Wednesday the 24th of June 2015 marks 47 years since a fresh-faced 18-year-old Ray Clemence signed for Liverpool FC from Scunthorpe United. He would go on to enjoy an illustrious career at Anfield, winning near every piece of silverware imaginable, but where does he stand amongst the club's best ever goalkeepers?
William Shakespeare once wrote that "some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
Greatness, to be exact, defines a state of superiority - something which distinctly puts something, or someone, above the rest often due to their natural ability.
Whether it was the latter, the former, or perhaps even a mix of all three of the things Shakespeare spoke about - Ray Clemence is a man who knows all about greatness.
His name is one that remains synonymous with Liverpool Football Club's glory-laden era of the seventies and eighties to this day, because of his majorly significant contributions to an all-conquering side in their prime.
In fact, his contributions were so significant that he is regularly referred to as Liverpool's best ever goalkeeper, even despite the countless number of excellent goalkeepers the club has had between the sticks across its illustrious 123 year history.
And yet, Clemence's origins were really rather humble.
Starting small
On just £11-a-week wages at Scunthorpe United in the early years of his playing career, Clemence had to work on the beach setting out deckchairs in the summer time to earn his keep.
It was on that exact beach that he learned that Bill Shankly would be thrusting him from an also-ran Division Three side, into a side who would dominate their peers under the Scotsman and the great Bob Paisley after him.
It was June 1967, and the 6' 2" shot-stopper was stacking deckchairs before he was pulled to one side by a council member who had been told by Clemence's mother that Scunthorpe had accepted a fee of £18,000 from Liverpool for his services.
Nowadays, that figure barely covers the average weekly wage of a modern-day Premier League footballer - but back then, it was a large amount of money.
After driving straight to Anfield in the chairman's Rolls-Royce to put pen to paper on the deal, Clemence never looked back.
To him, his move was rather surprising. After all, the news broke only a few weeks after the final game of the 1966-67 season, a game in which Clemence produced had a dreadful individual performance - as Scunthorpe suffered a 3-0 derby loss to Doncaster Rovers, with two goals which were almost directly his fault as Shankly himself watched from the stands.
His chance had seemingly gone, or at least that's what he thought.
Only a few weeks later, Shankly was insisting to him, on the very day he signed, that he would be in the first-team within six months - brought in to eventually succeed the superb Tommy Lawrence.
It actually took a little longer than that as it turned out Shankly had exaggerated somewhat in order to persuade him to sign, but the Scottish manager's confidence in Clemence's abilities remained the same.
He did not make his bow for the Reds until September 1968. Before that, he was forced to learn the tricks of his trade through the reserves - managed by a certain Joe Fagan for a number of years.
His experiences there were valuable and whilst his inclusions in the first-team were fleeting, Clemence was slowly blossoming into a goalkeeper of stellar ability.
So much so, Clemence set a Central League record whilst in the second-string for the miniscule amount of goals he conceded - as he waited for his opportunity in the first-team.
His debut came and went successfully, as second-half goals fromChris Lawler and Roger Hunt gave the Reds passage to the fourth round of the League Cup with a 20-year-old Clemence keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Swansea City.
First-team chance finally comes
Frustratingly, he would have to wait another year for his second outing in the first-team - where he would play in both legs of aEuropean Fairs Cup first-round tie versus Dundalk, a 10-0 home win and a 4-0 victory away from home - as Clemence enjoyed a rather uneventful 180 minutes.
But sooner rather than later, Clemence's time would come. The Reds were rebuilding from one age into another as the side captained by Ron Yeats in the sixties came to the end of their carrers.
The Englishman was finally gifted his full league debut againstNottingham Forest in January 1970.
Liverpool lost the game 1-0, but only a month later - Tommy Lawrence's curtain was finally called, as he played his final game in a disappointing FA Cup quarter-final loss away at Watford towards the end of February.
Immediately afterwards, Clemence would come into the side againstDerby County and hold his spot until the end of the campaign, keeping seven clean sheets in 12 league games as Shankly's side finished a disappointing 15 points off of 1st-placed Everton.
