ray clemence

interview prise sur www.lfchistory.net
je la publie ici en totalité et je vais en traduire les principaux faits.

The interview with Ray Clemence started by us giving him a birthday present because it was his birthday coincidentally at the day of the interview. He thanked us for the kind gesture and for reminding him of the special day, because as years go by he tends to forget it's his birthday. Clemence is now 57 years old. We showed him his career stats at LFChistory and he was totally shocked at how many teams he had played against in his career at Liverpool. When he regained his composure, he was ready to answer a few questions on his life and career at Liverpool FC.


First of all. How is your health now? You've had a prostate cancer scare....
I finished treatment three weeks ago [interview taken on 5th August]. I don't know if I am clear or not. I have to go back in September to find if the treatment worked [so he might already now know the results]. But I feel fine. The most important thing is being positive and getting on with things. The support I've had from Liverpool supporters throughout the world and other supporters has been fantastic. It's been a difficult 4-5 months, but I had the operation and then had radiotherapy since then. I feel fine, but until I go back to the specialist and they look again and say: 'Everything is clear now', which will hopefully happen in September, then I'll be ok.

Any special reason why you became a goalkeeper?
I couldn’t play anywhere else. I never wanted to be a goalkeeper. I never really played in goal until I was 15 years of age. I started off at 9 years of age as a centre forward. In my early teenage years I played centre-half and left back. I enjoyed both those positions, probably left back better than centre-half. And just by chance one day we were short of a goalkeeper and the sportsmaster at school nominated me to go into goal. When I went into goal it was just natural for me to do. I still didn’t really want to be a goalkeeper. 50% of the games I was playing in my youth team was at left back and 50% I was playing in goal. Little bit of luck about that...

I had six or seven games one season with 2nd division Notts County as a schoolboy, but they threw me out because they thought I wasn’t good enough. In football, you need to be in right place at the right time. I think I’ve had that. I had 46 appearances for Scunthorpe. I was a 17-year-old in my first year at Scunthorpe. The following season I missed the first two first team games and then played the rest of the first team games at 18 years of age. At the end of that season I moved to Liverpool.

Liverpool scouts had watched the games, some of the directors as well and Bill Shankly watched me 3-4 times. Shankly said to me they watched me more than they had watched anybody else. They watched me for 10-12 games and then made their decision.

Is it true that Shankly told you Tommy Lawrence was much older than he really was?
Yes! When I signed for Liverpool Shanks told me Tommy Lawrence was over the hill and past his best and if I continued to improve I’d be in the “Big team” as he used to call it, within six months. When I got to Liverpool for pre-season after signing for them I found out that Tommy wasn’t over the hill and past his best. He was at the peak of his career and I had to wait 2½ years before getting a regular first team place.

My Liverpool debut was against Swansea City at home in the League Cup. We won it 2-0. It was a horrible night, lashing down with rain and a gale-force wind. I had a particularily poor night when kicking the ball was concerned. I remember one soul shouting out from the Anfield Road end, knowing my kicking would put Swansea on the attack every time I had the ball: 'Clemence, take an early shower'. Obviously he didn't realise what was to come in the next 14 years.

- Clemence arrived at Liverpool 24th of June 1967 and made his first team debut on 25th September 1968, but his big break didn’t arrive until in late February 1970 when he was selected by Shanks in a 0-2 defeat to Derby in the league. Shanks wasn't deterred and Clemence, as they say, never looked back after that.

You never demanded to leave the club?
The first two years I played occasionally and I played in the England U-23 side while I was playing for Liverpool reserves. It was a learning curve for me and I was learning a lot about playing for a big club and watching how the first team played and what I would have to do when I came into the team. For the last half season I started to get a little frustrated that I wasn’t getting more chances and if I hadn’t gotten into the team that year then maybe at the end of that season I would have certainly asked a question that for me to improve I need to be playing first team football.

