Clarke very Lazy or just good at preserving Energy Levels

[super_pig]

I personally haven't had an issue with his work rate. I think he is just pretty efficient of when he chooses to visibly leg it around. He makes plenty of runs and is always available for the pass as he often finds the space.

It's his finishing of late that is driving me around the bend. The number of truly excellent chances that he has managed to forge and then fluff is ridiculous. Half of them have been harder to miss than score (another great example last night). It just can't fathom how he can go from literally everything he hits managing to smash the back of the net as before Christmas to everything he hits bobbling into the keepers arms now. Strange.

it's football.. all strikers go through patches.. even Ron.

 

[DronnieBlade]

He cost £150k from Bury.

This considered, he has done well.

But we need way better going forwards. And it was a mistake for us, and him, not going to Villa for big bucks and one last pay day.

The armband, as I have consistently stated, is utterly bizarre. 9 of the other 10 players that started last night more appropriate for the job. In particular, Wright, Basham, Fleck.

UTB

 

[Chali 2na]

He didn't follow his man that he was marking. Shit in both boxes.

Shit? Our top scorer is shit?

 

[DronnieBlade]

Shit? Our top scorer is shit?

I agree. Shit is overstating the point.

But the point being that there is a point. If you get my point !!

UTB

 

[super_pig]

I agree. Shit is overstating the point.

But the point being that there is a point. If you get my point !!

UTB

no not really .. that is what we are discussing

 

[DronnieBlade]

no not really .. that is what we are discussing

He fluffed a gilt edged chance (again).

And he lost his marker for the goal. A specific area in which the “he who cannot be dropped or subbed” eesters are very quick to point out where he is, allegedly, useful to us !

But what do we expect for £150k ??

We need better.

UTB

 

[vorpal blade]

What happened to him when he was rolling around in the box holding his head, in the Bramall Lane penalty box? (btw heard too much about lazy black players for too many years)

 

[Dellas Cowboys]

If I was picking the team Clarke would be my default striker starting place for what he brings. Unfortunately, looked like he got crocked last 5 minutes as was hobbling badly so the genius mob here might get a look at a different combo against Millwall.

If so, I really hope it includes Sharp but who knows what Wilder would chose.

 

[Dellas Cowboys]

What happened to him when he was rolling around in the box holding his head, in the Bramall Lane penalty box? (btw heard too much about lazy black players for too many years)

By his arguments with Ayala afterwards I'm guessing Ayala happened to him.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Brooks had a storming game Clarke was lazy.
Maybe i watched a different game but i thought Brooks was poor last night certainly not storming.He tried a few fancy moves that didn't come off and he got clattered a few times.
That's not me having a go at Brooks it just wasn't his night.
Clarke wasn't great but he still put a shift in, he was also up against their number 4 (not sure who he was)who i thought had excellent game, a bit of a dirty player but did it in a discreet way, the type of player we could do with.
I agree Clarke is not playing as well as he did at the beginning of the season, but very few strikers go through a whole season scoring constantly. He's got 17 goals and he's the best striker we have, not bad for a striker that cost less than Jordan Rhodes monthly wage.
Anyway Tin hat on for disagreeing about Brooks and sticking up for lazy Clarke.

 

[I should coco]

I wish we'd cut our players some slack

It really gets on my tits. First post I read when I got in last night, was some tosser saying Clark was wank (10 v 10 joke thread). We won 2-1 FFS!

Constructive critisicism is fine and I accept it is 'all about opionions', but singling out one player with nasty digs is pathetic. No wonder we can't get any singinging going, when half our fanbase are too distracted deciding whether it is Lunny, Evans, Billy or Leon that they are going to put the boot in on.

Some people* really need to grow up.


* Fortunately there are still plenty of saner voices too.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Clarke is our only striker that harasses the oppo for 90 mins.

He did it more so last night because Brooks doesn't do this, so he had to press for 2 players.

Brooks did more on the ball than Clarke.

Brooks set up a goal.

IMO Both contributed to a victory, but should have been more comfortable.

EDIT: Donaldson came on and did his party piece of sticking his arse into the jockeying defender and falling over. Ref never baught it.

 

[Sean Thornton]

As I'm normally the number one advocate of Leon he was poor tonight on the face of it, missed a one on one and poor marking for the goal. After Ayala decked him he seemed more interested in trying to get him back and at one point Ayala was down so I assume he did without anyone seeing it?

I completely disagree with the point about effort though, as a forward he always tracks back and at times he was running for Brooks as well due to how shattered Brooks was. Quality and finishing can be questioned at times but effort certainly not.

If anyone watching that game couldn't see Brooks was shattered......

 

[DronnieBlade]

Brooks had a storming game Clarke was lazy.
Maybe i watched a different game but i thought Brooks was poor last night certainly not storming.He tried a few fancy moves that didn't come off and he got clattered a few times.
That's not me having a go at Brooks it just wasn't his night.
Clarke wasn't great but he still put a shift in, he was also up against their number 4 (not sure who he was)who i thought had excellent game, a bit of a dirty player but did it in a discreet way, the type of player we could do with.
I agree Clarke is not playing as well as he did at the beginning of the season, but very few strikers go through a whole season scoring constantly. He's got 17 goals and he's the best striker we have, not bad for a striker that cost less than Jordan Rhodes monthly wage.
Anyway Tin hat on for disagreeing about Brooks and sticking up for lazy Clarke.

