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Post by silsdenstokie on Feb 7, 2021 14:02:00 GMT
Didnt see the game yesterday but sounds encouraging. If we can get him back to his Leeds form we will have a real asset (for the rest of the season anyway)
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Post by realstokebloke on Feb 7, 2021 14:09:14 GMT
Really like the lad and we need to get him involved more in the game.
Whether that could be inside as a 10 is an interesting thought.
But we all know MoN will never play him there in a zillion years.
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Post by lordb on Feb 7, 2021 14:12:30 GMT
Really like the lad and we need to get him involved more in the game. Whether that could be inside as a 10 is an interesting thought. But we all know MoN will never play him there in a zillion years. Neither should he, out and out winger
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Post by realstokebloke on Feb 7, 2021 14:22:30 GMT
Really like the lad and we need to get him involved more in the game. Whether that could be inside as a 10 is an interesting thought. But we all know MoN will never play him there in a zillion years. Neither should he, out and out winger Possibly, and yet the lack of a 10 / creative spark going fwd when Powell is out is palpable. Powell's presence to our midfield threat is as vital as Campbell's is to our finishing. Clarke just seems to me to have enough about him to do more than just wait for through balls from Collins that never come.
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toad
Academy Starlet
Posts: 159
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Post by toad on Feb 7, 2021 14:30:44 GMT
He was good yesterday but he needs to be braver in possession more often. His ball retention is very good but as part of a front 3, he needs to play more forward/key passes.
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Post by LankyPotter on Feb 7, 2021 14:39:43 GMT
He was good yesterday but he needs to be braver in possession more often. His ball retention is very good but as part of a front 3, he needs to play more forward/key passes. I get what you mean and there is truth to it but when you look at the state of James McClean on the other side it really is a minor criticism. The fact is if we had another clarke type on the other side we’d have won yesterday.
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Post by pottersrule on Feb 7, 2021 15:49:40 GMT
He was good yesterday but he needs to be braver in possession more often. His ball retention is very good but as part of a front 3, he needs to play more forward/key passes. Think the problem is that we don't get enough forward runners,and when he looks up there aren't any options to play forward balls,he then turns back and ends up playing it sideways or back, it's so frustrating.
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Post by lordb on Feb 7, 2021 16:22:06 GMT
Neither should he, out and out winger Possibly, and yet the lack of a 10 / creative spark going fwd when Powell is out is palpable. Powell's presence to our midfield threat is as vital as Campbell's is to our finishing. Clarke just seems to me to have enough about him to do more than just wait for through balls from Collins that never come. Yes we definitely need another quality player in that area ToB looks way off (still very young) It's a hole in the squad I think Spurs would be pissed if we play Clarke anything other than wing Keep him in the wing, convince Spurs this is the place for him next season
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toad
Academy Starlet
Posts: 159
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Post by toad on Feb 7, 2021 16:30:27 GMT
He was good yesterday but he needs to be braver in possession more often. His ball retention is very good but as part of a front 3, he needs to play more forward/key passes. I get what you mean and there is truth to it but when you look at the state of James McClean on the other side it really is a minor criticism. The fact is if we had another clarke type on the other side we’d have won yesterday. Yeah he's certainly an improvement on anything else we have in the squad. I'd just like to see him be a little more adventurous. Especially with a striker like Fletcher who thrives on balls into the box. Our wide players don't get the ball in the box often enough!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 7, 2021 16:33:20 GMT
I get what you mean and there is truth to it but when you look at the state of James McClean on the other side it really is a minor criticism. The fact is if we had another clarke type on the other side we’d have won yesterday. Yeah he's certainly an improvement on anything else we have in the squad. I'd just like to see him be a little more adventurous. Especially with a striker like Fletcher who thrives on balls into the box. Our wide players don't get the ball in the box often enough! I’m excited to see how he develops over the next 5-10 games. He’s got better (and more confident) every time he gets on the pitch. He’s barely played regular first team football, so patience is certainly something we’ll need to have with him.
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Post by femark on Feb 7, 2021 16:46:34 GMT
Looked like he was waiting for movement that never came quite often. The midfield 3 didn’t help him out.
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Post by Clem Fandango on Feb 7, 2021 16:52:08 GMT
Possibly, and yet the lack of a 10 / creative spark going fwd when Powell is out is palpable. Powell's presence to our midfield threat is as vital as Campbell's is to our finishing. Clarke just seems to me to have enough about him to do more than just wait for through balls from Collins that never come. Yes we definitely need another quality player in that area ToB looks way off (still very young) It's a hole in the squad I think Spurs would be pissed if we play Clarke anything other than wing Keep him in the wing, convince Spurs this is the place for him next seasonThis. I'd like us to have our own wingers but it would be nice to get him for another 12 months bit similar to Harrison's loans at Leeds.
