Ray Clemence
Encyclopedia
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE
(born 5 August 1948) is one of English and European football
's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool
team of the 1970s.
, Clemence made his debut for Scunthorpe United
in 1966 and was spotted and signed by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly
a year later, joining the Reds for £18,000 on the 24 June 1967, after making 48 appearances between 1965 and 1967.
3rd round tie at Anfield
on the 25 September 1968, Swansea City were the visitors and were beaten 2-0. He was nurtured through the reserve side over the next two years, with the occasional senior appearance, until 1970, at which point he became the club's first choice goalkeeper.
In 1971, Liverpool reached the FA Cup
final where Clemence played well but was powerless to prevent Arsenal
scoring twice in extra time to peg back Liverpool's lead and win the game 2–1. However, there would be joy for Clemence two seasons later when Liverpool won both the League title and UEFA Cup
, with Clemence saving a penalty in the final of the latter against Borussia Mönchengladbach
. The penalty save meant that Liverpool took a 3–0 lead to Germany
with them rather than a 3–1, Gladbach won 2–0 on their home soil and if Jupp Heynckes
had beaten Clem from the spot the tie would have finished 3–3 on aggregate with the Germans winning on the away goals rule. 1973/74 saw Liverpool claim yet more silverware winning the F.A Cup at a canter with a comprehensive 3–0 victory over Newcastle United
.
Clemence was, by now, a regular for England
making his debut and keeping his first clean-sheet in the 1–0 World Cup
qualifier win over Wales
at Ninian Park
on the 15 November 1972, unfortunately for Clemence the presence of another great goalkeeper Peter Shilton
meant that the England management struggled to decide which keeper was the best, and ended up alternating their selection.
With Clemence in goal, Liverpool won another League and UEFA Cup double in 1976 and then made a courageous bid for a unique treble a year later. They achieved the first leg when they won the League title, but then lost the F.A Cup final to bitter rivals Manchester United
, a result that affected Clem and saw him trudge forlornly off the Wembley turf. A consolation was to be had a few days later, however, when the Reds won the European Cup
for the first time, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1, with Clemence, again, being a thorn in the Gladbach side making a series of important saves.
Liverpool retained the European Cup in 1978 with a narrow 1–0 win over Club Brugge
at Wembley, but conceded their League title to Nottingham Forest
, to whom they also lost in the League Cup
final. In 1979 and 1980, Clemence kept goal as Liverpool clinched the League title in each season. The 1978-79 League success saw Clemence set a record that was never beaten under the two points for a win system, conceding only 16 goals in the 42 league matches ( and just 4 at Anfield). This remarkable record endured until beaten recently by Chelsea
, who conceded 15 goals in the 38 League matches.
Once again in 1981 silverware proudly sat in the Anfield trophy room as they won the League Cup and the European Cup for the third time, the 1–0 win over Real Madrid
at the Parc des Princes
on the 27 May ultimately proving to be Clemence's last game for the club.
The emergence of the South Africa
n-born Bruce Grobbelaar
put Clemence under threat for his place for the first time in eleven years (during which period he played in more than 650 matches and missed a mere six) and he decided Leave Liverpool by joining Tottenham Hotspur
for a fee of £300,000.
n-born Bruce Grobbelaar
, Clemence left Liverpool to join Tottenham Hotspur
in 1982 for a fee of £300,000. The two clubs reached the 1982 League Cup final, which Liverpool won 3–1. Spurs did, however, win the FA Cup, defeating QPR
1–0 after a 1–1 draw with Liverpool in the semi final.
Clemence's Spurs debut came in a league fixture at Ayresome Park
on 28 August 1981, Middlesbrough
couldn't prevent Clemence starting off with a win, losing 3–1. His first clean-sheet came three games later on the 12 September at Molineux
, when he kept Wolverhampton Wanderers
at bay in the 1–0 victory.
