Scorer of 22 goals in 178 appearances, Lee Clark will be the latest recipient of the Forever Fulham award when he joins us for the meeting with Swansea City on Wednesday. We caught up with the former Whites captain to chat about his time at the Club…
Paul Bracewell was manager when you joined Fulham, someone you knew well. How much of an influence was he on you?
I played alongside Paul at Newcastle – he was the senior pro and I was the youngster in the team. And then when I made the move to Sunderland he was Peter Reid’s assistant, and he was a bit of a mentor for us really. He took the Fulham job and gave us the opportunity to come down, so once I met with him and Neil Rodford, who was the Chief Executive at the time, and I got to see the ambition of the Club, I decided it was the right move for me.
The project at Fulham sold it to you then?
Yeah, and I could see from the outside the type of players they were bringing in. Even when they were the equivalent of League One they signed Chris Coleman, so I could see the type of quality they’re looking for. When they went up to Division One and approached myself, I thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. And thankfully time proved that it was the right decision.
That 1999/00 season proved to be a bit of a transitional one for the team, before a great campaign the following year…
We were just outside the Play-Offs when Paul got relieved of his duties. But that was the ambition, the Owner didn’t want to hang around, he wanted to go up quickly. Unfortunately for Paul that meant he lost his job. Then Jean Tigana came in and just took the Club and the players and the staff to a new level, in terms of fitness and nutrition, all the types of things that supporters don’t particularly see. That allowed the team to become very good on the pitch, and I think that’s why you saw a very successful team during his reign as manager.
You were part of ‘the Entertainers’ side at Newcastle. How did that Tigana team compare?
They were very similar. The type of players that Jean brought in to help us win the Championship – John Collins, Louis Saha – those type of lads helped us immensely, and were the type of player that we needed in terms of the football we played. We played with a lot of freedom, we were extremely fit, and it was just brilliant to be a part of.
You became Fulham captain down the line – what was that like for you?
Very special. The Club was special to us anyway, but for me to captain the Club on numerous occasions to some great results in the Premier League was extra special for us. I’ve got fantastic memories, it was a brilliant part of my career, and I’ve got really positive thoughts about it all.
Chris Coleman gave you the captaincy. What was it like to go from playing with him to under him?
When I first arrived he was the captain, so he did a lot for me and my family, and we became very close friends. He was an unbelievably talented footballer, which was taken away from him, his career cut short by a horrendous injury. And then when he did become the manager, it wasn’t something I hadn’t seen from him but he took to it brilliantly. With the help of Steve Kean, the two of them got results, some brilliant results. It was easy because I had a huge amount of respect for him when he was a teammate, so when he became manager there was no need for transition.
One of those brilliant results was the 3-1 win at Old Trafford when you opened the scoring. That was a special day wasn’t it?
Absolutely, because Man United had just won the Premier League. Not many teams went to Old Trafford and got a point, so for us to go there and get a 3-1 away victory was a huge result. It followed a midweek result at home when we’d been 2-0 up and lost 3-2 to an Alan Shearer inspired Newcastle. The last thing you’d probably want to do after a result like that is go to Old Trafford, but we played our game, defended well, created numerous chances, and it was a brilliant result and a great performance, one of many that I had at the Club in terms of great days and great nights.
You played with some great players and characters at Fulham. Who stands out for you?
There’s so many. Chris was a terrific player and a huge character at the football club. John Collins was a very, very gifted player. Andy Melville was someone that I’d worked with at Sunderland so I knew what he could bring to the team. Louis Saha proved to be an unbelievable signing for the Club. We had young Sean Davis coming through the youth ranks and breaking into the team, and you could see the ability and talent that he had. Steve Finnan was there when I got to the Club and went on to have an unbelievable career. And then later on in the Premier League we had Edwin van der Sar, a world class goalkeeper, and Steed Malbranque. We were just continually improving the squad all the time and we achieved a lot. We got the Club into Europe, we finished in what was at the time the highest ever position in the Premier League, which has since been broken by the Roy Hodgson team.
You’re back the Cottage on Wednesday to receive the Forever Fulham award – looking forward to that?
Absolutely. I love coming back to the football club, I really enjoy it. I’ve got special memories and I get treated very, very well whenever I come back. Fulham is a huge part of my footballing career and my life, so I love coming back to the Cottage.