Obviously you had a lot of memorable games but the game that most remember is the European Cup final of 1977 against Moenchengladbach.
Because it was the first time that Liverpool had been through to a European Cup final. It was a special season for us as we nearly won the treble. We had won the League one Saturday, lost the FA Cup the following Saturday and won the European Cup four days later. It was a special time in Liverpool’s history, a special time for the fans because the season had just been incredible. For the last three months of the season we were going from an important league game to a quarter-final in the FA Cup, another important league game, the quarter-final of the European Cup. The last three months were one massive game after another. To win the League was one thing, we had done that before. To lose the Cup was a blow to us against Manchester United. Then to win the European Cup under the circumstances we did... It was a fantastic night. To have 26,000 fans there who had done everything they possibly could, had sold things, pawned things, just to be at Liverpool’s first European Cup final. To win it in the style we did and then the homecoming... Anybody who was a member of that team or anyone who was a fan at that time will always remember that because it was so special.

The turning point in the Moenchengladbach game was for many when you made that save from Uli Stielike...
People over the years have asked me, 'What have been your best saves'? People tend to think that you would say, 'It was the one when I flew into the top corner and tipped it over the crossbar'. I tend to look at the saves in terms of how important they were to the game. Therefore the save from Stielike was one of the most important ones I ever made. It wasn’t a spectacular save but just the time of the game and the importance of it. We were 1-0 up and playing very well. Moenchengladbach had a little spell after half-time when they got on top of us. Simonsen scored a great goal and within 5 or 10 minutes of that Stielike broke through. Him against me. I did what I always did. I tried to make myself as big as possible, spread myself at his feet and luckily he hit me with the ball. 5 or 10 minutes later Tommy Smith headed into the net and we went on to win the game. I am not sure in the mental state we were in, if we had gone 2-1 down having just lost to Manchester United on the Saturday as well, we could have come back from that.

So for me that was probably the most important save I ever made, certainly matched alongside the penalty save I made in the UEFA Cup final at Anfield in the first European final I ever played in. Again at the time it didn’t seem important. We were winning 3-0 in the first leg at home and Stevie Heighway gave away a penalty. Jupp Heynckes took that penalty and I managed to save it. It was only 10 or 15 minutes of the game to go. We went out to Germany two weeks later for the 2nd leg and we were 2-0 down in 20 minutes and finished up losing the game 2-0. If I had conceded the goal at Anfield they win the UEFA Cup on away goals.

So it’s pretty much on par with Dudek’s double save from Schevchenko in extra time vs. Milan?
Jerzy would probably say, if he was honest, that he didn’t know anything about the second save. He put his hand up and the ball hit it! Let’s be fair, he got on his feet quickly. That’s when goalkeepers need that little bit of luck. It’s hit him and it could have still hit him and gone into the net. It’s hit him and over the crossbar. That was probably the big turning point. AC Milan thought mentally, ‘We’re never going to score’ and if I had been a Liverpool player and seen Dudek make that save you would say: ‘It’s going to be our night.’

Was there one particular striker that was hard to be up against?
I never feared strikers, but I had great respect for strikers. I was lucky enough to play against some of the greatest strikers in the world. I played against Pele towards the end of his career. I played against Maradona, Cryuff, Neeskens, Zico, Rivelino.... I was lucky to play against most of the best strikers at some stage in my career. Pele was special. He was coming towards the end of his career, playing in America, but you could still see the incredible skills he had. I played against him in the Bicenntenial tournament in America in 1976. England went across and played in a tournament against Brazil, Italy and Team America.

Did Pele score?
Pele didn't score, no, no..


He was useless anyway.
[Clemence laughs heartily]

- Clemence fought a well documented battle with Peter Shilton over the no. 1 England shirt. Clemence was England's number 1 under Don Revie, but Ron Greenwood chose to rotate between him and Shilton. Clemence managed 61 caps, but Shilton made 125 appearances. Clemence's biggest disappointment was missing out on a place in the starting line-up in the 1982 World cup, when Tottenham's FA Cup final ended in a draw and it had to replayed. Clemence was at the time number one and Shilton his reserve at number 22. England played two friendly internationals while Clemence was concentrating on the FA Cup Final and Shilton's performances in those two games guaranteed him the number one shirt in the 1982 World Cup finals.

