Lee Clark
Encyclopedia
Lee Robert Clark is an English former footballer, and is currently the manager of Huddersfield Town
. As a player, Clark had two spells at Newcastle United
, and was their reserve team manager and coach after he retired. He also played for Sunderland
, Fulham
, and the England U21 side
making 11 appearances.
, Tyne and Wear
, Clark started his career at the club he supported as a boy, Newcastle United coming up through the Youth System at the club.
In 1993 he was part of the Newcastle side promoted to the Premier League
as champions and then helped them finish runners-up two seasons in a row. He made nearly 200 appearances scoring 23 goals for Newcastle
in his first spell at the club.
after a 4–4 draw at Wembley.
However, at the 1999 FA Cup Final
he was spotted with the Newcastle fans wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "Sad Mackem
Bastards". He was immediately dropped from the team, and never played for Sunderland again.
Clark scored one goal for Newcastle in the 2005–06 season, an equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Middlesbrough
. He played his final professional game on 7 May 2006, coming on as a substitute at home to Chelsea
. In total he played 265 times for Newcastle, scoring 28 goals.
He represented England at international level playing for the England under-21s
making 11 appearances between 1992 to 1993 during his time playing for Newcastle.
|1991–92
||rowspan="6"|Newcastle United
||Second Division
||29||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||5
|-
|1992–93
||First Division
||46||9||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||46||9
|-
|1993–94
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||29||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||2
|-
|1994–95
||19||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||19||1
|-
|1995–96
||28||2||2||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||33||2
|-
|1996–97
||24||2||3||1||1||0||5||0||33||3
|-
|1997–98
||rowspan="2"|Sunderland
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||49||13||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||52||13
|-
|1998–99
||27||3||2||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||33||3
|-
|1999–2000
||rowspan="6"|Fulham
||rowspan="2"|First Division
||42||8||4||0||6||1||colspan="2"|-||52||9
|-
|2000–01
||45||7||1||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||50||7
|-
|2001–02
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||9||0||colspan="2"|-||3||0||colspan="2"|-||12||0
|-
|2002–03
||11||2||colspan="2"|-||2||1||2||0||15||3
|-
|2003–04
||25||2||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||2
|-
|2004–05
||17||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||22||1
|-
|2005–06
||rowspan="1"|Newcastle United
||rowspan="1"|Premier League||22||1||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||25||1
422||58||23||1||25||2||7||0||477||61
422||58||23||1||25||2||7||0||477||61
installed Clark as a first team coach and reserve team manager following Tommy Craig
's departure while Clark was still playing for Newcastle. He remained as first team coach and as reserve team manager after retiring in 2007 until Glenn Roeder
parted company with the club and Clark followed shortly afterwards in November.
side Norwich City
. Roeder, who had left Newcastle earlier that year and appointed Norwich manager, made Clark his assistant at the Norfolk club. Clark remained assistant manager at Norwich until December 2008, when he left to become manager of League One
club Huddersfield Town
.
on 4 November 2008, The Terriers were reported to be interested in then Norwich assistant manager Clark. On 12 December 2008, Clark was officially unveiled as the new manager of League One side Huddersfield Town
signing a three-and-a-half year contract. Clark replaced Gerry Murphy
, who had been caretaker manager for the League One side following the departure of Ternent. The first move made by Clark was to appoint Terry McDermott
as his assistant as well as bringing in Derek Fazackerley
in as first team coach and Steve Black as Performance Coach all of whom had previously worked with Newcastle United. Clark officially took over on 15 December his first game in charge of the club was a 2–0 win over Hereford United
on 20 December.
In his first season at the club he helped them to a ninth-placed finish in League One
. They also only lost two home league games under Clark in the 2008–09 season. In his second season in charge Clark helped Huddersfield to secure a play-off spot and became the first manager to win three Manager of the Month award in a single season since Roberto Martinez
in 2007–08. Huddersfield were defeated by Millwall in the 2009-10 play-off semi-final.
In the 2010–11 season, Clark guided Huddersfield to a third-placed finish in the league, earning them a place in the Play-Offs after a club-record 25-game unbeaten run in the league. They reached the final after beating Bournemouth
4–2 on penalties, but lost 3–0 to Peterborough
in the Old Trafford
final. In July 2011, he agreed a new rolling contract with the club.
Clark continued breaking records at the beginning of the 2011/12 season, after 18 games of the current season their unbeaten run currently stands at 43 games, the 2nd longest domestic league unbeaten run in English football history.
Sunderland
Fulham
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
. As a player, Clark had two spells at Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, and was their reserve team manager and coach after he retired. He also played for Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
, Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, and the England U21 side
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
making 11 appearances.
Newcastle United
Born in WallsendWallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, Clark started his career at the club he supported as a boy, Newcastle United coming up through the Youth System at the club.
