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When Stephen Clemence steps onto the sidelines to coach Gillingham against Sheffield United in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday, he will surely think back to the past and the happy memories he has of the tournament. His father, Ray, who has since passed away, was a two-time winner of the FA Cup, first with Liverpool in 1974 and then with Tottenham in 1982.
“I still have vivid memories of him discussing his desire to win a third medal before his final FA Cup final against Coventry in 1987. He wanted to be able to give one to each of us children – myself, my sisters Sarah and Julie – someday,” Clemence recalls.
When I was nine years old, I had the opportunity to walk around the field with my father before the game. It was a truly incredible experience. My dad had a feeling that it would be his final time playing at Wembley. Sadly, he ended up losing that day.
Clemence, a midfielder and former player, recalls reaching the semi-finals in 2001 while playing for Tottenham against Arsenal. He considers this match to be the most significant one he has ever played in, as it was a highly anticipated North London derby in the Cup semi-final at Old Trafford. This competition also holds a special memory for Clemence, as it was where he scored his first professional goal for Tottenham against Fulham in 1998.
I celebrated by kissing the corner flag, which now seems silly to me. I had always scored many goals for the youth and reserve teams, but my ultimate goal was to score for the first team. It was important for me to do it in front of my friends and for the team I had always supported. Although I grew up as a Liverpool fan, I switched my loyalty to Tottenham when Paul Gascoigne joined the team; I was infatuated with him.
As a child, Clemence was fully involved in the world of soccer. He regularly attended his father’s matches, spent school breaks observing Tottenham Hotspur’s training sessions, and played pick-up games with Ossie Ardiles’s children, Federico and Pablo, and Glenn Hoddle’s nephew, at the indoor court in White Hart Lane.
In the past, I didn’t really care about watching the game. It was more about playing five-a-side or six-a-side afterwards,” he says with a grin. “The players would usually go for a drink upstairs, so we would have a few hours to ourselves. After playing on the court, we would be covered in sweat.
“As a youth-team member of Tottenham, we would have practice twice a week at that location. I was quite familiar with the routine as I had spent a significant amount of time there.”
Clemence has a diverse range of stories, including being a young center-forward who played in the highest level for Birmingham. He also spent over 10 years coaching with Steve Bruce at various clubs such as Sunderland, Hull, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle, and West Brom. He departed from West Brom in October of 2022.
In 1991, Gascoigne scored a free-kick against Arsenal, securing Tottenham’s spot in the FA Cup final. At this time, Clemence was part of the Spurs staff and ended up at the post-match party at White Hart Lane. There, he had the opportunity to watch the other semi-final with his hero. Clemence was in awe when Gascoigne later came and sat next to him, putting his arm around him. It was a surreal experience for Clemence.
I have a distinct memory of another story involving Gazza. I would often be seen kicking a football around the training ground and would use a spare goal to practice. One day after first-team training, the players were finishing up with crossing and finishing drills and I was standing on the side of the pitch. Gazza then called out to me, saying “Little Clem, put some balls in for me.” I started putting them in with my left foot, exactly where he wanted them. But then he challenged me to use my right foot and suddenly things weren’t going as smoothly. Being a very left-footed player, I struggled and Gazza began teasing me, as he would with anyone else.
Clemence values those moments but is currently concentrating on the current situation. In November, after going through three interviews with Brad Galinson, the determined American owner of Gillingham, the 45-year-old agreed to take on his first role as a manager at the League Two team, with the goal of securing a spot in the playoffs. However, he had been preparing long before that. By then, he had already analyzed 10 of their games in their entirety using Wyscout and even went to Walsall disguised in order to get a sense of the team. “I sat in the family section, away from everyone, and wore a baseball cap,” he recalls.
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During the previous summer, Clemence and Kolo Touré were asked to train a group of young players from Manchester City, in order to prepare them for their future endeavors. According to him, this group of players had the possibility of being loaned out, sold, or transferred to another team within the City Football Group. It was a valuable opportunity for him to witness the inner workings of one of the top football organizations in the world.
“I had the opportunity to witness the first team’s training on a few occasions and observe Pep [Guardiola]’s methods. My colleague Kolo and I asked him, ‘If we were to have a job, what would you do?’ He replied, ‘Sign good players.’ He also mentioned, ‘During my time at Barcelona with Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi, I could have managed that team with my eyes closed.’ However, I believe he was being modest because I have personally seen his exceptional coaching skills.”
In November 2020, Ray passed away from prostate cancer. In the subsequent year, the Clemence family completed a 26.2 mile walk in Liverpool to support Prostate Cancer UK. This month, Jack, who is now 18 years old, will be running the same distance in stages to raise funds for the charity.
Clemence expresses her admiration for the impactful efforts of Prostate Cancer UK in supporting families. She shares that her father, who was an ambassador for the organization, was always a strong supporter. As a family, they are committed to continuing some of his work. Clemence’s son Jack, who was very close to his grandfather, has independently chosen to take on the latest challenge in support of the cause.
Although it is still in the beginning stages, Clemence, whose brother-in-law is the sporting director of Crystal Palace, Dougie Freedman, is excited about his new role. Gillingham is currently only one point away from the fourth-tier playoffs thanks to back-to-back wins. What would Clemence’s father think of him as a head coach? “My only regret is that he is not here to witness this,” Clemence expresses.
Before he passed away, he told me, “Be sure to give it a try.” I replied, “I will, Dad, when the timing is right.” I believe he would be proud and I can only hope he is watching over us.
Source: theguardian.com