As the rebuilding of the side continued into the 1970-71 season, Clemence became a constant figure behind the back-four - though Shankly and co. would endure another disappointing season.
Another fifth-placed league finish, a shock defeat to Swindon Townin the third round of the League Cup and elimination at the semi-final stage of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup meant it was a tough season - made only tougher on May 8th.
An FA Cup final loss to Arsenal in extra-time, after Steve Heighwayhad initially gifted the Reds the lead at Wembley, capped off a largely forgettable year.
But it had been a strong first full campaign for Clemence, who conceded only 22 goals in 41 First Division matches - then a record - and elsewhere, there were increasingly promising signs.
In particular, signings such as Kevin Keegan and John Toshack joined the ever-impressing Alec Lindsay and Larry Lloydas the solid foundations for the coming years began to be built.
That showed the next year, in 1971-72 - where Liverpool finished an agonising one point away from winning the title - conceding only 30 goals as they kept the best defensive record of all 22 teams for the second-straight season.
The start of something good
Finally, when 1972-73 came along - the first signs of Liverpool's coming period of domination began to show.
Clemence was right at the heart of it once more, as he helped the Reds put seven years without silverware behind them.
Again, the Reds had the best defence in the league - even despite conceding 42 goals, an average of a goal per game, as they won the First Division title for the eight time.
It was Clemence's first trophy since joining in 68', and he only had to wait a month for the second - as he played another major part in another success, this time in the UEFA Cup final against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Kevin Keegan put his side ahead after just 21 minutes of the first-leg, before missing a penalty only four minutes later. But it only took him to the 32nd minute to net his brace, as the Reds took full control of the game.
It was a three-nil lead after the break, Larry Lloyd heading in from Keegan's corner - but Gladbach were handed the ideal opportunity to get back into the two-legged tie in the 65th minute.
Steve Heighway's challenge on Henning Jensen was deemed a foul, allowing Jupp Heynckes the chance to put the West Germans back in the tie with an away goal.
But Clemence, still only 24, guessed the right way to ensure the Reds took a commanding 3-0 first-leg lead to Germany.
There, Shankly's side would suffer a scare - as Heynckes struck twice before half-time, the second a tremendous curling strike into the top corner to give Gladbach real hope - but they could not find another, and Liverpool took a 3-2 aggregate victory to lift the UEFA Cup for the first ever time, also becoming the first ever English team to win a European trophy and league championship in the same season.
Things got better and better for the Englishman, who had also made his international debut in November 1972 as the Three Lions beatWales 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier, and he became a regular alongside Shilton.
'Clemence the Cat' some began to call him, for his cat-life reflexes, and just about everything else. Consistency, superb ability to command his area, quick-thinking and a vast improvement in his distribution - he became the perfect all-round athlete to complete a superb outfield side.
Things get better and better for Clemence and Liverpool
The next campaign, the 1973-74 season - would prove the last under the famous Bill Shankly.
Sadly - it wasn't quite the perfect send-off for him, in that Liverpool finished second five points away from league champions Leeds United. The Reds' European Cup campaign, too, was to be slightly underwhelming - crashing out in the second round to FK Crvena Zvezda.
The Reds' defensive stability continued, conceding just 31 goals in Shankly's final season - joint-best alongside champions Leeds.
But the penultimate game of the season was to prove a rather more suitable farewell, as Liverpool steamrolled Newcastle United in a 3-0 win in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Having been in charge for the last 15 years, overseeing an impressive tally of 11 trophies, Shankly would become known for building the bastion of invincibility which Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan would further build upon and profit from.
Paisley, appointed by the Liverpool directors to maintain their fine run of form under Shankly, was understandably reluctant to take the role - knowing the huge pressure that would sit on his shoulders to do so, but he took the job.
In hindsight, Paisley's appointment turned out to be one of the best decisions Liverpool Football Club ever made, and Clemence would go on to enjoy a huge trophy haul during his tenure - aside from the new manager's trophyless first year.
Even then, Liverpool's failure to win silverware in his first campaign came after a loss to Middlesbrough in the penultimate weekend allowed Derby County to steal the championship from under their noses.
