| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 06:33 - Nov 5 with 6653 views | BondiBlue |
When it clicks for him he's going to be phenomenal. So talented but so inconsistent. |  |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 07:24 - Nov 5 with 4403 views | Herbivore |
We have to remember that he is still young for a defender and hasn't played loads of senior football. Physically and technically he has everything he needs to be a very good player, imo, he just needs to work on his concentration and positioning as that's what lets him down from time to time. |  |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 07:26 - Nov 5 with 4404 views | Churchman |
Clarke is big, brave, powerful and good on the ball. Hell of a shot on him too, when he gets the chance to use it. The system we play at home has exposed him at times and his positional awareness has led to him being targeted at times.
At age 22 there’s plenty of time, lots to come to learn and he’s in as good a place to do it as any. He’s a real asset to us - a future centre half maybe? Possibly a future a captain too. |  | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:01 - Nov 5 with 4284 views | franz_tyson |
Has our expectation levels for RB risen a lot this year? Not long ago I would have happily pencilled JD into RB..... but then Clarke arrived... and he seemed to add to that position ... and then Williams came and he upped the ante and Clarke's rep has been knocked a bit. Think Clarke has to settle for backup at the moment with the task of learning from Williams and adding to his game. Let's get honest.... can't see us affording Williams and maybe Clarke can step in when his loan is up. He's 22. His ceiling should be in the future whilst unfortunately you would think JD is well past his. | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:30 - Nov 5 with 4121 views | Exiled2Surrey |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:01 - Nov 5 by franz_tyson |
Has our expectation levels for RB risen a lot this year? Not long ago I would have happily pencilled JD into RB..... but then Clarke arrived... and he seemed to add to that position ... and then Williams came and he upped the ante and Clarke's rep has been knocked a bit. Think Clarke has to settle for backup at the moment with the task of learning from Williams and adding to his game. Let's get honest.... can't see us affording Williams and maybe Clarke can step in when his loan is up. He's 22. His ceiling should be in the future whilst unfortunately you would think JD is well past his. |
I think Clarke’s issue going forwards will be game time. When full strength with the full squad he won’t start, and I am getting more convinced that Tuanzebe will end up being the multipurpose defender sub on the bench - not sure how he did, but didn’t AT come on for Davis yesterday (which I assume meant Clarke went to LB)? | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:34 - Nov 5 with 4086 views | Herbivore |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:30 - Nov 5 by Exiled2Surrey |
I think Clarke’s issue going forwards will be game time. When full strength with the full squad he won’t start, and I am getting more convinced that Tuanzebe will end up being the multipurpose defender sub on the bench - not sure how he did, but didn’t AT come on for Davis yesterday (which I assume meant Clarke went to LB)? |
Humphreys came on for Davis. | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:36 - Nov 5 with 4080 views | tractorboy1978 |
There is a narrative building up against Clarke that is horrible to see. He's a 22 year old with all the raw attributes to be a great player for us but he is still learning many aspects of the game.
His 'problem' is that he isn't as good as Williams right now - but people need to remember Williams has played 50 odd games in the PL, is on £50k a week and is really a Premier League player we are fortunate to have here due to his relationship with McKenna.
Clarke deserves far more respect. An Ipswich boy that loves the club and was a key cog in a side that won 13 of the last 15 games last season. | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:47 - Nov 5 with 4019 views | DJR |
I thought Clarke did very well yesterday. Indeed, our defence as a whole limited Birmingham to very few real chances. Woolfenden, in particular, was excellent. |  | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:54 - Nov 5 with 3981 views | Herbivore |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:47 - Nov 5 by DJR |
I thought Clarke did very well yesterday. Indeed, our defence as a whole limited Birmingham to very few real chances. Woolfenden, in particular, was excellent. |
I've only seen the highlights but it looked like they didn't create too much. A little bit of fortune in both of their goals as well. | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:31 - Nov 5 with 3878 views | Guthrum |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 07:26 - Nov 5 by Churchman |
Clarke is big, brave, powerful and good on the ball. Hell of a shot on him too, when he gets the chance to use it. The system we play at home has exposed him at times and his positional awareness has led to him being targeted at times.
At age 22 there’s plenty of time, lots to come to learn and he’s in as good a place to do it as any. He’s a real asset to us - a future centre half maybe? Possibly a future a captain too. |
Positional awareness and he doesn't quite have the pace to compensate. Think it's not so much even the former, more getting too absorbed in the attacking movement.
But Full Back is a difficult position to play in our system, requiring the man to be high up the pitch while still able to beat the breaking winger back to our by-line. Williams has the speed, but some of his tackling is a little too spectacular for comfort. Donacien is not so good at the attacking side. Clarke is tougher and better going forward, but less speedy. It's inevitably going to be a compromise. |  |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:40 - Nov 5 with 3845 views | Churchman |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:31 - Nov 5 by Guthrum |
Positional awareness and he doesn't quite have the pace to compensate. Think it's not so much even the former, more getting too absorbed in the attacking movement.
