Ray Clemence dies, age 72

Thats a shock, Rob.

Only posted about him this morning, responding to a question about Sharpy's volley.

I always remember him making a brilliant save from Colin Harvey, Rob, at the Park End in the 1971 derby when he was young. We won 1-0. A very fine keeper in my view. May he rest in peace.

I just saw the news about Ray, very sad. I liked him as a person from and the days when Liverpool players weren't all about cheating (not all of them anyway). He seemed like a genuine guy. Not been a great day really, a work colleague of mine has also died today.

I couldn't agree more, Joe. He was a class act and came across as a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

Sad about Ray Clemence, excellent goalkeeper, 61 England caps and he would have had many more only for another first-rate ‘keeper in Peter Shilton.

The story was that, when Shankly went to have a look at him playing for Scunthorpe, he wanted to leave early after seeing Clemence clear the ball with his left foot, but the scout who was with Shankly told him to hang on – that Ray was right-handed. Shankly didn't rate left-handed goalies.

What hand does Pickford use?

Not that anyone should care but, on checking, I suspect it may have been the February 1971 game I'm thinking of with Clemence's save from Harvey. It finished 0-0. I think that was the one because I remember being really frustrated that Harvey's shot had been saved in the overall context of the game and that makes more sense if it was 0-0.

Anyway, he was a very good goalkeeper.

My abiding memory of Ray Clemence belongs on Paul Trail's thread really, but having just seen this news I will write it here instead.

Spurs needing to beat Everton, in what was deemed a title decider, didn't stop Clemence getting off his knees in disappointment at Southall's wonder save, to raise his hand and clap his opposite number.

Most people who grow old always remember if being better years ago, and that's how I feel now.

Football used to be hard, but mostly fair. Now, it's all about win at all costs, with sportsmanship being totally replaced by gamesmanship, so thanks for the memory, Ray Clemence.

Joe, Ray Clemence was indeed a genuine guy.

I was staying in a hotel in Peterborough in the mid-eighties and Ray was sat in the bar having a meeting with his business manager. He came to the bar and I said, “Alright, Ray!” and, on hearing my accent, he walked over to me. We chatted for about 15 mins and he apologised for having to get back to his meeting.

About half-an-hour later, I was joined at the bar by a redshite colleague from Fazackerly who said “Hey, have you seen who's sat over there?" And I said, "Who?" to which he replied "Ray fucking Clemence!"

I says "I know – he's a mate of mine, Ray is" – to which my redshite mate says, "Fuck off, you lying Bluenose."

Anyway, about an hour later, my mate says that Ray is up and on his way out and, as he got to the door, Ray looks over at me, raises his hand and says "See ya, Barry, it was nice talking to you."

The look on my redshite mate's fizzer was priceless.

I have never forgotten him for that and am really saddened by the news of his death. RIP Ray, a true gent.

Very sad to hear about Ray Clemence, a super goalie and a seemingly true gent. He would have got lots more caps if it wasn't for him and Shilton being around at the same time.

I did stand on the Kop with my oldest mate, (a red) and watched Clemence at one end and Shilton at the other in the European Cup in '78. 0-0 on the night and Forest progressed as they had won the 1st leg.

Shilton was probably more eye-catching but Clemence was positionally very good.

A class act on and off the pitch – RIP, Ray.

I know he's from over the road but sorry to hear that Ray Clemence has passed on. Only 72 as well.

Too many names being lost too soon this year, it seems.

Very sad news, about Ray Clemence, who was a fine goal keeper, in his day.

I recall he had been quite poorly for a few years, but only 72.

A reminder of bygone times, when the game had more vitality, a different world, but whilst life moves on, and often changes are for the better, in terms of sportsmanship, football has hit a low ebb, in my view.

He was a class act on and off the pitch and no age really. Grim news indeed.

I hate seeing stuff about "them" on this site, but I'm so glad this thread has been created. It's the kind of thing which separates us from them.

Ray Clemence may have been RS but, as some have already said, he was still a class act.

Evertonians will call shite when they see it, but we are never at the back of the queue when respect is due.

RIP, Ray Clemence.

Let's not remember Ray Clemence for a mistake please. As Darren says, this thread is the kind of thing that separates us from them.

There were very few RS that I had a soft spot for back in Clemence's days. He was one; Brian Hall was another (not sure why). The rest of them...

I have two abiding memories of Ray Clemence. One was him running to the RS on his first game back there; the other is him clapping our greatest ever keeper after that astonishing save from Falco that made all of us squeezed in at the other end just know that we were now Champions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDDEZgR0DI4

RIP, Ray Clemence.

Sad to hear this news. Back in the day, I thought that Clemence was the better 'keeper & should have had a lot of the caps that Shilton gained. Was it Revie or Greenwood that had a phase of alternating them match to match?

Back in the '70s I suppose I felt if Everton couldn't win a competition, I'd rather Liverpool than most other teams (how times change) and one Red I really admired was Ray Clemence.

He made some really acrobatic saves. The save I remember him making was at Goodison in September 1975. Nearly 56,000 inside Goodison, 0-0 with just a few minutes left and the ball fell to Bob Latchford about 15 yards out and he lobbed Clemence. Somehow Ray got a fingertip to the ball and tipped it inches over the Park End crossbar. Incredible and I remember Latch applauding it in his Match of the Day interview.

The goalie at the other end of the pitch that day was Dai Davies. How sad they have both died this year and both died too young.

He was a very fine goalkeeper, respect and condolences.

