Ray Clemence facts for kids
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Clemence with Tottenham Hotspur in 1981
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Raymond Neal Clemence | ||
| Date of birth | 5 August 1948 | ||
| Place of birth | Skegness, England | ||
| Date of death | 15 November 2020 (aged 72) | ||
| Place of death | Corby, Northamptonshire, England | ||
| Height | 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Notts County | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1965–1967 | Scunthorpe United | 48 | (0) |
| 1967–1981 | Liverpool | 470 | (0) |
| 1981–1988 | Tottenham Hotspur | 240 | (0) |
| Total | 758 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1967–1971 | England U23 | 4 | (0) |
| 1972–1983 | England | 61 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1992–1993 | Tottenham Hotspur (joint with Doug Livermore) | ||
| 1994–1996 | Barnet | ||
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Raymond Neal Clemence (born August 5, 1948 – died November 15, 2020) was a famous English football goalkeeper. He was a key player for Liverpool in the 1970s. Ray is known for being one of only 31 players to play over 1,000 career games. He also holds the record for the most "clean sheets" in football history, with 460. A clean sheet means a goalkeeper stops the other team from scoring any goals.
With Liverpool, Ray won many important trophies. These included three European Cups, five League titles, and two UEFA Cups. He also won a UEFA Super Cup, an FA Cup, and a League Cup. His last game for Liverpool was the winning 1981 European Cup Final. In 1981, Ray moved to Tottenham Hotspur. There, he won another UEFA Cup, an FA Cup, and a Charity Shield before he stopped playing in 1988.
After his playing career, Ray Clemence became a coach. He worked as a joint-manager at Tottenham and then as a manager at Barnet. Later, he became the head of the FA Development Team. In this role, he helped young players in England's youth teams. He also worked with the England senior team as a goalkeeping coach.
Contents
Ray Clemence's Club Career
Starting at Scunthorpe United
Ray Clemence was born in Skegness, England. He first tried out for Notts County but didn't get signed. He was then noticed by Scunthorpe United while playing for his local youth team, Skegness Cosmos. After a great game, Scunthorpe invited him for trials, which he passed.
Ray signed his first professional contract with Scunthorpe on his 17th birthday, August 5, 1965. This was just before the start of the 1965–66 season. He made his first professional game on April 2, 1966, in a 1-1 draw against Swansea Town. Before this game, two Scunthorpe coaches, Jack Brownsword and Alan Bushby, told him he could play for England if he worked hard.
Ray played four games in his first season. He got his first clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Southend United. He learned a lot from the experienced goalkeeper Geoff Sidebottom. Ray said Geoff taught him how to protect himself, as goalkeepers were less protected back then.
Ray became Scunthorpe's main goalkeeper in the 1966–67 season. Even after a tough 7-1 loss to Grimsby Town, Scunthorpe still believed in him. He played 46 games in a row for the team.
During this time, Bill Shankly, the famous Liverpool manager, scouted Ray 12 times. Liverpool made an offer for the 18-year-old goalkeeper, and Scunthorpe accepted. Ray was told the news while stacking deckchairs at the beach! The Scunthorpe chairman personally drove him to Anfield, Liverpool's stadium, the next morning. Ray always remembered Scunthorpe as a club that felt like a family.
Becoming a Legend at Liverpool
Ray Clemence joined Liverpool on June 24, 1967. The club paid £18,000 for him. He played his first game for Liverpool on September 25, 1968, in a League Cup match. Liverpool won 2-0, and Ray kept a clean sheet. For the next two years, he played mostly for the reserve team. By 1970, he became Liverpool's main goalkeeper.
In 1971, Liverpool reached the FA Cup Final. Ray played well, but Arsenal won 2-1 in extra time. Two seasons later, in 1973, Ray celebrated big wins. Liverpool won both the League title and the UEFA Cup. In the UEFA Cup final against Borussia Mönchengladbach, Ray saved a penalty. This save was very important because it helped Liverpool win the trophy. If the penalty had been scored, Borussia Mönchengladbach might have won on away goals.
The 1973–74 season brought more success. Liverpool won the FA Cup by beating Newcastle United 3-0. In 1976, Liverpool won the League and UEFA Cup again. The next year, they aimed for three trophies. They won the League title, but lost the FA Cup final to Manchester United. A few days later, Liverpool won the European Cup for the first time. They beat Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-1 in Rome. Ray made a fantastic save in that game when the score was 1-1.