Clarke overall has done well all things considered. But he blows very cold for elongated periods, which is a frustration.

I could not agree he is our best striker. Statistically at least (and I appreciate this isn’t FIFA on the PS4!) there is one other striker on our books that trumps Leon in almost every meaningful and measurable way.

Now I have no problem with Leon being Wilders main man. Albeit that I say this while believing that there is a genuine blind spot in this overall ascertain. But I find it incredulous that the work load of the main central striker is not shared out more with the “other guy”. It’s impossible for me to logically dissect why Leon is NEVER dropped and plays every single minute of every single game. Irrespective of performance levels.

And don’t get me started on the armband !!

UTB

 

[Sean Thornton]

It really gets on my tits. First post I read when I got in last night, was some tosser saying Clark was wank (10 v 10 joke thread). We won 2-1 FFS!

Constructive critisicism is fine and I accept it is 'all about opionions', but singling out one player with nasty digs is pathetic. No wonder we can't get any singinging going, when half our fanbase are too distracted deciding whether it is Lunny, Evans, Billy or Leon that they are going to put the boot in on.

Some people* really need to grow up.


* Fortunately there are still plenty of saner voices too.

It's the Billy Boys smarting again.

 

[snootyfenooty]

Maybe i watched a different game but i thought Brooks was poor last night certainly not storming.He tried a few fancy moves that didn't come off and he got clattered a few times.

Every time Brooks got the ball last night Boro went into panic mode, they shit themselves and put at least two men on him before clogging him. Any player who can instill fear like this into a team is worth a place purely for the disruption he causes them.

 

[Northyorksblade]

Brooks had a storming game Clarke was lazy.
Maybe i watched a different game but i thought Brooks was poor last night certainly not storming.He tried a few fancy moves that didn't come off and he got clattered a few times.
That's not me having a go at Brooks it just wasn't his night.
Clarke wasn't great but he still put a shift in, he was also up against their number 4 (not sure who he was)who i thought had excellent game, a bit of a dirty player but did it in a discreet way, the type of player we could do with.
I agree Clarke is not playing as well as he did at the beginning of the season, but very few strikers go through a whole season scoring constantly. He's got 17 goals and he's the best striker we have, not bad for a striker that cost less than Jordan Rhodes monthly wage.
Anyway Tin hat on for disagreeing about Brooks and sticking up for lazy Clarke.

Thought Brooks was great first half, not good second.

 

[Booker4]

Clarke has been poor since he signed his new contract, Sharp hasn't done much more though and Donaldson has been mostly diabolical when he's come on, so who do you go with if you're going to drop Clarke?

Clarke's still had numerous good games since the contract offer. He has just scored two goals in the last 3 games so his form is improving, and was awesome against Cardiff - as good as Zohore and much better than 6million Gary Madine! Yes he misses chances but what striker doesn't and he brings others into play such as against Cardiff the chance for Lundstram near half time. As others have said big problem is a lack of competition for Leon which means he has played almost every game when fit. Next season I doubt he'll play more than 30 games as I reckon we'll have someone else battling him for the role as the taller, athletic striker.

 

[Houston_Blade]

there is one other striker on our books that trumps Leon in almost every meaningful and measurable way.

Ched?!

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Clarke overall has done well all things considered. But he blows very cold for elongated periods, which is a frustration.

I could not agree he is our best striker. Statistically at least (and I appreciate this isn’t FIFA on the PS4!) there is one other striker on our books that trumps Leon in almost every meaningful and measurable way.

Now I have no problem with Leon being Wilders main man. Albeit that I say this while believing that there is a genuine blind spot in this overall ascertain. But I find it incredulous that the work load of the main central striker is not shared out more with the “other guy”. It’s impossible for me to logically dissect why Leon is NEVER dropped and plays every single minute of every single game. Irrespective of performance levels.

And don’t get me started on the armband !!

UTB

Agree there is a striker that statistically better than Clarke but when he's had his chance he's offered less than Clarke recently.
My point was mainly the opening post said Brooks had a storming game and Clarke was lazy, i just thought there was not much between them last night.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Every time Brooks got the ball last night Boro went into panic mode, they shit themselves and put at least two men on him before clogging him. Any player who can instill fear like this into a team is worth a place purely for the disruption he causes them.

I've not said Brooks doesn't deserve his place in the side. I just don't agree he had a Storming game and Clarke was lazy.
For me there was not much between them both about 6's.

 

[cooperblade]

Can only think it's confirmation bias when people call Leon lazy. The bloke behind me has decided he's shit so any poor touch etc is proof he's right and all the good stuff is ignored

(btw heard too much about lazy black players for too many years)

I know loads will disagree and get wound up by comments like that but I think there's something in that. Clarke and Donaldson are called lazy, Kazim-Richards and Adams got labelled with having attitude problems. Think it's an underlying stereotype rather than anything malicious.

