Stephen Clemence interview: Coaching at Manchester City, working under Steve Bruce and learning from his father Ray | Football News

It was a strange summer for Stephen Clemence.

After nearly three decades of involvement as a player and then a coach, he suddenly found himself watching the opening day of the 2023-24 campaign away from the pitch or the dugout.

« I’ve had 29 consecutive opening games of the season, so it felt a little bit strange this year, » Clemence, 45, tells Sky Sports.

« But I had promised my family a period of time away from the game. They’ve experienced all the swings after wins and defeats so they deserved a bit of a break. »

Clemence, son of legendary former England, Liverpool and Tottenham goalkeeper Ray, came through as a player at Spurs before moving on to Birmingham and then Leicester.

Injuries curtailed his playing career at 32. But Steve Bruce saw something in him as a player at Birmingham, and took him onto his coaching staff at Sunderland in 2010.

He went on to work for Bruce at Hull City, Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle and West Brom over 12 years, achieving promotions, a foray into European football, and an FA Cup final.

« It’s been unbelievable, » Clemence says. « I’ve worked at some wonderful clubs and had some unforgettable experiences. There was the Cup final with Hull, the promotions there.

« Steve must have seen something in me when I was playing at Birmingham, and then when I had to retire early he brought me in as a coach.

« I spent some time in the reserves to get some confidence. I was coaching the youth teams and the like. Demarai Gray was among the U14 group then. I got the bug right away.

« Then I was promoted to the first team after a couple of years. I’ve had over 400 games now as a coach in the Premier League and Championship, it’s something I’m really proud of. »

But he has now been out of coaching since leaving the Baggies a year ago, and now feels it is the right time for the next step. He has since spent time coaching at Manchester City in preparation.

« I enrolled onto the elite manager’s diploma with the LMA, » he says. « I’ve been out to watch a load of games.

« In the summer, when I wasn’t involved, the City Football Group got in touch and I went to work there for a month.

« They wanted a technical coach to come in and work with some of their senior academy players, which I’ve found absolutely brilliant.

« They were a great group to work with. The likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Callum Doyle, James McAtee. A real pleasure to coach.

« To go in there and work with some real high quality players, just after they’d won the Treble, was fantastic. I’ve got a lot of experience but I really learned some stuff there that I’ll take on with me.

« I got a bit of time with Pep after they got back from their tour. He was great and so helpful with his advice. We also watched the first team train, and it was great to see someone like him work. »

Clemence has plenty of experience of dealing with the rough and the smooth as a coach. Under Bruce he has worked in some challenging environments, particularly at Aston Villa and Newcastle.

At the time they took over Villa had recently dropped into the Championship in 2016, and they were tasked with steering them back into the Premier League while contending with budgetary restrictions.

« It was a good experience, » he says. « We had to move some players on after steadying the ship in that first season. It was a tough time and we weren’t able to strengthen how we’d have liked.

« We put a good team together despite not spending much money. John Terry, Lewis Grabban, Robert Snodgrass. We got to the play-off final and we were disappointed not to win on the day. But it’s a game of football and that can happen against a good Fulham side.

« It went wrong the next year, but I think in that calendar year we were the second top scorers in England behind Man City. I thought we were doing okay going forward and were exciting to watch, but we were short in a few areas at the back. »

At the time Clemence also developed a close relationship with Jack Grealish, who credits him as one of the best coaches he has ever worked with.

For Clemence, the feeling is mutual.

« Jack is by far the best player I’ve ever worked with on a daily basis, » he says. « His ability is phenomenal, the way he carries the ball, his awareness on the pitch. I’m so pleased he’s gone on to win what he has.

« He’s one of those players who you can relax when he gets on the ball. He was like Allan Saint-Maximin at Newcastle. It was unbelievable what he could do.

« You can’t over-coach players like that. You can try and help them defensively, positionally, how and where they receive the ball. Pointers here and there. But they are proper natural talents. »

Talk of Saint-Maximin brings us back to his stint under Bruce at Newcastle. Far from an easy tenure that began with a swift summer switch from Sheffield Wednesday after a phone call.

« We did well at Wednesday, » Clemence recalls. « We weren’t there for long and we just missed out on the play-offs. We were in Portugal getting ready for the following season with the players and Steve got a call saying Newcastle wanted to speak to him.

« He had been given the opportunity to manage them a long time before when he was at Birmingham and he didn’t take it because he didn’t feel right about leaving at that time.

« But being a Geordie I think he always regretted it, and when the opportunity came around again he was desperate to do it. We were bang up for going as well, to be back in the Premier League. »

Clemence remains proud of what they achieved with the club during the turbulent end period of the Mike Ashley era.

« We didn’t have top-half budget and it wasn’t easy, » he says. « Our remit was to stay in the league and we finished 13th and 12th.

« You know when there’s outside noise but you know the sensible thing to do is not listen to it. But you know some things can become sensationalised and you have to keep doing your job the best you can.

« If you want to work in football you’ll face criticism. You have to be able to stand up to that and believe what you’re doing is right.

« I’ll admit it was tough watching some of the stuff going on around Steve. I’d worked with him for a long time. His press conferences were tough to see, with all the criticism aimed at him.

« Then when the third season came along there was all the takeover talk. He spoke to the new owners when they came in and told them: ‘I’m the only negative left at this club’. I also know that when they asked him who he’d recommend he said Eddie Howe.

« It’s a great football club and I want to see them do well. »

Clemence also had to contend with the passing of his father during his time in the North East. Ray passed in late 2020 at the age of 72.

He admits to missing his influence and words of wisdom, something that was always on hand throughout his playing and coaching career.

« Even when I was playing in the Premier League I’d call him before and after games, » Clemence recalls. « He had so much experience to pass down to me.

« My life was always about football. I don’t remember my dad’s time at Liverpool because he left there when I was three, but I remember him going to Tottenham and a bit of the end of his career.

« I remember being at Spurs all the time. Me and a few other kids were always having a kickabout before games on a pitch by the ground. Me, Ossy Ardilles’ son, Glenn Hoddle’s nephew.

« I saw all his big games on video and I knew what he’d done. I was so lucky to have him. I always wanted to be a player and he would give me so many tips about mentality and concentration and that type of thing. »

It is a mentality that sees Clemence keen to take the next step in his career. Now he is just waiting for the right opportunity.

« First and foremost I’m ready to work and I want to get back onto the grass.

« The natural progression is to be a manager, and I feel ready to take that step. I’ve had some conversations recently, but I felt they weren’t quite the right opportunity for me. You have to go in somewhere you feel like you have a chance to be successful.

« I love working with players, and if a coaches role became available with a manager also, and was at a club or project that excited me, I’d be open to that.

« I just want to be involved in football. I’m 45 now, and I want to be working for as long as I can. »