Stephen Clemence
Encyclopedia
Stephen Neal Clemence is a retired English football midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

 who last played for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 where he was team captain.

Clemence began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, where he spent six years as a professional, but never established himself as a regular first-team player. He was capped once for England at under-21 level
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

. He moved on to Birmingham City in 2003, where he was chosen player of the 2006–07 season, at the end of which he signed for Leicester City. An injury prone player, Clemence was well known for his passion, drive, leadership and commitment on the pitch. He suffered a series of long-term injuries in his career, the worst being a damaged heel while at Leicester, which brought his career to an end after 18 months on the sidelines. After retirement he joined the coaching staff at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

.

Tottenham Hotspur

The first team Clemence played for was Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he made his debut against 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...

 on 10 August 1997, a match Tottenham lost 0–2. His season was cut much shorter by a four-day spell in February 1998, during which time Clemence picked up a red card against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...

. He involved himself to a greater degree the following season, displaying more of the form which won him a place in the England U21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

 side. He scored three times during his spell at Spurs, his first coming in the 1997–98 FA Cup against Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...

, followed by two league goals against Derby County and Sunderland.

Clemence's injury woes started when he suffered a torn medial ligament in his left knee, following a collision with Blackburn Rovers midfielder Garry Flitcroft
Garry Flitcroft
Garry William Flitcroft is an English football manager and former footballer. Since May 2010 he has been the manager of Northern Premier League team Chorley.-Playing career:...

 in a match at Ewood Park
Ewood Park
Ewood Park is a football stadium in the English town of Blackburn, Lancashire, and is the home of Blackburn Rovers Football Club — one of the founder members of the Football League and Premier League. Rovers have played there since they moved from Leamington Street in the summer of 1890. The...

 in August 2001. His injury required surgery and was thought he would be out for three months. However, despite clocking a few hours of football in the reserves, Clemence was injured for 13 months. It was not until October 2002 that he resumed training. When he recovered in November, Luton Town manager Joe Kinnear
Joe Kinnear
Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kinnear is an Irish football manager and former player. He was most recently the manager of Newcastle United....

 was interested in signing him on loan.

Injury during the 2001–02 season meant he did not play until April. In the 12 months before and during the 2002-03 season, Clemence suffered a total of three major injuries. In what turned out to be his last season at Tottenham, Clemence played only once in a 2-1 League Cup defeat to Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...

 on 6 November 2002, in which he picked up an injury knock to his calf.

Birmingham City

When the transfer window opened in January 2003, Birmingham City agreed a fee believed to be in the region of £1.3m for Clemence. He joined Birmingham City for a fee of £900,000 on 10 January, signing a three-and-a-half year contract. He made his debut in a 4-0 defeat to 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...

 at St Andrew's on 12 January 2003.

In July 2003, Birmingham City participated in the Premier League Asia Trophy
Premier League Asia Trophy
The Premier League Asia Trophy is a friendly four-team pre-season football tournament held in Asia every two years. The competition is contested by three Premier League football clubs and the home team...

 in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...

, losing out on the final but beating Malaysia
Malaysia national football team
The Malaysian national football team nicknamed Harimau Malaya, as the Malayan Tiger, is the national team of Malaysia and is controlled by the Football Association of Malaysia...

 4-0 for third place, with Clemence scoring the third goal. Injury struck again in the 2003–04 season, meaning that once again he had to sit several games out. He also found himself competing with David Dunn
David Dunn
David John Ian Dunn is an English footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.-Blackburn Rovers:...

 and Robbie Savage
Robbie Savage
Robert William "Robbie" Savage is a football pundit and former Welsh professional footballer who played predominantly as a midfielder. During his career he captained Derby County, and also played for the Welsh national team. He now presents 606 on BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday evenings alongside...

 for a central midfield spot. Nonetheless, he finished the season by making his 50th appearance for the club.

