Ciaran Clark D Free agent b.1989

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Originally Posted by SkStu

. . . On Clark, i am sure my posts on here over the years would back up my fondness for him and that i rate him overall as a player. But when a player has a stinker, they have a stinker. Pointing that out, isn't "sticking the boot in", is not rooted in an agenda and isn't intended to "negate his entire PL career". Talk about melodramatic.

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Originally Posted by the 12 th man

No player is above criticism,Clarke has been poor for a while now and went from a straight red to an awful performance in his next game back,he's a hard working likable guy but a very limited player at Premier/International level.


This is a football forum for debate,opinion etc..

If you want to see vitriol about Clark have a peek at the Newcastle FC forums...

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And if I want to see vitriol about John Egan I would have a peek at the Sheff Utd forum, Stevens too. And Seamus Coleman was guilty recently of two howlers (only one gentle mention on his thread here). And Omobamidele, for all his youthful promise, has put in a couple of naive performances at Norwich. And Duffy's misjudgement against Man Utd . . . and recently dropped again by that dreadful Graham Potter.

Collins and O'Shea certainly look the goods - hopefully they will gather EPL stats like the limited Clark (159 EPL, 127 C'ship). It won't be that easy. Clark must have fooled a lot of good football people along the way.

All very subjective, of course, on a forum where, I'm reliably informed, people express opinions. Happy Christmas to all.

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Originally Posted by Snapshot

And if I want to see vitriol about John Egan I would have a peek at the Sheff Utd forum, Stevens too. And Seamus Coleman was guilty recently of two howlers (only one gentle mention on his thread here). And Omobamidele, for all his youthful promise, has put in a couple of naive performances at Norwich. And Duffy's misjudgement against Man Utd . . . and recently dropped again by that dreadful Graham Potter.

Collins and O'Shea certainly look the goods - hopefully they will gather EPL stats like the limited Clark (159 EPL, 127 C'ship). It won't be that easy. Clark must have fooled a lot of good football people along the way.

All very subjective, of course, on a forum where, I'm reliably informed, people express opinions. Happy Christmas to all.

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Very well put.

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Originally Posted by Snapshot

And if I want to see vitriol about John Egan I would have a peek at the Sheff Utd forum, Stevens too. And Seamus Coleman was guilty recently of two howlers (only one gentle mention on his thread here). And Omobamidele, for all his youthful promise, has put in a couple of naive performances at Norwich. And Duffy's misjudgement against Man Utd . . . and recently dropped again by that dreadful Graham Potter.

Collins and O'Shea certainly look the goods - hopefully they will gather EPL stats like the limited Clark (159 EPL, 127 C'ship). It won't be that easy. Clark must have fooled a lot of good football people along the way.

All very subjective, of course, on a forum where, I'm reliably informed, people express opinions. Happy Christmas to all.

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Not sure why you are quoting me there but whatever.

Coleman has been the subject of a lot of conversation over the last couple of years including some poor performances and whether he is performing at the levels we had become used to; Duffy another player that has been called out regularly for howlers, a shocking spell at Celtic and questions about his ability to play the passing/retention style Kenny is looking for. Egan got called out for his errors, lack of pace and some red cards over the last couple of seasons...

I initially just wasn't sure why you were quoting me in your reply but now, after biting, i am actually wondering what your point is at all.

Are you suggesting that the forum is picking on Clark? Because that would be quite silly.

Indeed. Even the suggestion would be quite silly.

Newcastleworld.com reporting today that West Brom are considering an approach for 32 year-old Ciaran Clark. As he was not included in Newcastle's 25 man squad at the end of January, he has not played since then. A move to Middlesborough in January fell through at the last minute but of course Steve Bruce knows Clark well, and he was a Villa player before he moved to Newcastle in August 2016.

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Originally Posted by Demesne Lad

Newcastleworld.com reporting today that West Brom are considering an approach for 32 year-old Ciaran Clark. As he was not included in Newcastle's 25 man squad at the end of January, he has not played since then. A move to Middlesborough in January fell through at the last minute but of course Steve Bruce knows Clark well, and he was a Villa player before he moved to Newcastle in August 2016.

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Grand move for him. I assume it is much closer to his parents given that he began his career with Villa. And it's a decent sized club and a manager he knows.

West Brom also linked with Conor Hourihane this morning

As a Newcastle fan, I'll always be thankful to Clark. He was the best defender we had in the Championship and did a shift in the Premier League. The meltdown and red card at Norwich also led to Joelinton, world class center midfielder too. So it wasn't all bad!

