Stephen Neal Clemence (born 31 March 1978) is an English football coach and former player, who made nearly 250 appearances in the Premier League and Football League playing as a midfielder. Clemence began his career with Tottenham Hotspur, where he spent six years as a professional but never established himself as a regular first-team player. He was capped once for England at under-21 level. He moved on to Birmingham City in 2003, where he was chosen player of the 2006–07 season, at the end of which he signed for Leicester City. An injury prone player, Clemence was well known for his passion, drive, leadership and commitment on the pitch. He suffered a series of long-term injuries in his career, the worst being a damaged heel while at Leicester, which brought his career to an end after 18 months on the sidelines. After retirement he joined the coaching staff at Sunderland before moving to Hull City as reserve-team manager and as first-team coach, and continued to follow Steve Bruce to Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion as first-team coach or assistant manager. Club career Tottenham Hotspur The first team Clemence played for was Tottenham Hotspur, for whom he made his debut against Manchester United on 10 August 1997, a match Tottenham lost 2–0. His season was cut much shorter by a four-day spell in February 1998, during which time Clemence picked up a red card against Barnsley. He involved himself to a greater degree the following season, displaying more of the form which won him a place in the England U21 side. He scored three times during his spell at Spurs, his first coming in the 1997–98 FA Cup against Fulham, followed by two league goals against Derby County and Sunderland. Despite not being part of Tottenham's squad for the 1999 Football League Cup Final he made three appearances during their victorious League Cup campaign. Clemence's injury woes started when he suffered a torn medial ligament in his left knee, following a collision with Blackburn Rovers midfielder Garry Flitcroft in a match at Ewood Park in August 2001. His injury required surgery and was thought he would be out for three months. However, despite clocking up a few hours of football in the reserves, he played only three first-team matches at the end of the 2001–02 season. Further injuries prevented his returning to training until October 2002.