QuoteOriginally Posted by tetsujin1979
the green hooped team in Glasgow, I assume?...is he good enough? I remember when he first came thru with Stoke, Liverpool were targetting him, but that was years ago.
the green hooped team in Glasgow, I assume?...is he good enough? I remember when he first came thru with Stoke, Liverpool were targetting him, but that was years ago.
The very one!!
Article saying he wants to leave, no mention of Celt!c though
Clive Clarke is pleading with Johan Boskamp to let him leave the club. Ipswich and at least 2 other clubs are interested in the City captain and since he has not been offered a new deal, he wants to move on. Clarke told the sentinel: "It's disappointing not to be offered a new deal. I've been loyal and given a lot of years. For them not to speak to me is disappointing, especially when they said they would speak to me at the end of the season just gone. "I'm aware of interest from other clubs, and if they give me the chance to advance my career, I'd like to talk to them to see if it would be the best thing for me. "I want to push on and get into the Irish squad. I think if I got a move to a club with a higher profile and I can have a good season, maybe it would help my international career. "More importantly, I need a new challenge to bring out the best in me." "I'm disappointed with the chairman's management of the club. The way they sacked the manager and the time given to the new manager to get new players has made it very hard. "I think this season is going to be very tough in the Championship. To give the manager so little time to get new players - if he doesn't manage to get them in, it is going to be very tough for us. "He knows his football and he will do his best to bring in the best players, but the amount of time he's got makes it hard. "We need top centre-forwards, but the chairman hasn't shown in the past that he's willing to spend the money on players who can get 20 goals a season and that's what we've been crying out for. "If we'd added a 20-goal-a-season man to the squad of last year, we would have had every chance this season. "Wigan showed last year what you can do with a solid side and a couple of goal scorers. "It is very frustrating, but it has always been like that at Stoke. Always being linked, but never meeting the wages or transfer fees."
For what position I wonder? They've just bought Mo Camara to play left back. Thompson / McGeady / Wallace & others play left midfield.
Clarke's a fine player in my opinion though & is good enough to play at a high level.
Hopefully the move materialises... Steve Finnan has shown that a low profile defender of only Lower league experience can more than hold his own in the top flight. Fingers crossed.
Good comparison. I'm convinced Clarke can cut it in the top flight. Can Zinedineontour, or any other Sunderland watcher, say whether Clarke would be an immediate first-choice at left-back at Sunderland? From my limited knowledge of Sunderland, I'd say Clarke & Arca down the left would be a better LHS than many of the mediocre bunch of Premiership clubs have.
Unfortunately any step-up by Clarke would probably come too late to get him into the Irish side for the remaining qualifiers. Despite having defended him during the first few games I think O'Shea needs a big wake-up call.
thats the problem if clarke signs.. george mc cartney and arca will be our first option down the left brilliant together .. think clarke would only be there as cover for left back or centre half for breen and caldwell.. really dont think he would be first choice but good squad signing ...
Mcartney can play centre half aswell though so there's a few variables there....
Seen him play last night against Stockport in a friendly, he looked almost as interested in being there as I was! I know it was a pre-season friendly but the overall assessment was that he trotted around at the back not really making much of an effort to cover, did however make more of an effort in supporting the attack and offered an outlet to any teammate who seemed in a bit of trouble. Think he was hooked at half time, couldn't really see the other side of the pitch and the stadium announcer was uninterested in announcing Stoke subs.
His big problem is still he looks fairly one paced. On last nights performance I wondered how interested he was in staying with Stoke long term, they are a club in a bit of trouble and how staying will help him achieve higher goals i.e. a place in the World Cup squad (please God) is uncertain.
Looks to have grown an exceedingly bad 'tash as well which certainly won't help him to move to the image consious world of the Premiership.
Where am I now? I'm over here,
I've got those empty pockets and I can't afford a beer.
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