Frank Clark (footballer)

Last updated

Frank Clark
Personal information
Date of birth (1943-09-09) 9 September 1943 (age 81)
Place of birth Rowlands Gill, County Durham, England
Position(s) Full-back
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1961–1962 Crook Town
1962–1975 Newcastle United 389 (1)
1975–1979 Nottingham Forest 117 (1)
Total506(2)
Managerial career
1983–1991 Leyton Orient
1993–1996 Nottingham Forest
1996–1998 Manchester City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Frank Clark (born 9 September 1943) is an English former footballer and manager, and former chairman of Nottingham Forest. Clark played in over 400 games for Newcastle United before moving to Nottingham Forest where he won the European Cup.

Contents

After retiring as a player, he managed Leyton Orient for nine years (followed by a two-year spell as the club's managing director) and then returned to Nottingham Forest as manager between 1993 and 1996. He then managed Manchester City for just over a year.

Playing career

He started his career at Crook Town. [1]

He started his professional career at Newcastle United, and played a total of 464 games for them between 1962 and 1975. [2] He was part of Newcastle's 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final 6-2 aggregate win against Újpesti Dózsa. [3]

He signed for Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest on a free transfer in July 1975. [3] He was an ever-present in the next two league campaigns culminating in 1977 promotion to the top flight. In their first season back up Forest won the 1977–78 Football League and the 1978 Football League Cup Final. His last competitive game playing football was beating Malmö FF 1–0 in the 1979 European Cup Final. [4] [5]

Managerial career

After his playing career he was assistant manager of Sunderland from 1979 to 1982 and then became manager of Leyton Orient. Although Orient were relegated to the Fourth Division in his second season as manager, he guided them to promotion as playoff winners in 1989 and became managing director of the club two years later, with Peter Eustace being placed in charge of the first team.

In May 1993, he returned to Nottingham Forest as manager, as a replacement for the retiring Brian Clough. [6] Some sources have said that Clough selected Clark for the job in 1993, [7] however Clark's name was submitted far earlier, and by the time of Clough's retirement his preference was his assistant Ron Fenton. [8]

Clough's 18-year reign as Forest manager had ended in relegation from the new FA Premier League in 1993, having brought a league title, two European Cups, four League Cups and several top five finishes, and Clark had to deal with the sale of two of Forest's key players - Roy Keane and Nigel Clough - for a combined total of more than £6million soon after his return to the City Ground. However, he was able to hold onto the likes of Stuart Pearce, Steve Chettle, Steve Stone and Ian Woan, and took Forest back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, as they finished runners-up in Division One.

He was also Premier League Manager of the Month for September 1994, as Forest's fine start to the season saw them in the heat of a title challenge and hopes were high that Clark could take them to the rare distinction of top division title glory a season after promotion – just as his predecessor had done 17 years earlier. They eventually finished third in the table, and qualified for Europe for the first time in 11 years. [9] Forest reached the UEFA Cup quarter finals in 1995-96 under Clark - the best run of any English side in European competitions that season, although their league form dipped and they finished ninth. Clark also struggled to find a suitable successor to striker Stan Collymore, who was sold to Liverpool for £8.5million in the summer of 1995. [10]

In December 1996, with Forest struggling at the bottom of the Premier League, Clark expressed his concern with the boardroom crisis at the club, with rival parties attempting to buy the club. His earlier success with the club had led to him being linked to the England job when Terry Venables announced his intention to resign less than a year earlier. [11] Clark left the club in December. [12]

Clark made some shrewd signings as Forest manager, including Stan Collymore and Lars Bohinen. Collymore was sold to Liverpool in June 1995 for a then British transfer fee record of £8.5million, two years after joining Forest from Southend United. [6]

However, he also made several notably disappointing signings during his final 18 months at the City Ground. The first of these was Andrea Silenzi, who was signed as a replacement for Stan Collymore, becoming the first Italian player to appear in the Premier League, but failed to live up to expectations and had returned to Italy within two years. [13] Croatian defender Nikola Jerkan, signed a year later, played just 14 games in Forest's 1996-97 relegation campaign, before being loaned out to Rapid Vienna for a season and then returning to the City Ground for a further season, without playing a single game, and finally being discarded by the club in the summer of 1999. [14]

