Ray Clemence — LLMpedia

Ray Clemence
Marcel Antonisse / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl · source
Name	Ray Clemence
Birth date	5 August 1948
Birth place	Skegness, Lincolnshire, England
Death date	15 November 2020
Position	Goalkeeper
Youth clubs	Scunthorpe United
Senior career	Liverpool; Tottenham Hotspur; Barnet
National team	England
National caps	61

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Ray Clemence Ray Clemence was an English professional football goalkeeper notable for his long-term success with Liverpool F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., and the England national football team. He won multiple domestic and European trophies, worked with managers such as Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, and Keith Burkinshaw, and later served as a coach alongside figures like Graham Taylor and Harry Redknapp. Clemence is remembered among peers including Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton, and Dino Zoff for his consistency, shot-stopping, and contribution to club and country during the 1970s and 1980s.

Early life and youth career

Clemence was born in Skegness and raised in Scunthorpe, where he played for local sides before joining the youth system at Scunthorpe United. As a teenager he featured in matches against teams associated with Lincolnshire clubs and attracted attention from scouts representing Liverpool F.C. Academy, Manchester United F.C., West Ham United F.C., Nottingham Forest F.C. and Leeds United F.C.. He progressed through youth competitions tied to FA Youth Cup traditions and trained at facilities akin to those used by Everton F.C. and Arsenal F.C. youth setups.

Clemence signed for Liverpool F.C. in the late 1960s and became first-choice goalkeeper under manager Bill Shankly, later working with Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan. During his Liverpool career he won English league titles comparable to those contested by Derby County F.C. and Ipswich Town F.C., and European honours parallel to triumphs by AFC Ajax, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid CF and FC Bayern München. Clemence played in finals at stadia such as Wembley Stadium, San Siro, and Stadio San Paolo against opponents including Juventus F.C., AC Milan, FC Barcelona, Celtic F.C. and Aston Villa F.C..

In 1981 Clemence transferred to Tottenham Hotspur F.C. where he linked with managers like Keith Burkinshaw and teammates who had played with Glenn Hoddle and Steve Perryman. With Spurs he added appearances in cup competitions such as the FA Cup and UEFA Cup facing clubs like FC Porto, Ajax Amsterdam, Eintracht Frankfurt, Bayer Leverkusen and Olympique de Marseille. Late in his playing days he turned out for Barnet F.C. and encountered opponents from the Football League and Conference National circuits, sharing dressing rooms with players influenced by training methods from Wimbledon F.C. and Norwich City F.C..

Clemence earned caps for the England national football team and was part of squads for FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns contemporaneous with squads of West Germany national football team, Poland national football team, Soviet Union national football team and Scotland national football team. He competed domestically for the England number one shirt with goalkeepers such as Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton and Joe Corrigan. Clemence appeared in international friendlies and qualifiers staged at venues like Old Trafford, Hampden Park, Wembley Stadium and toured against sides including Brazil national football team, Argentina national football team and USSR national football team.

Clemence's goalkeeping style was compared to contemporaries including Dino Zoff, Sepp Maier, Pat Jennings and Gordon Banks. He was noted for reflex saves in the vein of Peter Schmeichel and for positional awareness reminiscent of Lev Yashin. His legacy influenced coaching philosophies at clubs such as Liverpool F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Aston Villa F.C. and national programs like The Football Association. Clemence featured in retrospectives alongside players and managers linked to European Cup dynasties, English First Division records, UEFA competitions and historiographies of 1970s in association football and 1980s in association football.

After retiring Clemence joined coaching staffs at clubs including Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and worked with national sides overseen by managers such as Graham Taylor, Sven-Göran Eriksson and advisors within The Football Association. He served as goalkeeping coach to keepers connected to England national football team squads and professional clubs like Manchester United F.C., Chelsea F.C. and Aston Villa F.C. through mentorship programs paralleling those of Jimmy Armfield and Graham Taylor. Clemence later collaborated with managers such as Harry Redknapp and contributed to coaching courses affiliated with UEFA structures and goalkeeping seminars alongside instructors from Liverpool F.C. Academy and Tottenham Hotspur Academy.

Clemence was part of teams that won honours comparable to English Football League First Division titles, FA Charity Shield trophies and European Cup medals, and he shared laurels with teammates honored by institutions like The Football Association and inducted in halls of fame that include English Football Hall of Fame. He received recognition during ceremonies involving figures such as Sir Kenny Dalglish, Bob Paisley, Bill Shankly, Clive Allen and Glenn Hoddle. Clemence's personal life included family connections in Lincolnshire and involvement with charitable events akin to fundraisers run by Professional Footballers' Association and community programs in Merseyside and London.