Stephen Clemence has reached an agreement to take on the role of head coach for League Two’s Gillingham, marking his first position as a manager.
Clemence, the son of the deceased English goalkeeper Ray, worked alongside his former Birmingham City manager Steve Bruce as a member of his coaching team at different clubs such as Newcastle, Aston Villa, and Hull.
A 45-year-old individual will receive support from ex-Sunderland coach Robbie Stockdale. Stockdale previously managed Rochdale during the 2021-22 season and later took on positions with Hull and MK Dons.
Kenny Jackett, who serves as the director of football, has been in charge of finding a replacement for Neil Harris. Paul Scally, the former chairman who still holds a minority share and sits on the board, has also played a role in the search. Harris was dismissed from his position with the club ranked eighth in League Two.
This week, Brad Galinson, the majority owner of the American team, expressed his desire for the new head coach to implement an enjoyable style of play. He also minimized the importance of previous managerial experience.
Galinson stated that factors such as playing formation, previous coaching experience, age, Premier League coaching experience, assistant coaching experience, and experience in League One, Two, or the National League are not included on the desired list. According to Galinson, these elements are of lesser importance in ensuring the success of the formula.
Clemence was a trusted assistant to Bruce, who most recently worked at West Brom. However, Bruce was fired after only eight months of his 18-month contract.
Clemence takes over for Harris, who was fired due to the club’s desire to “change course”, a sudden decision largely motivated by a desire to alter the team’s playing style. Clemence will now hold the position of head coach, rather than manager.
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Galinson stated this week that the individual we are hiring will have complete responsibility for the first team, training, formations, and the technical area. However, they will not be responsible for recruiting and acquiring players, but rather will be a member of that process.
On Monday, Alex Bruce, a former Hull defender and member of the West Brom staff under his father, took on his first managerial position with non-league team Macclesfield. Macclesfield, from the seventh tier, is a reborn team of Macclesfield Town, which was dissolved in 2020. The club’s director of football is Robbie Savage.
Source: theguardian.com
