QuoteI think he's suspended. He's picked up a good few yellow cards since the season started.Originally Posted by Kevin77
Yes
No
Harte hasn't even made the bench for Levante's last two matches. Anyone know why? Is he injured, suspended or dropped?
I think he's suspended. He's picked up a good few yellow cards since the season started.
Fair enough. I thought they might have realised why Leeds got rid of him!
He got injured in the warm up for the Valencia game, that's why he missed that one anyway
Yeah, he's been injured for the last few weeks... according to this article, he won't be an option either way for the Portugal match: more
HARTE TO GO UNDER THE KNIFE
Former Leeds defender Ian Harte, now
with Spanish club Levante, will be out
of action for the next six weeks after
being told he needs surgery on a groin
injury.
The defender, who sustained the injury
in December, will undergo the operation
in Manchester tomorrow.
'He has already had surgery on this
area which makes it easy and it will be
similar to treating a hernia,' said
Levants doctor Josen Nebot.
Harte will therefore be unavailable for
Ireland's friendly with Portugal on
February 9.
Salthill/Knocknacarra Gaa Official Website- http://www.salthillknocknacarragaa.ie/
Agree
He didn't even make the warm up. I can vouch that he didn't even travel on the team bus to the Metsalla stadium.
Superhoops... That's a very narrow minded assessment of a players potential.
There are plenty of players, especially defenders, who don't taste premiership football until their mid 20's, but greatly benifit from consistent football for extended periods in the lower divisions..
Steve Finnan springs to mind imediately. And Cunningham wasn't far off 25 when he left Millwall if memory serves me correct.
I have been aware of Clarke since Liverpool reportedly showed an interest in him as a teen. And as regards a move to the top flight, in the independant on Sunday he said that he turned down a move to Sunderland a couple of Seasons ago because he felt he'd get more football at Stoke due to Micheal Grey's presence at the club. I've not seen much of him as a player but it's fair to say that there isn't many defenders at his age with as much first team football to show for it. I believe he'll leave Stoke sooner rather than later judging by his tone in the interview.
I hope you are right and that he does blossom.
However Clarke's own comment about Michael Grey at Sunderland says it all. If Clarke did not believe he was better than Grey and would not get into the team ahead of Grey, then he can hardly have had confidence in his own ability.
He would probably do a steady enough job for us at senior level but I fear his lack of experience against quality wide players would find him out when it matters.
BTW, I think that you will find that Kenny Cunningham was 23 when he left Millwall for Wimbledon.
Honest! I am not a secret Tim nor a closet Sham - I really am a Seagull.
Ian Harte
Good at free-kicks?... without a doubt
Worth a risk at left midfield? perhaps
A good international left-back?......em NO !
Do football fans look for bandwagons? I never heard one good word uttered about Ian Harte in all the years that he played for Ireland - and he's been around the squad for a long time - apart from the mandatory bit at the end about his free kick ability. The bloke gets dropped when the manager who seemed to pride himself on getting poor players to raise their game slightly instead of just picking better ones gets sacked. Now people are calling for Harte's return. Unbelievable. Then again, there's no point having a mind if you don't change it but what has Harte done to merit inclusion? Very little. What had he done previously to merit being dropped? Well, his lack of defending skills for one thing. It's great when he scores the odd free kick but that will never compensate for his defensive failings. Surely a defender should be chosen primarily for his ability to defend? For our ability to change like the wind, football fans put politicians in the shade.
The recurring theme on this and similar message boards is that people love to have a cause. And the more the better. Harte in, Harte out, select Clarke, Miller is the next big thing, Miller is the antichrist etc. People love to be the one to say told you so. They love to be the first to alert their mates to a players potential hence the clamour for players inclusion prior to proving their credentials.
Basically a lot of it is ill informed and based on what people have heard or read often a long time ago. For example, some people are clamouring for Clarke’s inclusion as a left back in a senior squad. In my opinion, the reality is as follows. Clarke used to play at left back, but as far as I’m aware has been playing central midfield for the past 18 months. Clarke is also playing for Stoke City in the First Division! Stoke City! He hasn’t even played a Premier League match. He’s also 24 or 25. Not 19 or 20. Maybe he’s worth a look? But in all reality, O’Shea is the incumbent, Finnan can do a job there as can Maybury. So at best, he might be fourth choice…if he was playing regularly at club level as a left back. Personally, I’d probably still have Gary Kelly or Jeff Kenna above him purely based on their level of experience.
Don't get me wrong lads!! I wasn't advocating the inclusion of Clive Clarke in senior squads, i was just saying that it's unfair to write him off as a future option just because he hasn't played at the top flight yet. He's just turned 25 (today in fact if the bio i just read is to be believed) Like I said, there's many a good servant to the Irish team that didn't mature until into their twenties.
I understand where you are coming from and it's good to keep the options open and discuss potential. I think the reality is though that players like Clarke won't get near starting a competitive international unless they are playing regularly in the Premier League (or top division in comparable League) or setting the world on fire in a lower division as long as we have enough players of the required standard.
We are in a very strong position at the moment in terms of strength in depth relative to our population
Clarke played 45 mins at LB in the Unity Cup and looked twice the player Maybury is.
I wouldn't write the guy off yet either and would like to see more of him.
And O'Shea for that matter.
i found an unfortunate highlight demonstrating some woeful defeding by harte on beckham of all people. it's here towards the bottom (real 5 levante 0), it downloads a zip file which you then have to etc.
http://www.footballextra.com/index.p...erjari/2004_49
decent goals site incidentally but look just at harte, jaysis!!
Clarke played at left back for Stoke last night and Kerr was at the match. Didn't see the match so don't know if he played well.
http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrosst...p?newsid=15602Sunderland are said to be readying a January transfer move for Stoke City captain Clive Clarke.
Clarke, who made his senior international debut for Ireland against Jamaica last summer, has been playing in midfield for Stoke in recent times but made his name as a stylish left back.
He has graduated to the captaincy at the Britannia Stadium and is seen as a key player in Tony Pulis’s squad, which is bidding to challenge for a play-off place in the Coca-Cola Championship division this season.
According to tabloid newspaper reports over the past number of days, Sunderland manager Mick McCarthy is believed to be interested in making a £400,000 move for Clarke, who has missed just one game for the Potters this season.
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