 

[highgreenintokyo]

I find it incredulous that the work load of the main central striker is not shared out more with the “other guy”. It’s impossible for me to logically dissect why Leon is NEVER dropped and plays every single minute of every single game. Irrespective of performance levels.

And don’t get me started on the armband !!

UTB

For me, it’s not impossible to hazard a few guesses at why he tends to play every minute.

*even when he’s out of form, he’s essential to the team. He chases and harries consistently for 90 minutes from the front. We can’t play well without that desire to get the ball back as soon as we’ve lost it. Everything we do well is reliant on it.

*even when he’s out of form, he keeps at it for 90 minutes. I’d say him and Baldock look our fittest players. When we have a few players like Brooks, Duffy, maybe Sharp, who can’t really perform for the whole 90, players like Leon are essesntial. It’s all the more impressive that in a few games time, this will be the most games he has played in a season in his entire career. That may also explain why he looks a little slower than he did earlier in the season. (Granted that might also support arguments to give him a break!)

*even when he’s out of form, he isn’t anonymous. Sharp is the better striker, and by far the best finisher, but when things aren’t going well, things can pass him by. Leon is able to come deeper and try to link up play. That’s not a dig at Billy, that’s just not his game.

*he’s missed a few great chances the last few months, but he’s created a lot of his goals himself. We’re not a team that creates a lot of good chances. If you look at chance creation statistics, we’re pretty low down. We need a striker who will take every good chance they get (they don’t exist), or we need our strikers to be able to forge their own chances. That’s currently Leon more than anyone else.

I mostly agree with you on the armband, though. Although, as others have pointed out, we don’t know really see his influence on the training pitch, in the dressing room etc.

 

[Houston_Blade]

Clarke overall has done well all things considered. But he blows very cold for elongated periods, which is a frustration.

I could not agree he is our best striker. Statistically at least (and I appreciate this isn’t FIFA on the PS4!) there is one other striker on our books that trumps Leon in almost every meaningful and measurable way.

Now I have no problem with Leon being Wilders main man. Albeit that I say this while believing that there is a genuine blind spot in this overall ascertain. But I find it incredulous that the work load of the main central striker is not shared out more with the “other guy”. It’s impossible for me to logically dissect why Leon is NEVER dropped and plays every single minute of every single game. Irrespective of performance levels.

And don’t get me started on the armband !!

UTB

I get your point on the stats, however what the stats don't show is that you can't play Billy and AN Other in the system we play to good effect.

I'd love to see him play every week but one of the things that went wrong in Billy's initial attempts at playing for the Blades were that we never played to his strengths like Donny, Leeds, Scunthorpe et al. managed to. This makes Billy look a worse player than he is, and he can't do the job that Leon is currently doing, despite Leon's limitations.

Similarly last night Duffy was stuck out wide when he came on and looked like he'd never played football before barring one or 2 quality touches.

 

[Chali 2na]

there is one other striker on our books that trumps Leon in almost every meaningful and measurable way.

He doesn't trump him on goals scored, and you don't get much more meaningful than that.

 

[LJBlade]

Clarke should have done better defensively for the boro' goal, looked like he couldn't be arsed, need to try harder Leon

No, he looked like a striker trying to defend. Granted it's not hard to follow your man and he will know that himself but Ayala scores a lot of goals for Middlesbrough so he's an obvious danger, we should have had a defender marking him.

 

[Sean Thornton]

He doesn't trump him on goals scored, and you don't get much more meaningful than that.

Doesn't count and don't mention penalties.

Or in the managers choice of who to play. The most important point.

#blindspot

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

As I'm normally the number one advocate of Leon he was poor tonight on the face of it, missed a one on one and poor marking for the goal. After Ayala decked him he seemed more interested in trying to get him back and at one point Ayala was down so I assume he did without anyone seeing it?

I completely disagree with the point about effort though, as a forward he always tracks back and at times he was running for Brooks as well due to how shattered Brooks was. Quality and finishing can be questioned at times but effort certainly not.

So do you think he made an effort for their goal Derek ?. I like Clarke, but last night he was, as someone has pointed out half-arsed, whether that was because he was carrying a knock I don't know.

 

[DronnieBlade]

He doesn't trump him on goals scored, and you don't get much more meaningful than that.

Point taken.

But in terms of goal output per minutes played he does.

Not fair to compare any other way. IMHO.

But 17 goals, however they have been achieved, is a solid effort. Here’s hoping he can get to 20

UTB

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

Maybe I see something different but I thought his movement off the ball was excellent. Brooks was pulling out wide and deep leaving him isolated, but thought Leon still worked the channels.

I also thought their two CBs were the most physical we've played and thought they were excellent.

To those cat calling Leon - who else would you play? Billy who doesn't have the same physicality, Donaldson who looks truly awful, Wilson who just plays for himself or Ched who I don't even want to talk about...