Clark's final managerial appointment came at Manchester City immediately after his departure from the City Ground. He arrived at Maine Road seven months after City's relegation from the Premier League, with the club in danger of a second successive relegation. Clark steered them to 14th place in Division One that season, only for City's struggles to return in 1997–98 and Clark to be sacked in February 1998, and learnt the news of his dismissal as manager while listening to the local radio at home. Clark was faced with having to halt City's decline while the club was millions of pounds debt and needing to sell its highest-paid players, including a number of disappointing signings and players who were no longer commanding regular selection in the first team. [15] He had paid a club record £3million to bring 22-year-old striker Lee Bradbury to City from Portsmouth in July 1997, but the player failed to live up to expectations, struggling with injuries and inconsistent form, and was eventually sold to Crystal Palace in October 1998. Clark's successor, Joe Royle, was unable to save City from relegation, but then guided City to back-to-back promotions. [16]

Nottingham Forest chairman

Clark took over from Nigel Doughty as chairman of Nottingham Forest football club on 12 October 2011. [17] Forest were managerless at the time, following the resignation of Steve McClaren. [18]

Clark was sacked from his role as club ambassador on 17 January 2013. [19]

Managerial statistics

Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
PWDLWin %
Leyton Orient 31 May 19831 July 1991451174111166038.6
Nottingham Forest 13 May 199319 December 1996180735948040.6
Manchester City 29 December 199617 February 199859201722033.9
Total [20] 690267187236038.7

Honours

As a player

Crook Town

Newcastle United

Nottingham Forest

As a manager

Nottingham Forest

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham Forest F.C.</span> Association football club in Nottingham, England

Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Clough</span> English football player and manager (1935–2004)

Brian Howard Clough was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the English league with two different clubs. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time. Charismatic, outspoken and often controversial, his achievements with Derby and Forest, two clubs with little prior history of success, are rated among the greatest in football history. His teams were also noted for playing attractive football and for their good sportsmanship. Despite applying several times and being a popular choice for the job, he was never appointed England manager and has been dubbed the "greatest manager England never had".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Collymore</span> English footballer (born 1971)

Stanley Victor Collymore is an English football pundit, sport strategist, and former player who played as a striker from 1990 to 2001, most notably for Nottingham Forest and later Liverpool, who he joined from the former for an English transfer record of £8.5 million in 1995. He is currently senior football strategist at Southend United.

The 1996–97 FA Premier League was the fifth season of the FA Premier League 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. The title was eventually won by Manchester United, after Liverpool's and Newcastle's failure to win in their penultimate games of the season; at 75 points it is the lowest points total for a Premier League champion club and lowest since the 3-1-0 points system was introduced in the 1981–82 season.

The 1977–78 season was the 98th season of competitive football in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Clough</span> English football manager and former player

Nigel Howard Clough is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s.

Neil John Webb is an English football manager, former footballer and television pundit.

The 1992–93 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England. The season saw the Premier League in its first season, replacing Division One of the Football League as the top league in England. Every team in the Premier League played each other twice within the season, one game away and one at home, and were awarded three points for a win and one for a draw.

The 1996–97 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England. Promotion to and relegation from the Football League returned after a three-season absence, with one relegation spot in Division Three.

1840s – 1850s – 1860s – 1870s – 1880s – 1890s – 1900s – 1910s – 1920s – 1930s – 1940s – 1950s – 1960s – 1970s – 1980s – 1990s – 2000s – 2010s – 2020s

The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England. This year The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level on points, replacing the traditional goal average tiebreaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring. Coloured red and yellow cards were introduced for the first time in domestic English football.

The 1993–94 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.

The 1995–96 season was the 116th season of competitive football in England.

The 1997–98 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.

