• The forum upgrades are now largely complete.
    Please read this thread for more details.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.

Jack Clarke

I loved Jack Clarke and was gutted when we sold him. That said we literally haven’t missed him at all. Now the dust has settled and my rose tinted glasses are off I don’t think he’s as good as what I thought he was. I think he is going to fall into the too good for championship not good enough for the Prem category. I d love him to prove me wrong as the lad conducted himself properly and gave his all despite his agent whoring him out every time he opened his trap. Unfortunately he’s going to need a run of games to do that not just 15 minutes here and 5 minutes there. At the moment it’s been a better deal for us than the lad himself.
horselover said:
Never go back, it rarely works. And I loved Clarke, I was gutted when he left. But we've hardly missed him. Mundle is back soon and Watson cannot be too far away.
Having said that, if he's available....... 👀
Click to expand...
I agree with all of that. Wouldn’t take him back though.
 
Last edited:

Still really early days for him in the premier league. It’s such a step up and always likely to take him a season, given his pretty rapid improvement. I hope it works out for him at Ipswich, but even if they do get relegated he goes back to being one of the best EFL players next season.
 
i think overall we are a better all round team without JC in it. Last season far too often he was our main hope of creating something. It got to the point where teams realised if they keep him quiet they keep us quiet as a whole. When he then got injured we had no idea how to play without him.

This season we've been forced to work on creating all over the pitch. Last season Clarke scored 15 goals. Only 2 other players made it to 5. This season by January Isidor has 8, there's 3 other players on 4 and 6 on 2/3. We have threats all over the pitch and are a much harder team to play against because of that
 
Nathan Gunn said:
i think overall we are a better all round team without JC in it. Last season far too often he was our main hope of creating something. It got to the point where teams realised if they keep him quiet they keep us quiet as a whole. When he then got injured we had no idea how to play without him.

This season we've been forced to work on creating all over the pitch. Last season Clarke scored 15 goals. Only 2 other players made it to 5. This season by January Isidor has 8, there's 3 other players on 4 and 6 on 2/3. We have threats all over the pitch and are a much harder team to play against because of that
Click to expand...

You're forgetting that we didn't have a striker after Stewart got injured and he picked up 10 goals. We simply had to rely on Clarke and thank f#ck we had him. Now (like you say) we have threats from upfront and midfield which we didn't have. I doubt adding more quality would take that away tbh.

I seriously doubt he'll be available to us on loan, but to bring in Clarke, with Le Fee on his way and the possibility of another experienced striker makes us much f#cking stronger, and I'm all for it.
 
Mboma said:
You're forgetting that we didn't have a striker after Stewart got injured and he picked up 10 goals. We simply had to rely on Clarke and thank f#ck we had him. Now (like you say) we have threats from upfront and midfield which we didn't have. I doubt adding more quality would take that away tbh.

I seriously doubt he'll be available to us on loan, but to bring in Clarke, with Le Fee on his way and the possibility of another experienced striker makes us much f#cking stronger, and I'm all for it.
Click to expand...
Would be interesting.

A fully fit JC with a point to prove. Having to fight for his place and prove himself worthy.

And the others fighting to keep their place ahead of him.

Would be a great situation for us, but not ganna happen. Move along. Nothing to see here.
 
Nathan Gunn said:
i think overall we are a better all round team without JC in it. Last season far too often he was our main hope of creating something. It got to the point where teams realised if they keep him quiet they keep us quiet as a whole. When he then got injured we had no idea how to play without him.

This season we've been forced to work on creating all over the pitch. Last season Clarke scored 15 goals. Only 2 other players made it to 5. This season by January Isidor has 8, there's 3 other players on 4 and 6 on 2/3. We have threats all over the pitch and are a much harder team to play against because of that
Click to expand...

When he got injured Dodds had no idea how to pick or play a team without him. We still very much rely on our wing play and Clarke would have thrived even more in this team in my opinion, knowing that he would have had a centre forward who is decent. When he played in the same team as Stewart we looked like a good all round team, even at the start of the season when we just stuck Mayenda up top we looked good.

Having said that, I am in the don't go back camp and once Mundle and Watson are back we will be in a good place. If we are wanting a winger we should be looking to give Roberts some competition down his side.
 
Georgewhitt said:
Would be interesting.

A fully fit JC with a point to prove. Having to fight for his place and prove himself worthy.

And the others fighting to keep their place ahead of him.

Would be a great situation for us, but not ganna happen. Move along. Nothing to see here.
Click to expand...

Aye, anyone saying no to him for the 2nd half of the season are off their tits tbh. Especially when Mundle and Watson have been out for so long.

You could probably see it being a running rumour on deadline day that doesn't come off.
 
red mackem said:
Obviously puts us in a bit of strong position if they/ he did want to leave this window………..
Click to expand...
We took the cash for him and I wished him well. It's a shame it doesn't look like it's working out for him but he's given it a go and will have massively increased his bank balance in the process.

We have Mundle and Watson, our own players, who need developing and it's developing players that have been paying the bills. It could be argued that Mundle has a higher ceiling than Clarke, but we'll see. It's probably too early to tell with Watson, but he's looking very promising.