We simply ask Clemence: Aren’t the endless comparisons with Shilton tiring?
It was going on for 10 years. One was in the England team and the other was in the England team. It was great for the English team to have two goalkeepers of almost the same ability. I was lucky. I was playing at the time for one of the best teams, if not the best team in Europe so I was playing in European Cup finals, UEFA Cup finals, FA Cup finals and winning League championships where as Peter had his success at Notts Forest but apart from that didn’t win an awful lot.

What's your opinion of Grobbelaar, your successor at Liverpool?
He was totally different. You don't play in Liverpool's first team in 13 years unless you are a very good goalkeeper. Nobody has stayed in Liverpool's goal as long since then. My way of playing was always to be safe and sure and to make as few mistakes as possible and making the special save when I needed to. Bruce was more of a showman than I was. More of a character but possibly over the period of time might made one or two more errors, but also made some fantastic saves.



How would you compare goalkeeping in your time with goalkeeping today?
The goalkeeping today is different. The rules have changed. A goalkeeper needs to be a more complete player than he was in my days in terms of he has to be as comfortable with the ball at his feet as with his hands. He probably spends more time with the ball at his feet than he actually has it in his hands these days. The technology of the game has changed in terms of obviously gloves to make it easier for the goalkeeper to handle the ball. But then the ball has changed. The ball has become lighter, it moves more in the air. It has become more difficult for goalkeepers to deal with because these balls are going one way but in the last five yards they move. They might dip or go the opposite way and they can cause you a major embarrassment.

You played under two very different managers...
They were two different characters, but they both had this tremendous will to win. Shanks enjoyed the media, was funny and was a great motivator. Bob didn't like doing interviews. I wouldn't say he was the greatest motivator in the world, but he was very thorough in telling us tactically the strengths and weaknesses of the teams we were playing against.



Phil Neal told us last year that he called players "Doings"...
Yes, that was basically because he had great problems in pronouncing foreign names. [laughs]

You played in 5 FA Cup finals. Which one of them was the most memorable?
The one in '71 against Arsenal just came and went and I didn't know anything about it. We obviously lost. I've seen the goals a million times and I still don't know how the first goal went in to this day. I think the cap fell over my eyes or something. I remember sitting at the dinner afterwards, thinking: 'Lots of great players have never played in a Cup final and I've played in one now and might never play in another one and I don't remember anything about it'. It was quite disturbing really. Thankfully we went back in '74. To win it was a special moment. We played Newcastle off the park, won it 3-0 and could have won it by far more.

When you play behind Liverpool's defence over 12 years, I didn't have lots to do. If you had one or two saves to make in the game, it was all about making those saves. That was part of the make-up of the Liverpool goalkeeper.

The fans are obviously a big part of Liverpool's success through the years?
It just amazed you over the years what lengths Liverpool supporters would go to to get actually to support you at a game. They would get unto a train without a ticket and somehow talking their way out of the problem just to be there. Being prepared to sell things, washing machines, televisions, anything to get the money to be at Liverpool's big games.

In '77 people went on the train right across the alps and slept in roofracks and everything on the train. They weren't bothered how uncomfortable how it was, it was all about being there. Those were special times. The Kop then was 20,000+ people stood behind the goal.
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Do you follow Liverpool now?
Of course I do. I was glued to the television in the Champions League. I had 12 years at Tottenham but when people say to me: 'If you have to choose one club then which is it'?, then it has to be Liverpool. I had a fantastic time at Liverpool with the people of Liverpool. I found my wife there and I learnt most of the things I know about football from being in Liverpool Football Club. I've based a lot of the stuff I do coaching wise now on what I learnt at Liverpool whether it be motivational or tactical.



Do you have any hidden skills? Phil Neal told us he can oil paint....
He done what? I didn't know that. No, I just play golf [laughs]. I have no hidden talents whatsoever. Everything about me is up front. My hobby is golf. I love golf.

