He retired from football in 1986, with more than 100 top-flight club goals to his name, as well as 13 goals in 35 international appearances.

In 1988, he moved to United States and has been there ever since. He is currently an assistant coach with MLS’s New England Revolution under Steve Nicol, the former Liverpool and Scotland man.

Recently, Goal.com’s Greg Lalas sat down with Mariner to discuss the upcoming World Cup.

Obviously playing in a World Cup is a magical thing for any player. What was the feeling for you heading into the 1982 World Cup?
PM: Well, quite mixed feelings, really. Because if you catch your mind back to ‘81, it wasn’t the easiest passage to qualify. We played Hungary on a rain-soaked evening at Wembley. 100,000 watching the game. We had to win. Had to. And we won 1-nil. I was lucky enough to get on the end of the goal. And it was euphoria, because we hadn’t been there in a while.

Right, England failed to qualify in ‘74 and ‘78.
PM: The country went crazy. We went in with lots of lots of expectations. We had the European Footballer of the Year, Keegan. We had Trevor Brooking, one of the most stylish and most accomplished midfielders in Europe. Bryan Robson, who was a very powerful player. The defense was pretty solid. But we had a huge stumbling block in France, our first opponent. You know, Giresse, Tigana, Platini, a very good, very talented team.

You scored in that game against France. Do you remember it well?
PM: I do. The game plan was to go high pressure. But most of the stadiums in Spain are like bull-fighting rings. They’re very high and the crowd is right on top of you. And in Bilbao, it was an unbelievable temperature, really high. So to play a high-pressure, old-style English game was asking a lot of the players.

Who was the manager?
PM: Ron Greenwood. Fantastic guy. A gentleman of the sport. Just a wonderful man.

And he decided to go high pressure?
PM: Yeah. And we managed to do it. We went a goal up after only 21 seconds. France had obviously not watched game tape of us. For us every ball that came in from a corner or a throw in would go near post for Terry Butcher and myself going for the flick on and Robbo—Bryan Robson—coming in for the goal. You know, it works maybe one in a hundred times. [laughs] Well, the ball came into the near post, Terry gets a flick, Robbo comes in on the volley, left foot, 1-nil, 21 seconds. Then they scored late on in the first half. Great goal past Shilton. Had to be to get it past him. We applied more pressure in the second half. Robbo came in near post, crossed it to Trevor Francis for the header. Then late in the game, my socks were down by my ankles ‘cause I was really spent. I think Trevor had the shot and somebody blocked it and it kind of popped up on the volley. I was about 10 yards out. I didn’t have a clue where it was going. The old instinct kicked in. I thought, “I’ll try to hit it down so maybe he won’t have much chance at it.” The celebration was a bit of a non-event because I was so tired.

So England rolled from the start. What came next?
PM: The next game was against Czechoslovakia. We beat them 2-nil. I was in an unusual situation. I was going for a record. I had equaled the consecutive goal-scoring record. I scored in six consecutive games, which is still held by myself and Jimmy Greaves.

And the France game was the 6th game?
PM: Right. So the Czech game, I turned on my defender and I spun this ball just into that space in between the goalie and the defense. It was going goalward, but the defender got a touch on it and it went in. [laughs] I tried to claim it, but it didn’t work.

But you won. Then you beat Kuwait and you were through.
PM: Yeah, we were in. Basically, the manager said replace fluids, which to us didn’t mean put water and Gatorade. It meant put as much beer down your throat as you possibly could. So we did that. Then we go into the second group phase, with Spain, the home team, and Germany, which is our massive rival. At the Bernabeu, in Madrid, Spain had 90-100,000 cheering for them. I think we should’ve beaten them. We had some chances that we didn’t take. It ended nil-nil. The Germans were a different team. They had [Karl-Heinz] Rummenigge up front and [Hans-Peter] Briegel was man-to-man marking me. And Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking were still not fit. We missed Kevin’s energy and his forcefulness. And we missed Trevor unlocking the door. And it ended nil-nil. But Germany beat Spain 1-nil and advanced. We actually conceded only one goal in the tournament and were undefeated, and we did not to advance.

