Ray Clemence

by Martin Greensill

Liverpool's best ever goalkeeper, Ray Clemence joined the club in June 1967 in an £18, 000 deal from Scunthorpe United, where he had made 48 League appearances. Aged only 18, he gained valuable experience in Liverpool's highly successful reserve side before making his first team debut in a 2-0 home win over Swansea City in a League Cup 3rd round tie on September 25, 1968. However, with the legendary Tommy Lawrence still in fine form between the sticks, Ray did not play again for nearly a year, appearing in a 10-0 demolition of Irish minnows Dundalk in a European Fairs Cup 1st round 1st leg tie at Anfield on September 16, 1969. He finally made his League debut in a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest on January 31, 1970, but did not become Liverpool's regular keeper until Lawrence was dropped following a shock 1-0 defeat at Division Two side Watford in a 6th round FA Cup tie a few weeks later. Ray played the last 13 League games of that season (conceding 11 goals as Liverpool finished 5th in the table), his great agility and fine judgement effectively putting an end to Lawrence's long and illustrious Anfield career. An excellent shot-stopper, especially in one-on-one situations, and a superb commander of his penalty area, Clemence would go on to surpass his famous predecessor both in terms of quality of performances and trophies won.

Now established as the club's No 1, Ray missed only one of Liverpool's 62 games in the 1970-71 season, and helped the side equal a defensive record by conceding only 24 goals in their 42 League games (though two of those goals came in the game in which he was rested, a 2-2 draw at Manchester City in April 1971). He kept 22 clean sheets in the League that term, including a run of four in a row in January-February 1971. However, Liverpool struggled for League goals, scoring just 42, and finished a disappointing 5th in the table, 14 points behind champions Arsenal. There was no success in knockout competions either, the Reds losing in the semi-finals of the European Fairs Cup (1-0 on aggregate to Leeds United) and then being defeated 2-1 by Arsenal in the FA Cup final on May 8, a game in which Clemence was given no chance by Charlie George's superb 20-yard strike that won the Cup for the Gunners. In season 1971-72, he conceded only 30 League goals and again kept 22 clean sheets in that competition, including an excellent run of seven in a row in February-March 1972. One of these clean sheets came in the crucial last game of the campaign, a 0-0 draw away to Arsenal on May 8, but the team's failure to score in that match meant they had to settle for 3rd place in the table, just one point adrift of champions Derby County. Liverpool made early exits in the three cup competitions they contested that term, but the young team rebuilt by manager Bill Shankly was steadily improving, with Clemence looking very solid in goal. Ever present in Liverpool's 53 games in all competitions, Ray's fine performances had not gone unnoticed at international level and he made his first England Under 23 start that season, a prelude to his full England debut in a 1-0 win against Wales in November 1972. That would be the first of 61 caps in a distinguished international career, a figure which would have been far higher but for the presence of Peter Shilton.

Bill Shankly's rebuilding programme would bear fruit in the 1972-73 campaign, and Clemence was again an important figure, playing in all but one of Liverpool's 65 games in a marathon season that would end in triumph. In the League, he kept 14 clean sheets in 41 games, eight lower than in the previous two campaigns, but the Reds still boasted the best defensive record with only 42 goals conceded. Allied to the side's greater attacking prowess - they knocked in 72 League goals with the Kevin Keegan-John Toshack strike partnership in full flow - this defensive stability helped Liverpool win a record eighth League title, a 0-0 home draw with Leicester City on April 28, being sufficient to bring the championship to Anfield for the first time since 1966. Early exits in the League and FA Cups had cleared the way for an assault on Europe and in May 1973 Liverpool faced Borussia Moenchengladbach in a two-legged UEFA Cup final. In the first leg at Anfield on May 10, they beat the West German side 3-0, Ray playing a crucial part by saving a second-half penalty from Jupp Heynckes to prevent an important away goal. As he said himself: "I watched Heynckes take a penalty in the semi-final on television and decided to dive the same way. The save was a reward for my homework." That stop would prove decisive, as Liverpool lost the second leg 0-2, just holding on for a 3-2 aggregate win. Without Clemence's heroics, the tie would have ended 3-3 on aggregate and they would have lost on the away goals rule. As it was, they not only won their first ever European trophy but also became the first English side to collect League and European titles in the same season. Ray was an ever present in the 1973-74 campaign, playing all of Liverpool's 61 games and keeping 30 clean sheets. In the League, he kept the opposition out in 19 of the 42 matches, including a run of five straight shutouts in February-March 1974, and conceded only 31 goals in total. However, Liverpool ended the League season with a whimper, winning only one of their last eight games to finish runners-up by five points to Don Revie's powerful Leeds United side. After early exits in both the European and League Cups, their last chance of silverware came when they faced Newcastle United in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Inspired by Kevin Keegan, who scored twice, Liverpool ran out comfortable 3-0 winners, Clemence having little to do as Newcastle's star striker, Malcolm Macdonald, was marked out of the game by a skinny 20-year old who would later captain club and country - Phil Thompson. After keeping seven clean sheets in nine ties in the competition, Ray deservedly picked up his third major honour in two seasons.

