We Can Boogie

Chapter 2

THE LONG ROAD TO HAMPDEN: FROM BUDDIE TO STAMFORD BRIDGE BLUE

A YOUNG Steve Clarke was always destined to play football at some level. It was inevitable and unavoidable. Football was the main pastime for most Scottish boys growing up in the late sixties and early seventies. It was a time when televisions, if you were lucky enough to have one, were more than likely to be black and white and with just three channels to choose from. Outdoor life was what Clarke and his generation thrived on, jumpers for goalposts and playing under the dim glow of street lights.

He was also born into some decent footballing stock on 29 August 1963 in Saltcoats, Ayrshire. His dad, Eddie, was a very good amateur player, although injury curtailed him from playing at a much higher level. His Uncle Jimmy had come through the ranks at Celtic and went on to play professionally for Morton and Cambridge United.

Clarke's brother, Paul, was seven years older and was also a promising player, who went on to have a long and successful career with Kilmarnock from 1974 to 1986.

So the future Scotland boss was coming from a family with a real footballing pedigree, although it hardly helped him when he was a youngster and it came to family kickabouts at the local park. Clarke was never the biggest physically. He was a late developer and in his younger years was always playing catch-up in terms of physicality. When he played for his school his dad even asked if his son could play down a year to give the youngster a better chance. It was refreshing and in sharp contrast to the parents who push to see their boys fast-tracked up the age groups, through their academies and boys' clubs.

Clarke started playing for Saltcoats Star and Springside Colts before he caught the eye of St Mirren. He signed schoolboy forms, played for their under-16s and was then offered a provisional form, the step below signing a professional contract.

Clarke signed on at Love Street but his dad asked if he could be loaned to Beith Juniors to give him more first-team experience. His Uncle Jimmy was also at Beith and could keep a watchful eye on his development. Clarke freely acknowledged that spell in the juniors hardened him up and opened his eyes to the men's game.

The promising full back would eventually go on to sign for St Mirren, but his dad, from his own painful experience, knew how precarious football can be and insisted that Clarke junior signed part-time. That would allow him to serve his time as an apprentice instrument artificer at Beechams Pharmaceuticals in Irvine. It would give him a back-up if his football career didn't go to plan. Clarke worked at Beechams for four years but becoming a professional footballer remained his burning ambition. He continued to impress at St Mirren and went on to make a name for himself in Paisley under the then manager Rikki McFarlane.

Former St Mirren midfielder Tony Fitzpatrick recalled: 'He was a young boy from Saltcoats. Steve came right into the first team and you could see right away that he was a player who was going to have a good career. You just know when you see certain people and Steve fell into that category. He came in and played right back. He was a very good athlete and had a real determination. Steve looked like he could be a top player and he also got a few goals from right back. I know they talk about the modern wing backs now but Steve could have fitted into that role no problem. He could come out from the back, dribble past opponents and put crosses in. He was also a very solid defender, disciplined and he had good positional sense.'

Clarke came in and hit the ground running. He got a footballing education on and off the park. There were some big characters in that St Mirren dressing room, like Frank McDougall, Frank McAvennie, Chic Charnley and Doug Somner. They played hard on the pitch and at times even harder off it. Clarke, however, was determined to play at the highest level he could and that was his sole focus. The promising right back focused on his football and was always looking at ways to improve himself and his game.

Fitzpatrick recalled: 'Steve kept himself to himself in the dressing room. We had quite a mad group at St Mirren but Steve would just come in, do his work and get on with things. He was just a total professional. He was very career-driven. Steve was very much like he is today, very astute, thoughtful and wanting to be the best version of himself. He always wanted to improve as a player and he will be the same as a manager. He would do extra training, his work and then go home to his family.'

Clarke's progress in Paisley didn't go unnoticed. He was selected for Scotland's under-19s and progressed to the under-21s as he made a name for himself, starring for St Mirren in the Premier Division.