The 1973–74 season was the 94th season of competitive football in England. Leeds United became league champions for the second time, finishing five points ahead of runners-up Liverpool in the First Division. Middlesbrough, Oldham Athletic and Peterborough United won the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions, respectively. Liverpool won their second FA Cup, beating Newcastle United in the final, while the League Cup final saw Wolverhampton Wanderers defeat Manchester City. In European club football, Tottenham Hotspur reached the UEFA Cup final but lost over two legs to Feyenoord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Chettle</span> English footballer (born 1968)

Stephen John Chettle is an English football manager and former professional footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Bowyer</span> English footballer (born 1951)

Ian Bowyer is an English former footballer who played mostly as a midfielder, best known for many honours in his career at Nottingham Forest. At Nottingham Forest he won the 1977–78 Football League and 1977–78 Football League Cup. The following season he won the 1979 European Cup final and 1978–79 Football League Cup. He was part of Forest's successful retaining of the European Cup the season after. Other honours at Forest included the 1976–77 Anglo-Scottish Cup, 1976 promotion from the English second tier to the top flight, the 1978 FA Charity Shield and the 1979 UEFA Super Cup. At all clubs, in the league alone he played 599 first team games scoring 102 goals in a playing career spanning four decades.

The history of Nottingham Forest Football Club covers the complete history of the club since its formation in 1865. Forest have won 11 major honours during their history: one league title, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one FA Charity Shield, two European Cups and one UEFA Super Cup.

During the 1994–95 English football season, Nottingham Forest F.C. competed in the FA Premier League. Surprisingly for a newly promoted side, Forest finished in third place, behind Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United: no newly promoted club has achieved as high a finish in the Premier League since, although this achievement was matched by Newcastle United's previous season and six seasons later, Ipswich Town would finish fifth which, to this day, is the highest placing finish a promoted club has achieved since.

During the 1993–94 English football season, Nottingham Forest F.C. competed in the Football League First Division.

References

  1. ↑ Harry Pearson (March 1997). "Amateur dramatics". When Saturday Comes. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Fearon, Matthew (20 May 2009). "Dream Teams: Newcastle". The Independent. London. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 "How Newcastle United legend Frank Clark celebrated his birthday - with a host of Geordie fans" chroniclelive.co.uk 10 September 2016
  4. ↑ "Frank CLARK"
  5. 1 2 "The European Cup Team 1979". Nottingham Forest FC. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 "Frank Clark". Profile. u-reds.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  7. ↑ "Sir Alex Ferguson could have helped sacked Manchester United manager David Moyes by following Brian Clough's lead". Metro. DMG Media. 22 April 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Turner, Georgina (22 January 2014). "Which managers have chosen their successor?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "FA Premiership League Table at 24 September 1994". nottinghamforest-mad.co.uk. Retrieved 14 October 2010.
  10. ↑ Soar, Phil (abridged by Roger Litawski). "History of Nottingham Forest". The Official History of Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Clark's anxiety leads to City speculation: Football". The Independent. London. 16 November 1996. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  12. ↑ "Winless Forest lose manager Clark". The Nation. Bangkok: Nation Multimedia Group. Agence France-Presse. 20 December 1996. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  13. ↑ "Why Nottingham Forest flop Andrea Silenzi was a Premier League pioneer". 11 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Where are they now? Former Forest defender Nikola Jerkan". 18 November 2018.
  15. ↑ "Football: Cursed by Manchester madness". Independent.co.uk . 19 February 1998.
  16. ↑ "Lee BRADBURY - Biography at Man City. - Manchester City FC".
  17. ↑ "Frank Clark appointed Nottingham Forest chairman". BBC. Retrieved 12 October 2011.
  18. ↑ Heath, Neil (4 October 2011). "Dave Bassett backs Frank Clark to help stabilise Forest". BBC. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  19. ↑ "Nottingham Forest: Mark Arthur, Keith Burt and Frank Clark leave". BBC. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
  20. ↑ Frank Clark at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
  21. ↑ "Past Players (C)". Durham County Schools Football Association. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  22. ↑ Vernon, Leslie; Rollin, Jack (1977). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78. London: Brickfield Publications Ltd. p. 491. ISBN   0354 09018 6.
  23. ↑ "Manager profile: Frank Clark". Premier League. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.