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Post by chiswickpotter on Feb 7, 2021 17:04:46 GMT
Neither should he, out and out winger Possibly, and yet the lack of a 10 / creative spark going fwd when Powell is out is palpable. Powell's presence to our midfield threat is as vital as Campbell's is to our finishing. Clarke just seems to me to have enough about him to do more than just wait for through balls from Collins that never come. I agree he looks like a natural 10 when he runs with the ball inside. I also think he might be better on the left cutting in
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Post by 1972stokey on Feb 7, 2021 17:11:09 GMT
Clarke was really bright in the first half yesterday and I think there is plenty more to come but as the game progressed and Reading started to be more adventurous he faded badly and was offering nothing defensively. In truth O’Neill left him on 5 minutes too long but fortunately we didn’t get punished in the way we have in some recent games when players like Allen were tiring.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Feb 8, 2021 12:26:45 GMT
Really like the lad and we need to get him involved more in the game. Whether that could be inside as a 10 is an interesting thought. But we all know MoN will never play him there in a zillion years. Neither should he, out and out winger Is he? He comes inside a hell of a lot for an out and out winger.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 8, 2021 12:36:34 GMT
Neither should he, out and out winger Is he? He comes inside a hell of a lot for an out and out winger. Agreed. Some of his runs with the ball in recent matches suggest he might be just as suited to a central attacking role as the wing. He certainly has to be worth a try in a central role. When Powell isn't fit to play, or isn't playing centrally, we are sadly lacking in attacking quality in the centre of the pitch.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Feb 8, 2021 12:48:21 GMT
Is he? He comes inside a hell of a lot for an out and out winger. Agreed. Some of his runs with the ball in recent matches suggest he might be just as suited to a central attacking role as the wing. He certainly has to be worth a try in a central role. When Powell isn't fit to play, or isn't playing centrally, we are sadly lacking in attacking quality in the centre of the pitch. He seems a very clever player and does the stuff that you’d expect a more central player to do, better. Like the thing I’ve been impressed most with is his play with his back towards goal. His ability to retain possession in those situations and to pass and move has been superb. He’s definitely not what would be described a chalk on his boots winger. And it’s not like he hasn’t played well out there, he has. He just does his best work inside imo.
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Post by davejohnno1 on Feb 8, 2021 12:49:43 GMT
The lad has made a decent start to life at Stoke but for all the praise he got at the weekend, he created 1 chance of note.
Jacob Brown did just as much in 15 minutes yet was lambasted again.
He's a neat and tidy player is Clarke. At present, he's too reminiscent of Tom Ince for my liking and to date has offered absolutely nothing that Ince didn't/couldn't do. He gets that ball, rarely beats the full back, often cuts inside and passes it square or backwards 5 yards.
The only advantage he has over Ince to date is that he does seem to try and get on the ball rather than hide from it.
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Post by lordb on Feb 8, 2021 13:03:52 GMT
The lad has made a decent start to life at Stoke but for all the praise he got at the weekend, he created 1 chance of note. Jacob Brown did just as much in 15 minutes yet was lambasted again. He's a neat and tidy player is Clarke. At present, he's too reminiscent of Tom Ince for my liking and to date has offered absolutely nothing that Ince didn't/couldn't do. He gets that ball, rarely beats the full back, often cuts inside and passes it square or backwards 5 yards. The only advantage he has over Ince to date is that he does seem to try and get on the ball rather than hide from it. He's beaten his man more times in his few games here than Ince has in his whole Stoke career
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Post by RF10 on Feb 8, 2021 13:05:47 GMT
Neither should he, out and out winger Is he? He comes inside a hell of a lot for an out and out winger. Yeah as we said after last game he isn't a winger. I do think he works as wide midfielder with his ability to beat a man a get in the box. Still early days and hopefully his confidence playing in team keeps on improving.
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Post by Lakeland Potter on Feb 8, 2021 13:11:15 GMT
The lad has made a decent start to life at Stoke but for all the praise he got at the weekend, he created 1 chance of note. Jacob Brown did just as much in 15 minutes yet was lambasted again. He's a neat and tidy player is Clarke. At present, he's too reminiscent of Tom Ince for my liking and to date has offered absolutely nothing that Ince didn't/couldn't do. He gets that ball, rarely beats the full back, often cuts inside and passes it square or backwards 5 yards. The only advantage he has over Ince to date is that he does seem to try and get on the ball rather than hide from it. Clarke has also won a penalty. That probably means he has a better success rate in winning penalties (i.e. games per penalty) than any other player we have had since relegation! I think you are being too hard on him. I think the loss of Campbell and the sporadic injuries to Fletcher and Powell has left Clarke with far fewer options when it comes to creating chances for others than our wide players had before Campbell's injury. Like bayern I also like his ability to hang onto the ball - something Brown isn't good at. Put it this way, if I could choose only 3 current first team squad forwards I would want to see in our side next season, they would be Campbell, Powell and Clarke - those three are streets ahead of any other options.