Former Celtic striker Charlie Nicholas said: 'I remember him coming through because he was just a wee bit older than Paul McStay. He was well thought of at St Mirren and he was attracting a lot of attention from clubs in Scotland and south of the border.'

Alex Miller came in as manager from Morton to take over from McFarlane and rewarded Clarke with a new contract. Miller also moved him in one to play as a central defender at times because he felt he could read the game and had the speed required.

Clarke was also part of a team that had two cracks at the UEFA Cup. Miller left for Hibs and Alex Smith replaced him as St Mirren boss. Clarke remained a key player for the Buddies and continued to see the bigger picture in terms of tactics, opposition and analysis of the game. He always looked outside the box to gain that wee edge or marginal gain - that could make all the difference and would later see him go on and become management material.

'You could see back then that Steve was a big thinker when it came to the game,' St Mirren legend Fitzpatrick said. 'I know it was early on in his playing career at St Mirren, but the signs were there that he would go on and become a manager one day.'

Clarke was going places and Celtic were keen to take him to the east end of Glasgow - but Chelsea came in and trumped them. The London club agreed to pay St Mirren around £400,000 for their star defender's services in 1987. It was a big fee but it was to prove to be something of a bargain, given the service he would go on and give the Stamford Bridge club as a player, coach and assistant manager.

Fitzpatrick acknowledged: 'Steve did very well at St Mirren. There were quite a lot of teams interested in him and I know Celtic were really keen, but he went to Chelsea. It was a lot of money but it was a bargain looking back now. What a playing career he had down in England. He deserved all the success he had and it is great to see him doing so well in management and now with the Scotland national team.'

The one downside for Clarke was that five months after he left Love Street, St Mirren went on to lift the 1987 Scottish Cup. Clarke, by that time, was adapting to life south of the border. He would have felt at home with Chelsea having a big Scottish contingent. The blues had the likes of Joe McLaughlin, Doug Rougvie, John McNaught, Pat Nevin, David Speedie, Gordon Durie, Kevin McAllister and Les Fridge. There was also a fellow Ayrshire man coming through the Stamford Bridge ranks in Billy Dodds.

Dodds recalled: 'I was in the reserves when Steve came. Two boys from Ayrshire, it was great. St Mirren to Chelsea was a big step up. Chelsea was still a big club although not as big as it is today. They paid good money for him and there was a bit of expectation on Steve.'

Clarke certainly didn't look out of place in John Hollins's side. He made an immediate mark on his teammates. Fellow Scot Pat Nevin said: 'Steve came in and played right back and I was right wing. We had a really good understanding. He could also play centre back, left back or even centre midfield. Steve was one of those players; it didn't matter where you played him because you knew he would do a job and you could rely on him. He was a really good player.'

Dodds echoed those sentiments, adding: 'Steve was the complete full back; he could defend and get forward because of his pace, power and determination. He could also be a nasty so-and-so. He had that will to win. If I was a winger I wouldn't have fancied going up against him. He was aggressive, strong and quick. He was an unsung hero. There were bigger names than him at the club, like Kerry Dixon and David Speedie, but you knew if Steve was in your team then he would be Mr Dependable.'

His abilities didn't go unnoticed in the opposition ranks. Scotland and Arsenal striker Charlie Nicholas added: 'I played against Steve a couple of times when I was at Arsenal and he was a good, fast and solid defender. You never got much change out of him.'

Clarke was handed his Scotland debut in a 2-0 friendly win over Hungary in 1987. It was the first of his six caps, a pretty miserly tally considering the level he played at. He won the majority of his caps in his first couple of seasons at Chelsea, playing in wins over Belgium and Bulgaria and in draws with Saudi Arabia and Malta. Clarke then had to wait more than six years to make what was to be his final Scotland appearance in a 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands in 1994. It was a night where a certain Ruud Gullit, whom he would go on to work with, would bring a cruel end to his international career.

Nevin recalled: 'I remember his last game against the Netherlands. I was on the bench and Steve Clarke was directly up...