Colossus Clarke.

[WORKSOPBLADE]

Colossus now is it ?

I'm crying in my cornflakes

There is, quite clearly, a school (old school ??) of thought that "appreciates" this type of player. I won't say footballer cos, imho, that's a step too far.

I go back as recently as the days of Clough when Higdon came off the bench in the semi final against Spurs, clumsily "fell" in to the Spurs CB thus allowing Che to get a shot off which he scored.

Higdon was, as I recall, regarded as a colossus for this impact contribution on that night as well !

Honestly guys. Ask yourselves this. It's football, not dodgem cars when you can bomb round in circles smashing in to all and sundry.

Acid test. Rhetorical question.
If the Oldham CF had challenged Moore in the EXACT same way that Clarke challenged the Oldham GK, and this then resulted in the ball falling to the oncoming Oldham player who buried it, what's the reaction of the £25k + crowd gonna be ??

What's the tone on this very forum gonna be like ?

As for any accusations of agenda.

1. I'm pleased as fuck that Clarke got away with it and "contributed" to our 2nd, decisive, goal.
2. If he comes off the bench and has a positive impact, I will clap and cheer such contributions.
3. As long as he is a Blade, he has my support.
4. While much of the positive stuff that has been said about his performance yesterday is utter nonsense, I will agree that he and Sharp looked, for the first time, to have some sort of understanding. At last ! If Sharp is the main man (but not undroppable) then Leon will need to adjust accordingly to fit around Billy. I doubt it will be the other way round !

If he is credited with the assist yesterday, than that's his first. To go with a solitary league goal.

So colossus. I would respectfully suggest, is stretching it a bit guys !

UTB

That's an expensive crowd !!

 

[DronnieBlade]

That's an expensive crowd !!

Good spot !

UTB

 

[FTPE]

Whoever you prefer up top with Billy, you don't have to hate the alternative.
I don't think Done purely runs around aimlessly but there's one thing I think we can all agree on- he doesn't hold the ball up very well.
I'm surprised we didn't go 442 and bring more of a winger on (I say more of a winger because neither scoogs, Brooks or Lavery are out and out ones) but I was happy to go more direct and rely on Leon to hold up play while the midfield caught up.

 

[WORKSOPBLADE]

Whoever you prefer up top with Billy, you don't have to hate the alternative.
I don't think Done purely runs around aimlessly but there's one thing I think we can all agree on- he doesn't hold the ball up very well.
I'm surprised we didn't go 442 and bring more of a winger on (I say more of a winger because neither scoogs, Brooks or Lavery are out and out ones) but I was happy to go more direct and rely on Leon to hold up play while the midfield caught up.

Reason we didn't bring a winger on is because we don't have one to bring on !

Hence CW wants one in the Jan window.

Agreed 442 needed but Clarke was absolutely the right choice as sub.

Will Northampton be a physical side because if so Clarke needs to start.

 

[FTPE]

Reason we didn't bring a winger on is because we don't have one to bring on !

Hence CW wants one in the Jan window.

Agreed 442 needed but Clarke was absolutely the right choice as sub.

Will Northampton be a physical side because if so Clarke needs to start.

The 3 best things to break down a defensive side are pace, width and creativity.
We only seem to have the latter, but even then if we are playing too slow and predictable we seem to struggle.
Going long to Clarke cuts out their blue wall off 4 or 5 players. Billy is quite good with his back to goal but we'd much prefer him feeding off a big man and getting the shooting chances for himself.
I started to worry that we didn't have a plan B against negative teams but perhaps we do. Who misses out in midfield if we get a true winger though? Coutts?

 

[WORKSOPBLADE]

The 3 best things to break down a defensive side are pace, width and creativity.
We only seem to have the latter, but even then if we are playing too slow and predictable we seem to struggle.
Going long to Clarke cuts out their blue wall off 4 or 5 players. Billy is quite good with his back to goal but we'd much prefer him feeding off a big man and getting the shooting chances for himself.
I started to worry that we didn't have a plan B against negative teams but perhaps we do. Who misses out in midfield if we get a true winger though? Coutts?

