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Jack Clarke To West Ham/Burnley/Lazio/ latest Ipswich...

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We all love Clarke and I don’t think there’s a single fan that wants him to leave (myself included), but nobody knows what his camp are asking for. I agree he should be on a wage reflective of his performances and standing in the team but if what he wants is let’s say (hypothetically) upwards of 30k which other champ clubs are no doubt paying then we’re not going to pay it.

It’s incredibly frustrating and he isn’t the first and won’t be the last to enter into contract disputes with the club over wage (Ross Stewart) but hopefully it gets resolved sooner rather than later.

It does feel like if wages can be agreed upon, most likely club moving up and Clarkes camp coming down, then a release clause would suit all parties like you said
Stewart had been on relatively low wages his full career, he knew it was his last chance of a good pay day that meant he could retire a millionaire, so he had to chase every extra 1k per week he could get. Clarke would have been on 15-20k since he was 18 I would imagine when he moved to spurs. Money talks at the end of the day though regardless but I can’t see it being as pressing an issue as Stewart’s was he was literally chasing securing his future after football.
 
When we went up as champions under Reidy in his first full year we hardly bought any one that summer
Certain only Melville ( might be mistaken ) all I’m saying 😜

Brought Bracewell back for about 50k, then one or two lesser players for next to nowt and then spent 900k on Kelly. Melville had came in under Butcher with Phil Gray, Derek Ferguson etc a few years earlier.

We had the Nucleus of a good squad like, one which had admittedly under achieved for about 4 years. Norman, Chamberlain, Kubicki, Bennett, Ball, Melville, Scott, Agnew, Gray P then kids like Gray Mickey, Russell, Martin Smith. All recognised as canny players. Even Ord had started playing well again under Buxton earlier that season.

There was even other players around it we had spent a few quid on who hadn't worked out like Cunnington, Ferguson, Angell etc.

It needed organising and motivating and a bit adding to it. Sometimes it happens that a side will just kick on and you never know.
 
Brought Bracewell back for about 50k, then one or two lesser players for next to nowt and then spent 900k on Kelly. Melville had came in under Butcher with Phil Gray, Derek Ferguson etc a few years earlier.

We had the Nucleus of a good squad like, one which had admittedly under achieved for about 4 years. Norman, Chamberlain, Kubicki, Bennett, Ball, Melville, Scott, Agnew, Gray P then kids like Gray Mickey, Russell, Martin Smith. All recognised as canny players. Even Ord had started playing well again under Buxton earlier that season.

There was even other players around it we had spent a few quid on who hadn't worked out like Cunnington, Ferguson, Angell etc.

It needed organising and motivating and a bit adding to it. Sometimes it happens that a side will just kick on and you never know.

You rotten sod I’d almost forgotten about them 😜
 
Stewart had been on relatively low wages his full career, he knew it was his last chance of a good pay day that meant he could retire a millionaire, so he had to chase every extra 1k per week he could get. Clarke would have been on 15-20k since he was 18 I would imagine when he moved to spurs. Money talks at the end of the day though regardless but I can’t see it being as pressing an issue as Stewart’s was he was literally chasing securing his future after football.

Isn't Clarke from York too? He'll no doubt want paying what he feels he deserves and want a crack at the PL, but having made a move earlier and a few loans which didn't work out he may be more choosy than someone like Stewart who as you say was 27/28 and had been on relative pennies.
You rotten sod I’d almost forgotten about them 😜

We bought Gareth Hall for 300k and Paul Stewart came in during the season as well, add a bit more woe 😀
 
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An average Championship striker would do, but are fans happy with that after losing Clarke and a lack of investment?

Would an average championship striker bring 10 to 15 goals to replace Clarke's goals?

How much is 'an average Championship striker' - moving club to club in the championship you're going to pay both a higher transfer fee and higher wages, hence why most championship clubs are shopping abroad or lower levels, unless they're parachute payment clubs.

Without Clarke you lose goals. One or two injures like Cirkin and this then goes from a promising talented young squad to a struggling one. As much as Dodds was poor and was in damage limitation the limitations of the squad going forward were there under Beale and Mowbray and were simply highlighted more without Clarke.

If you're not reinvesting, why sell? It makes no sense. But if you sell you have to step it up otherwise you'll very quickly go backwards whilst you wait for one of your gambles to come off.
You’ve gone into way too many hypotheticals there from what happens after, which most of what you say I wouldn’t disagree with. My point was if the end result of either is likely we still end the season staying in the division you may as well have the extra 10m. Especially since this is how we are trying to operate, once a player hits their maximum price we sell. So rather than lose £10m over that season, we’d rather sign a few replacements and use that year to raise the prices of those players instead. Hanging onto a depreciating asset is probably the single biggest no no according to this ownership group.
 
What do you watch? He’s one of the hardest working wingers about
If he was one of the hardest working wingers about he’d be working on his left foot. Watching him occasionally hit the byline and still try to cross it with his right foot is schoolboy standard and embarrassing to watch from a professional footballer.
 
You’ve gone into way too many hypotheticals there from what happens after, which most of what you say I wouldn’t disagree with. My point was if the end result of either is likely we still end the season staying in the division you may as well have the extra 10m. Especially since this is how we are trying to operate, once a player hits their maximum price we sell. So rather than lose £10m over that season, we’d rather sign a few replacements and use that year to raise the prices of those players instead. Hanging onto a depreciating asset is probably the single biggest no no according to this ownership group.

I get it and we may already have his long term replacement in Mundle, who himself needs games. I just cannot see this working long term unless we start to speculate more when we sell, which the wage budget will absolutely limit. We've identified a central striker, chased him most the summer and still not managed to get it over the line. I don't think that will become loads easier when we sell players as we still seem to be working within the same constraints regarding wages and yet clubs and players will know we have money available.

If we sell Clarke it puts even more pressure on young lads to perform over the course of this season and a potential struggle- it could go quite wrong.
If he was one of the hardest working wingers about he’d be working on his left foot. Watching him occasionally hit the byline and still try to cross it with his right foot is schoolboy standard and embarrassing to watch from a professional footballer.

Who says he isn't? Where are all these two footed players - you can probably name a handful at most. Are the hundreds of players who can't embarrassing too? If its so easy, when they've worked their bollocks off to get in the positions they have in pro football, why isn't every player two footed? Or do they just ignore their weaker sides?

Pace and intensity of the game is so much faster these days that even if many people work on things it still doesn't mean it will be as effective or any good.

Sounds like something someone from the 50s would say when there wasn't the pace or fitness of today.
 
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If he was one of the hardest working wingers about he’d be working on his left foot. Watching him occasionally hit the byline and still try to cross it with his right foot is schoolboy standard and embarrassing to watch from a professional footballer.
I mean we were talking about how hard he works as in working back so not sure why you are bringing his left foot into it. Not a chance you are younger than 65
 
If he was one of the hardest working wingers about he’d be working on his left foot. Watching him occasionally hit the byline and still try to cross it with his right foot is schoolboy standard and embarrassing to watch from a professional footballer.
By my count the calendar years 2022 & 2023 in the championship he got 13 assists.

7 were left footed. He’s fine on his left & can go both ways
 
He is by far our best player but not up to being a regular in a premiership team that isn’t going to be in a relegation fight.
 
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