NewsLiverpool's Greatest - No.13: Ray Clemence
Years: 1968-1981
Appearances: 665
Trophies: First Division (1972-73, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80), UEFA Cup (1973, 1976), FA Cup (1974), European Cup (1977, 1978, 1981), UEFA Super Cup (1977), League Cup (1981)
The brilliance of Ray Clemence is reflected in the fact he kept a clean sheet in just shy of half of his 665 Liverpool appearances.
‘Clem’ arrived at Bill Shankly’s Reds from Scunthorpe United in 1967 as a teenager and would go on to win nearly everything you could in club football.
Having had to bide his time behind Tommy Lawrence, he inherited the gloves on a permanent basis in 1970-71 and produced 34 shutouts – tied for the most in his career with the club.
Such excellence became the norm as Clemence established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world at that time.
Given the dominance of Liverpool during the era, he was only called into action a handful of moments in every game – but was, more often than not, there to save when required.
And he was basically always there: in 11 seasons from 1970 to 1981, Clemence played 456 of a possible 462 league matches.
Liverpool conquered English and European football with Clemence between the sticks, giving away very few goals in the process.
Astonishingly, he only retrieved the ball from his net 16 times in 42 matches when Bob Paisley’s side won the First Division in 1978-79.
His final appearance for the club was in the 1981 European Cup final, where he fittingly kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Real Madrid.
The man from Skegness was beaten only once across three starts in the continent’s showpiece fixture, to help the Reds clinch Old Big Ears three times in five years.
Amid fierce competition, Clemence therefore remains right in the conversation for the status of finest goalkeeper in Liverpool’s rich history.
What he helped the Reds lift certainly strengthens his case, with that trio of European Cups sitting alongside five league championships, two UEFA Cups, an FA Cup, a League Cup and a UEFA Super Cup.
So, too, his incredible tally of more than 300 clean sheets for the club.
“I’ve always tried in my life, whatever I’ve done, to be the best at it. I’ve not always achieved that but I’ve always tried it,” he later explained.
“I hope the Liverpool fans will remember me as being somebody who was passionate for the football club. I loved every minute of it, I loved the affiliation with the fans.
“I gave them everything I had. Hopefully it was enough to please them.”
Of that, there could be no doubt.
Kopites loved Clemence so much, when he returned to Anfield for the first time as an opposition player – with Tottenham Hotspur in May 1982 – he was given a rapturous ovation as he took up his position in front of them for the second half.
“It’s probably the most emotional I’ve ever been in football,” he said.
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