The 1974-75 campaign began with uncertainty at the club following the shock departure of manager Bill Shankly in August 1974, though Clemence himself continued as a permanent fixture in the Reds' goal. He would appear in all 53 games in the 1974-75 season, keeping 24 clean sheets, 18 of which came in the League. His best run of shutouts in this competition was four in October, Liverpool winning all four games to go top of the table, but they could not quite regain the League title and finished runners-up, two points behind Brian Clough's Derby County. Unlike the previous term, no silverware came from any of the cup competitions either, the Anfield trophy cabinet being, for once, left bare. However, following Shankly's resignation, the club had regrouped very effectively under new boss Bob Paisley, who in the coming seasons was to outperform even his legendary predecessor in terms of trophies won. It was also this campaign in which Clemence enjoyed probably his easiest ever game in a Liverpool shirt, admiring from afar as his team-mates hammered the Norwegian side Stromsgodset 11-0 (still a club record win) in a European Cup Winners' Cup 1st round, 1st leg tie at Anfield on September 17, 1974. Ray was again an ever present in the 1975-76 season, playing all 59 of Liverpool's games as the side returned to trophy-winning ways after the hiatus of the previous term. Clemence let in only 31 goals in the 42 League games, keeping 22 clean sheets including a run of six on the bounce in March-April '76 as the Reds surged to the League title, dropping only one point in their last nine games. He also underlined his value to the side in Liverpool's run to the UEFA Cup final by saving two penalties: the first in a 1-0 defeat by Hibernian in a 1st round 1st leg tie in September (Liverpool won the return leg 3-1, so would have lost on the away goals rule had it not been for that stop); the second in a 0-0 quarter-final, 1st leg draw at Dynamo Dresden in early March. Later that month, he produced a string of fine saves in the first leg of the semi-final as Liverpool achieved a historic 1-0 win away to a Barcelona side led by the great Johann Cruyff. A 1-1 draw in the return leg at Anfield saw Liverpool through 2-1 on aggregate to a two-legged final against FC Bruges of Belgium, a tie they won 4-3 on aggregate to complete their second League-UEFA Cup double in four seasons. Ray had capped another outstanding season by adding two more major medals to his growing collection. 

The 1976-77 campaign was to prove even more memorable and Clemence would be in the thick of it as usual, playing all 62 games of a marathon season. In the League, he conceded only 33 goals in 42 games and kept 18 clean sheets, including five in seven games up to and including a 0-0 draw at home to West Ham United on May 14, which gave Liverpool a record 10th championship. Having already reached the finals of both the European Cup and FA Cup, the club's dreams of a famous treble were a step closer to reality. However, they were shattered by a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup final at Wembley, the winning goal coming from a deflected shot that wrong-footed Clemence. Now Liverpool had just four days to pick themselves before the European Cup final in Rome against West German champions Borussia Moenchengladbach. Starting the game well on the steamy night of May 25, Liverpool led 1-0 at half-time through a 27th minute goal from midfielder Terry McDermott but were pegged back on 55 minutes, Clemence given no chance by a superb 20-yard strike from Danish star Allan Simonsen. As Moenchengladbach poured forward, Ray made a brilliant stop from Uli Stielike, rushing from his line to deny the West German international midfielder with his knees. That save proved the turning point as Liverpool went on to reassert their authority, a header from Tommy Smith and a penalty from Phil Neal completing a historic 3-1 victory. The European Cup had come to Anfield for the first time, and Clemence had more than played his part in an unforgettable triumph. 

Clemence appeared in all but two of Liverpool's 62 games in the 1977-78 season, keeping a clean sheet in 32 of them. He was particularly impressive in the League, conceding only 30 goals in 40 games and notching up 23 shutouts. Going for a hat-trick of League titles, Liverpool could never quite keep pace with Brian Clough's impressive Nottingham Forest side and a run of four defeats in five games in January-March proved fatal to their chances. They ended the season with a 12-game unbeaten streak, in which Ray conceded just two goals, but had to settle for the runners-up spot behind Forest, who also defeated them in a 1-0 in the League Cup final replay on March 22, Clemence only beaten by a disputed penalty. Silverware still found its way to Anfield, however, as the Reds retained the European Cup, Ray keeping another yet another clean sheet as Kenny Dalglish's delightful chipped goal was enough to defeat their old foes FC Bruges 1-0 in the Wembley showpiece.