We've moved on.
 
Mboma said:
Aye, anyone saying no to him for the 2nd half of the season are off their tits tbh. Especially when Mundle and Watson have been out for so long.

You could probably see it being a running rumour on deadline day that doesn't come off.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t say I was against it but I’m happier with mundle, Watson and £20m than I was with Clarke in the team. Despite his individual numbers, I think we’re a better side for his departure and more flexible in the transfer market as a result
 
Hard not to feel sorry for him when they're signing another winger and he's barely getting a look in as it is. Feel like he has not been given a fair chance there at all and I'm not entirely sure what the thought process was when they signed him. They don't play to his strengths, they don't play him as a left winger where he flourished here, and he's been limited to 20 minutes here and there.
I know he's being well paid, but he seems like the sort of lad who genuinely loves playing football and doesn't want to waste away on the bench.
As much as I'd love him back, I think we'd be better off focusing on developing Mundle and Watson -- it's enough of a conundrum as is how we get those two on the pitch when both fit.
 
Mboma said:
Aye, anyone saying no to him for the 2nd half of the season are off their tits tbh. Especially when Mundle and Watson have been out for so long.

You could probably see it being a running rumour on deadline day that doesn't come off.
Click to expand...
Watson has a massive future. But some good deals here and securing a promotion can secure this clubs future and make the self sufficient dream of the board a reality. If Jack Clarke is offered at the expense of 3months on the bench(or on loan) for Tommy Watson I think it’s a done deal.
 
The Beautiful Game said:
I wouldn’t say I was against it but I’m happier with mundle, Watson and £20m than I was with Clarke in the team. Despite his individual numbers, I think we’re a better side for his departure and more flexible in the transfer market as a result
Click to expand...

If it wasn't for clarkes individual numbers, we could have been in league one this season. He was heavy relied on and mostly delivered when needed.

We're in a vastly better position now, with strikers that can score goals, midfielders chipping in, and of course Mundle and Watson getting off to starts that many didn't see coming.

As I've said, I'm not expecting to see Clarke in A sunlun shirt again, but let's not be foolish by saying he wouldn't increase the quality of the side. The fact that we wouldn't be so reliant upon him now, could see him getting even better numbers.
 
Lonz said:
We took the cash for him and I wished him well. It's a shame it doesn't look like it's working out for him but he's given it a go and will have massively increased his bank balance in the process.

We have Mundle and Watson, our own players, who need developing and it's developing players that have been paying the bills. It could be argued that Mundle has a higher ceiling than Clarke, but we'll see. It's probably too early to tell with Watson, but he's looking very promising.

We've moved on.
Click to expand...
I agree completely.

But just saying if they were desperate to get rid, or he was desperate to leave (neither which seems the case but fallouts are possible).

Being the only club he could play for puts us firmly in the driving seat at the nogetiating table.

Example : A issue with eithers recovery with injury and they are out till the end of or close to the end of the season there’s no one else I’d rather bring in

FWIW I actually think Watson has the highest sealing for all 3.
 
red mackem said:
I agree completely.

But just saying if they were desperate to get rid, or he was desperate to leave (neither which seems the case but fallouts are possible).

Being the only club he could play for puts us firmly in the driving seat at the nogetiating table.

Example : A issue with eithers recovery with injury and they are out till the end of or close to the end of the season there’s no one else I’d rather bring in

FWIW I actually think Watson has the highest sealing for all 3.
Click to expand...
You are probably correct. I just can't see it happening.

If Szmodics gets injured or suspended, Clarke be starting every game, you'd have thought?
 
Lonz said:
You are probably correct. I just can't see it happening.

If Szmodics gets injured or suspended, Clarke be starting every game, you'd have thought?
Click to expand...
I can’t say I’m that clued into them but there’s him and Broadhead who seem to be favoured ahead of him, I do reckon your right like.

It just seems like a stupid signing for them and for him given the style they play. Kinda feel sorry for him. After his performances for us thought he’d step up no bother but to a team that plays with width seemed like an obvious must.
 
We desperately need extra support out wide with the injuries to Mundle and Watson, Mayenda struggling out wide, and Roberts being a bit hot and cold.
 
red mackem said:
I can’t say I’m that clued into them but there’s him and Broadhead who seem to be favoured ahead of him, I do reckon your right like.

It just seems like a stupid signing for them and for him given the style they play. Kinda feel sorry for him. After his performances for us thought he’d step up no bother but to a team that plays with width seemed like an obvious must.
Click to expand...

I thought their recruitment was done with one eye on coming back down and having a squad capable of challenging for promotion again.

Their gaffer has been making some strange selectictions (in my opinion). You've got Szmodics, who was the top scoring striker playing as a wide foward on the left, and Clarke who was in double figures for goals/assists on the left wing, not playing. Two lads who must have scored/assisted well over 40 goals between them last season, either playing out of position or not at all. It seems they like they have changed their plans very quickly once the season kicked off and recruitment went a bit scattergun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top