Getting better and better
Disappointed by their failure to win the league title, Paisley's side stepped up massively and Clemence was a key component once more - playing a pivotal part in the Reds' 1975-76 UEFA Cup triumph as he saved a Dynamo Dresden penalty in the quarter-finals to ensure they reached the final four.
They also won the league a ninth time, finishing a single point ahead of Queens Park Rangers - owing a lot to their defence, who ensured they conceded another league-low of only 31 goals and kept 23 clean sheets.
Then followed the 1976-77 season, and with it another league title, another league-record low tally of goals conceded, as they let in just 33 goals. Another European Cup - this time in Rome. More big saves, most notably against Saint-Etienne and against Mönchengladbach in the final, a 3-1 win. More success. More silverware. More records. Things were going well, fair to say.
An FA Cup final loss to Manchester United put an unwelcome gloss on things, with the Reds having been chasing the treble - but again Clemence continued to consolidate himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe.
But as an individual, Clemence was only just reaching peak, as Liverpool thrashed Kevin Keegan's Hamburg to win their firstEuropean Super Cup - winning 7-1 on aggregate, including an emphatic 6-0 Anfield win before retaining their European Cup against Club Brugges in London the next season as the club's major successes continued.
Perhaps the best that Liverpool ever saw of Clemence came in the 1978-79 campaign, when he conceded just 16 goals in 42 games - only four of which came in 21 home games - on their way to the league title, finishing eight points clear.
It was a terrific testament to his ability, and even though he had a gifted defence in-front of him - not many defences had such a reliable goalkeeper behind them to depend on.
It's perhaps his trophy cabinet which helps put Clemence above the rest, not to mention just how talented and all-rounded as a 'keeper he actually was. That was why he went on to win another league title and League Cup double in 1979-80, in addition to Charity Shieldsuccesses that season and the next, too, adding to three he already had.
Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer, commonly regarded as the current best 'keeper in the world, is renowned for his sweeper-keeper qualities - but Clemence was one of the early propagators, though he learned a lot as Lawrence's understudy in his early years.
Liverpool's high-line could leave them vulnerable to the occasional long ball over the top, but Clemence's ability to come off his line and pick up the pieces ensured that it never often mattered.
Even more, his ability to remain concentrated throughout the game regardless of the fact that Liverpool's regular dominance meant that he was only called into action on the odd occasion. Nevertheless, Clemence was consistently ready to make vital saves and help win the Reds a lot of points, and trophies.
A fitting farewell
But Clemence's Liverpool career had to come to an end eventually and it ended in fitting fashion, as he approached his 33rd birthday. His last game? Another European Cup final, this time against Real Madrid in Paris. The perfect place to conclude his Merseyside career.
Once again, Clemence kept a shut-out as Alan Kennedy's late strike gave both the club and the player their third European Cup trophies, making sure they were still the team to beat outside of England after also beating Bayern Munich on the way to the final - too thanks to Kennedy's exploits.
"It's never going to get better than this" he thought, and perhaps he right. Besides the fact that Liverpool went on to win four league titles, one European Cup, one FA Cup and three League Cups - with Bruce Grobbelaar in between the sticks, Clemence's time at Anfield has run its very successful course.
Instead, he would go on to play for Tottenham Hotspur, making an emotional return to Anfield only a few months into his career atWhite Hart Lane before winning a further three trophies, before finally retiring in October 1987 through injuries.
But it was his time at Liverpool that he will always remembered for, the only really blot on his copybook being his relatively small number of England caps - with national team managers often preferring Peter Shilton over him. That's not to distract from his sheer quality, though.
Simply the best
His honours list says it all, across 665 appearances Clemence won five First Division titles, three European Cups, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup, a League Cup and one European Super Cup. Not to mention his 61 England caps.
Add that to the fact that he missed just six Liverpool games in his 11-year long stint in the first-team and the fact that, to this day, he retains the greatest goals conceded average of every Liverpool goalkeeper to have played 100+ games - conceding just 448 goals in 665 games, otherwise an impressive average of 0.75 goals conceded per game.
Clemence, even in the days when defenders were not as tactically drilled as they are now, kept 323 clean sheets in all competitions. In other words, he averaged just short of a clean sheet every other game.