Your departure from Liverpool. I've heard some crazy rumours about you from Liverpool supporters in Liverpool from several different sources that you got involved with some mobster and he scared you out of the city of Liverpool.
It's one hell'uva story. It's one hell'uva fairy story, I can assure you. To start off, I don't know any, sooo... [laughs heartily]. The reason I left... my last game for Liverpool was the European Cup final in Paris against Real Madrid. We won it 1-0 and you don't get a more spectacular game than that. It was my third European Cup final. I came off the field afterwards and went into the dressing room. There was champagne everywhere and TV cameras. All of the sorts of things you expect when you've won the European Cup final. I sat in the corner of the dressing room and just looked around the dressing room. It was just another day at the office for me. It was there and then that I made the decision that to perform at the level I had always pushed myself to, I just needed a new challenge. I had won everything there was to win at Liverpool. I was 32 years of age and for me to play longer at the level I wanted to play I just needed a new challenge. It proved to be right. I finished up going to Spurs, having another 7 years in the first team whereas I'm not sure I would have had another 7 years in Liverpool's first team. I had five years of coaching at Tottenham and that lead to me being with the England teams.

It was a difficult decision for me because I love Liverpool and I had another two years left of my contract. It has certainly nothing to do with the fairy story you're coming up with [laughs again]. It was literally a situation that I felt I needed a new challenge.

Now we can bury that rumour....
You can bury that rumour deep, deep, deep...




People tend to talk probably....
Well, it was because it was such a surprise to people. They can't believe I was doing it. When I made the decision there were a couple of times when I am thinking to myself: 'Am I doing the right thing here?', because it's such a fantastic club and I am so well treated and everything was right.

Were Liverpool's management aware of any dissatisfaction?
They were as surprised as everybody. I didn't go obviously go to them straight after the Cup final. I went in a couple of weeks later and said this is what I want to do. Bob and the board, Peter Robinson, said: 'Well, are you sure it's nothing else. Can we do anything?' I'm sure they would have given me probably a bigger contract if I had pushed for it. But I said, 'It's not that, it's just literally I need to change. I've loved every minute of this here and I don't want it to turn sour.' I had seen other great players stay a little bit too long at Liverpool and then moving to somewhere where it wasn't such a big club and it was difficult for them to motivate themselves. I didn't want to do that. It was important if I was going to move, I had to move at a time when a big club wanted me. Tottenham were competing in Europe. European football had been part of my life for 14 years. It was important I was still involved in that. I finished up winning another UEFA Cup medal, another FA Cup medal, got to two more Cup finals so it was the right move for me at that time.

Grobbelaar had arrived two months before. People would probably also say, 'he felt threatened by Grobbelaar'....
At the start of my career, I had Tommy Lawrence underneath me once I got into the side so I had the pressure of him. Frankie Lane came from Tranmere, McDonnell came from Oldham, Ogrizovic came from Chesterfield so I always had somebody putting pressure on me and that was part of Liverpool's way getting you to play well was always having somebody to threaten your position. Therefore you always had to play well. Bruce was no different to any other goalkeeper I had underneath me before.

You got a great reception when you returned to Anfield..
The best reception I could ever ever have in terms of I made the decision to leave and there were a lot of disappointed Liverpool supporters that I had made that decision, because of that I wasn't sure of the reception I was going to get when I came back. The first half I was playing at the Anfield Road end and they were still chanting: 'England's number one to me' so that was nice. I could never have envisaged when I came out at half-time and ran down to the Kop, the reception I would get. The whole stadium stood up and every single one in the Kop. Standing ovation chanting my name. It's probably the most emotional I have ever been at a football ground. It definetively brought a lump to my throat because I could not believe the reception from them. It was just one of the best moments you could possibly have.

