CONFIRMED Clarke Official

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Bladesway said:
Have a neb at post #736 and #737 before you start waving nonsense opinions about (again)
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Those opinions are a minority. They're perfectly entitled to them. The three year contract is questionable.

The majority have said nothing negative about this. Yet you still feel the need to base most of your response around people 'bitching'. Why? Is it important?

For some, commenting on what other fans say is far more of a priority than commenting on the subject itself.
 

blader said:
It seems a bit of a 'same owd' signing for me. Another 'solid' league 1 signing, who has 'been there and done it' but you would say the same for McEveley, Woolford, Campbell Ryce et al. I can see is giving him a 3 year deal and then having the issue of trying to get rid of him in a year's time... And the cycle continues.
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*sigh*

Just feel like we've been here so many times before and never seem to learn. I can understand the attitude of 'here and now' as to why people don't want us to sign prospects.

However, 3 years? What's the best case scenario here? If we get promoted he is another we will certainly have to move on in summer, and if he is a failure then we are stuck with him for 2 further years. It's this kind of idiocy which frustrates the hell out of me. Get him on a year deal with an option of a second, and I would say fair enough.

A reasonable signing at best, but just enfuriated by dishing out needlessly long contracts to players over 30 time and time again. Just further proof the 'technical board' lack football nouse, in my opinion.
 
Barney said:
This is a mistake.

3 year deal for a player his age is daft at best.

Does anyone know what the fee was without me having to trawl through the thread?

I'm guessing we've overpaid too.
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....all depends on the terms of that deal, which neither you nor I know...I'm gussing we didn't pay that much, hence all Flitcroft's hoo-har...let's give Clarke a few games and make a decision then eh?
 
Barney said:
That task is made slightly harder when he's dishing out 3 year contracts to 31 year olds.
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To get what you want, you have to pay for it. There's always some kind of compromise. It's not really any different from taking a gamble on a kid from L2. We'd pay a fee plus we'd have to give him a three year contract and it may turn out he's not really good enough for the top of L1.

There's a risk and a downside to every signing.

31 isn't necessarily that old any more. Plenty of players play until around 35 these days. He may last three years or we may get promotion and end up loaning him out or letting him go on a free as he's probably not good enough for the championship.

And we can rest him a bit because we'll want to push DCL on a bit, give him some game time. It could turn out that by the end of the season DCL is keeping him out of the side.

What's more important now is that we finish what we've started and bring in the CH, CM and wide player we need.
 
Ricky said:
Those opinions are a minority. They're perfectly entitled to them. The three year contract is questionable.

The majority have said nothing negative about this. Yet you still feel the need to base most of your response around people 'bitching'. Why? Is it important?

For some, commenting on what other fans say is far more of a priority than commenting on the subject itself.
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And yet I managed to do both and the deal takes priority but thanks for being the sites policeman.
 
The contract length is a concern, especially for a player who's proven he's not good enough for Championship football. That said, we've been wasting money for a long time and sometimes the cheaper way is to actually spend the money on players who will get you up and worry about moving them on later. No bringing in Coutts or McGinn on the cheap and having nothing but a huge wage bill to show for it, but identifying a target and making it happen.

We've only got Sharp up front who I think is clearly good enough to get us promoted. The rest all have doubts over them and not one of our strikers is clearly good enough to play the physical role when necessary. In that sense, Clarke makes a lot of sense to complete the options. It might also free the way for us to take a big offer for DCL or Adams without having the usual worry of starting the season a man down (as with Murphy et al).

Can't say I'm over the moon given his age and scoring record, but in terms of the type of striker he is he's a player we needed and I'm not sure there are any better readily available.
 
Bladesway said:
And yet I managed to do both and the deal takes priority but thanks for being the sites policeman.
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Not policing anything, just pointing out how bizarre it is to place such an emphasis on commenting on what others (might) say - even when it's only a minority. It's as though it's a natural urge.
 
we go and give a 31 year old a 3 year contract....... that is only going to end in yet another pay off situation.

He is a journey man never stayed 3 years anywhere in his career.
 
Leon Clarke's strike rate, playing for Third Division clubs over recent seasons*:

Bury - 19 goals in 29 games (65%)
Coventry - 23 goals in 34 (68%)
Scunthorpe - 11 goals in 15 (73%)
Chesterfield - 9 in 14 (64%)

Round pegs, round holes.






(At Wolves, admittedly just 1 goal in 10. But he didn't become a first team regular there in what was already a team on a roll when he joined them.)
 
Some of these posts are amazing.

We show massive ambition (By league 1 standards) by signing Leon Clarke and people still complain.
We give him a 3 year contract otherwise he wouldn't have signed.

Look at Coventry main forum.
They are so angry that he's coming to us most of their fans wanted him back as he was a massive success there.
One of their fans is calling us the Man City of league 1 with our spending power trying to buy the league.
Another says we're dead certs for promotion
Another says we're backed by a billionaire Arab and can outbid any club in the league.
Many say he's only coming to Sheff Utd for the money as he's a mercenary and always goes highest bidder
Another says we're buying all the best league 1 players and we're nailed on for promotion.

All of them seem jealous of our board and wish they had a board like ours with the same ambition.

Also some are saying he's no good as we need to plan for the future.
However we've already planned for the future and it's got us no where so the club are now planning here and now bringing in some of the best players from last season in league 1.

It still might not work but at least we're given it a go this season.
 
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Ricky said:
Not policing anything, just pointing out how bizarre it is to place such an emphasis on commenting on what others (might) say - even when it's only a minority. It's as though it's a natural urge.
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Perhaps you should spend your time giving your opinion on the signing then? This minority of people who think it's a bad deal is growing.
 
