FULL NAME: Paul Clarke.
DATE
OF BIRTH: 11th October 1956 (Yip, that’s me 50 and over the hill!).
PLACE OF BIRTH: Ardrossan.
TEAM YOU SUPPORTED AS A LAD:
Celtic (sorry guys, Lisbon Lions and all that).
WIFE’S NAME: Claire.
CHILDREN: Pauline (25) and Peter
(22).
PETS: Labrador died 3 years ago
and I’m still in mourning.
WHAT CAR DO YOU DRIVE: Volvo S80
(another sign of old age).
FAVE MUSIC: All the 70’s stuff
especially soul music – artists like the Drifters, Marvin Gaye,
Elvis. Real music! … Oh, and Marie Osmond of course.
FAVE HOLIDAY: A cruise to the
Bahamas.
FAVE CITY: Las Vegas
FAVE FOOD AND BEVVY:
Unfortunately…chicken curry and fried rice with lager..
FAVE PUB: The old Killie Club
with mein host Ernie Bolton. A few good nights to remember.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Having just
moved back to live by the sea in Ardrossan my hobby has become DIY,
whether I like it or not! I like to keep my hand in at five-a-sides,
golf, fishing and horse racing. I love all kinds of gadgets and
technology…if only I could figure out how the hell to work the
things!
CAREER PATH
WHAT SCHOOL TEAMS DID YOU PLAY
FOR? Primary - St. Mary’s, Saltcoats. Seconadry - St. Michael’s,
Kilwinning.
WHAT WAS YOUR POSITION IN THOSE
EARLY DAYS? Left-half (young readers will not know what I’m talking
about…they’ll have to ask their grandpas!).
WHAT BOYS CLUBS DID YOU GRACE?
Only one called Saltcoats Star…until Killie got me.
WHEN DID THE SENIOR TEAMS COME
CALLING? I was playing under-14’s when Killie, Celtic and a few
English clubs started watching me. Of course the best team won.
WAS
IT A DIFFICULT DECISION TO TURN PROFESSIONAL? No, it was my dream
since I could walk. Ma mammy Peggy claims I was kicking a ball even
before I could walk.
WHO WAS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON
YOUR EARLY CAREER? Apart from my father Eddie and Uncle Jim
(ex-Killie reserve around 1969) I would say Willie Fernie.
(right) He had great faith in me and put me in the first team when I
was only 17 in front of established players. That’s why I feel it’s
really important for young players to be given an opportunity to
show what they can do. Me heroes as a boy were Billy McNeil and
Bobby Murdoch.
DO YOU REGRET NOT PLAYING DOWN
SOUTH? Not really; I have always had the attitude that “whit’s fir
ye will no go bye ye”.
YOU STOPPED PLAYING AT THE
RELATIVELY YOUNG AGE OF 30, INJURY PROBLEMS? No injury problems,
just a big life decision to join the police force. At that time you
had to join before you were 30. As it happened, the very next year
they upped the age limit, but no regrets (well only a few!)
DID YOU NOT FANCY STAYING IN THE
GAME AS A COACH OR MANAGER? Not as a job but I did help Alan
Robertson by coaching the youth teams for seven years. This was
enjoyable especially as I helped young players like Garry Hay
(young?), Peter
Canero, Gary
McDonald, Kris
Boyd, Jacko, Fowler, Graeme Smith and a few others to make the
grade. But, away games at Inverness and Dingwall on Sundays and
training two or three times a week took up too much time (that’s
what my wife says).
FANS Q&A
TELL US ABOUT THAT FAMOUS LAST
MINUTE “MARADONNA-TYPE” GOAL v CLYDEBANK: Basically that shower of
time wasters had scored in the last minute and I said to Stuart
McLean that I was going to move up and have a kick at a few of their
players. I told Sammy McGivern (I think) to play the centre back to
me…but when he did this I ran forward and skipped past a couple of
strikers (they canny tackle anyway). Before I knew it I was about 25
yards out and their defence parted like the Red Sea (was it the
shimmy I did?). Now through on the goalie, who dived too early, I
chipped the ball over him into the net. I still canny believe how
easy it was…I should have tried it more often!
WHAT WAS THE TRUTH BEHIND THE
CHELSEA RUMOURS? Not True…I could have got a move at various times
to, in no particular order, Stoke City, Celtic, St Mirren and
Partick Thistle (yuk). All fell through because Killie at that time
were skint (not like now eh!) and wanted too much money for me.
Thistle were asked for £90,000 for me at a time when you could have
bought a Premier League club for that! Rotherham United also wanted
to buy me when I was about 28 years old but Jim Clunie in his own
inimitable manner told me about their interest in the following way…Clunie:
“You interested in playing for Rotherham?” Me: “No.” Clunie: “That’s
whit I feckin telt them last week!”
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STILL FIT
ENOUGH TO CARRY OUT THE FAMOUS CLEARANCE AT FIRHILL? Silly question.
I wisnae fit enough to do it that day either…back problems ever
since!
