Steve Clarke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Steve Clarke

Clarke as manager of Scotland in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Stephen Clarke
Date of birth	(1963-08-29) 29 August 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth	Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s)	Right-back
Team information
Current team	Scotland (manager)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Beith Juniors
1982–1987	St Mirren	200	(7)
1987–1998	Chelsea	330	(7)
Total		530	(14)
International career
1983	Scotland U19
1983–1985	Scotland U21	8	(0)
1987–1990	Scotland B	2	(0)
1987–1994	Scotland	6	(0)
Managerial career
1999	Newcastle United (caretaker)
2012–2013	West Bromwich Albion
2014–2015	Reading
2017–2019	Kilmarnock
2019–	Scotland
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stephen Clarke (born on August 29, 1963) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Scotland national team.

Clarke played as a defender for clubs like St Mirren and Chelsea. He won three major trophies with Chelsea near the end of his playing career. After he stopped playing, he became a coach. He worked at several big clubs, including Newcastle United, Chelsea, West Ham United, and Liverpool. Later, he became a manager for teams like West Bromwich Albion and Reading. In October 2017, Clarke became the manager of Kilmarnock. He led them to a great season, helping them qualify for European tournaments. In May 2019, he was chosen to manage the Scotland national team. He successfully led Scotland to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020 and UEFA Euro 2024. These were Scotland's first major tournaments in many years.

Playing Career Highlights

Starting at St Mirren

Steve Clarke was born in Saltcoats, Scotland. His older brother, Paul, was also a footballer. Steve started his professional career with St Mirren. He was first on a part-time contract while he finished his training as an engineer.

Time at Chelsea

In January 1987, Clarke moved to Chelsea for £422,000. He played for Chelsea until 1998, making 421 appearances. He was a key part of the Chelsea teams that won the 1997 FA Cup Final, the 1998 Football League Cup Final, and the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. His last game for Chelsea was the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final in Stockholm. In 2005, fans voted him into Chelsea's special "Centenary XI" team as the best right-back.

Playing for Scotland

Clarke played six games for the Scotland national team. His first game was a 2–0 win against Hungary in September 1987. His last game was a 3–1 loss to the Netherlands in May 1994. Even though Scotland qualified for four major tournaments during his playing time, he was not chosen for those squads.

Coaching and Management Career

Early Coaching at Newcastle United

In 1998, Clarke became the assistant manager at Newcastle United. He worked under Ruud Gullit, who used to be his manager at Chelsea. Clarke helped Newcastle reach the 1999 FA Cup Final, where they finished second.

After Gullit resigned, Clarke was the temporary manager for one match. He then stayed at the club for a while under manager Bobby Robson.

Returning to Chelsea as Coach

Clarke as assistant manager of Chelsea in 2007

After coaching Chelsea's youth teams, Clarke became assistant manager in 2004. This was when José Mourinho became the main manager. Clarke was part of the coaching team that helped Chelsea win two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, and two League Cups in three seasons. During this time, he also earned his UEFA Pro Licence, which is a top coaching qualification.

When Mourinho left Chelsea in 2007, Clarke stayed on as assistant manager. He continued to work with the new managers.

Coaching at West Ham United

In September 2008, Clarke left Chelsea to become assistant manager at West Ham United. He worked with his former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola. West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season. This led to Clarke getting an extended contract. However, the next season was tough, and West Ham barely avoided being relegated. Clarke left the club in June 2010.

Time at Liverpool

On January 10, 2011, Clarke joined Liverpool as a first-team coach. He worked with manager Kenny Dalglish. Clarke was praised for helping Liverpool improve their performance and defense. In May 2011, he signed a three-year contract to stay at Liverpool.

In May 2012, Clarke offered to resign after manager Dalglish was sacked. Liverpool first declined, but he left the club in June 2012 when Brendan Rodgers became the new manager. Clarke later said that Liverpool had actually sacked him.

Managing West Bromwich Albion

On June 8, 2012, Steve Clarke became the manager of West Bromwich Albion. This was his first permanent manager role. He signed a two-year contract.