In the 2004–05 season, Clemence's first team chances were again in the balance when the club signed Muzzy Izzet, but stated he would fight for his place in the team. In the 2005-06 season, the club opened talks with Clemence in May 2005, and he signed a new three-year contract on 14 October. Clemence suffered a calf problem in a 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa on 16 October 2005. On 4 April 2006, Clemence suffered a torn hamstring in a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on 4 April 2006, sidelining him for the remainder of the season while Birmingham were relegated from the Premier League.

He contemplated leaving the club after being dropped twice in 2006–07, but later became an integral part of the team, helping the club win promotion back to the Premier League. For his contributions, Clemence was named the club's player of the year and players' player of the year awards that season. He played his last match for Birmingham in a 1-0 defeat to Preston North End on 6 May 2007, missing out on the Championship title.

In July 2007, he was linked with a move to Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

 in a £500,000 bid. Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...

 were also believed to be monitoring him, while Leicester City were planning on a double signing with teammate DJ Campbell. These transfer rumours arose after then-manager Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...

 told Clemence he could not guarantee him first team football.

Leicester City

On 9 July, Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

 made an offer for Clemence, which Birmingham rejected, demanding an increased bid for the player. On 13 July 2007, Clemence signed a three-year contract with Leicester for an initial £750,000, in a deal which could be worth £1,000,000. Birmingham teammate DJ Campbell joined him at the club seven days later. Clemence was named the new team captain on 28 July, and was picked by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 as Leicester's key player for the 2007–08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...

. Clemence later admitted in July 2009 that "when [then-manager] Martin Allen
Martin Allen
Martin James Allen is a former football player and current manager of Notts County. He played more than 100 games for each Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United before finishing his playing career with Portsmouth and Southend United. Five years later, he took his first job in management, at...

 was here, we didn't have a settled team and we were not sure if our jobs were safe."

He made his debut in a 1-0 defeat to Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...

 at the Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...

 on 11 August 2007. Clemence scored his first goal for Leicester in a 3–2 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...

 win over 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...

 on 18 September, and his second in a 1-1 draw against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...

 on 29 December. He suffered a calf strain in January 2008, followed by a thigh injury in early March, though he was sidelined for only a short while. On 29 March however, Clemence suffered a torn calf muscle in a 1-0 win over 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....

, just a week prior to the end of the season as Leicester were relegated from the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

. It would be his final competitive match of his career.

Clemence underwent an operation in April and was expected to recover in time for pre-season training. However, he suffered complications following surgery on his Achilles' heel
Achilles' heel
An Achilles’ heel is a deadly weakness in spite of overall strength, that can actually or potentially lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, metaphorical references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common.- Origin :In Greek...

. As a result, Clemence played no part in the 2008-09 season, while vice-captain Matthew Oakley
Matthew Oakley
Matthew "Matt" Oakley is an English midfielder playing for League One side Exeter City on loan from Npower Championship side Leicester City where he was captain from 2008 to 2011. He had previously played for Southampton and Derby County....

 took over the armband and helped the club regain regain promotion from League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

. He had a second operation in October 2008, in which the surgeon had to take the Achilles off the heel-bone, clean it and then sew it back on. He also shaved some of the bone off the heel. As of July 2009, Clemence was yet to recover from his heel injury, an ordeal he considered "tough to deal with mentally because this is the longest time I've had out of the game."

He marked his return to action in a 3-1 win over Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...

 reserves on 8 September 2009, playing for 30 minutes as a substitute. He played his first full game in a 1-0 win over Barwell
Barwell F.C.
Barwell Football Club is an association football club based in Barwell, near Hinckley in Leicestershire, currently playing in the Southern Football League Premier Division.-History:...

 reserves on 13 October 2009, scoring the match-winning penalty. Manager Nigel Pearson
Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...

, however, said on November 26 that Clemence would not be rushed back into the first team, adding he wanted him to be "absolutely spot on" before returning. He returned to training intermittently with the squad in early December. On Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...

 2010 however, Clemence announced his retirement from football after failing to fully recover from his heel injury. He was released by Leicester on 17 May 2010.