WHAT'S
IT LIKE TO BEAT RANGERS IN A CUP FINAL AT IBROX (TENNENT
CALEDONIAN)? Brilliant, but at the time we didn’t think that much
about it. Although I remember hey were distinctly pissed off! It was
a pre-season tournament and the new Ibrox was only half built. All
we got was a cheap tin tankard that didn’t even have our names
engraved on them. Not even a few tins of Tennents Lager for the bus
home…never mind…the taste of glory was sweeter.
WAS
BIG D AS SCARY FOR HIS TEAM MATES AS HE WAS TO THE OPPOSITION? Well
put it this way, I always kept on his right side, he was from
Auchinleck. I think we both looked quite scary, especially with no
teeth in. We both lost our front teeth fighting for Killie week in
week out.
ANY OPINIONS ON THE AMOUNT OF
GOALS THE DEFENCE SHIPS ON A REGULAR BASIS? The team at present is
attack minded. I must admit that along with other retired defenders,
including the present manager, I enjoy watching teams who play that
way. As long as you score more than you lose.
WAS IT CONFUSING TO PLAY IN A
HALF-BACK LINE OF CLARK, CLARKE AND CLARK? Jimmy was the wee one
that never stood still, Robert only had one leg (although hit was a
sweet left peg) and I was the tall good looking one that had all the
skill!
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE
"DARK AGE" – INVERNESS? I’m fed up saying this…but I wisnae at
Inverness! I have never been so happy to be injured. Maybe if I had
been there…
BEST PLAYER YOU PLAYED
WITH…COWBOY? PROVAN? CASPER? EDDIE? JOHN McEACHRAN? Too difficult to
pin down to one but I’ll say my constant partners in defence – Alan
McCulloch, Stuart McLean, Derek McDicken and Alan Robertson. Can
anyone remember Ricky Sharpe who came from Dumbarton? Well, after a
game against them Willie Fernie asked my opinion about him and I
said “yes…good player”. So, he signed him as we were looking for a
goal scorer. Guess what…as far as I can remember Ricky (now a fellow
plod) didn’t score for Killie in two seasons…I can pick them!
HOW DO YOU THINK THE TEAM YOU
PLAYED IN WOULD HAVE FARED HAD THEY BEEN FULL TIME? The team I
played in under Willie Fernie had some great players and would have
had a great chance to become a force in the top league. It would
have been interesting. Some of the guys had good jobs like teachers
and accountants so I don’t think they could have afforded to pay us
all.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PRESENT
SET UP AT KILLIE I.E MANAGEMENT, PLAYERS BACKROOM STAFF ETC? It’s a
different world now and I don’t think there are as many laughs.
Remember, when me and my team mates played we were arriving at
training after doing a day’s work. Some in overalls, some in suits,
but we all had the same energy and enthusiasm as the big full time
teams we were playing against every Saturday. Football is big
business now with many nationalities in the team. I think our
furthest travelled players came from deepest darkest Greenock!
IF YOU COULD HAVE COMBINED BOTH
JOBS AT ONCE WHICH PLAYER WOULD YOU HAVE ARRESTED FOR ONFIELD
ACTIVITIES? Definitely Gregor Stevens for that tackle which broke
his leg and ended Albert Morrison’s senior career. It was meant to
be a friendly and I’ll tell you I was nearly lifted that day
myself!
DOES YOUR BROTHER SUPPORT KILLIE
AND DOES HE COME TO WATCH US AT ALL? ANY CHANCE OF SHEVA ON LOAN?
Stephen puts in a lot of hours at Chelsea but is always keen to know
what’s happening up here. He was a fan when I played but it wasn’t
long before he got signed up by St Mirren and the rest, as they say,
is history. I talk about my days playing with Jimmy Stewart, Cowboy,
Robbie, Stuart McLean, wee Jimmy, Burkie and John McEachran…and he
talks about Zola, Vialli, Gullit and Hoddle etc. Oh and he also
played in the same team as Maradona. Now put all those players and
ME into one team and I think we would win our fair share of games.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO HAVE TO
POLICE THE 'HOTHEADS AND BAMPOTS', SO SOON AFTER HANGING UP YOUR
BOOTS FOR THE CAUSE? WERE YOU CAUGHT BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD
PLACE? It was great. A bampot is a bampot, we all know that! It took
a long while to settle down on a Saturday though…even yet.
DO YOU REMEMBER SCORING A WONDER
GOAL (OR TWO) FOR KILLIE AT A DOG STADIUM? Yes, I think you mean
Shawfield cos A*r is the Piggery. I remember scoring one goal, a
left footer from about thirty yards. I think the ball skidded on a
dug mess and the goalie refused to pick it up.
BEST
PLAYER YOU PLAYED WITH AND AGAINST? Too hard to say who is the best
I’ve played with but I’ll tell you I played with a lot of bad
players near the end of my career. I played against a lot of great
players including Kenny Dalglish, Paulo Rossi, George Best
and Stevie Clarke! (It just doesn’t read right does it?)
DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE FOR THE KILLIE
FANS? Take singing lessons. Grow a thick skin. Invest in an iPod for
games against Dundee Utd. Don’t eat too many pies (look what
happened to me!). Always live in hope…and remember things could be
worse. Just look down the A77 at the sad pathetic gits (and I don’t
mean Stranraer).