2012–13 Season Success

West Brom started the season well under Clarke. They won 3–0 against Liverpool in their first game. They also had good results against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. In November, the club won four games in a row for the first time since 1980. They beat teams like Southampton, Wigan, Chelsea, and Sunderland. Clarke was named the Premier League Manager of the Month for November 2012.

By Christmas 2012, West Brom was seventh in the league table. They finished the season in eighth place, which was their best finish since 1981. They also set new club records for wins (14) and points (48) in a Premier League season.

2013–14 Season Challenges

The next season, West Brom struggled to score goals at first. They had an important 2–1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which was their first win there in 35 years. However, they only won one more league game after that. On December 14, 2013, Clarke was removed from his role after a 1–0 loss to Cardiff City. The team was in 16th place, just above the relegation zone.

Managing Reading

On December 16, 2014, Clarke became the manager of Reading. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal. In March 2015, he led Reading to a 3–0 win against Bradford City in the FA Cup. This helped them reach their first FA Cup semi-final in 88 years. In November 2015, Clarke was offered the manager job at Fulham. Reading allowed him to talk to Fulham, but he decided not to take the job. Clarke was sacked by Reading on December 4, 2015, after one year in charge.

Coaching at Aston Villa

Clarke was hired by Aston Villa on June 2, 2016, as assistant manager. He worked with his former Chelsea teammate Roberto Di Matteo. However, he left the club in October 2016 when a new manager, Steve Bruce, was appointed.

Leading Kilmarnock

After a year away from football, Clarke became the manager of Scottish Premiership club Kilmarnock on October 14, 2017. Kilmarnock was the club he supported as a child. When he took over, the team was at the bottom of the league. His first game was a 1–1 draw against Rangers. Three days later, his team also drew 1–1 against the champions, Celtic.

Kilmarnock finished the season in fifth place. They set a new club record with 59 points. Clarke was named the SFWA Manager of the Year for that season. He continued his great work the next season, helping Kilmarnock finish third and qualify for European competitions. He won both the PFA Scotland and SFWA Manager of the Year awards. After the season ended, Clarke left Kilmarnock to manage the national team.

Managing Scotland National Team

In May 2019, Clarke was appointed manager of the Scotland national team. His first game was a 2–1 win against Cyprus in June. The team then had some tough losses, which ended their chances of qualifying directly for Euro 2020. However, on November 12, 2020, Scotland beat Serbia in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw. This win meant they qualified for the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 tournament. It was Scotland's first major tournament since 1998! In the tournament, Scotland drew with England but lost to the Czech Republic and Croatia.

Later in 2021, Scotland won six games in a row. This helped them finish second in their World Cup qualifying group. They went into the play-offs but lost to Ukraine. In 2022, Scotland won their Nations League B group. This earned them promotion to League A for the next competition.

Before the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying games, Clarke signed a new contract with the SFA until 2026. Scotland started their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign very strongly. They won their first five matches against Cyprus (twice), Spain, Norway, and Georgia. They officially qualified for the tournament on October 15, 2023, with two games still to play.

Career Statistics

International Playing Appearances

Managerial Record

Awards and Honours

As a Player

Chelsea

• FA Cup: 1996–97
• Football League Cup: 1997–98
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1997–98

Individual Awards

• Chelsea Player of the Year: 1994
• Chelsea Centenary XI: 2004–05 (Voted into Chelsea's best team of 100 years)

As an Assistant Manager

Chelsea

• Premier League: 2004–05, 2005–06
• FA Cup: 2006–07
• Football League Cup: 2004–05

As a Manager

Scotland

• UEFA Nations League
  • League B (1): 2022–23 (Won their group to get promoted)

Individual Manager Awards

• SFWA Manager of the Year: 2017–18, 2018–19
• PFA Scotland Manager of the Year: 2018–19
• SPFL Premiership Manager of the Year: 2018–19
• Premier League Manager of the Month: November 2012
• Scottish Premiership Manager of the Month: December 2017, February 2018, March 2018

Images for kids

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  Clarke as manager of Scotland in 2019

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  Clarke as assistant manager of Chelsea in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Steve Clarke para niños