Great team spirit was obviously also the key to success at Anfield?
The whole team knew how to enjoy themselves. There wasn't anybody more special than anybody else. We had a great spirit there. Everybody knew how to enjoy themselves. We were probably European champions at that as well.

superbe cette interview, je l'ai pas encore lu mais j'adore ce joueur, pour moi ce fut le meilleur goal de l'histoire de Liverpool devant Grobbelaar et Scott !

bon maintenant je vais lire l'interview !

voila je l'ai lu ! vraiment sympa !

Clemence y raconte ses débuts difficiles a Liverpool (barré par Lawrenson), ses arrêts décisifs et ce qui m'a le plus plu (et à lui aussi apparement) c'est l'acceuil que lui a reservé le Kop pour son retour a Anfield (il était parti a Tottenham a 32ans), tout le monde s'est levé et a chanté son nom !!

Vraiment a Liverpool, on sait remercier et respecter les anciens joueurs, comme je suis sur qu'Owen aura lui aussi droit a une standing ovation quand il reviendra a Anfield !

Je m'arrete là parce que Autumn a dit qu'il se chargerait de la trad' !

tu as bien résumé,gerrard.
shankly avait exagéré l'âge du gardien que ray clemence a remplacé,afin que ray clemence soit convaincu qu'il devait le remplacer!!!! typical shanks,isn't it?

ray clemence n'a pas été poussé vers la sortie pcq bruce grobbelaar est arrivé.
en 1981,après avoir gagné la coupe des champions,il a senti qu'il etait arrivé à la fin de l'histoire.il devait changer de club ,histoire de se remotiver.

et la reception qu'il a eu en revenant à anfield fut magique.

sa lutte contre le cancer aussi est une formidable lecon sur la vie, même si c'est pas encore quasiment fini !!

sur ynwa ,des forumeurs me disent qu'en fait,il avait une liaison avec la baby sitter de ses enfants ou de son enfant,je sais pas combien il avait d'enfants.
la baby sitter n'avait pas 18 ans.
le père de la babysitter ,un acteur dont les forumeurs ne veulent pas révéler le nom l'a appris un jour dans un pub .le père est allé voir ray clemence et lui a dit "soit tu quittes la ville,soit je te dénonce aux flics".

La photo avec Keegan estsuperbe, je l'ai mise n fond d'ecran.
Kevin, mon dieux quel joueur.

P'tain que de bons souvenirs.

Joueur emblématique des années glorieuses, Ray a la classe et reste un grand monsieur. Merci encore pour cette article

PS: Je suis content que tu sois de retour. Autumn is back to stay!!!

NB: ça c'est dit

Le plus grand gardien du club, un des meilleurs joueurs de sa génération. Et quelle concurence en Angleterre au poste de gardien avec Shilton ! Ca a bien changé niveau gardien anglais depuis...

UNE LEGENDE DU KOP

super article
Mon père l'ayant rencontré quand il bossait dans un pub a Londres dans les années 70( ça descendait pas mal à l'époque ), j'ai beaucoup entendu parlé de ce joueur et j'ai récuperé l'autographe(bien préciseusement!!)écrit sur une note de pub lol

. Pour ceux qui comme moi ont le dvd de l'histoire de Liverpool cela permet de voir quelques extraits de ses matchs( les finales surtout).Et oui j suis trop jeune pour l'avoir vu jouer

autumn319 wrote:

et la reception qu'il a eu en revenant à anfield fut magique.

Tu m'étonnes, et si mes souvenirs sont bons il a pris une valise (5 buts je crois).

LEGEND

ant

YNWA

Ant wrote:

LEGEND

ant

YNWA

jconnais pas grand chose de lui... javais vu des arrets de ce gardien legendaire ! c'est bien le meilleur gardien de l'histoire des reds non?

de sa generation oui sans dout mais on a eux des autres aussi bon !!!

ant

Ant wrote:

de sa generation oui sans dout mais on a eux des autres aussi bon !!!

ant

qui sont?? grobebelaar c'est ça jimagine?et lautre?

Le gardien à jamais légendaire des Reds est Elisha Scott dans l'entre deux guerres. Pour sa bio :

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/past_players/players/scott/