The PFA are deeply saddened by the passing of former Liverpool, Tottenham and England goalkeeper Ray Clemence, aged 72.
Joining Liverpool in June 1967 from Scunthorpe United in an £18,000 deal, after being spotted by manager Bill Shankly, Clemence initially became the understudy of first team choice Tommy Lawrence, before becoming a key member of the first team in 1970.
It was the beginning of a career that would see Clemence regarded by many as Liverpool’s greatest ever goalkeeper. The side under Shankly, in which Clemence was a key figure, won the title and UEFA Cup in the 1972-73 season, a feat which was repeated in 1975-76 following victories in Europe over Borussia Monchengladbach and Club Bruges. In 1974, the FA Cup was sealed after a win over Newcastle United.
In 1977, Liverpool would claim European Cup Final Victory in a 3-1 win against Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome. In this season, they would also win the title once more, missing out on the FA Cup Final to Manchester United. Clemence would go on to win two more European Cups against Club Bruges in 1978 at Wembley and Real Madrid in Paris in 1981.
When Clemence left the club in 1981 for Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £300,000, his personal trophy tally included five titles, two UEFA cups, three European Cups, the FA Cup and the League Cup across 665 first-team appearances.
A member of the Spur’s side that won the FA Cup final in 1982 and the UEFA Cup in 1983-84, Clemence stayed at the club until 1988, when an Achilles tendon injury forced him to retire.
Following his retirement, Clemence joined Spurs as a member of the coaching staff, working closely with his former team-mate Doug Livermore before becoming manager of Barnet for the 1994/95 season. In September 1996, Clemence was appointed to the England coaching staff by his former team-mate and new Three Lions manager Glenn Hoddle. He would continue in this role for a number of years under managers Kevin Keegan, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson. Clemence announced his professional retirement in October 2013.
Clemence made his England debut in 1972 in a World Cup qualifying win against Wales. He would go on to win 61 caps for the Three Lions over the next 11 years, which saw a decade-long battle with Peter Shilton for the number-one shirt. He captained England in a friendly against Brazil in May 1981, becoming the first goalkeeper to lead out his country since Frank Swift in the 1940s.
In 1987, away from the field, Clemence was made an MBE for his services to football.
The thoughts and condolences of everyone at the PFA are with Ray's family and friends.