Clearly determined to regain the league title that they had surrendered to Nottingham Forest in 1977-78, both Clemence and Liverpool began the '78-79 season in superb form, Ray letting in just four goals as the Reds won 10 and drew one of their first 11 League matches. Their first defeat didn't come until late October 1978, a 1-0 reverse at Everton, Andy King's 20-yard drive proving decisive. Early exits from the League and European Cups meant that Liverpool could concentrate on regaining the League title, and they did exactly that, coasting to championship glory by an eight-point margin from runners-up Forest and setting a First Divison record of 68 points (under the system of two points for a win). It was also in this League campaign that Clemence helped Liverpool concede only 16 goals in their 42 games, a record low for all four divisions of the Football League. He kept a remarkable 28 clean sheets and, at Anfield, picked the ball out of the net just four times in 21 games. Numbers like that prompted him to comment: "Sometimes I feel I'm hardly wanted in this Liverpool team. If I get two or three saves to make, I've had a busy day." Ray appeared in all but one of Liverpool's 60 games in the 1979-80 campaign, keeping 27 clean sheets. It was a season where Liverpool were 'nearly men' in the domestic knockout competitions, losing in both the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the League Cup, to Arsenal (in a third replay) and Nottingham Forest, respectively. But, as usual, the League was a different story. Liverpool lost only two of their first 23 games to establish a lead they would never relinquish, and a 4-1 home win against Aston Villa in early May 1980 gave them their fourth championship title in five seasons. Though not quite as solid defensively as the previous term, they still only conceded 30 League goals, Ray achieving 19 shutouts in his 41 games. 

Clearly determined to regain the league title that they had surrendered to Nottingham Forest in 1977-78, both Clemence and Liverpool began the '78-79 season in superb form, Ray letting in just four goals as the Reds won 10 and drew one of their first 11 League matches. Their first defeat didn't come until late October 1978, a 1-0 reverse at Everton, Andy King's 20-yard drive proving decisive. Early exits from the League and European Cups meant that Liverpool could concentrate on regaining the League title, and they did exactly that, coasting to championship glory by an eight-point margin from runners-up Forest and setting a First Divison record of 68 points (under the system of two points for a win). It was also in this League campaign that Clemence helped Liverpool concede only 16 goals in their 42 games, a record low for all four divisions of the Football League. He kept a remarkable 28 clean sheets and, at Anfield, picked the ball out of the net just four times in 21 games. Numbers like that prompted him to comment: "Sometimes I feel I'm hardly wanted in this Liverpool team. If I get two or three saves to make, I've had a busy day." Ray appeared in all but one of Liverpool's 60 games in the 1979-80 campaign, keeping 27 clean sheets. It was a season where Liverpool were 'nearly men' in the domestic knockout competitions, losing in both the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the League Cup, to Arsenal (in a third replay) and Nottingham Forest, respectively. But, as usual, the League was a different story. Liverpool lost only two of their first 23 games to establish a lead they would never relinquish, and a 4-1 home win against Aston Villa in early May 1980 gave them their fourth championship title in five seasons. Though not quite as solid defensively as the previous term, they still only conceded 30 League goals, Ray achieving 19 shutouts in his 41 games. He had now won 10 major honours, but more glory was to come in season 1980-81, another marathon affair which saw him play 62 of Liverpool's 63 games. For the first time in a decade, the Reds failed to mount a challenge for the League championship and ended up in 5th place, the first time they had not finished in the top two since the 1971-72 season. Recurring injuries to full back Alan Kennedy and central defender Phil Thompson were part of the problem, causing the team to leak 42 goals, the highest figure in eight seasons. The season finished brightly, however, as Liverpool overcame West Ham United to lift the League Cup for the first time in their history (winning 2-1 in the replayed final at Villa Park), and then regained the European Cup (their third triumph in five seasons) with a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in Paris on May 27, Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal of the game. A fixture for club and country (he was sharing the England goalkeeping duties with Peter Shilton) and only 32, Clemence was at the height of his powers - or so it seemed. Manager Bob Paisley saw things differently and sold him to Tottenham Hotspur for £300, 000 in August 1981. It was a shock transfer, especially as Paisley was putting his faith in an inexperienced youngster, Bruce Grobbelaar. However, Grobbelaar would have a long and illustrious career at Anfield, just like his predecessor, who had won 12 major medals, including five League championships and three European Cups, and kept an amazing 335 clean sheets in his 665 appearances for the club. A true Liverpool legend, Ray received a thunderous ovation from the Kop when returning to Anfield with Tottenham for a League game in May 1982.

www.sporting-heroes.net