In 1993 he was part of the Newcastle side promoted to the Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
as champions and then helped them finish runners-up two seasons in a row. He made nearly 200 appearances scoring 23 goals for Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in his first spell at the club.
Sunderland
Clark moved to Newcastle's local rivals First Division side Sunderland in 1997, and was part of the side promoted to the Premier League in 1999 as First Division champions with a (then) professional league record of 105 points. A year earlier, he had been a key player in the side that reached the First Division play-off final, only to suffer a penalty shoot-out defeat to Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
after a 4–4 draw at Wembley.
However, at the 1999 FA Cup Final
1999 FA Cup Final
The 1999 FA Cup Final took place on 22 May 1999 and was played at the old Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Manchester United and Newcastle United. Manchester United had finished as champions and Newcastle 13th in the Premier League that season. The Final was a one-sided affair, Manchester...
he was spotted with the Newcastle fans wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "Sad Mackem
Mackem
Mackem is a term that refers to the accent, dialect and people of the Wearside area, or more specifically Sunderland, a city in North East England. Spelling variations include "Mak'em", "Makem", and "Maccam".- Origin :...
Bastards". He was immediately dropped from the team, and never played for Sunderland again.
Fulham
Clark moved to Fulham in 1999. He collected another Division One title medal with in 2001, enabling him to experience Premier League football for the first time since the 1996–97 season. In 2004, he helped Fulham secure what was, at the time, their highest final position - ninth in the top . During that season he opened the scoring as Fulham memorably beat Manchester United 3-1 at Old Trafford in October 2003. Clark left Fulham in 2005 to return to former club Newcastle United, after making 149 league appearances and scoring 20 goals for the West London Club.Return to Newcastle
Clark was allowed to leave Fulham after his contract expired in the summer of 2005 despite being club captain during the 2004–05 season. At the time of his departure, he was Fulham's longest-serving player. He subsequently returned to Newcastle, coaching and playing on a month-by-month contract.Clark scored one goal for Newcastle in the 2005–06 season, an equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. He played his final professional game on 7 May 2006, coming on as a substitute at home to Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. In total he played 265 times for Newcastle, scoring 28 goals.
International career
Clark scored a hat-trick for England schoolboys at Wembley Stadium in 1988.He represented England at international level playing for the England under-21s
England national under-21 football team
England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21, is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team....
making 11 appearances between 1992 to 1993 during his time playing for Newcastle.
Career statistics
|-|1991–92
The Football League 1991-92
The 1991–1992 season was the 92nd completed season of The Football League.- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of players like Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David...
||rowspan="6"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||29||5||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||5
|-
|1992–93
The Football League 1992-93
The 1992–1993 season was the 93rd completed season of the The Football League.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
||First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||46||9||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||46||9
|-
|1993–94
FA Premier League 1993-94
-New league sponsors:From the start of the 1993-94 season, the FA Premier League was sponsored by Carling Breweries.-Promoted teams:Newcastle United and West Ham were promoted to the Premier League from the First Division as champions and runners-up respectively. The last promotion place was won by...
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||29||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||29||2
|-
|1994–95
FA Premier League 1994-95
-Promoted teams:Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were promoted from the Football League First Division as winners and runners-up respectively. Leicester City won the 1993-94 playoff.-Controversial incidents:...
||19||1||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||19||1
|-
|1995–96
FA Premier League 1995-96
-Promoted teams:Due to the decision to reduce the number of clubs in the Premier League from 22 to 20, only two clubs were promoted this season: Middlesbrough as Football League First Division champions, and Bolton Wanderers who won the 1994-95 playoff.-Transfers:...
||28||2||2||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||33||2
|-
|1996–97
FA Premier League 1996-97
The 1996–97 FA Premier League season was the fifth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool...
||24||2||3||1||1||0||5||0||33||3
|-
|1997–98
The Football League 1997-98
The 1997–1998 season was the 98th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Champions Nottingham Forest and runners-up Middlesbrough won promotion back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. Charlton Athletic won the playoffs to end an eight-year absence from the top...
||rowspan="2"|Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||49||13||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||52||13
|-
|1998–99
The Football League 1998-99
The 1998–1999 season was the 99th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Sunderland were crowned First Division champions with 105 points, then a record, having lost just three games all season, to prove right the many pundits who tipped them for promotion...
||27||3||2||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||33||3
|-
|1999–2000
The Football League 1999-2000
The 1999–2000 season was the 100th completed season of the The Football League.-Overview:The 1999–2000 season saw the league dispense with the traditional 1–11 numbering of players’ shirts in favour of squad numbers, a system that had been adopted by the Premier League a few seasons before...
||rowspan="6"|Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
||rowspan="2"|First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||42||8||4||0||6||1||colspan="2"|-||52||9
|-
|2000–01
The Football League 2000-01
-Overview:The 2000–2001 season was the 101st completed season of the The Football League.- First Division playoffs :-First Division :...