The whole Wednesday thing is a non-starter for me. In my time, all those we've signed with hammy backgrounds, bar one, have done a decent job and I've got no issue with. I still have a soft spot for Jeff King, whose signing I think clinched us the title that year.

The bar one is of course Curran, King Twat forever. Having said that he was playing pretty well when we finally sold him, but I still thought he was a twat.
 
larkymasher said:
we go and give a 31 year old a 3 year contract....... that is only going to end in yet another pay off situation.

He is a journey man never stayed 3 years anywhere in his career.
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So if doesnt stay 3 years, why so much complaining about the contract if he wont see it out? if he gets goals which help us get promoted and wilder decides to get rid of him, even paying him off, so what, the amount of money we would earn in the Champ would be MILES more than in this league so a small price to pay.
 

larkymasher said:
we go and give a 31 year old a 3 year contract....... that is only going to end in yet another pay off situation.

He is a journey man never stayed 3 years anywhere in his career.
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Actually he has, twice which is the same as Zlatan.

He's one of those that is good in a division but not really able to step up to the next level, so he does tend to move around a bit.
 
DronnieBlade said:
Underwhelming in the extreme.

I'll let you know after 45 mins of seeing him in a Blades shirt if he will go the same way as Henderson, Higdon & Sammon.

And a 3 yr deal is just bonkers. Will we ever learn.

UTB
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Well ...... there's one thing for certain.

If he's got two legs and a head ..... he cannot be as bad a Sammon !!!! o_O

UTB & FTP
 
Bladesway said:
Perhaps you should spend your time giving your opinion on the signing then? This minority of people who think it's a bad deal is growing.
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I already have, many times.

As for the three year deal, I look at it like this...

It was probably what most convinced him to sign.

It will mean that his wages aren't that high.

That will mean we should be able to offload him if necessary.

If we go up, he will probably have done what we signed him for, everyone's a winner.

If we don't go up, he should be good for at least another two years in L1 anyway.

Worst case scenario is being in L1 in his third year, wanting to get rid but struggling to move him on - a small risk to take.
 
Darthblade said:
Well ...... there's one thing for certain.

If he's got two legs and a head ..... he cannot be as bad a Sammon !!!! o_O

UTB & FTP
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Clarke looked a classy operater when we played Bury at home last season but apparently he has or had attitude problems and can blow hot and cold but we'll see.

I think many experts would put Clarke in the talented but not achieved as much as he should have category.
 
Alfreton14Blade said:
Leon Clarke's strike rate, playing for Third Division clubs over recent seasons*:

Bury - 19 goals in 29 games (65%)
Coventry - 23 goals in 34 (68%)
Scunthorpe - 11 goals in 15 (73%)
Chesterfield - 9 in 14 (64%)

Round pegs, round holes.

(At Wolves, admittedly just 1 goal in 10. But he didn't become a first team regular there in what was already a team on a roll when he joined them.)
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Exactly ....... I would have liked Akinde but he would have cost much more, Im guessing.

With the money that Tufty was given to spend, which will be minimal, this represents a good signing imho.

He knows the division, he can look after himself and he can score goals at this level ........

Boxes ticked .....

UTB & FTP
 
Sheffsteel said:
Clarke looked a classy operater when we played Bury at home last season but apparently he has or had attitude problems and can blow hot and cold but we'll see.

I think many experts would put Clarke in the talented but not achieved as much as he should have category.
Click to expand...

Fair point ....... will be an interesting test for Tufty to get the best out of him ....
UTB & FTP
 
Thirty Blades reported to be demonstrating outside Superstore, token handicapped, Black guy, LGBT Blade, Saggy tits OAP...
MASSIVE Crayola sponsored banner...

"LoveUnited HateClark" (sic)

SlySports twitter feed.
 
Darthblade said:
Exactly ....... I would have liked Akinde but he would have cost much more, Im guessing.

With the money that Tufty was given to spend, which will be minimal, this represents a good signing imho.

He knows the division, he can look after himself and he can score goals at this level ........

Boxes ticked .....

UTB & FTP
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Akinde has never played at this level though and isn't exactly an exciting young prospect.

How do we'd know he'd step up?

At least with Clarke he's proven at L1 level.
 
Wednesdayite in peace, Leon Clarke is as good as he wants to be, he can be frustrating but he's got power, pace, and knows where the net is! If any of you blades wanna know how good Leon Clarke can be, check out burnley 2 - 4 Wednesday, Leon was unplayable that day! Awesome on his day but can become disillusioned during games, but probably the best striker in league one right now!

Good signing IMO

Good luck for the season
 
Worksop II said:
Clarke is gonna be an upgrade on our No2 Striker last season (Sammon)

Its a step in the right direction

20 odd from Billy, 10 or 12 from Clarke will be enough to go up
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I'm rather hoping for both to up their games under Tufty .....

30 from Billy and 20 from Clarke and then we just need to have the "new" midfield weighing in and the "new" defence not conceding like a colander and we may be pointing in the right direction .....

Now we just need GK, CH, CM and a winger before Bolton.

UTB & FTP
 
Footballers, like cars, get older, slower and sometimes more susceptible to break down.

Just because Clarkeinho scored fuckin' gazillions of goals five years ago, it ain't guaranteed he'll
do the same..

Wake up morons.
 
If he pulls it out the bag with the final CB and CM signings this won't feel as bad.

No more 30+ year olds, we've signed 3 already. I thought we'd all, including Wilder, signed up to the "young and hungry with experience where appropriate" category amid wanting to learn from last years mistakes.
 

BushBlade said:
Akinde has never played at this level though and isn't exactly an exciting young prospect.

How do we'd know he'd step up?

At least with Clarke he's proven at L1 level.
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Fair point ........ he looked a good prospect though.

I' m ok with Clarke if Tufty can manage him well enough he could do well for us ....

UTB & FTP
 
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