But Full Back is a difficult position to play in our system, requiring the man to be high up the pitch while still able to beat the breaking winger back to our by-line. Williams has the speed, but some of his tackling is a little too spectacular for comfort. Donacien is not so good at the attacking side. Clarke is tougher and better going forward, but less speedy. It's inevitably going to be a compromise. |
Regardless, he has a lot going for him as a player and he will improve. I don’t think the injury he had at the start of the season helped. You could see him getting fitter and stronger the more the games clicked by. | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:42 - Nov 5 with 3832 views | NthQldITFC |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:36 - Nov 5 by tractorboy1978 |
There is a narrative building up against Clarke that is horrible to see. He's a 22 year old with all the raw attributes to be a great player for us but he is still learning many aspects of the game.
His 'problem' is that he isn't as good as Williams right now - but people need to remember Williams has played 50 odd games in the PL, is on £50k a week and is really a Premier League player we are fortunate to have here due to his relationship with McKenna.
Clarke deserves far more respect. An Ipswich boy that loves the club and was a key cog in a side that won 13 of the last 15 games last season. |
It's not specific to Clarke, it's this whole social media bubble thing that puts everybody under the brightest of spotlights and sends all the armchair pundits of varying footballing intellect who feel the need to be a mouthpiece in the direction of where the latest feeding frenzy is.
Not just football either. I hope and suspect that part of our excellent management setup is educating and reassuring the squad that the idiotic froth that quickly builds up also blows away very quickly and is utterly insubstantial in real terms.
I had to get out of the chatroom yesterday - fk knows what it's like on tw*tter. |  |
| # WE ARE STEALING THE FUTURE FROM OUR CHILDREN --- WE MUST CHANGE COURSE # | | Poll: | It's driving me nuts |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:53 - Nov 5 with 3775 views | Mookamoo |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 07:26 - Nov 5 by Churchman |
Clarke is big, brave, powerful and good on the ball. Hell of a shot on him too, when he gets the chance to use it. The system we play at home has exposed him at times and his positional awareness has led to him being targeted at times.
At age 22 there’s plenty of time, lots to come to learn and he’s in as good a place to do it as any. He’s a real asset to us - a future centre half maybe? Possibly a future a captain too. |
He is a centre half and will be a banging one in 5 years time. It shows what a good player he is that he can also be a pretty good RB and a passable LB. I'm pretty sure if we lost both keepers during a game, he would go in goal and play a blinder.
We have had a few natural CBs that we used as full backs, Mings, Beattie, Hreidarsson, Chambers etc. Clarke reminds me a bit of Delaney, who was played far too often at LB and only when he was left alone to be a CB at Palace did he look like a solid PL defender. |  | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 10:50 - Nov 5 with 3624 views | Guthrum |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:40 - Nov 5 by Churchman |
Regardless, he has a lot going for him as a player and he will improve. I don’t think the injury he had at the start of the season helped. You could see him getting fitter and stronger the more the games clicked by. |
Most certainly he has a lot going for him. Otherwise I don't think McKenna would be using him in that role. Not saying he's bad, just a slight weakness in one area of his game.
We don't have flawless players. They don't really exist, even at the highest levels. Putting together a football team is inevitably a compromise to take maximum advantage of squad members' virtues, without leaving too many holes. | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 10:53 - Nov 5 with 3612 views | Herbivore |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 09:53 - Nov 5 by Mookamoo |
He is a centre half and will be a banging one in 5 years time. It shows what a good player he is that he can also be a pretty good RB and a passable LB. I'm pretty sure if we lost both keepers during a game, he would go in goal and play a blinder.
We have had a few natural CBs that we used as full backs, Mings, Beattie, Hreidarsson, Chambers etc. Clarke reminds me a bit of Delaney, who was played far too often at LB and only when he was left alone to be a CB at Palace did he look like a solid PL defender. |
People keep saying Clarke is a centre half but I'm not sure what that's based on. He's played all his senior football as a right back. | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:00 - Nov 5 with 3594 views | Guthrum |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 10:53 - Nov 5 by Herbivore |
People keep saying Clarke is a centre half but I'm not sure what that's based on. He's played all his senior football as a right back. |
I think it's the fact that he's big, strong, a good tackler and perhaps not quite as rapid as is expected of a modern wing-back. Tho it would stunt his attacking and goalscoring instincts (or, at least, limit them to corners). | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:07 - Nov 5 with 3529 views | Herbivore |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:00 - Nov 5 by Guthrum |
I think it's the fact that he's big, strong, a good tackler and perhaps not quite as rapid as is expected of a modern wing-back. Tho it would stunt his attacking and goalscoring instincts (or, at least, limit them to corners). |
He's very athletic but for me he looks much more a full back than a centre back. He started off as a forward with us, Arsenal initially moved him back into centre mid, and he's ended up playing right back in senior football. It's not impossible he'll end up as a centre back in future but I find it odd that people characterise him as a centre back who is playing at right back. | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:11 - Nov 5 with 3507 views | Darth_Koont |
Defensively he’s been a bit of a liability this season. Which is fine if you can make the trade off with his energy and threat going forward as we did in League One. But in the Championship it’s unlikely to pay off given the standard of the opposition and how it unsettles the whole of the defence with Woolfenden in particular not really knowing when and where he needs to cover.