||45||7||1||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||50||7
|-
|2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||rowspan="4"|Premier League||9||0||colspan="2"|-||3||0||colspan="2"|-||12||0
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||11||2||colspan="2"|-||2||1||2||0||15||3
|-
|2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||25||2||2||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||27||2
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||17||1||5||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||22||1
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||rowspan="1"|Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
||rowspan="1"|Premier League||22||1||2||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||25||1
422||58||23||1||25||2||7||0||477||61
422||58||23||1||25||2||7||0||477||61
Newcastle United
On 1 June 2006, the newly appointed Newcastle manager Glenn RoederGlenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
installed Clark as a first team coach and reserve team manager following Tommy Craig
Tommy Craig
Thomas "Tommy" Craig is a Scottish football coach and former player who is currently the assistant manager of Scottish club St. Mirren. Craig had an 18 year playing career as a midfielder, playing over 100 league games for English clubs and...
's departure while Clark was still playing for Newcastle. He remained as first team coach and as reserve team manager after retiring in 2007 until Glenn Roeder
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder is an English football manager and former player, most recently in charge at Norwich City. As a player, Roeder represented England B on 7 occasions...
parted company with the club and Clark followed shortly afterwards in November.
Norwich City
In November 2007 Clark left his post at Newcastle to rejoin Roeder who he worked under at Newcastle with new club ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
side Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
. Roeder, who had left Newcastle earlier that year and appointed Norwich manager, made Clark his assistant at the Norfolk club. Clark remained assistant manager at Norwich until December 2008, when he left to become manager of League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
club Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
.
Huddersfield Town
After Huddersfield Town had sacked manger Stan TernentStan Ternent
Francis Stanley "Stan" Ternent is an English former footballer and manager. He managed Blackpool, Hull City, Bury, Burnley, Gillingham and Huddersfield Town. He is currently a scout for Sunderland.-Career:...
on 4 November 2008, The Terriers were reported to be interested in then Norwich assistant manager Clark. On 12 December 2008, Clark was officially unveiled as the new manager of League One side Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
signing a three-and-a-half year contract. Clark replaced Gerry Murphy
Gerry Murphy
Gerry Murphy was the Director of Football Development at Huddersfield Town between 1988 and 2009...
, who had been caretaker manager for the League One side following the departure of Ternent. The first move made by Clark was to appoint Terry McDermott
Terry McDermott
Terence "Terry" McDermott is a former football midfielder and current coach. He is currently the assistant manager at League One side Huddersfield Town.He is the father of Newcastle United player Greg McDermott and Marsaxlokk player Neale McDermott-Early career:McDermott joined Bury as a youngster...
as his assistant as well as bringing in Derek Fazackerley
Derek Fazackerley
Derek William Fazackerley is a former English footballer, who spent the majority of his career playing for Blackburn Rovers.-Playing career:...
in as first team coach and Steve Black as Performance Coach all of whom had previously worked with Newcastle United. Clark officially took over on 15 December his first game in charge of the club was a 2–0 win over Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
on 20 December.
In his first season at the club he helped them to a ninth-placed finish in League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
. They also only lost two home league games under Clark in the 2008–09 season. In his second season in charge Clark helped Huddersfield to secure a play-off spot and became the first manager to win three Manager of the Month award in a single season since Roberto Martinez
Roberto Martinez
Roberto Martinez is the name of:* Roberto Martínez Lacayo, President of Nicaragua* Roberto Martínez y Gutiérrez, Mexican bishop consecrated by Moisés CarmonaSports* Roberto Martínez , Honduran boxer...
in 2007–08. Huddersfield were defeated by Millwall in the 2009-10 play-off semi-final.
In the 2010–11 season, Clark guided Huddersfield to a third-placed finish in the league, earning them a place in the Play-Offs after a club-record 25-game unbeaten run in the league. They reached the final after beating Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth
A.F.C. Bournemouth is an English football club currently playing in Football League One. The club plays at Dean Court in Kings Park, Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset and have been in existence since 1899....
4–2 on penalties, but lost 3–0 to Peterborough
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
in the Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
final. In July 2011, he agreed a new rolling contract with the club.
Clark continued breaking records at the beginning of the 2011/12 season, after 18 games of the current season their unbeaten run currently stands at 43 games, the 2nd longest domestic league unbeaten run in English football history.
Managerial statistics
- As of 28 November 2011
| Team | Nation | From | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... | 15 December 2008 | present | 167 | 83 | 46 | 38 | 49.70 |
|---|
Player
Newcastle United- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Champions - FA Premier LeagueFA Premier LeagueThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
Runners-up: 1995–96, 1996–97
Sunderland
- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Champions
Fulham
- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
Champions
External links
- Lee Clark Stats centre, guardian.co.uk
- The Lee Clark Interview BBC Tyne, 15 September 2006