Stephen Clarke was born on 29 August 1963 and is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of the Scotland national team.
28 Facts About Steve Clarke
2.
Steve Clarke played for St Mirren, Chelsea and the Scotland national team, winning three major trophies with Chelsea towards the end of his career.
3.
Steve Clarke led the team to UEFA Euro 2020, their first major tournament for 23 years.
4.
Steve Clarke's older brother Paul was a footballer, who played in more than 350 games for Kilmarnock.
5.
Steve Clarke was initially on a part-time contract with St Mirren, while he completed an apprenticeship as an instrument engineer.
6.
Steve Clarke stayed at Chelsea until 1998, making 421 appearances.
7.
Steve Clarke was a part of the Chelsea sides which won the 1997 FA Cup Final, 1998 Football League Cup Final and 1998 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final.
8.
In 1998, Steve Clarke joined Newcastle United as assistant manager to Ruud Gullit, his former manager at Chelsea.
9.
Steve Clarke was a part of the coaching set-up which saw Chelsea win two FA Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups over three seasons under Mourinho.
10.
When Mourinho left Chelsea in September 2007, Steve Clarke's services were retained by Avram Grant, although Henk ten Cate was brought in as another assistant coach.
11.
BBC Sport and The Times both reported then that although Steve Clarke remained on the Chelsea coaching staff, he would be looking to pursue opportunities to become a manager in his own right.
12.
On 12 September 2008, Steve Clarke handed in his resignation to Chelsea, hoping to move to West Ham United to be assistant to former Chelsea teammate Gianfranco Zola.
13.
In June 2010, not long after the dismissal of Zola as manager, Steve Clarke left the club by mutual consent.
14.
On 10 January 2011, Steve Clarke was appointed first-team coach at Liverpool by Kenny Dalglish, after Dalglish had replaced the dismissed Roy Hodgson two days before.
15.
Steve Clarke was credited for turning Liverpool's season around, having a points average of around two points per match from his arrival, coupled with an improved defensive record.
16.
The club declined the offer, but on 6 June 2012, following the appointment of new manager Brendan Rodgers, Steve Clarke left the club.
17.
On 8 June 2012, Steve Clarke was appointed manager of West Bromwich Albion and signed a two-year contract.
18.
Steve Clarke was named Premier League manager of the month for November 2012.
19.
On 16 December 2014, Steve Clarke was appointed manager of Reading on a two-and-a-half-year deal, succeeding Nigel Adkins.
20.
In November 2015, Steve Clarke was approached by Fulham to become their manager.
21.
Steve Clarke was sacked by Reading on 4 December 2015 after one year in charge.
22.
Steve Clarke was hired by Aston Villa on 2 June 2016 to be their assistant manager, working alongside former Chelsea teammate Roberto Di Matteo.
23.
Steve Clarke was not retained following the appointment of Steve Bruce in October 2016.
24.
Steve Clarke continued his impressive work the next season, including another win over Celtic and two over Rangers, culminating in a third-place finish and European qualification for Kilmarnock.
25.
Steve Clarke won both manager of the year awards, from PFA Scotland and the SFWA.
26.
Immediately after the league season ended, Steve Clarke left Kilmarnock to take the national team manager position.
27.
In May 2019, Steve Clarke was appointed manager of the Scotland national team on a contract due to run until the end of 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification.
28.
Ahead of UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying, Steve Clarke signed a new contract with the SFA that is due to run until 2026.