Can definitely do a job at Championship level but I think his Premier League and probably Ireland days are past him

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Originally Posted by Demesne Lad

Newcastleworld.com reporting today that West Brom are considering an approach for 32 year-old Ciaran Clark. As he was not included in Newcastle's 25 man squad at the end of January, he has not played since then. A move to Middlesborough in January fell through at the last minute but of course Steve Bruce knows Clark well, and he was a Villa player before he moved to Newcastle in August 2016.

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Originally Posted by ColourfulPeanut

As a Newcastle fan, I'll always be thankful to Clark. He was the best defender we had in the Championship and did a shift in the Premier League. The meltdown and red card at Norwich also led to Joelinton, world class center midfielder too. So it wasn't all bad!

Can definitely do a job at Championship level but I think his Premier League and probably Ireland days are past him

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Clark deserves a serve of luck after a traumatic season at Newcastle. He's a player whose lapses seem disproportionately highlighted relative to an otherwise reliable career and professional attitude at Villa and Newcastle.

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Originally Posted by Snapshot

He's a player whose lapses seem disproportionately highlighted relative to an otherwise reliable career and professional attitude at Villa and Newcastle.

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That's a good point really. His errors are usually catastrophic when they do happen. He's always been a good defender but I always felt there was a mistake just waiting to happen.

Clark likely to move to Sheffield Utd on a season-long loan, according to Yorkshire Live this morning. Presumably Clark's familiarity with Egan and Stevens would be a factor in Paul Heckingbottom's thinking. However, if I was a betting man I'd have a small side bet on Clark to Middlesbrough.

clarks international career should be done no matter what move he makes. plenty of better players ahead of him in the pecking order.

If we were absolutely stuck with Collins, O'Shea, Omobamidele et al all injured, I'd still play Clark ahead of Duffy. Don't think he was fairly treated by Howe. Not suggesting he should be in the squad, but if he is surplus to current requirements Duffy should be as well. His fundamental lack of footballing ability make him a liability. His only value to the squad is at set pieces and as a kind of mascot cheerleader. Great heart, great character but just not in tune with the kind of team we want to be and are developing into.

If Clark was playing regularly for Sheffield United and was outperforming Egan then surely he would have to come back into the conversation for us?

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Originally Posted by third policeman

If we were absolutely stuck with Collins, O'Shea, Omobamidele et al all injured, I'd still play Clark ahead of Duffy. Don't think he was fairly treated by Howe. Not suggesting he should be in the squad, but if he is surplus to current requirements Duffy should be as well. His fundamental lack of footballing ability make him a liability. His only value to the squad is at set pieces and as a kind of mascot cheerleader. Great heart, great character but just not in tune with the kind of team we want to be and are developing into.

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Harsh. I don’t think Duffy is that bad a footballer at all

clarks ability on the ball is a lot poorer than egans. with the depth we have at cb i see no need for him to be making squads again unless there is a serious injury crisis

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Originally Posted by Jd2793

clarks ability on the ball is a lot poorer than egans. with the depth we have at cb i see no need for him to be making squads again unless there is a serious injury crisis

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On what do you base your on-the-ball comment? Also, if Clark's form merits it, he's as entitled to be in the squad as anyone else.

I’ve always thought Clark was decent on the ball. If anything my main criticism has often been on the defensive end, with poor decision making at times and also bullied off the ball in key moments. One of Clark’s better attributes in my view is his ability to bring the ball out from the back. Always funny how folks can often see the same player in very different ways.

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Originally Posted by Snapshot

On what do you base your on-the-ball comment? Also, if Clark's form merits it, he's as entitled to be in the squad as anyone else.

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i base it on what ive seen? he was the worst player on the pitch against luxemburg aswell. hes 33 in september. thanks for your commitment over the years but his time is up.

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Originally Posted by Jd2793

i base it on what ive seen? he was the worst player on the pitch against luxemburg aswell. hes 33 in september. thanks for your commitment over the years but his time is up.

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Did your visual acuity cop Stephen Kenny standing on the sideline like a myopic rabbit caught in the headlights with his simplistic, predictable strategy pulled apart after 10 minutes? By that stage Luxembourg had bottled up midfield leaving our defenders with virtually no passing options. As usual, we had no Plan B. Clark was no worse than anyone else, in fact his completed pass rate was a respectable 83%. Easy scapegoat option.