Dennis, I think it was Greenwood who alternated the goalies. My first memories of football are of the '70s and I remember Ray Clemence as the standout keeper. I was also at White Hart Lane the night Neville Southall made that save. I recently saw brief highlights of this game on YouTube and saw Ray Clemence's reaction to the save, the one Tony at 7 and Paul at 15 mention. Class act.

Ray Clemence was a fantastic keeper, and clearly a nice fella. I've stood on the Kop with my red mates a few times and been gobsmacked at some of the saves he pulled off.

I've just been discussing him with one of those mates, and in his opinion the finest save he ever saw from Clemence was from one of his own players! Liverpool v Newcastle at Anfield in the early 70s, the Liverpool centre half Larry Lloyd heads back to Clemence but gets it wrong and the ball flies towards the corner of the goal. Somehow Clemence manages to arch himself backwards in a spectacular leap and gets his fingers to the ball deflecting it over the bar.

Karl, as far as I am aware Dai is still with us The last I saw/heard was that he was being cared for in an hospice in North Wales unless I have missed something.

Karl, to follow up what Bill said about Dai Davies, I hope I'm correct in saying that he is poorly, but still with us.

In August TW shared an appeal by Dai's family asking Blues to share their personal stories and recollections of Dai.

I sent mine and got a lovely reply from Dai's daughter Bethan.

I presume the family continues to welcome contributions and I hope they and the TW editors don't mind if I copy and paste the email address to write to, if anyone is so inclined to share their own Dai story with the family.

daisaveswales@gmail.com

Regarding Clemence's mistake against Scotland, that was a once-in-a-career cock-up, even when there was less televised games.

The current England Number 1 makes that kind of cock-up almost every game he plays lately... shows how standards between the sticks have dropped.

Best keepers ever on Merseyside, in decreasing order of ability:

1. Neville Southall
2. Gordon West & Ray Clemence
3. The rest.

RIP.

Good bloke. Like me, he's a Lincolnshire lad.

One of the high points of my footballing career was that I scored a penalty against him at our village garden fete. A mate of his was the PE teacher at our village's Secondry Modern.

Back in the day, nobody in our neck of the woods supported the rs. All the bullies, wrong uns, and people who allegedly didn't like football, all supported Man Utd. That's why, like Mike Gaynes, I hate them more.

To be complete, I unfortunately had to move to the Netherlands after our mother died. I am Dutch, but lived the first years of my life just above Boston, where I was born.

Very sad. Met him once as a kid in the mid-70s, he came to our school summer fair to keep goal as we kids had a penalty competition. Can you imagine that happening these days??

Anyway, he was brilliant with us kids, a real good fella and made sure he let in at least one penalty for everyone. RIP, Ray.

Absolute Gentleman and fine Goalkeeper. A great loss.

I too, add my condolences, like many have said he was a gentleman, and a good goalkeeper. Also there was obviously rivalry back then, but none of the vitriol we see today from those supposed supporters at Mordor!

Funny Stan! The keeper across the park now is very good mate, and what a difference a good goalkeeper makes to any team.

My Dad prefers his horses and fishing to the internet, so he asked me to post his respects to Ray Clemence on here. Red Ray was just before my time but, from what I have seen and heard, he was an absolutely top-class keeper, and an even more widely liked and respected man who will be sadly missed.

Dad told me his Dad thought Ray Clemence was the best English keeper he'd ever seen, after Gordon Banks, and better than Peter Shilton. That's high enough praise for me.

Football has very sadly lost more than it's share of luminaries this year. I think all of us are hoping the sad news about Ray Clemence is the last we hear for some time.

As an aside, I asked the old fella, a rabid blue, how many other former kopites he would be similarly moved to pay tribute to if they were to pass away.

"Beardsley – but he was ours as well – and Kevin Keegan."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

Tony@30: What I'd written @24, I also wrote to a bunch of red mates whilst we were discussing Clemence. I was expecting some disagreement, but to my surprise they just accepted it. One of them said what you said, and that Allison could turn out to be the top one "if he stays long enough at Liverpool" (the statement in quotes also surprising me). I just replied that he might indeed, but he'd have to be an absolute bloody legend to surpass Big Nev. Again, no disagreement! So at the moment, I'd definitely stick with my ratings @24.

No argument whatsoever out of me on this Stan, I was more just thinking about how valuable a good goalkeeper is.

I watched bits of England last night, and although he never had much to do I thought Pickford's body language was as good as I've seen from him in a long time?

I won't hold my breath over Pickford, but I'd love him to come good for obvious reasons, in a position that could be argued is the most important in the team.

Tony, totally spot on about the value of a good goalie. Yes, I think if Pickford can sort his head out he could be just the job. Another mate of mine (a Blue) thinks that the problem with Pickford is 'too many minds', meaning his brain is doing overtime, and lacks focus, when he has time to think. The phrase he used is from the Tom Cruise film 'The Last Samurai'.

Early 70's I parked my car in my normal spec in Rumney Rd and was walking up towards County Rd when a lot of shouting and laughing broke out behind us I looked round and driving a Ford Cortina GXL was Ray Clemence he was getting some good natured abuse and he was laughing his head off through the open car window. He turned right into County Rd as it was one of those rare days when both teams were at home it must have been FA Cup day. I always remember it but could you imagine any of todays top players driving a Ford Mondeo which is the modern variation of the Cortina.
RIP Ray you weren't a bad un for a RedNeck.

Tony @ 33. I saw exactly what you did. I think that will have done Jordan a power of good. An example of international football benefiting our club.