Goalkeeper Skills: 50
Team Work: 78
Injury Tolerance: B
Condition: 6 | 4 (1996-1997)
Weak Foot Accuracy: 4
Weak Foot Frequency: 4
Consistency: 6
Growth type: Early/Peak
CARDS:
S07 - Man Marking
S08 - Slide Tackle
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Marking - Sliding
Attack/Defence Awareness Card: Defence Minded
INFO:
Fish is a former centre-back. His career started in 1991 at Jomo Cosmos. He transferred to Orlando Pirates in 1993, playing 110 matches and scoring 11 goals in four seasons. His crucial performance in the 1996 African Cup of Nations, convinced Lazio to sign him for the 1996-97 season. He became the first South African to play in the Italian league but his experience wasn't remarkable as he was often kept in the bench despite several good performances. He joined Bolton Wanderers in 1997, making 115 appearances and scoring 4 goals in three years. He had his last notable spell at Charlton Athletic, playing 109 times and scoring twice between 2000 and 2005. After transferring to Ipswich Town, he only played once before suffering a serious cruciate ligament injury that forced him to retire. He capped 62 times and scored twice for South Africa between 1993 and 2004.
Possibly one of the best centre-backs South Africa has ever produced, Fish was named to the Team of the Tournament in both 1996 and 1998 AFCON and was arguably the best player of the South African team that won the 1996 edition. Fish was powerful and quite agile despite his big physique. He was skilled with his head, winning most balls in the air and threatening the opposing goal from time to time. He was excellence in defense thanks to tackling, anticipation, and marking abilities as well as strength and enthusiasm. Also gifted from a technical standpoint, he knew how to carry the ball out of his area, dribble his direct opponent, and distribute the ball with fast passes and more frequently with accurate long passes. Despite playing in a central position, he often chose to move down the left flank to start the offense.