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The Times & The Sunday Times
The Times & The Sunday Times
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Toon army

By Calvin Shulman
The Times
By Calvin Shulman
The Times

28. JON STARK

FOOTBALLER OF THE FUTURE

Billed as “Match Winner for Hire”, Stark was a “have boots, will travel” striker ready to ply his considerable skills only for the highest bidder. A pure mercenary and forerunner of so many of today’s globetrotting professionals, Stark demanded £1,000 a game plus £250 a goal on a strictly “no win, no fee” basis. The chairmen and managers hated him but the fans could not care less and invariably took him to their hearts. Stark ‘s was the first story to appear in Scoop in 1978 and, when the comic was closed three years later, he lived up to his reputation by moving on to Victor.