Steve Clarke

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For other people named Stephen Clarke, see Stephen Clarke (disambiguation).
Steve Clarke
Steve Clarke.jpg
Personal information
Full name Stephen Clarke[1]
Date of birth (1963-08-29) 29 August 1963 (age 49)
Place of birth Saltcoats, Scotland
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position Defender
Club information
Current club West Bromwich Albion (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1982–1987 St. Mirren 200 (7)
1987–1998 Chelsea 330 (7)
Total 530 (14)
National team
1983–1985 Scotland U21[2] 8 (0)
1987–1994 Scotland 6 (0)
Teams managed
1999 Newcastle United (caretaker)
2012– West Bromwich Albion
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Stephen "Steve" Clarke (born 29 August 1963) is a Scottish former footballer and manager of West Bromwich Albion.

He played for St. Mirren, Clyde, Chelsea and Scotland, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end of his career. After retiring as a player he moved into coaching and has worked for Newcastle United, Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool. Clarke was appointed manager of West Bromwich Albion in June 2012.

Contents

Playing career [edit]

Spotted whilst playing for Beith Juniors, Clarke started his professional football career with St. Mirren.[3] Clarke was initially on a part-time contract with St. Mirren, while he completed an apprenticeship as an instrument engineer.[3] He was transferred to Chelsea for £422,000 in February 1987.[4] He stayed at Chelsea until 1998, making 421 appearances.[4] He was a part of the Chelsea sides which won the 1997 FA Cup Final, 1998 Football League Cup Final and 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. The latter game, against VfB Stuttgart in Stockholm, was Clarke's final appearance for the club.[4] In 2005 he was voted into Chelsea's centenary XI, occupying the right-back berth.

Coaching career [edit]

Newcastle United [edit]

In 1998 Clarke joined Newcastle United as assistant manager to Ruud Gullit, his former boss at Chelsea. Clarke was caretaker manager following Gullit's resignation,[5] taking charge of one match, a 5–1 defeat against Manchester United.[6] For that game, Clarke reinstated Alan Shearer and Rob Lee to the team.[6]

Chelsea [edit]

After a stint in charge of the youth teams at Chelsea, Clarke was promoted to the position of assistant manager when José Mourinho was appointed manager in the summer of 2004.[7] Clarke was a part of the coaching set-up which saw Chelsea win two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups over three seasons under Mourinho. During this period he completed his UEFA Pro Licence in 2006[8]

When Mourinho departed from Chelsea in September 2007, his services were retained by Avram Grant, although Henk ten Cate was brought in as another assistant coach.[9] Both Grant and then Cate left the club at the end of the 2007–08 season.[9][10] BBC Sport and The Times both reported then that although Clarke remained on the Chelsea coaching staff, he would be looking to pursue opportunities to become a manager in his own right.[9][10] Chelsea assured Clarke of his status, citing his loyalty, popularity amongst the club's supporters and work in the aftermath of Mourinho's departure.[10]

West Ham United [edit]

On 12 September 2008 Clarke handed in his resignation to Chelsea, hoping to move to West Ham United to be assistant to former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola.[7][11] Chelsea initially rejected his resignation, demanding compensation worth two years of Clarke's salary.[7] After a deal was agreed between the clubs, Clarke became West Ham's first-team coach on 15 September.[12]

West Ham finished ninth in the Premier League in the 2008–09 season,[13] earning Clarke and Zola extended contracts that made Clarke the highest paid assistant manager in the league.[14] The club struggled during the next season, however, narrowly avoiding relegation.[13] In June 2010, not long after the dismissal of Zola as manager,[13] Clarke left the club by mutual consent.[15]

Liverpool [edit]

On 10 January 2011, Clarke was appointed first team coach at Liverpool by Kenny Dalglish,[16] after Dalglish had replaced the dismissed Roy Hodgson two days before.[17] Clarke was credited (alongside Dalglish) for turning Liverpool's season around, having a points average of around 2 points per match from his arrival, coupled with an improved defensive record. On 12 May 2011, Clarke, as well as manager Dalglish, signed a three year contract to remain in his current role as first team coach.

