Club Career
Crook began his football career at Tottenham Hotspur signing with the club as a schoolboy in 1976. He made his debut in 1980 against Liverpool and stayed with the North London club for another six years. He found it difficult to break into the first team, as the Tottenham midfield at the time contained Glenn Hoddle and Ossie Ardiles. He would, however, receive a UEFA Cup Medal in 1984 as an unused substitute for the final, in which Tottenham beat R.S.C. Anderlecht on penalties.
In 1986 Crook moved to Norwich City for a fee of £80,000, which would prove to be one of the best bargain buys for the club. He was at the hub of the most successful team in Norwich's history. During his eleven seasons at the club, he helped them to a series of top five finishes in England's top division and played in the club's UEFA Cup run in the 1993-94 season, though he missed the match in which Norwich were eliminated from the competition - against Inter Milan in the San Siro - through suspension, due to his having collected two yellow cards in the tournament. He was a midfielder noted for his passing ability and accuracy from set-pieces. Many experts in the game believe that had Crook played for a so called bigger club, he would have played for the full England team. In a 2001 poll for Four Four Two magazine, Crook was voted as one of the best players never to have played for England, along with his former Norwich team-mate Steve Bruce.
He famously agreed to leave Norwich to join their fierce rivals Ipswich Town F.C. at the end of the 1995-96 season, even posing for photos with his new shirt and buying his children replica kits before changing his mind and re-signing for City days later. This was due to former Norwich manager Mike Walker taking over the helm at Carrow Road following the sacking of Gary Megson and his persuading Crook to stay. Crook had played under Walker for Norwich during his first spell as manager from 1992 to January 1994. Ipswich Town F.C. took it to court, with the local newspaper Evening Star carrying the headline "Get out of Town Crook and take that man Walker with you".
In 1997, he was signed by Eddie Thomson for Sanfrecce Hiroshima. He left the club in May 1998 and transferred to Northern Spirit FC.
In 2002, Norwich fans voted Crook into the Norwich City F.C. Hall of Fame. In September of the same year he played at Carrow Road in the club's centenary match against Harwich & Parkeston F.C.. Crook remained a favourite with Norwich City supporters, and in 2008 he was voted in the Greatest Ever Norwich City eleven.
Read more about this topic: Ian Crook
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