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Post by nottsover60 on Feb 8, 2021 13:21:28 GMT
The lad has made a decent start to life at Stoke but for all the praise he got at the weekend, he created 1 chance of note. Jacob Brown did just as much in 15 minutes yet was lambasted again. He's a neat and tidy player is Clarke. At present, he's too reminiscent of Tom Ince for my liking and to date has offered absolutely nothing that Ince didn't/couldn't do. He gets that ball, rarely beats the full back, often cuts inside and passes it square or backwards 5 yards. The only advantage he has over Ince to date is that he does seem to try and get on the ball rather than hide from it. Forgive me if I'm wrong but I thought the opening Mikel had when he pulled the ball back for Mclean's tame effort came because of Clark's movement which momentarily took Reading's attention away from Mikel for long enough for him to find space. There are more ways of creating an opportunity than by passing. We don't do that sort of thing often enough.
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Post by scfcwebby on Feb 8, 2021 15:05:04 GMT
The lad has made a decent start to life at Stoke but for all the praise he got at the weekend, he created 1 chance of note. Jacob Brown did just as much in 15 minutes yet was lambasted again. He's a neat and tidy player is Clarke. At present, he's too reminiscent of Tom Ince for my liking and to date has offered absolutely nothing that Ince didn't/couldn't do. He gets that ball, rarely beats the full back, often cuts inside and passes it square or backwards 5 yards. The only advantage he has over Ince to date is that he does seem to try and get on the ball rather than hide from it. To be fair, brown also managed to trip over the ball while advancing on goal
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Post by ChesterStokie on Feb 8, 2021 19:47:44 GMT
There’s a few little things about him that remind me of Bojan.
Similar physical stature, moves the same way, skilful, boyish looks, could be more assertive, looks lightweight, massive potential, career could go either way, etc etc
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Post by leicspotter on Feb 8, 2021 19:52:20 GMT
The lad has made a decent start to life at Stoke but for all the praise he got at the weekend, he created 1 chance of note. Jacob Brown did just as much in 15 minutes yet was lambasted again. He's a neat and tidy player is Clarke. At present, he's too reminiscent of Tom Ince for my liking and to date has offered absolutely nothing that Ince didn't/couldn't do. He gets that ball, rarely beats the full back, often cuts inside and passes it square or backwards 5 yards. The only advantage he has over Ince to date is that he does seem to try and get on the ball rather than hide from it. Clarke has also won a penalty. That probably means he has a better success rate in winning penalties (i.e. games per penalty) than any other player we have had since relegation! I think you are being too hard on him. I think the loss of Campbell and the sporadic injuries to Fletcher and Powell has left Clarke with far fewer options when it comes to creating chances for others than our wide players had before Campbell's injury. Like bayern I also like his ability to hang onto the ball - something Brown isn't good at. Put it this way, if I could choose only 3 current first team squad forwards I would want to see in our side next season, they would be Campbell, Powell and Clarke - those three are streets ahead of any other options. Before we got Fletcher, winning a penalty was probably a curse to be avoided!
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Post by deadwait on Feb 8, 2021 20:01:53 GMT
There’s a few little things about him that remind me of Bojan. Similar physical stature, moves the same way, skilful, boyish looks, could be more assertive, looks lightweight, massive potential, career could go either way, etc etc Reminds you of Bojan, I think dementia is setting in pal !
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Post by cheadlestokie on Feb 8, 2021 20:35:04 GMT
I wonder whether it may be better to play Clarke on the left of a front three with Matondo on the right in much the same way Campbell plays on the right. Fletcher in the middle and Powell just behind 4231
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Post by malisastokie on Feb 8, 2021 20:47:52 GMT
I agree with comment that Clarke’s run off the ball allowed Mikel as ponderous as he looked the time and space to get in behind Reading and deliver a great cut back.
We where having decent spell in the first half and had Fletcher’s disallowed goal stood and McClean buries the cut back we would have won the game comfortably as we were in total control.
If he can have that sort of influence for longer periods against the lesser sides we might turn those draws in to wins.
Take Powell out of the equation, Clarke is looking to be the most technically competent attacking threat we have brought into the club since relegation.
Brown and McClean you can’t fault for work ethic but they are technically inept and won’t win you games just as they won’t lose you a game.
He has to be on the team sheet before those 2 otherwise draws will be the order of the day for the rest of the season.
It is great to see someone of Clarke’s technical ability playing for us because how sad is it that we have gone from the front 3 of Shaqiri /!Bojan /Arnie when we beat beat Man C 2 nil to buying players like Brown , McClean, Vokes etc.
Yes Clark is like a little breathe of fresh air for me.
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Post by BuzzB on Feb 13, 2021 18:02:49 GMT
Why did he get hooked at half time? Not his best game but at least he can create and is positive on the ball. Maybe he spoke his mind and it didn't go down well. It was a strange tactical change, Mikel or Allen off at H/T would have made more sense.
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Post by dirtygary69 on Feb 13, 2021 18:04:02 GMT
Why did he get hooked at half time? Not his best game but at least he can create and is positive on the ball. Maybe he spoke his mind and it didn't go down well. It was a strange tactical change, Mikel or Allen off at H/T would have made more sense. I thought he was our best player first half to be honest.
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