Do you think today’s English team can match that team’s success?PM: I think they’re extremely talented. They’ve got some world-class players. Steven Gerrard would probably get into most teams. John Terry’s close. I think [Wayne] Rooney, when fit. [Frank] Lampard is a very good player. But if you look at the teams that have lifted the World Cup, look at the players who are in that team—how many of those players would get into a world eleven? That’s how I try to compute it. If we go outside the England starting eleven, then I get concerned. However way you want to spin it, I think that without Rooney, there’s definitely a drop. [Michael] Owen needs to show a little bit more whether he’s back. I wasn’t convinced with the Jamaica game.

Where does the difference lie between England and, say, Brazil or Argentina?
PM: The forward line. I mean, Carlos [Alberto Parreira, Brazil’s manager] has the opportunity to pick from Ronaldo, who looks trimmed down and up for the tournament; Ronaldinho, the best player in the world; Robinho, Adriano…He’s got a wealth of players, people who can unlock the door. You can be as organized or sit in as much as you want against them, but one of those players, has the ability to unlock the door, whether it’s a penalty, a deadball situation, an unbelievable volley, an unbelievable piece of brilliance. You can be steadfast in your organization, but there’s always that little something that they can conjure up that make you say, “Well, that deserves to win a game.” You cannot stop it.

What about other countries?
PM: I think that Argentina is a very, very strong squad. If they can get [Lionel] Messi back. And [Juan Roman] Riquelme is an unbelievable footballer. If you put the right players around him, then he can make things happen. [Hernan] Crespo is a proven goalscorer. He is a master at timing those runs and when he gets in sight of that goal, he seems to know what to do. Everybody else, Italy, Germany, I don’t see it. I see Argentina and I see Brazil, and obviously, I hope to see England.

Any surprise teams to look out for?
PM: The one that comes right to my mind is the Ivory Coast, because they made it to the finals of the African Nations Cup, and they’ve got incredibly talented players. All their players play in Europe. They know exactly what it takes to win. They immediately come to mind.

In 2002, the US was a surprise. What do you think about the US’s chances this year?
PM: They need a little bit of luck. They need to have their best players on the field. I think Bruce [Arena] has some options. Landon [Donovan] and DaMarcus [Beasley] are very talented.. [Brian] McBride is a very good center forward who holds the ball up and keeps them playing. It’s important that they’re organized and the defense is set up correctly and alert to the counterattack. We need to beat Ghana. We need to get something out of the Czech game. And maybe get a draw against Italy. If we get four points, we’ve got a chance. If we get five, I think we’re through.

What about Clint Dempsey, who plays for you at New England. He’s kind of unpredictable, an x-factor who might win a game for you.
PM: You need that. How do you defend against Dempsey? He’s got an eye for the pass. He can beat people in close quarters. But most important, look at how often Dempsey is in the 6-yard box when a goal is scored. How hard is it to get into the 6-yard box at the highest level? Especially hard. It really is. And he does it game after game after game. And that’s why he scores goals. He loves to score goals and think how to celebrate goals. Coming off the bench, he’s going to be an impact player.

What does the rest of the world need to learn about the American player?
PM: Why are the European clubs trying to plunder our league and some of our college guys? Because they know that the American player has been wonderfully nourished, knows all about stretching and hydration. And now he’s got the tactical awareness. He’s like a mini-pro. And the American player is so eager to learn and become a player. It’s great for a coach.

You came over here in 1988 and you’re married to an American. You have a lot of American in you. You even say “we” when you discuss the US squad. So if, by chance, the US meets England at the World Cup, which side of the stadium will you sit on?
PM: Well, I never thought about that. I really want the USA to do well. I think with their organization, their pace, their know-how, they’re going to cause problems for a lot of people. But I’ve got to go with England, because I played for them and I played my career there. But I’ll tell you what: I only want it to be by a goal. I really do. And if the US was to win, I wouldn’t cry over it.

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