Clemence's international career was event-free, in that it coincided with England's least successful era, failing to qualify for two World Cups in 1974 and 1978. Clemence was part of the squad which qualified for Euro 1980
but this ended in failure. In 1982, he was in the squad which qualified for the World Cup, but again England did not progress as far as hoped. Because of an injury to his left knee Clemence was forced into retirement from international football shortly afterwards with a total of 61 caps. His rival Shilton ended up as first choice keeper for the rest of the 1980s, playing in two more World Cups and attaining a record 125 caps. Clemence also had the distinction of captaining England, once, the first keeper to do so since Frank Swift
. The game in question was a prestigious friendly with Brazil
, although Clemence couldn't prevent the Brazilians from scoring as England lost 1–0.
Spurs won the UEFA Cup in 1984 but Clemence missed the final through injury. He did reach a fifth F.A Cup final in 1987, when his side lost to Coventry City
. He is in a select group of players who have appeared in five or more F.A Cup finals. The same left knee injury returned and forced his retirement from playing in 1988. Shortly after retiring Ray Clemence soon joined the Spurs coaching staff.
between 1972 to 1984 making his debut and keeping his first clean-sheet in the 1–0 World Cup
qualifier win over Wales
at Ninian Park
on the 15 November 1972, unfortunately for Clemence the presence of another great goalkeeper Peter Shilton
meant that the England management struggled to decide which keeper was the best, and ended up alternating their selection. Clemence made 61 appearances for England in a 12 year international career.
(with fellow goalkeeper Gary 'sumo' Phillips) in January 1994. At the start of the 1994–95 season, Ray took sole charge leading Barnet to 9th and 13th in Division 3. In August 1996 he was recruited by his former Spurs and England team-mate Glenn Hoddle
as goalkeeping coach for the England team, a position he continued to hold under Hoddle's successors Kevin Keegan
and Sven-Göran Eriksson
. He remained in that position under Steve McClaren
until he was replaced by Italian Franco Tancredi
as goalkeeping coach in December 2007, as Fabio Capello
took charge of the national team. Clemence, however, remains part of the England backroom staff.
He is also the head of the F.A
's Head of Development Team his role is to oversee the England under 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 20 sides, working with England U21 coach Stuart Pearce
in monitoring the players' progress to the U21 side. He also occasionally works as a pundit on TV and radio.
for services to football. His son, Stephen
, is a midfield player who came through the ranks at Spurs and Birmingham City
and retired injured from Leicester City in 2010. He is now the Reserve Team Development Coach at Sunderland. Ray's daughter Sarah also has footballing connections, being the wife of Crystal Palace
manager and former Scotland
striker Dougie Freedman
.
On February 2, 2005 Clemence announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer
and that he would spend time away from the England squad whilst he receives treatment. He was the second member of Eriksson's staff to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, Brian Kidd
was diagnosed with the disease prior to Euro 2004
.
Clemence is still held in very high regards by both the Tottenham faithful and the Anfield faithful. He was voted in at No.11 on the Official Liverpool Football Club web site poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, he was also the highest placed goalkeeper. He was also chosen as goalkeeper in the BBC's Merseyside team of the 20th century, and topped the magazine Total Football's poll of the best ever goalkeeper, beating the likes of Shilton, Lev Yashin
, Gordon Banks
and Pat Jennings
.
Tottenham Hotspur:
2011 - Ray was awarded a Honorary Doctorate (Honorus Causa) from Bishop Grossesteste University College Lincoln for his services to sport.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 5 August 1948) is one of English and European football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
team of the 1970s.
Scunthorpe United
Born in Skegness, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Clemence made his debut for Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
in 1966 and was spotted and signed by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly
Bill Shankly
William "Bill" Shankly, OBE was a Scottish football player and manager, most noted for managing Liverpool between 1959 and 1974. One of Britain's most successful and respected football managers, Shankly was also a fine player whose career was interrupted by the Second World War...
a year later, joining the Reds for £18,000 on the 24 June 1967, after making 48 appearances between 1965 and 1967.
