Over a decade on from his time as manager of Birmingham City, ex-Premier League star Lee Clark has been declared bankrupt over an unpaid debt to a business finance firm
Former Birmingham City manager Lee Clark has been declared bankrupt
Former Birmingham City manager Lee Clark has been declared bankrupt over a debt to One Stop Business, a York-based finance firm.
Clark, 52, retired from football in 2006 after enjoying a top-flight career representing the likes of Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham. He later moved into a coaching career and has more recently featured as a pundit for the likes of talkSPORT.
When approached at his plush £2m Jesmond pad this week, Clark confessed to being in the dark about the bankruptcy order published in the London Gazette. He surprisingly told reporters from The Mirror: “I have no idea.”
He later further added: “I have no comment to make. I know nothing. Don’t keep pressing the buzzer.”
As a result of the ruling, Clark faces a freeze on his assets by the Insolvency Service. This also means his bank accounts, savings and other valuables are at risk of being marshalled to settle unsecured debts.
Clark’s football legacy includes more than 200 appearances across two stints with Newcastle, including being an integral part of Kevin Keegan’s ‘Entertainers’ in the 1990s. He also enjoyed top-flight promotions with both Fulham and Sunderland, as well as turning out for England under-21s.
His transfer to Sunderland in 1997, worth £2.5million, infamously upset fans during Peter Reid’s management. Clark infamously wore a T-shirt with a crass slogan about ‘Sad Mackem B******s’ at the 1999 FA Cup final, which led to his departure from Sunderland, whom he never represented again after that date.
Lee Clark had little to say when approached outside his Jesmond residence(Image: Andy Commins / Daily Mirror)
However, the 52-year-old has said that despite his controversial past, he harbours genuine aspirations for the Black Cats to succeed. Since hanging up his boots in 2006, Clark has turned his hand to management with spells at Huddersfield, Birmingham and Blackpool, as well as coaching stints abroad in Sudan and Oman.
He took over at St. Andrews in the summer of 2012 and enjoyed a promising first season in charge. However, much of that initial buzz burned out in his sophomore season, where the Blues barely managed to secure their Championship survival on the last day of the campaign.
Clark was finally sacked in October 2014 with Birmingham sat 21st in the second-tier table. He won just 33 of his 116 games in charge overall.
His son, Bobby, has graced the pitch for Liverpool and was once touted as one of the academy’s brightest talents. However, he’s now starring for RB Salzburg in Austria.
The former Birmingham boss has a mixed reputation in the northeast(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)
During his time with Sunderland, Clark was not only a fan favourite but also an esteemed player, captaining the team at times and helping them secure promotion from the old Division One in 1999. Besides coaching, he has also lent his voice to TV and radio punditry.
Clark’s affiliation with Sunderland remains undeniable despite all that’s happened between the two. And when asked by former Sunderland striker Ally McCoist if he wanted the Black Cats to triumph in this season’s play-off final, he was nothing except supportive.
“Do you know what Ally? I’ve said this all the time, and my pals will tell you this, whoever spoke to us, I want Sunderland in the Premier League,” he said. “I want the derby games back. I would love Middlesbrough in the Premier League. I want the North East clubs back. Let’s get North East football back on the map.”