Sammy Clingan
Samuel Gary Clingan is a Northern Irish former international footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
Early life
Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Clingan spoke about growing up in a city, where The Troubles was around, saying: "The Peace Process has changed the lives of all of us. We used to come home from school and hear someone had been shot dead or injured every day. I would never have changed my childhood for anything, I had the most amazing time growing up with my friends, but it was a difficult time for anyone in Northern Ireland."Growing up in Northern Ireland, Clingan spoke out about tragedy on the death of his family members, whom he was close to. Clingan was the only boy in the family and has two sisters.
Club career
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Clingan began playing football when he joined Corpus Christi. Clingan joined Wolverhampton Wanderers when he was fourteen years old. However, Clingan had to wait until 16 to move to England, where he officially join the club in August 2001 as a youth trainee. Clingan progressed through the club’s youth system, where he was regarded as a "great prospect" and even captained the reserve side in the 2003–04 season, resulting in him awarded the Young Player of the Year. Clingan appeared in the first team for the first time as an unused substitute in Wolverhampton Wanderers’ first team, in a 3–3 draw against Sheffield United on 26 April 2003. Clingan appeared twice as an unused substitute during their Premier League campaign of 2003–04 season but he never broke into the first team and was the club’s captain for the reserve side instead.On 7 October 2004, Clingan was loaned out to Chesterfield for a month to gain first-team experience. He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Hull City on 10 October 2004. Ten days later on 20 October 2004, Clingan scored his first professional goal, in a 4–0 win against Stockport County. His second goal for the club came on 30 October 2004 came against Sheffield Wednesday when he scored a 30-yard screamer, in a 2–2 draw. After the match, manager Roy McFarland praised his performance, saying: "It was a great goal. Sammy is capable of that, he does it in training on a regular basis, so it's no surprise to us. But when he it happens on a Saturday in front of a big crowd it's a tremendous goal." Clingan went on to have his loan spell with Chesterfield extended before returning to his parent club in January. By the time he returned to his parent club, Clingan made fifteen appearances and scoring two times in all competitions. Following his loan spell at Chesterfield ended, he appeared twice as an unused substitute at Wolverhampton Wanderers for the rest of the 2004–0 season.
Ahead of the 2005–06 season, Clingan continued to be linked with a move to Mansfield Town, Doncaster Rovers and Chesterfield, all three bids were rejected by Wolverhampton Wanderers. Despite suffering a broken wrist during Wolves’ pre–season tour, he eventually join Chesterfield for the second time on loan on deadline day until January. On 2 September 2005, Clingan made his debut for the club, coming on as a 60th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 loss against Bradford City. However, his playing time came from the substitute bench, prompting manager McFarland informing him to be patient. But on 26 November 2005, he scored his first goal for Chesterfield in his second spell for the club, in a 1–1 draw against Blackpool. By the time Clingan made twenty–two appearances and scoring once for Chesterfield. Between October 2004 and January 2006, he played 29 times for the Spireites and scored three goals – quickly becoming a fans' favourite.
Nottingham Forest
In early 2006, Nottingham Forest confirmed their interest in Clingan. The original deal fell through because of the existing loan deal with Chesterfield, but when his loan period ended on 15 January, Forest made a second bid. He joined the club on 23 January 2006 for an undisclosed fee.On 27 January 2006, Clingan made his debut for Nottingham Forest, starting the whole game, in a 2–0 defeat to Barnsley. He contributed both goals for the club against Yeovil Town and Hartlepool United on 17 April 2006 and 22 April 2006 respectively. Having become a first team regular in the second half of the 2005–06 season, Clingan made fifteen appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2006–07 season, Clingan was linked with a move to Birmingham City and Ipswich Town but the move never materialised. He had been a regular in the Nottingham Forest side in 2006–07 season, playing in the midfield position. His international commitment at Northern Ireland caused him to miss two matches. In a match against Oldham Athletic on 1 January 2007, Clingan received a straight red card in the 21st minute for a foul on Will Haining, in a 5–0 loss. After the match, he served a three match suspension. On 31 January 2007, Clingan made his return from suspension, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 3–0 loss against Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup. However, he sustained a broken ankle during a 5–1 victory over Huddersfield Town in early March 2007, sidelining him for the rest of the 2006–07 season. Despite this, Clingan made thirty–four appearances in all competitions.