Liverpool
Clemence joined Liverpool in June 1967 from Scunthorpe United for a fee of £18,000, he made his debut and kept his first clean-sheet in a League CupFootball League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
3rd round tie at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
on the 25 September 1968, Swansea City were the visitors and were beaten 2-0. He was nurtured through the reserve side over the next two years, with the occasional senior appearance, until 1970, at which point he became the club's first choice goalkeeper.
In 1971, Liverpool reached the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final where Clemence played well but was powerless to prevent Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
scoring twice in extra time to peg back Liverpool's lead and win the game 2–1. However, there would be joy for Clemence two seasons later when Liverpool won both the League title and UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, with Clemence saving a penalty in the final of the latter against Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach is a German association football club based in Mönchengladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia. The team plays in the Bundesliga and is one of the country's most well-known, well-supported, and successful teams. Borussia Mönchengladbach has over 40,000 members and is the sixth...
. The penalty save meant that Liverpool took a 3–0 lead to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with them rather than a 3–1, Gladbach won 2–0 on their home soil and if Jupp Heynckes
Jupp Heynckes
Josef "Jupp" Heynckes is a German football coach and former player. As player he belonged to the core of the team of Borussia Mönchengladbach in its golden era of the 1960s and 1970s where he won many national championships and the Cup as well as the UEFA Cup...
had beaten Clem from the spot the tie would have finished 3–3 on aggregate with the Germans winning on the away goals rule. 1973/74 saw Liverpool claim yet more silverware winning the F.A Cup at a canter with a comprehensive 3–0 victory over Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
.
Clemence was, by now, a regular for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
making his debut and keeping his first clean-sheet in the 1–0 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifier win over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
on the 15 November 1972, unfortunately for Clemence the presence of another great goalkeeper Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
meant that the England management struggled to decide which keeper was the best, and ended up alternating their selection.
With Clemence in goal, Liverpool won another League and UEFA Cup double in 1976 and then made a courageous bid for a unique treble a year later. They achieved the first leg when they won the League title, but then lost the F.A Cup final to bitter rivals Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, a result that affected Clem and saw him trudge forlornly off the Wembley turf. A consolation was to be had a few days later, however, when the Reds won the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
for the first time, defeating Borussia Mönchengladbach 3–1, with Clemence, again, being a thorn in the Gladbach side making a series of important saves.
Liverpool retained the European Cup in 1978 with a narrow 1–0 win over Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
at Wembley, but conceded their League title to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, to whom they also lost in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final. In 1979 and 1980, Clemence kept goal as Liverpool clinched the League title in each season. The 1978-79 League success saw Clemence set a record that was never beaten under the two points for a win system, conceding only 16 goals in the 42 league matches ( and just 4 at Anfield). This remarkable record endured until beaten recently by Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, who conceded 15 goals in the 38 League matches.
Once again in 1981 silverware proudly sat in the Anfield trophy room as they won the League Cup and the European Cup for the third time, the 1–0 win over Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
at the Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
on the 27 May ultimately proving to be Clemence's last game for the club.
The emergence of the South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-born Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former football goalkeeper and manager.He played for a number of clubs in a career which spanned for more than 20 years at professional level, most notably Liverpool during their dominant period in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Early years:In his teenage years, Grobbelaar...
put Clemence under threat for his place for the first time in eleven years (during which period he played in more than 650 matches and missed a mere six) and he decided Leave Liverpool by joining Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
for a fee of £300,000.
Tottenham Hotspur
Due to the form of South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n-born Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce Grobbelaar
Bruce David Grobbelaar is a former football goalkeeper and manager.He played for a number of clubs in a career which spanned for more than 20 years at professional level, most notably Liverpool during their dominant period in the 1980s and early 1990s.-Early years:In his teenage years, Grobbelaar...
, Clemence left Liverpool to join Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in 1982 for a fee of £300,000. The two clubs reached the 1982 League Cup final, which Liverpool won 3–1. Spurs did, however, win the FA Cup, defeating QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
1–0 after a 1–1 draw with Liverpool in the semi final.