Still time to learn and improve on his positioning and making it more difficult for the opposition to get past but I wouldn’t be against the more defensively sound, square peg in a square hole of Donacien filling that spot in Williams’ absence. Particularly if and when Hutchinson is further ahead on the right and isn’t offering as much protection as Burns.
Overall, I think we’re seeing how Williams is a pretty critical player, almost getting to the level of Davis on the left. |  |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:18 - Nov 5 with 3470 views | Churchman |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:07 - Nov 5 by Herbivore |
He's very athletic but for me he looks much more a full back than a centre back. He started off as a forward with us, Arsenal initially moved him back into centre mid, and he's ended up playing right back in senior football. It's not impossible he'll end up as a centre back in future but I find it odd that people characterise him as a centre back who is playing at right back. |
I’m with Guthrum on this. Added to what he does well, he just looks like a central defender to me - and you don’t get more subjective than that! But I can’t disagree with your take either so god knows where he’ll end up. I suspect McKenna does! | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:21 - Nov 5 with 3456 views | pointofblue |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 11:11 - Nov 5 by Darth_Koont |
Defensively he’s been a bit of a liability this season. Which is fine if you can make the trade off with his energy and threat going forward as we did in League One. But in the Championship it’s unlikely to pay off given the standard of the opposition and how it unsettles the whole of the defence with Woolfenden in particular not really knowing when and where he needs to cover.
Still time to learn and improve on his positioning and making it more difficult for the opposition to get past but I wouldn’t be against the more defensively sound, square peg in a square hole of Donacien filling that spot in Williams’ absence. Particularly if and when Hutchinson is further ahead on the right and isn’t offering as much protection as Burns.
Overall, I think we’re seeing how Williams is a pretty critical player, almost getting to the level of Davis on the left. |
I agree with this. I understand Donacien had a knock yesterday, so we had no choice, but given how how both of them have started the season (Wednesday aside) I think we would have been more solid with Donacien there. Especially with it being away gone home.
Clarke has so much promise, and is great going forward, but has had issues defensively this season. | |
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 13:55 - Nov 5 with 3249 views | DJR |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 10:53 - Nov 5 by Herbivore |
People keep saying Clarke is a centre half but I'm not sure what that's based on. He's played all his senior football as a right back. |
Personally, I don't think he's tall enough to be a modern day centre half, except in an emergency. | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 14:06 - Nov 5 with 3198 views | DJR |
Clarke has had a couple of games where he was exposed but from recollection one of them was Leeds who are a good attacking team.
It could equally be said that we were exposed defensively against Plymouth but he didn't even start that game, and it could be argued that in the games he has struggled he has not had the person ahead of him tracking back, as happened with the first goal against Fulham. [Post edited 5 Nov 2023 14:08]
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 14:48 - Nov 5 with 3106 views | eddiespearitt03 |
Got alot of potential. Going to be a good solid defender, full back or a central defender, with more game time.
Stay on that path Harry. | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 15:10 - Nov 5 with 3068 views | Mookamoo |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 13:55 - Nov 5 by DJR |
Personally, I don't think he's tall enough to be a modern day centre half, except in an emergency. |
Aren't both Ake and the other CB for Man City about his height? | | | |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 18:15 - Nov 5 with 2937 views | keebsdad |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 14:48 - Nov 5 by eddiespearitt03 |
Got alot of potential. Going to be a good solid defender, full back or a central defender, with more game time.
Stay on that path Harry. |
The problem is that he has bags of potential but is not very good at defending at this point in time (and last season, watch him ball watching for the second goal against Fleetwood) but unfortunately we are not allowed to say that because he is:
- one of our own
- only 22
- McKenna obviously sees something in him
- does a fist pump
There would appear to be no room for those with vaild points of view to go against the orthodoxy of the ultra-Clarkeites. [Post edited 5 Nov 2023 18:16]
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| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 23:39 - Nov 5 with 2721 views | Exiled2Surrey |
| Can't decide whether to give clarke a 4 or an 8 on 08:34 - Nov 5 by Herbivore |
Humphreys came on for Davis. |
sorry, I stand corrected - that is the last time I believe the bbc sport app…. | | | |
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