At the start of the 2007–08 season, Clingan returned fit for the next campaign and started the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against AFC Bournemouth in the first game of the season. Following his return from injury, he regained his first team place, playing in the midfield position. He got his first goal for the Reds after 22 months and 59 games, with a 22-yard free-kick in a 2–0 win over Crewe on 24 November 2007. However, Clingan received a straight red card in the 53rd minute for a foul on Jake Robinson, as Nottingham Forest won 2–0 against Brighton & Hove Albion on 7 December 2007. After serving a three match suspension, he returned to the starting line–up, in a 0–0 draw against Oldham Athletic on 26 December 2007. Clingan later helped the club beat Yeovil Town 3–2 win on the last game of the season, a win that saw Nottingham Forest gain automatic promotion to the Championship. At the end of the 2007–08 season, he made forty–six appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
With his contract expiring at the end of the 2007–08 season, Clingan was offered a new deal by Nottingham Forest. Manager manager Colin Calderwood expressed his optimism that the player would sign a new contract with the club. However, Clingan rejected the offer from Forest amid interest from Championship rivals Queens Park Rangers, Ipswich Town and Norwich City.
Norwich City
On 17 June 2008, Clingan agreed to join Norwich City when his Forest contract expired. He signed a two-year deal and was Glenn Roeder's first summer signing.He made his debut for the club, starting a match and conceded a penalty, in a 2–0 loss against Coventry City in the opening game of the season. After the match, Clingan felt that there was no contact when he gave away the penalty. However, Clingan suffered "a knock on his shin" while on international duty match against Scotland, which angered manager Roeder. But he recovered and returned to the starting line–up against Cardiff City on 23 August 2008. However, Clingan, once again, suffered a shoulder injury while on international duty and was eventually out for a month.
On 4 October 2008, he returned to the starting line–up against Derby County and scored his first goal for Norwich City, in a 2–1 loss. Clingan provided three assists against his former club, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Doncaster Rovers on 21 October 2008 and 25 October 2008 respectively. His goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers was later was given as an own goal to Carl Ikeme. Since returning from injury, he regained his first team place from injury, playing in the midfield position. At times, Clingan played in the defence as cover of absent players, as well as, given the captaincy. He was given a playmaking role, with manager Roeder, saying: "Clingan gets things going so they got round him". In the January transfer window, he was linked to Premier League clubs, with the player eventually revealing that Fulham were the frontrunner, trying to sign him, but the move never materialised.
After missing one match due to an injury, Clingan made his return to the starting line–up, in a 1–1 draw against Burnley on 21 February 2009. On 6 March 2009, he was soon appointed as Norwich City's vice-captain, following Gary Doherty promotion as captain. His performance throughout March earned him March's Championship Player of the Month nomination but lost out to Robbie Blake. During the 2008–09 season, Clingan became the club's established penalty taker, scoring all four spot-kicks he took. His other goals were an impressive free-kick in a 1–1 draw away to Birmingham City and a similar effort in the final day 4–2 defeat to Charlton Athletic which sealed the club's relegation to League One. At the end of the 2008–09 season, he went on to make forty–three appearances and scoring six times in all competitions.
Following Norwich City's relegation, Clingan requested a transfer and was sold to Coventry City. Manager Bryan Gunn acknowledged that it would be difficult to keep him. He proclaimed that he wanted to play in the Premier League and Coventry City offered him the best chance of getting there. Unfortunately for him, the club didn't make it to the Premier League. Two years later, however, Norwich City did secure promotion to the Premier League and Clingan was mercilessly taunted with cries of "Sammy Clingan, it could have been you." by Norwich City Supporters when the two clubs met on the last day of the championship season. He later admitted regretting leaving Norwich for Coventry City.