Clemence's Spurs debut came in a league fixture at Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
on 28 August 1981, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
couldn't prevent Clemence starting off with a win, losing 3–1. His first clean-sheet came three games later on the 12 September at Molineux
Molineux stadium
Molineux Stadium is a Premier League football stadium situated in Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, England. It has been the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club since 1889, and has a long and illustrious history as the first 'new build' stadium in Football League history, one of the...
, when he kept Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
at bay in the 1–0 victory.
Clemence's international career was event-free, in that it coincided with England's least successful era, failing to qualify for two World Cups in 1974 and 1978. Clemence was part of the squad which qualified for Euro 1980
1980 UEFA European Football Championship
The 1980 UEFA European Football Championship final tournament was held in Italy. This was the sixth European Football Championship, which is held every four years and endorsed by UEFA. With eight teams competing, the final tournament took place between 11 and 22 June 1980...
but this ended in failure. In 1982, he was in the squad which qualified for the World Cup, but again England did not progress as far as hoped. Because of an injury to his left knee Clemence was forced into retirement from international football shortly afterwards with a total of 61 caps. His rival Shilton ended up as first choice keeper for the rest of the 1980s, playing in two more World Cups and attaining a record 125 caps. Clemence also had the distinction of captaining England, once, the first keeper to do so since Frank Swift
Frank Swift
Frank Victor Swift was an English footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City and England. After starting his career with local clubs near his home town of Blackpool, in 1932 he was signed by First Division Manchester City, with whom he played his entire professional career.Swift...
. The game in question was a prestigious friendly with Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
, although Clemence couldn't prevent the Brazilians from scoring as England lost 1–0.
Spurs won the UEFA Cup in 1984 but Clemence missed the final through injury. He did reach a fifth F.A Cup final in 1987, when his side lost to Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
. He is in a select group of players who have appeared in five or more F.A Cup finals. The same left knee injury returned and forced his retirement from playing in 1988. Shortly after retiring Ray Clemence soon joined the Spurs coaching staff.
International
Clemence was a regular for EnglandEngland national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
between 1972 to 1984 making his debut and keeping his first clean-sheet in the 1–0 World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifier win over Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
at Ninian Park
Ninian Park
Ninian Park was a football stadium in Leckwith, Cardiff, Wales. Until 2009, it was the home ground of Cardiff City F.C., who compete in the English Football League Championship...
on the 15 November 1972, unfortunately for Clemence the presence of another great goalkeeper Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton
Peter Leslie Shilton OBE is a former English footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He currently holds the record for playing more games for England than anyone else, earning 125 caps....
meant that the England management struggled to decide which keeper was the best, and ended up alternating their selection. Clemence made 61 appearances for England in a 12 year international career.
Coaching career
He retired in 1988 and joined the coaching staff at Spurs, working his way through to the first team, before leaving to become joint manager of BarnetBarnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
(with fellow goalkeeper Gary 'sumo' Phillips) in January 1994. At the start of the 1994–95 season, Ray took sole charge leading Barnet to 9th and 13th in Division 3. In August 1996 he was recruited by his former Spurs and England team-mate Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle is an English former footballer and manager who played as an attacking midfielder for Tottenham Hotspur, AS Monaco, Chelsea and Swindon Town and at international level for England....
as goalkeeping coach for the England team, a position he continued to hold under Hoddle's successors Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan
Joseph Kevin Keegan, OBE is a former international footballer and former manager of the England national football team and several English clubs, most notably Newcastle United....
and Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson , in Sweden commonly referred to just by his nickname Svennis, is a Swedish ex-football manager. From October 2010 to October 2011 he managed Football League Championship side Leicester City....