Maybe Lafferty or Freeman ?

 

[Pinchy]

Colossus now is it ?

I'm crying in my cornflakes

There is, quite clearly, a school (old school ??) of thought that "appreciates" this type of player. I won't say footballer cos, imho, that's a step too far.

I go back as recently as the days of Clough when Higdon came off the bench in the semi final against Spurs, clumsily "fell" in to the Spurs CB thus allowing Che to get a shot off which he scored.

Higdon was, as I recall, regarded as a colossus for this impact contribution on that night as well !

Honestly guys. Ask yourselves this. It's football, not dodgem cars when you can bomb round in circles smashing in to all and sundry.

Acid test. Rhetorical question.
If the Oldham CF had challenged Moore in the EXACT same way that Clarke challenged the Oldham GK, and this then resulted in the ball falling to the oncoming Oldham player who buried it, what's the reaction of the 25k + crowd gonna be ??

What's the tone on this very forum gonna be like ?

As for any accusations of agenda.

1. I'm pleased as fuck that Clarke got away with it and "contributed" to our 2nd, decisive, goal.
2. If he comes off the bench and has a positive impact, I will clap and cheer such contributions.
3. As long as he is a Blade, he has my support.
4. While much of the positive stuff that has been said about his performance yesterday is utter nonsense, I will agree that he and Sharp looked, for the first time, to have some sort of understanding. At last ! If Sharp is the main man (but not undroppable) then Leon will need to adjust accordingly to fit around Billy. I doubt it will be the other way round !

If he is credited with the assist yesterday, than that's his first. To go with a solitary league goal.

So colossus. I would respectfully suggest, is stretching it a bit guys !

UTB

That would be a very good point if Leon was a traditional lumpit centre-forward. In fact he's a footballer. Far more at ease with the ball, quicker feet and quicker mind than the S2 favourite...

 

[Pinchy]

The 3 best things to break down a defensive side are pace, width and creativity.
We only seem to have the latter, but even then if we are playing too slow and predictable we seem to struggle.
Going long to Clarke cuts out their blue wall off 4 or 5 players. Billy is quite good with his back to goal but we'd much prefer him feeding off a big man and getting the shooting chances for himself.
I started to worry that we didn't have a plan B against negative teams but perhaps we do. Who misses out in midfield if we get a true winger though? Coutts?

 

[FTPE]

Maybe Lafferty or Freeman ?

Ah yeah, and go 4 at the back. Of course.

 

[WORKSOPBLADE]

Ah yeah, and go 4 at the back. Of course.

Stick with me, ha !

 

[DronnieBlade]

That would be a very good point if Leon was a traditional lumpit centre-forward. In fact he's a footballer. Far more at ease with the ball, quicker feet and quicker mind than the S2 favourite...

View attachment 21480

Then this is a topic where we will have to agree to disagree old bean.

UTB

 

[Tyler Durden]

I'm sticking with the guy who has scored twice as many as Leon Sammon and who makes the team win.

 

[Houso]

Colostomy Clarke more like.

 

[Houso]

3. As long as he is a Blade, he has my support.

 

[Dec]

I was certainly at the game. The 'immense' cross was his contribution was it? I saw another immense cross which bypassed your hero when any decent striker would have scored with ease. That's probably when Tufty decided to get the hook out. Runaround is running rapidly towards the bench, I'm afraid. Will the Runarounders be doing circuits of the car park in protest when he is, inevitably because he's useless, shelved?

I'm not short-sighted enough to think that Done doesn't have his flaws, it's just that you seem to fail to recognise his contributions.

I agree that his place is under threat and he's not the end answer, but I can also see that the alternatives are not exactly grabbing his shirt off him.

You seem to decide on a particular point of view then perpetuate it until it becomes boring. If you try to see both sides of a coin you might come with a more balanced argument which people would be more inclined to listen to.