Coventry City
After a protracted transfer saga in the summer transfer window, Clingan signed for Coventry City on 24 July 2009, signing a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.He made his debut for the club, starting the whole game, in a 2–1 win against Ipswich Town in the opening game of the season. Since joining Coventry City, Clingan quickly became a first team regular, playing in the midfield position. On 19 September 2009, he scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–2 loss against Preston North End. Clingan scored against Watford and Leicester City on 29 September 2009 and 3 October 2009 respectively. However, during the match, he suffered a toe injury and was out for six weeks. Two months later, on 12 December 2009, Clingan made his return from injury, coming on as a 88th-minute substitute, in a 3–2 win over Peterborough United. However, his return was short–lived when he suffered Achilles injury while training and was out for two matches. On 28 December 2009, Clingan made his return from injury, coming on as a 70th-minute substitute, in a 2–0 loss against Nottingham Forest. On 9 January 2010, he scored his third goal for Coventry City, in a 3–1 win against Barnsley. However during a match against Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup replay on 12 January 2010, Clingan suffered a concussion and was substituted at half-time, as the club lost 2–1 and was eliminated from the tournament. But he soon recovered from his concussion. Following his return from his injuries, Clingan regained his first team place, playing in the midfield position despite suffering a virus that saw him out for one match along the way. On 27 February 2010, he scored his sixth goal of the season, in a 2–1 win against Scunthorpe United. However, on the last game of the season against Watford, Clingan suffered a knee injury and was substituted at half-time, much to the delight of the Coventry City supporters, as the club loss 4–0. He was nominated for Coventry City's Player of the Year award but lost out to Keiren Westwood. In his first season at the club, Clingan made thirty–six appearances and scoring five times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2010–11 season, Clingan appeared as an unused substitute in the first four matches of the season. On Deadline day, he was linked with a move to Leicester City, but Coventry City rejected the move. Following the last three games since the opening game of the season, Clingan said his first team place is difficult in the starting line-up, under manager Aidy Boothroyd. Eventually, he soon force his way to the starting eleven that convinced Boothroyd to include him in a starting line-up. Clingan then set up a goal against Swansea City and Bristol City on 14 September 2010 and 18 September 2010 respectively. However in a match against Nottingham Forest on 9 November 2010, he suffered a knee injury and was substituted in the 70th-minute, as the club loss 2–1. After the match, Clingan was out for two months. On 23 January 2011, he made his return from injury, coming on as a 66th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Queens Park Rangers. However, his return was short–lived when Clingan suffered an injury that kept him out four matches. On 27 February 2011, Clingan returned to the first team, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute, in a 1–1 draw against Leicester City. Since returning from injury, he regained his first team place for the remainder of the season, playing in the midfield position and even captained the side at one point. His return form led manager Andy Thorn praising Clingan’s performance, comparing his playing style to a "Premier League player." At the end of the 2010–11 season, he made twenty–eight appearances in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2011–12 season, Clingan was named as Coventry City’s club captain following the departures of Keiren Westwood, Marlon King and Aron Gunnarson. Throughout the summer transfer window, he was linked with a move to Leeds United but remained at the club in the end. Since the start of the 2011–12 season, he continued to be a first team regular, playing in the midfield position. On 29 October 2011, Clingan scored his first goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Doncaster Rovers. After the match, he announced his desire to stay at Coventry City and the contract negotiations has started. However, Clingan suffered a knee injury that kept him out for the rest of the year. On 14 January 2012, he made his return from injury, starting the whole game, in a 1–0 loss against Derby County. On 4 February 2012, Clingan scored his second goal of the season, in a 3–2 loss against Ipswich Town. In a follow–up match against Reading, however, he suffered a groin injury and was substituted in the 59th minute, as the club loss 2–0. After the match, Clingan was out for three matches with a groin injury. On 3 March 2012, he made his return from injury, coming on as a 71st-minute substitute, against Leicester City and missed the penalty, as Coventry City loss 2–0. After the match, caretaker manager Steve Harrison refused to blame him for missing the penalty. Clingan, himself, said the club is determined to bounce back from recent losses. Since returning from injury, he regained his first team place for the next nine league matches. At the end of the 2011–12 season, Clingan made thirty–six appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
On 2 May 2012, it was reported that Clingan rejected a new contract from Coventry City. It was confirmed on 10 May 2012 that he was released by the club when his contract ran out at the end of the 2011–2012 season. Reflecting on his time at the Sky Blues, Clingan said: "To be honest with you, I really enjoyed my time at Coventry. I know I got offered a new three year contract and I was weighing up my options at the time and wondering what to do. And I look back and think, in hindsight, that I probably should have stayed there because I loved my time there and loved living in Leamington."