Clyne followed Scannell and Blackman into the Rec. I picked him up in Somerleyton, a very vicious block of flats where the boys use guns, Scott says. A gang place. The police were paying Fulham at the time to run a summer programme keeping kids off the street, so I went to Hill Mead School for them and there he was: this little boy, really good on the ball, very quiet, very competitive. A good attitude. I told him I was looking for a bunch to come up the Rec and work so, when a club comes looking, I can show them the best boys we have. When he was 10 I sent him up to Arsenal for a trial. He was a winger at the time and I told him: Take on players, score goals. Dont go thinking youre there to have a good time, son. Youre going there to make an impact. Its one chance.
He came back and told me hed scored four, but Arsenal reckoned he was too small.