The second-closest on Liverpool's all-time goalkeepers list? His replacement, Bruce Grobelaar, whose splendid record of a clean sheet in 43% of his games was still eclipsed.
His records are plentiful. He still holds the joint-record for conceding only 16 goals in 42 games in an English First Division season and his list of big-moment saves is relatively endless.
"King of Keepers" the Liverpool Echo labelled Skegness-born Clemence back in 1977, and it is hard to argue against that statement to this day.
Clemence's place in Liverpool's Hall of Fame is incontestable, nor is his place amongst the most distinguished goalkeepers world football has ever seen.
He truly was one of the greats.
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE (born 5 August 1948) is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s. He currently acts as Head of the FA Development Team overseeing the development made by players in the England Youth teams from under-16 to 21 level, as well as previously being part of the England Senior team back room staff.[1]
Life and playing career
Scunthorpe United
Born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England, Clemence made his debut for Scunthorpe United in 1966[4] and made 48 appearances in what was then called Division 3.[3]
Liverpool
Clemence was signed by Liverpool manager Bill Shankly[5] on 24 June 1967 from Scunthorpe United for a fee of£18,000,[3] he made his debut and kept his first clean-sheet in a League Cup third round tie at Anfield on 25 September 1968,[6][7][8] Swansea City were the visitors and were beaten 2–0.[9] 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 Arsenalscoring 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 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 theParc des Princes on 27 May ultimately proving to be Clemence's last game for the club. The emergence of the South African-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 to leave Liverpool by joiningTottenham Hotspur for a fee of £300,000. It has since been said that "Ray Clemence is without doubt the greatest goalkeeper ever to play for Liverpool" by the Liverpool FC official website,
Tottenham Hotspur
Clemence left Liverpool to join Tottenham Hotspur in 1981 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 replay.
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 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.
International
Clemence was a regular for England 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 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.
Coaching career
Management
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 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 ninth and 13th in Division 3.
England Coaching Team
In August 1996[1] 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, remained part of the England backroom staff, when Roy Hodgson took over as manager, he reinstated Clemence to the Goalkeeper coach role. On 11 June 2012, he snapped his Achilles during England's warmups for their game against France during Euro 2012.
He was the head of the F.A's Head of Development Team, where his role was to oversee the England under 16s, 17s, 18s, 19s and 20 sides, working with England U21 coachStuart Pearce in monitoring the players' progress to the U21 side. He also occasionally works as a pundit on TV and radio, and comments on current goalkeeping stories in football.[10][11][12]
In 2013, Clemence retired; being "lavishly saluted", and being bought a gift from the England national football team; despite his last appearance at an international level coming 30 years ago.[3]
Personal life
Clemence was awarded an MBE for services to football. His son, Stephen, is a midfield player who came through the ranks at Spurs and Birmingham City and retired injured fromLeicester City in 2010. He is now the reserve team manager at Hull City. Ray's daughter Sarah also has footballing connections, being the wife of Nottingham Forest manager and former Scotland striker Dougie Freedman.
On 2 February 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 poll100 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.
Honours
- Liverpool
- Football League First Division (5): 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80
- FA Cup (1): 1973–74
- League Cup (1): 1980–81
- FA Charity Shield (5): 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980
- European Cup (3): 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81
- UEFA Cup (2): 1972–73, 1975–76
- UEFA Super Cup (1): 1977[3]
- Tottenham Hotspur
.jpg) Ray Clemence (1981) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raymond Neal Clemence | ||
| Date of birth | 5 August 1948 [1] | ||
| Place of birth | Skegness, Lincolnshire, England[1] | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[2] | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Notts County | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1965–1967 | Scunthorpe United | 48[3] | (0) |
| 1967–1981 | Liverpool | 470[3] | (0) |
| 1981–1988 | Tottenham Hotspur | 240[3] | (0) |
| Total | 758 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| England Under-23 | 4 | (0) | |
| 1972–1984[3] | England | 61[3] | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1992–1993 | Tottenham Hotspur (joint with Doug Livermore) | ||
| 1994–1996 | Barnet | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
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