Simon Clark is a professional English soccer player turned manager. Born March 12, 1967, in Boston Borough in Lincolnshire, the 6-foot-1-inch, 174-lb. defenseman
played youth soccer locally with the under-14 through under-19 teams. Clark made his pro debut at age 26 and played with three teams over the next 10 years. As team captain, Clark coached Colchester United's U17 squad and switched his focus to management. After several years as a player-coach, Clark began taking positions strictly associated with team management. He worked as a scout, league coordinator and temporary manager before he was named head manager of a top-tier youth team.
Playing Career
As a youth, Clark played amateur soccer at Boston United, Holbeach United, King's Lynn FC and Hendon FC. He left Hendon to sign with Stevenage Borough. Moving to Peterborough United, Clark made his professional debut in a 2-0 victory on Jan. 15, 1994. He stayed with Peterborough until 1997, making 107 appearances and scoring four goals. For a fee of just less than $40,000, Clark moved to Leyton Orient in 1997, where he scored 9 goals in 118 appearances over three seasons. He scored a hat trick during his first season with the Os, and became a defensive stalwart and a fan favorite as one of "Three Amigos," joined by two of his teammates. Next, Clark made 66 appearances as the captain of Colchester United from 2000 to 2002, coaching the club's U17 team on the side.
Manager Training
From 2002 to 2005, Clark became a player-coach in Singapore, earning his Asian Federation A coaching license, then became player-manager at Woodlands Wellington from 2002 to 2004. Clark returned to England to earn an English FA, a UEFA A coaching qualification. He joined King's Lynn, then took a player-coach role at Maldon Town. In Sept. 2005, Clark's appointment as player-manager at the Isthmian League Premier Division club Leyton ended in disappointment as he was fired just over a month after taking the reins. He returned to King's Lynn.
Move to Manager
Clark joined the Lincoln City Centre of Excellence in April 2007 and became a coach. He was eventually appointed coordinator of the 9s to 16s divisions at Peterborough United. He became a first-team coach of the youth and reserve clubs and became the club's chief scout. Less than a year later, events conspired against him. Lincoln City's Board of Directors agreed to part company with their manager and assistant manager pairing, placing Clark temporarily in charge. Chris Sutton replaced Clark as manager on Sept. 28, 2009, and Clark lost his last game as manager the following day. Clark and the club parted ways by mutual consent.
Modern Manager
Clark took a brief time-out to work as a personal trainer while doing scouting and match analysis for Peterborough United. In May 2010, Clark was appointed manager of Stamford, where he remained as of June 2011. Interviewed in 2010 by his club's website, Clark said he had learned more than a few lessons over the years, but two in particular rang true. First, he said, it's much more difficult to adjust to the amateur game after having a pro career. Second, he had learned that people perceived him as too intense at times and he explained that his intensity is a holdover from the win-at-all-costs pro atmosphere and an expectation for all players to be perfectionists. He promised that he and his staff would be prepare a more useful preseason schedule for the next season to ensure better success for the team.
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