Sharp vs Clarke

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Clarke or Sharp for a few weeks?


  • Total voters
    159
  • Poll closed .

Headshrinker

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We all know Clarke is the first name (well, second after O'Connell) on the team sheet, week in and week out.

It's been debated before but I looked back and found that Clarke has only scored 5 goals in his last 24 league games.

Sharp has 5 in his last 11 league starts (14 in his last 30 league starts).

I definitely feel it's about time Sharp gets a run of games, instead of Clarke. I also feel that Clarke's work rate has been declining the last 15 games or so.

Anyone disagrees?
 



Clarke’s stats for working off the ball, interceptions, winning headers, etc are usually way ahead of Billy. QPR game is a case in point. He’s a streaky scorer so once he’s on a run he could get 5 or 6 goals in 3 or 4 games.

Bit of strange OP though when they’re likely to be first choice as a pair anyway.
 
We seem to be going in circles with this!

Everyone gets fed up with Clarke - so we put Billy in.

Billy will then play a few games and everyone will start moaning about him not holding up the ball well and getting thrown off it too easily.

I think Clarke does offer more when he chases the opposition defence down like he did for much of last season. At the minute though he doesn't seem to be doing it.

The issue is that neither quite have the quality we need to be starting most weeks.
 
We play with 2 strikers. We only have 3 strikers (not counting lavery) Mcgoldrick is injured... we pretty much have to play them both.
 
McGoldrick is last year's Donaldson. He'll shine in a handful of games but will probably get no more than a dozen or so starts and will be used mainly off the bench. Billy and Leon for me too, but we have to start looking for full-time replacements as a priority.
 
Totally different players.

Sharp is more consistent, a proper goal poacher, set him up and he tends to score, but he needs setting up and won’t create chances by himself. I’ve said several times Sharps success or failure is totally dependent on his team mates, if he doesn’t get the service he’s pretty ineffective, a bit like Keith Edwards.

Clarke is a better all rounder, can play as a target man or loan striker. However Leon is much more inconsistent, he’s capable of producing brilliance and creating his own chances but unlike Sharp capable of missing very easy chances. Clarke has always been known to have talent but like Jamal Campbell Rice it’s his inconsistency that’s kept him in the lower divisions.

It depends on Wilders formations but normally I’d prefer Clarke
But he’s had a chance and isnt looking anything like last years player so I’d give Sharp a chance to impress.

Ultimately I reckon Wilder will swap and change and use both of them this season, some starting and some as sub.
 
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Why would you do a stat for Sharp in 30 games and only 24 for Clarke? The 6 missing games wouldn't coincide with Clarke's hot streak, would it?

Interestingly, Clarke scored in 12 of his 38 starts last season and Sharp in 9 of 28. Not too much difference overall, but obviously Sharp was substituted far more often so that's a factor to think about.

They're different players. It's OK to think they both have value to the team.
 
Interestingly, Clarke scored in 12 of his 38 starts last season and Sharp in 9 of 28. Not too much difference overall, but obviously Sharp was substituted far more often so that's a factor to think about.

Where did you get your figures from? Leon scored 19 and Billy 14.

Anyway, the only yardstick is the goals vs games during the time they have both been at the club and Billy is miles ahead.
 



Two completely different players. Bad point - they don’t link as well as some striking pairs.
Good point - they don’t get in each other’s way much and often create space for one another.

The obvious answer is to play both until we’ve brought someone else in, and use McG as a sub for one of them, which one being dependent on who we’re playing and what their defensive weaknesses are.
 
McGoldrick is last year's Donaldson. He'll shine in a handful of games but will probably get no more than a dozen or so starts and will be used mainly off the bench. Billy and Leon for me too, but we have to start looking for full-time replacements as a priority.
McGoldrick won't be fit enough to start anything more than a handful of games, the guy is made of glass. Unfortunate as he is a top player.
 
Where did you get your figures from? Leon scored 19 and Billy 14.

Anyway, the only yardstick is the goals vs games during the time they have both been at the club and Billy is miles ahead.

Transfermarkt. I know that they scored 19 and 14 respectively but I was pointing out how many games they'd scored in. Clarke scored multiple goals in 4 games, Sharp scored multiple goals in 5 (which I found genuinely surprising).

As I say, I'm not in either camp. I'm just all for fair arguments and the comparison of the last 24 for Clarke and last 30 Sharp was used unfairly IMO.
 
Clarke’s stats for working off the ball, interceptions, winning headers, etc are usually way ahead of Billy. QPR game is a case in point. He’s a streaky scorer so once he’s on a run he could get 5 or 6 goals in 3 or 4 games.
I don't think any striker likes the thankless task of being the lone one up front. Also Chris doesn't see Leon as just box player goal specialist as Billy is. Chris sees Leon' s role as building platforms for other players/ the team. I don't think he has anyone else to take on this role or if he has they aren't volunteering ! It's a bit of a short straw role. I think they both play better when they play together.

Bit of strange OP though when they’re likely to be first choice as a pair anyway.
 
We all know Clarke is the first name (well, second after O'Connell) on the team sheet, week in and week out.

It's been debated before but I looked back and found that Clarke has only scored 5 goals in his last 24 league games.

Sharp has 5 in his last 11 league starts (14 in his last 30 league starts).

I definitely feel it's about time Sharp gets a run of games, instead of Clarke. I also feel that Clarke's work rate has been declining the last 15 games or so.

Anyone disagrees?
I disagree. Stevens is the second name on the teamsheet
 
both ooh they don’t link well reckon the airmchair Guardiolas even though they banged in 33 goals last season..
Leon always takes a few games to get started he’s due a goal plus his all round contribution is goid..Billy will always score goals it’s what he does
 



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