Product Code Database
Clive Darren Allen (born 20 May 1961) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward for seven different London clubs. Allen was a prolific striker throughout his career.
In 1986-87 he won the PFA and Football Writers' Association player of the year awards. He also won 5 caps for England from 1984 to 1988.
In one of his earliest games for the club, Allen was at the centre of a notorious incident in the defeat against Coventry City on 6 September 1980, when his shot flew into the goal and rebounded from the stanchion holding up the netting so quickly that it was ruled not a goal, the referee mistakenly ruling that the ball had hit the frame of the goal. As highlights of the match were being televised by the BBC, the incident was captured on camera.
Over the next two seasons, Allen scored 27 League goals as QPR first won the Second Division Championship in 1982–83 and then finished fifth in the First Division in 1983–84. He moved to Tottenham for a £700,000 fee.
In 1986–87 he scored 33 League goals, and 49 goals in all competitions, a record for the club. He scored, but was on the losing side alongside his cousin Paul Allen, in the 1987 FA Cup Final. That season he also won the PFA Player of the Year and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year awards.
He scored seven goals in 16 games over the next three months with Chelsea, scoring the winning goal in an FA Cup fourth-round tie against Everton. He then joined West Ham United in March 1992, scoring once in four league games, but was unable to stop them from being relegated.
He scored 14 goals in the 1992–93 Division One campaign as West Ham were promoted as runners-up. His goal on the last day of the season, against Cambridge United, secured promotion to the Premier League. He played just seven league games in the 1993–94 in the Premier League, scoring two goals against Sheffield Wednesday in August 1993, although he did score West Ham's first goal in the Bobby Moore Memorial Match against a Premier League XI at Upton Park in March 1994 in a 2-1 win for the Hammers. He played his final game for West Ham later in the same month in a 0–0 FA Cup sixth-round game at Boleyn Ground against Luton Town, coming on as a substitute for Lee Chapman.
In January 1994, when Allen was out of favour at West Ham United, Tottenham manager Ossie Ardiles (who had been his Tottenham team-mate the previous decade) expressed interest in bringing Allen back to White Hart Lane as he looked to spend up to £500,000 on a striker to cover for the injured Teddy Sheringham, but the transfer did not happen.
Allen opted to drop down a division and join Millwall for a fee of £75,000.
He ended his career with three league games for Carlisle United in 1995–96.
Individual
Bordeaux
Allen moved from Spurs to join Bordeaux in March 1988, scoring 13 goals in 19 league games.
Later career
In July 1989 Allen joined Manchester City, who had just been promoted to the First Division. He scored 10 league goals in his first season, but only four goals in 1990–91. He managed three appearances and scored twice in the league for City the following season, and was transferred to Chelsea in December 1991.
International career
In the summer of 1984, Allen was given his first England cap against Brazil. In total he made five appearances for England without scoring.
American football career
In 1997, Allen played as Kicker for the London Monarchs in NFL Europe.
Personal life
His son Oliver is also a footballer. In 2019, Allen published his autobiography, Up Front: My Autobiography. Allen also works as a commentator on ESPN and BT Sport predominantly for coverage of Ligue 1, Bundesliga, FA Cup, and UEFA.
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition Queens Park Rangers 1978–79 First Division 4 1979–80 Second Division 28 Crystal Palace 1980–81 First Division 9 Queens Park Rangers 1981–82 Second Division 14 1982–83 Second Division 13 1983–84 First Division 14 Tottenham Hotspur 1984–85 First Division 9 1985–86 First Division 9 1986–87 First Division 49 1987–88 First Division 11 Bordeaux 1988–89 Division 1 13 Manchester City 1989–90 First Division 10 1990–91 First Division 4 1991–92 First Division 2 Chelsea 1991–92 First Division 7 West Ham United 1991–92 First Division 1 1992–93 First Division 14 1993–94 Premier League 2 Millwall 1994–95 First Division 0 Carlisle United 1995–96 Second Division 0
Honours
Queens Park Rangers
External links
Categories: 1961 Births, Arsenal F.c. Players, English Expatriate Sportspeople In France, Carlisle United F.c. Players, Chelsea F.c. Players, Crystal Palace F.c. Players, Men's Association Football Forwards, England Men's International Footballers, England Men's Under-21 International Footballers, England Men's Youth International Footballers, English Expatriate Men's Footballers, English Football Managers, English Men's Footballers, Expatriate Men's Footballers In France, Premier League Top Scorers, Fc Girondins De Bordeaux Players, Ligue 1 Players, Living People, London Monarchs Players, Manchester City F.c. Players, Millwall F.c. Players, Footballers From The London Borough Of Tower Hamlets, People From Stepney, Premier League Managers, Premier League Players, Queens Park Rangers F.c. Players, English Football League Players, Tottenham Hotspur F.c. Managers, Tottenham Hotspur F.c. Non-playing Staff, Tottenham Hotspur F.c. Players, West Ham United F.c. Players, American Football Placekickers, English Players Of American Football, Footballers Who Switched Code, Clive, English Autobiographers, English Association Football Commentators
|
|
