James David McClen (born 13 May 1979) is an English retired

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a defender or

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Early life and youth career

McClen attended St. Benet Biscop Catholic High School in

Bedlington Bedlington is a town and former civil parish in Northumberland, England, with a population of 18,470 measured at the 2011 Census. Bedlington is an ancient market town, with a rich history of industry and innovative residents. Located roughly 1 ...

, Northumberland. He honed his footballing skills at the youth academy of

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

at the age of 10 after being spotted whilst playing for Cramlington Juniors.

Playing career

Newcastle United

McClen debuted for Newcastle in 1999 against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

under the management of

Ruud Gullit Ruud Gullit (; born Rudi Dil; 1 September 1962) is a Dutch footballer and subsequent manager who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender, midfielder or forward. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all t ...

. Gullit offered McClen a long-term deal which was promptly signed. He drifted out of the first-team picture for a few years, only to get a break in the team when injuries took their toll on Newcastle. McClen took his chance, including a goal against

Peterborough United Peterborough United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. The team compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Peterborough have a long-standing ...

in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, going on to make 10 more appearances in the 2001–02 season, including against

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in the FA Cup. McClen's performances that season, in which Newcastle finished 4th, earned him another long-term deal which was promptly signed. However, McClen struggled to retain his place in the first team before eventually being released in 2005 to

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They have played their home games at Brunton Par ...

Later career

McClen's spell at Carlisle only lasted a few months before he was released. He then went to

Blyth Spartans Blyth Spartans Association Football Club is a football club based in Blyth, Northumberland. They are currently members of and play at Croft Park. They were founded in September 1899 by Fred Stoker, who was the club's first secretary before fo ...

on a short-term basis. He returned to the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

to join

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

, but he was released due to concerns over his fitness levels. In June 2006 he signed a 12-month contract with

Kidderminster Harriers Kidderminster Harriers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The team compete in the National League North, at the sixth tier of the English football league system. Formed in ...

of the

Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...

. On 3 November 2006, McClen returned to the north-east to play for

Bedlington Terriers Bedlington Terriers Football Club is a football club based in Bedlington, England. The club are currently members of the and play at Welfare Park. History The club was established in 1949 as Bedlington Mechanics. They joined the Northumberlan ...

on loan. McClen was released by Kidderminster in January 2007 and signed for

Hamilton Academical Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish association football, football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championshi ...

until the end of the season. However, he was released in March 2007. In August 2007, McClen joined

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. It has four divisions: the Premier Division (which stands at level 7 of the English football league system), Division One East, Division One West and Divisio ...

outfit

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

ahead of the 2007–08 season. January 2008 saw McClen join

Newcastle Blue Star Newcastle Blue Star F.C. is a football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was established in 1930 and joined the Wearside League in 1973. In 1978, it won the FA Vase. Having won promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Divi ...

on loan until the end of the season. The move became permanent at the start of the 2008–09 season. After Newcastle Blue Star dissolved, McClen joined

Morpeth Town Morpeth Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Morpeth, Northumberland, England. They are currently members of the and play at Craik Park. History The club was established in 1909. They joined the Northern Alliance in 193 ...

, before a trial with

Thai Premier League The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from August ...

side

Pattaya United F.C. Pattaya United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลพัทยา ยูไนเต็ด) was a Thai football club based in Pattaya, Chonburi Province. Defunct after the 2018 season, the club was renamed to Samut Prakan ...

thaileagueonline.com
report about the signing
in January 2010. McClen opted to stay in the north-east as he had a young family.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McClen, Jamie 1979 births Living people People from Cramlington Footballers from Northumberland English footballers English expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in Thailand Men's association football defenders Men's association football midfielders Men's association football utility players Newcastle United F.C. players Motherwell F.C. players Carlisle United F.C. players Blyth Spartans A.F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Kidderminster Harriers F.C. players Bedlington Terriers F.C. players Hamilton Academical F.C. players Gateshead F.C. players Newcastle Blue Star F.C. players Premier League players Scottish Premier League players English Football League players National League (English football) players Scottish Football League players Northern Premier League players Northern Football League players Morpeth Town A.F.C. players