Stephen Edward Claridge (born 10 April 1966) is an English football pundit, coach and former professional player who is the manager of Fleetlands.
Born in Portsmouth, he has spent a number of periods with teams from Hampshire and Dorset, having begun his career with non-league Fareham Town in 1983.
Claridge was born in Portsmouth and grew up in Titchfield, a village near Fareham, and attended Brookfield Community School in Sarisbury Green.
[citation needed] In October 1988 Claridge moved to Crystal Palace for a brief period before opting to join Fourth Division team Aldershot for the 1988–89 season.
His tempestuous relationship with manager John Beck, which was exacerbated by Claridge's gambling problems,[5] eventually led to his being sold to Luton Town for only £120,000 in March 1992.
[11] He played a one-off match for Isthmian League Premier Division club Worthing on 16 January 2007, a 1–1 draw with AFC Wimbledon.
[13] In September 2009, Claridge came out of retirement to play unpaid for his former club, the Conference South side Weymouth, who were in severe financial difficulties.
[22] On 15 August, he named himself as one of only four substitutes and came on for what the Salisbury Journal dubbed "a short cameo" in a Southern League Division One South & West match against Paulton Rovers that ended as a 2–2 draw.
[23] He started Salisbury's next match, a 3–2 FA Cup victory over Fareham Town, substituting himself off after 71 minutes because of broken bones that decided his retirement from playing.
[24][25][26] In July 2023, Claridge was appointed manager of Wessex Football League Division One club Fleetlands having been a long-time friend of the chairman.
[28] In June 2008, Claridge was convicted of dangerous driving and sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, after speeding at 100 mph (160 km/h) in "treacherous" conditions.