Liverpool won the European Cup again in 1978. They beat Club Brugge 1-0. Ray also helped Liverpool win the League title in 1979 and 1980. In the 1978–79 season, Ray set a record. He let in only 16 goals in 42 league games, with only 4 goals scored against them at Anfield. This was an amazing record for a 42-game season.
In 1981, Liverpool won the League Cup and the European Cup for the third time. They beat Real Madrid 1-0. This was Ray Clemence's last game for Liverpool. A new goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar, was playing well. Ray decided to leave Liverpool after 11 years and over 650 games. He joined Tottenham Hotspur for £300,000.
Moving to Tottenham Hotspur
Ray Clemence joined Tottenham Hotspur in 1981. His first game for Spurs was on August 22, 1981, in the 1981 FA Charity Shield against Aston Villa. The game was a 2-2 draw. His first league game was a 3-1 win against Middlesbrough. He got his first clean sheet for Spurs on September 12, in a 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In 1982, Liverpool and Spurs met in the League Cup final, which Liverpool won. However, Spurs won the FA Cup that year, beating QPR 1-0 after a replay.
Spurs also won the UEFA Cup in 1984. Ray was injured for the final against Anderlecht. But he was on the bench as the substitute goalkeeper. Spurs won the match after a penalty shootout. Ray reached his fifth FA Cup final in 1987, but Spurs lost to Coventry City. He is one of the few players to play in five or more FA Cup finals.
In October 1987, Ray got an Achilles tendon injury. This injury forced him to stop playing football in 1988. Soon after, he joined the Spurs coaching team.
Ray Clemence's International Career
Ray Clemence played regularly for England from 1972 to 1983. He made his first appearance and kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win against Wales on November 15, 1972. England did not qualify for the World Cups in 1974 and 1978. Ray was part of the team that qualified for Euro 1980 and the World Cup.
Ray Clemence was captain for England once, which was rare for a goalkeeper. This was in a friendly game against Brazil, which England lost 1-0. Ray had to stop playing international football due to a knee injury. He earned 61 caps for England over 12 years. He often shared the goalkeeper spot with another great keeper, Peter Shilton. Shilton later became England's main goalkeeper and played in two more World Cups.
Coaching Career
Managing Teams
After retiring as a player in 1988, Ray Clemence joined the coaching staff at Spurs. He worked his way up to the first team. In January 1994, he became joint manager of Barnet with Gary Phillips. Later, he took sole charge of Barnet for the 1994–95 season.
Coaching for England
In August 1996, Ray was asked by his former Spurs and England teammate Glenn Hoddle to be the goalkeeping coach for the England team. He continued in this role under other managers like Kevin Keegan and Sven-Göran Eriksson. He stayed with the England team until 2007. When Roy Hodgson became manager, he brought Ray back as the Goalkeeper coach. In 2012, Ray injured his Achilles tendon during England's warm-up for a game at Euro 2012.
Ray also became the head of the F.A.'s Development Team. His job was to look after England's youth teams, from under-16s to under-20s. He worked with the England U21 coach Stuart Pearce to help players grow. He also sometimes worked as a TV and radio expert, talking about goalkeeping in football. Ray retired in 2013, after a long and successful career in football.
Personal Life and Legacy
Ray Clemence was honored with an MBE in 1987 for his contributions to football. His son, Stephen, also became a football player. Stephen played as a midfielder for teams like Spurs and Birmingham City. Ray's daughter, Sarah, is married to Dougie Freedman, a former football player and manager.
In February 2005, Ray announced that he had prostate cancer. He took time away from the England squad to get treatment. Ray Clemence was highly respected by fans of both Liverpool and Tottenham. Liverpool fans voted him No. 11 in their "100 Players Who Shook The Kop" poll, making him the highest-ranked goalkeeper. He was also chosen as the best goalkeeper in a poll by Total Football, beating other famous keepers like Peter Shilton and Gordon Banks.
Ray Clemence passed away on November 15, 2020, at the age of 72. He had battled prostate cancer for 15 years.
Honours
Liverpool
- Football League First Division: 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80
- FA Cup: 1973–74
- League Cup: 1980–81
- FA Charity Shield: 1974, 1976, 1977 (shared), 1979, 1980
- European Cup: 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81
- UEFA Cup: 1972–73, 1975–76
- European Super Cup: 1977
Tottenham Hotspur
- FA Cup: 1981–82
- FA Charity Shield: 1981 (shared)
- UEFA Cup: 1983–84
See also
In Spanish: Ray Clemence para niños
- List of men's footballers with the most official appearances
