The Interview 4!

As promised this is the last instalment (Questions 8 - 11) of Norman Clarke answers, to questions put to him by Omar. Norman has been true to his word and nothing has been left out, but then he is a gentleman and a legend and we have grown to expect nothing less from the Ballymena Boy. Happy Christmas to al our readers and all Sky Blue fans no matter where they be tonight and 'come on Sky Blues' (COSB)!


Question 8: Did you stay involved in football after your playing career ended?

I went back to Sunderland in March 1969 to work in Plesseys and played a few games for games for local junior sides in 69-70 season but I found my knee swelled up after every game so I had to pack in playing completely. I started to follow Sunderland and I became a homer, for I didn't attend away games, so I missed their FA cup win in 1973 against Leeds Utd at Wembley. I was working for Plesseys at South Shields and we had two children now. By the summer of 1978 Plesseys factory closed and was out of work for a few months. I started to work for Coral the bookmakers, but just after I started I applied for a job in the Gillette Razor company, they were looking for an O & M man and that was who I purported to be, to my total surprise I was offered the job and I moved to London in the summer 1978.

Geoff Twentyman was someone I kept in touch with and saw regularly and in 1967 Geoff had been appointed as a scout for Liverpool under the legendary Bill Shankly. When I moved to London in 1978, Geoff occasionally asked to go and have a look at a players for him. Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan followed Shankly. Then when Kenny Dagleish succeeded them he wanted more detailed reports than the previous managers and so during 1985-86 I was going almost every week to watch a team that Liverpool were to play soon. Liverpool did the double that season but early in the 1986-87 season Geoff phoned me to say he was leaving Liverpool, in effect he had been sacked. I thought that would be the end for me also, then Tom Saunders, an ex-teacher and Liverpool's football academy man, phoned me to ask if I would carry on, as Kenny Dagleish wanted me to do. Ron Yeats took Geoff's job and I worked under him until the of 2005 season, when the main scouting supremo, Frank McParland wrote to me to say that they wouldn't be using me any more.

I did nothing for about two seasons but towards the end of the 2006-7 season, a chap called Mick McGivern rang me to ask if I would help out a friend of his at Leeds Utd, Gwyn Williams, as Kevin Blackwell, the ex-manager of Leeds, had taken all his southern scouts with him to Luton. I agreed, but Leeds went into administration and were relegated. I had travelled to 6 or 7 matches but got no expenses, so I just put down to experience. At the start of 2007-8 season Leeds Utd phoned to say that they now could pay expenses and was I willing to carry on, which I did. Then just this July Gwyn Williams phoned to say Leeds had terminated his contract, as the new owners didn't want anyone associated with Ken Bates involved with the club. So that ended my association with Leeds Utd and in football in general, so I don't attend matches anymore.

Question 9: Do you still follow Ballymena's results?

The short answer is, unfortunately, yes. When I went back to Sunderland in 1969, I had to buy the Sunday Post to get the Irish league results. I didn't have a phone, like most people in those days. In more recent times at a game, I would watch  Sky Sports at halftime until they flashed up the Irish league half-times. Last season I went to see a number of games at Watford. After one game I went into a bookies to see the final results on Sky, I saw to my horror Ballymena 0 v 8 Cliftonville and a few weeks later at Watford again, I
went into the bookies to get the final results and saw Glenavon 7 v 0 Ballymena, I went home very deflated I can tell you.

Question 10: Do you have any thoughts on Glenn's performance to date?

Well we did win the County Antrim Shield under him which made me very happy one night last season, I am loath to criticise anyone trying to manage a part-time football team, but I'm bitterly disappointed we can't do better then 8th place in a 12 team league and at this moment in time we are actually lying 10th (14/11/13). I only ask if 'small clubs like Ballinmallard, Dungannon, Glenavon and even Crusaders' can get together players to finish in the top 6, why can't Ballymena, who have a much better support than any of them?

Question 11: Who was instrumental in giving you the chance to prove yourself?

Quite an easy one for change, Alex McCrae was the man who gave me the chance, he must have seen something in the leggy, shy sixteen year-old. He was a tremendous man to play with, an outstanding inside-forward (midfielder in today's parlance), great football brain, brilliant passer and no mean finisher, just having on the field was a great inspiration. Even at age of 37-38, he was a class above any inside-forward (midfielder), in the Irish league in his time at Ballymena. He led by example, never bawled any player out, he had great knowledge and experience of how the game should be played and he gave Ballymena a couple of very exciting seasons, with the team playing some excellent football!

It just remains for us at Sky Blue Sport to thank Norman very much  for the Interview and we consider a great privilege that he consented to answer our questions, truthfully and honestly and we have captured a legend's (The Ballymena Boy), thoughts on the World Wide Web!

Hush, I hear sleigh bells, Santa's on his way!