 

[Pinchy]

I'm not short-sighted enough to think that Done doesn't have his flaws, it's just that you seem to fail to recognise his contributions.

I agree that his place is under threat and he's not the end answer, but I can also see that the alternatives are not exactly grabbing his shirt off him.

You seem to decide on a particular point of view then perpetuate it until it becomes boring. If you try to see both sides of a coin you might come with a more balanced argument which people would be more inclined to listen to.

Point taken, but sometimes the balance of an argument does not lie equidistantly between its poles. I believe the argument for Done has been paper thin all season (as Cerebus has said, he was in the team for the first four games, lest we get too carried away about his 'lucky charm' status) and is now redundant.

I see little or no ability commensurate with a professional footballer at this level. He has little pace; his movements are reactive rather than anticipatory; his scoring record is abysmal. The best I can see on the other side of the coin is that he is committed and tries hard (though the effect of that is nowhere near what people like to think).

Our last two wins have been achieved once he has been removed from the pitch, at which point we improved, so that part of the myth is being dismantled. What's left? Shadow-chasing, I suggest.

I'm sorry. I want better; much better than Matt Done in our team. I would urge you to set your standards higher too.

 

[United Aren't Back.]

The Runarounders die hard. You're not shy of hypocrisy, are you Ted? Say what you like about Leon but don't criticise Done. Are those the rules? Not on my watch, they're not...

What are you watching Pinchers?

 

[Pinchy]

What are you watching Pinchers?

Hypocrites who bleat about disrespect and shame when I expose uncomfortable truths about their flawed heroes but think they have free reign to say what they like about players and managers they don't happen to favour. The "cake and eat it" type, like Ted.

 

[Houso]

Hypocrites who bleat about disrespect and shame when I expose uncomfortable truths about their flawed heroes but think they have free reign to say what they like about players and managers they don't happen to favour. The "cake and eat it" type, like Ted.

Come on Pinch, I respect the vast majority of your comments whether here or on BU, but the abuse you've given to players to players in the past, namely Monty, Morgan and 'Elpiton' does not sit well with this holier than thou post.

 

[Lard_Lad]

Dones inability to score as a striker means that soon one of Lavery or Clarke deserves to start, you can't afford to have a striker whose scored 2 in 43 or something, theres no excuse, and its not like he's had the chances he misses a relatively easy chance most weeks. A one on one against Fleetwood, Swindon and Wimbledon come to mind. As well as the miss yesterday, not good enough.

If Sharp is having an off day, I would have no confidence in Done getting the winning goal.

 

[Pinchy]

Come on Pinch, I respect the vast majority of your comments whether here or on BU, but the abuse you've given to players to players in the past, namely Monty, Morgan and 'Elpiton' does not sit well with this holier than thou post.

Oh I agree, but I don't try to dictate to others. That's the hypocrisy, mate. It's blasphemy to criticise Bassett as though he is some cherished Grade 3 relic, but there is open season on Clough and Adkins, two very capable managers, albeit not successful with us. I don't say "how dare you? He's a legend, show some respect"

Say what you like about Leon Clarke but don't tell the truth about Matt Done? Not for me, I'm afraid.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Having only seen 2 games this season, yesterday and Chesterfield away I think he's pretty good and would question why he doesn't start. However I know in reality when he has started he's been poor and therefore might be effective as a sub in the occasional games where we need the ball to stick up front. In both games Sharp's performance improved significantly when Clarke came on as he could concentrate on being in the right place instead of leading the line himself.

Contrary to other opinion on here I actually think he chooses when to chase defenders and doesn't bother when it's a lost cause rather than being lazy. When he does chase the defender they seem to panic as he's experienced and might nick the ball.

Done works hard and can see why Wilder plays him from the start. Us Blades are suckers for a trier!

 

[LoughboroBlade]

How some people (most people on here it seems?) can be so sure that him and Sharp can't play together - given these circumstances - is very judgemental to me. I think we saw yesterday that they most definitely can play together and it gives us another option.