On 14 May 2012 Clarke offered his resignation to Liverpool following the sacking of manager Dalglish and Liverpool's 8th place finish in the 2011–12 Premier League. The club declined the offer but on 6 June 2012 following the appointment of new manager Brendan Rodgers, Clarke left the club.[18] Clarke himself said that Liverpool sacked him. [19]

West Bromwich Albion [edit]

On 8 June 2012, Clarke was announced as the new manager of West Bromwich Albion having signed a two-year contract. The job is Clarke's first permanent management role for any club.[20] Albion began the Clarke era with a 3–0 home win against Liverpool on the opening day of the Premier League season. Clarke then followed that result up with a 1-1 away draw against Tottenham Hotspur, and a 2-0 win at home to Everton. Clarke suffered his first competitive defeat away at Fulham, but West Brom soon jumped back with 1-0 home victory over Reading. In November the club won four consecutive matches in a row for the first time since 1980, defeating Southampton, Wigan, Chelsea and Sunderland respectively.[21] Due to his efforts in November, Clarke was awarded the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month. [22] Although the team would go on to lose their next three matches, Clarke's team would bounce back with a draw at home to West Ham and a 2-1 win over Norwich City. By Christmas 2012, West Brom were seventh in the table with 30 points, behind teams like Arsenal and Spurs on only goal difference. During the January transfer window Clarke encountered some problems with want-away Nigerian Striker Peter Odemwingie who desired a move to Queen's Park Rangers, but Albion stood firm and refused to sell.[23] Odemwingie was ultimately never sold and was later given time off following the transfer window saga.[24] It was during this January period that the club struggled to emulate their early season form. Following a poor run of results which saw West Brom fail to win in six consecutive games, Clarke oversaw a 2-0 victory against Liverpool at Anfield- the club's first win since Boxing Day against QPR.[25]

On 27 April 2013 Clarke's team secured a 3-0 away victory over Southampton, giving West Brom their fourteenth win of the season- their highest win total in the Barclays Premier League. The result took the club to a record breaking 48 points- their highest number of points in a Premier League season.[26] West Brom ended the season in style with a dramatic 5-5 draw with Manchester United in what would be Sir Alex Ferguson's final game as manager[27]. The draw saw West Brom finish 8th in the table on 49 points- their best finish since 1981.

Honours [edit]

Team playing honours [edit]

Chelsea

Individual playing honours [edit]

Chelsea

Coaching honours [edit]

Chelsea
Liverpool

Individual [edit]

West Bromwich Albion

Managerial statistics [edit]

As of 19 May 2013
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Newcastle United (caretaker) England 28 August 1999 2 September 1999 70001000000000000001 50000000000000000000 50000000000000000000 70001000000000000001 &050000000000000000000.00
West Bromwich Albion England 8 June 2012 Present 700142000000000000042 700115000000000000015 70008000000000000008 700119000000000000019 700135710000000000035.71
Total 700143000000000000043 700115000000000000015 70008000000000000008 700120000000000000020 700134880000000000034.88

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Stevie Clarke". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  2. ^ "Steve Clarke". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 11 October 2012. 
  3. ^ a b Buckland, Simon (14 March 2010). "Steve Clarke: ‘It’s time for me to be the guy who makes decisions’". The Sunday Times (London). Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  4. ^ a b c "Steve Clarke". Chelsea F.C. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  5. ^ "Gullit quits Newcastle". BBC News. 28 August 1999. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
  6. ^ a b Hodgson, Guy (31 August 1999). "Cole strikes at heart of Magpies". The Independent (London). Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  7. ^ a b c Wallace, Sam (13 September 2008). "Scolari asked Clarke not to leave for West Ham". The Independent (London). Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  8. ^ "The Class of 2006". The Football Association. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 26 April 2012. 
  9. ^ a b c "Ten Cate sacked as Chelsea coach". BBC Sport. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  10. ^ a b c Hughes, Matt (2 June 2008). "Steve Clarke assured of role at Chelsea". The Times (London). Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  11. ^ "Steve Clarke hands in resignation to Chelsea – Premier League, Football". The Independent (London). 12 September 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
  12. ^ "Clarke takes coaching role". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
  13. ^ a b c "West Ham sack manager Gianfranco Zola". BBC Sport. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  14. ^ "Zola signs new West Ham contract". BBC Sport. 25 April 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010. 
  15. ^ "Clarke parts company , News , Latest News , News , West Ham United". West Ham United F.C. Retrieved 10 June 2010. 
  16. ^ "Steve Clarke joins Liverpool". Liverpool F.C. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
  17. ^ "Steve Clarke appointed as Liverpool first-team coach". BBC Sport. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2011. 
  18. ^ "Liverpool first team coach Steve Clarke leaves club". BBC Sport. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012. 
  19. ^ "Clarke - I was sacked by Reds". Sky Sports. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2012. 
  20. ^ "Albion appoint Clarke". West Bromwich Albion F.C. Retrieved 8 June 2012. 
  21. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20374862
  22. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20680192
  23. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jan/28/peter-odemwingie-west-brom-qpr-bid
  24. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/west-bromwich-albion/9841681/West-Brom-striker-Peter-Odemwingie-dropped-for-Tottenham-game-following-transfer-deadline-day-farce.html
  25. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21318809
  26. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22228828
  27. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22499117

External links [edit]
(a) acting in regular manager's absence; (c) caretaker
West Bromwich Albion F.C. – current squad
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