After playing

In the summer of 2010, Clemence joined Steve Bruce
Steve Bruce
Stephen Roger "Steve" Bruce is an English football manager and former player. Born in Corbridge, Northumberland, he was a promising schoolboy footballer but was rejected by a number of professional clubs. He was on the verge of quitting the game altogether when he was offered a trial with Gillingham...

's coaching staff at Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...

 as a development coach with the reserve team. Bruce was the manager who signed him for Birmingham City.

International career

Clemence is a former England U21
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....

 player, earning just one cap in his career. He was eligible to play for Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...

 through his Northern Ireland-born grandmother. Clemence however, rejected the chance to represent the country in May and July 2004, a decision which then-manager Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrence Philip "Lawrie" Sanchez is a former Northern Irish football manager, and a former player. He is currently the manager of League Two side Barnet...

 said he would "respect." Sanchez did ask Clemence to reconsider in October 2006, but he never represented a national team at senior level.

Personal life

Clemence was born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

. He is the son of 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...

 international goalkeeper Ray Clemence
Ray Clemence
Raymond Neal "Ray" Clemence, MBE is one of English and European football's most decorated goalkeepers ever and was part of the Liverpool team of the 1970s.-Scunthorpe United:...

, who was then a 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...

 player. In 2003 he married model and actress Angela Saunders
Angela Saunders
Angela Saunders is an English model and actress.Saunders trained as a youth in tap dance and ballet. She then became a hospital worker who did part time modelling work, and after appearing as a nurse in the Scottish soap opera "McCallum", aged 21 she became a dancer on a cruise ship.On her return...

. Their first son, Jack, was born in February 2005. His wife gave birth to their second child in May 2007. When asked to name a favourite book as part of a 2005 scheme to promote reading, organised by the National Literacy Trust
National Literacy Trust
The National Literacy Trust is an independent charity based in London, England, that promotes literacy.It was founded by Sir Simon Hornby, former chairman of the major national retail chain, WHSmith PLC...

 in conjunction with the Premier League, Clemence chose The Twits
The Twits
The Twits is a humorous children's book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It was written in 1979, and first published in 1980....

by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...

, which he had enjoyed as a child.

Clemence is the brother-in-law 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 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:...

, married to his sister Sarah, and of golfer Brian Davis, married to Julie.

On 21 November 2004, Clemence and Birmingham City teammate Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke
Dwight Eversley Yorke is a Trinidad and Tobago former football player. He played for Aston Villa for most of his career, followed by stints with Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City, Sydney FC and Sunderland...

 had two Blackburn Rovers supporters arrested by police for racist abuse in a 3-3 draw at Ewood Park, before pressing charges against them.

Honours

Birmingham City
  • Premier League Asia Trophy
    Premier League Asia Trophy
    The Premier League Asia Trophy is a friendly four-team pre-season football tournament held in Asia every two years. The competition is contested by three Premier League football clubs and the home team...

     third place: 2003
  • Championship
    Football League Championship
    The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

     runners-up: 2006-07

Career statistics

Correct as of 18 April 2009
Season Club Division League 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...

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...

Europe Other Total
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1997–98 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....

Premier League 17 0 2 1 2 0 - - 21 1
1998–99 18 0 1 0 3 0 - - 22 0
1999–2000 20 1 1 0 - 3 0 - 24 1
2000–01
FA Premier League 2000-01
The FA Premier League 2000-01 season was the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles, although three teams had achieved that feat in the past - but with...

29 1 4 0 2 0 - - 35 1
2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...

6 0 - - - - 6 0
2002–03 1 0 - - - - 1 0
1997–2003 Total 912817030Birmingham 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...

Premier League 15 2 - - - - 15 2
2003–04 35 2 2 1 1 0 - - 38 3
2004–05 22 0 2 0 2 0 - - 26 0
2005–06 15 0 4 0 2 0 - - 21 0
2006–07 Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

34 4 - 1 0 - - 35 4
2002–07 Total 12188160|-1359
2007–08 Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...

Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

31 2 - 3 1 - - 34 3
2008–09 League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2009–10 Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2007–2010 Total 312|-Career Total 2431216216130The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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