Steve Clarke facts for kids
![]() Clarke as manager of Scotland in 2019
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Personal information | |||
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Full name | Stephen Clarke | ||
Date of birth | 29 August 1963 | ||
Place of birth | Saltcoats, Ayrshire, Scotland | ||
Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
Position(s) | Right-back | ||
Team information | |||
Current team
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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.
Contents
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

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
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
Scotland | 1987 | 3 | 0 |
1988 | 2 | 0 | |
1994 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 6 | 0 |
Managerial Record
Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
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P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
Newcastle United (caretaker) | 28 August 1999 | 2 September 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | |
West Bromwich Albion | 8 June 2012 | 14 December 2013 | 60 | 19 | 15 | 26 | 31.67 | |
Reading | 16 December 2014 | 4 December 2015 | 53 | 19 | 14 | 20 | 35.85 | |
Kilmarnock | 14 October 2017 | 20 May 2019 | 79 | 40 | 22 | 17 | 50.63 | |
Scotland | 20 May 2019 | Present | 68 | 29 | 15 | 24 | 42.65 | |
Total | 261 | 107 | 66 | 88 | 41.00 |
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
See also
In Spanish: Steve Clarke para niños