I think Clarke showed exactly what role he can offer us yesterday – an impact sub to help change the game when our preferred front two needs freshening up. I don't think Sharp and Clarke can play together because I've seen the evidence when they've started together – they both look far less than the sum of their parts. The only time it appears to have worked is when Clarke has been brought on against two tiring defences. If it had worked when Wilder tried it (for the second time) then Done, much to others' delight, wouldn't have found his way back in. Done's by no means the answer, but there is surely no denying that he has had better starts than Clarke.

 

[Dec]

Point taken, but sometimes the balance of an argument does not lie equidistantly between its poles. I believe the argument for Done has been paper thin all season (as Cerebus has said, he was in the team for the first four games, lest we get too carried away about his 'lucky charm' status) and is now redundant.

I see little or no ability commensurate with a professional footballer at this level. He has little pace; his movements are reactive rather than anticipatory; his scoring record is abysmal. The best I can see on the other side of the coin is that he is committed and tries hard (though the effect of that is nowhere near what people like to think).

Our last two wins have been achieved once he has been removed from the pitch, at which point we improved, so that part of the myth is being dismantled. What's left? Shadow-chasing, I suggest.

I'm sorry. I want better; much better than Matt Done in our team. I would urge you to set your standards higher too.

I also want better, never said I haven't. But he has played well at points during our very good run this season and may well still contribute positively to our promotion (hopefully).

Also, whilst it's hard to measure and it's not as glorious as scoring a goal, his "efforts" do lead to us winning the ball back quite a number of times during a game - this helps us dominate games as we have.

Clarke himself has missed a shed load of sitters since joining for us and has hardly been prolific himself. So if an alternative answer is not making itself very obvious, it's no surprise that Done is given a chance for longer than he's merited. I'm looking forward to when that option (whether someone new we bring in or one from the current crop) shows himself as an obvious improvement on Matt Done.

 

[Alfreton14Blade]

I can see big Leon being a vital piece of the jigsaw for the run in.

But I can easily see Matty Done getting sold/replaced in January. He's admirable (& I'd love to see him crack it on the goalscoring front), but the lack of goals is becoming a bit of a joke now. I mean, surely it's not too much to expect to have someone with his excellent workrate but who also contributes a few goals & at least some ability to make to ball stick?

 

[Ted Hemsleys chads]

Hypocrites who bleat about disrespect and shame when I expose uncomfortable truths about their flawed heroes but think they have free reign to say what they like about players and managers they don't happen to favour. The "cake and eat it" type, like Ted.

Told you before, just piss off and leave me out of your bullshit posts. You're way too full of yourself, haven't said anything original in at least a year so jog the fuck on old boy.

 

[Boxer Blade]

Interesting argument, some say done plays well and the team wins, fair point, some say he doesn't score enough for a striker,again fair point, Clarke splits opinions, even Billy has had his detractors when missing chances and penalties, all have there right and wrong points, but it seems to have gone way over the top now, lighten up people we are going into the new year in a positive position, playing well and hopefully new recruits in January, if you need reminding think back to this time last year, how exciting was it going to the match? Enjoy the journey, I am.

 

[Sean Thornton]

No one blaming the fans who have "settled for mediocrity" yet?

Very disappointing.

 

[Bartyblade]

If we get rid of Wilder then maybe Done will be dropped?
Clearly by continuing to select this useless (????) footballer, our manager is showing his lack of footballing knowledge compared to us (well, some of us) and should go

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Yes, that's a decent exposition of the myth, but sadly it's only true if his job description is to run around aimlessly and in vain and demonstrate precious little football ability.

That’s only true if by “in vain” you mean “resulting in several turnovers in possession high up the pitch, winning throws, corners, set pieces in the opposition half and putting over a fantastic cross from which Sharp should probably have scored”. Whether that is enough is subjective. I’m sure all of us would like him to also offer more of a goal threat, a better first touch, more strength and aerial ability. But some can also appreciate the things he does well.