. He remained in that position under Steve McClaren
Steve McClaren
Stephen "Steve" McClaren is an English football manager and former player.McClaren was previously manager of VfL Wolfsburg in Germany between May 2010 and February 2011, having left his post at Dutch side FC Twente, with whom he won the club's first Eredivisie championship in the 2009–10 season...
until he was replaced by Italian Franco Tancredi
Franco Tancredi
Franco Tancredi is an Italian former football goalkeeper who played for A.S. Roma and Italy.-Career:Tancredi made 282 appearances for Roma from 1979 to 1990...
as goalkeeping coach in December 2007, as Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello is an Italian football manager and former player. He is the manager of the England national football team.Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career...
took charge of the national team. Clemence, however, remains part of the England backroom staff.
He is also the head of the F.A
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
's Head of Development Team his role is to oversee the England under 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 20 sides, working with England U21 coach Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
in monitoring the players' progress to the U21 side. He also occasionally works as a pundit on TV and radio.
Personal life
Clemence was awarded an MBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to football. His son, Stephen
Stephen Clemence
Stephen Neal Clemence is a retired English football midfielder who last played for Leicester City where he was team captain....
, is a midfield player who came through the ranks at Spurs and Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and retired injured from Leicester City in 2010. He is now the Reserve Team Development Coach at Sunderland. Ray's daughter Sarah also has footballing connections, being the wife of Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
manager and former Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
striker Dougie Freedman
Dougie Freedman
Douglas "Dougie" Freedman is a Scottish former professional football player who played as a striker. He is currently manager at Championship club Crystal Palace, where he spent ten of his sixteen years as a player.-Barnet:...
.
On February 2, 2005 Clemence announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
and that he would spend time away from the England squad whilst he receives treatment. He was the second member of Eriksson's staff to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd
Brian Kidd is an English football coach and former player, who is currently Assistant Manager to Roberto Mancini at Manchester City....
was diagnosed with the disease prior to Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
.
Clemence is still held in very high regards by both the Tottenham faithful and the Anfield faithful. He was voted in at No.11 on the Official Liverpool Football Club web site poll 100 Players Who Shook The Kop, he was also the highest placed goalkeeper. He was also chosen as goalkeeper in the BBC's Merseyside team of the 20th century, and topped the magazine Total Football's poll of the best ever goalkeeper, beating the likes of Shilton, Lev Yashin
Lev Yashin
Lev Ivanovich Yashin nicknamed as "The Black Spider", was a Soviet-Russian football goalkeeper, considered by many to be the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the game. He was known for his superior athleticism in goal, imposing stature, amazing reflex saves and inventing the idea of...
, Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks
Gordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
and Pat Jennings
Pat Jennings
Patrick Anthony "Pat" Jennings OBE is a Northern Ireland former football player. He played 119 games for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper, a figure which at the time was a world record and is still a Northern Ireland record, in an international career which lasted for over 22 years...
.
Honours
Liverpool FC:- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1980 - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 1974 - European Cup: 1977, 1978 and 1981
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
: 1973 and 1976 - League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 1981 - European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
: 1977 - Charity Shield: 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979 and 1980
- First Division (level 1) runners-up: 1974 and 1978
- F.A Cup runners-up: 1971 and 1977
- Football League Cup runners-up: 1978
- Charity Shield runners-up: 1971
- European Super Cup runners-up: 1978
Tottenham Hotspur:
- FA Cup: 1982
- UEFA Cup: 1984
- Charity Shield: 1981 (shared)
- F.A Cup runners-up: 1987
- Football League Cup runners-up: 1982
- Charity Shield runners-up: 1982
2011 - Ray was awarded a Honorary Doctorate (Honorus Causa) from Bishop Grossesteste University College Lincoln for his services to sport.
External links
- Official past players at Liverpoolfc.tv
- Player profile at LFChistory.net
- England coaches at thefa.com
- List of great players at truegreats.com
- Profile at Liverweb.org.uk
- Football Heroes (Liverpool) at Sporting-Heroes.net
- Football Heroes (Tottenham Hotspur) at Sporting-Heroes.net
- Goalkeeping Greats at goalkeepersaredifferent.com
- Ray Clemence @ Goalkeeping Greats