| Our January additions 08:51 - Apr 4 with 1724 views | GeoffSentence |
Hirst, Broadhead and Luongo seem to get most of the plaudits and Harry Clarke seems to slip under the radar a bit. Probably because he is a defender. I want to big him up, I think he has had a massive influence at least as much as The Big Three possibly more. He plays with such drive and intensity from the first minute to the very last. Teams in this division can't live with him. He influences the game from byline to byline.
I also think there needs to be a new term for his type of player, something like box to box defender or fulllengthofthepitchpanzerkamfpwagen. Something like that.
Anyway, I think he might be turning me. |  |
| |  |
| Our January additions on 08:57 - Apr 4 with 1663 views | CaptainAhab |
Nailed it. Solid all over the pitch and gives us an extra dimension going forward. Gonna be a great player. So good to have all these promising young lads we can build a team round for the next few years |  | | |
| Our January additions on 09:06 - Apr 4 with 1635 views | Herbivore |
He's going to absolutely burst the net at some point as well. Got a very good strike of the ball on him. Agree, he plays like Donacien did at his very best but with an added 10% in terms of athleticism and quality on the ball. He looks pretty solid when he tucks in at the back but he can bomb forward and be a real weapon too. It's no coincidence that Burns' best form this season has come since Clarke joined. |  |
| |
| Our January additions on 09:16 - Apr 4 with 1586 views | geg1992 |
He's insanely good, especially considering his age too.
He allows Burns to play a more free role compared to when Donacien is playing.
It's going to be difficult to hold onto him for too long I think! Fantastic bit of business. |  |
| |
| Our January additions on 09:20 - Apr 4 with 1565 views | RobTheMonk |
If we had started the season with Luongo and Morsy, we'd be top by at least 7 points. |  | | |
| Our January additions on 09:20 - Apr 4 with 1565 views | SomethingBlue |
Yes, what an athlete and what a presence, with all the right footballing principles too. And what a bonus that a player of this quality comes from Ipswich, loves the club and plugged in to everything immediately. Not hard to see him being our next captain. | |
| |
| Our January additions on 09:21 - Apr 4 with 1555 views | Herbivore |
| Our January additions on 09:16 - Apr 4 by geg1992 |
He's insanely good, especially considering his age too.
He allows Burns to play a more free role compared to when Donacien is playing.
It's going to be difficult to hold onto him for too long I think! Fantastic bit of business. |
For us to keep the likes of Clarke and Davis we'll need to get out of the Championship pretty quickly. I think both will end up in the Prem. | |
| |
| Our January additions on 09:58 - Apr 4 with 1456 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
I was sad to see JD lose his place in the team, and was hesitant on Clarke as I didn't know if he was going to leave us a bit exposed. Talking nonsense wasn't I.
You know my main takeaway. He is absolutely rapid, like insanely fast. He does that old school thing where he takes a massive touch but always seems to get there.
(Still don't like the fist pump though) |  |
| |
| Our January additions on 10:05 - Apr 4 with 1413 views | Swansea_Blue |
Agreed. There was a love in on here the other day for him, although you're right that he doesn't get the plaudits the others do. And I didn't realise you spoke German fluently. |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Our January additions on 10:07 - Apr 4 with 1371 views | GeoffSentence |
| Our January additions on 10:05 - Apr 4 by Swansea_Blue |
Agreed. There was a love in on here the other day for him, although you're right that he doesn't get the plaudits the others do. And I didn't realise you spoke German fluently. |
Jaichsprechendiedeutschlikeeinenative | |
| |
| Our January additions on 10:15 - Apr 4 with 1328 views | HighgateBlue |
| Our January additions on 09:58 - Apr 4 by TRUE_BLUE123 |
I was sad to see JD lose his place in the team, and was hesitant on Clarke as I didn't know if he was going to leave us a bit exposed. Talking nonsense wasn't I.
You know my main takeaway. He is absolutely rapid, like insanely fast. He does that old school thing where he takes a massive touch but always seems to get there.
(Still don't like the fist pump though) |
Totally agree. I appreciate that it's possible to go over the top with praise and comparisons, but we all loved JD, and his performances were very consistent. However, the very best managers keep improving successful teams, and that sometimes means making changes when you're succeeding in order to keep on an upward curve.
McKenna's four additions in January have been massive successes. Each has improved on what we had, and yet somehow they've also slotted into a system that may have been unfamiliar to them. Getting rid of a fan favourite (from the starting XI) was an uber confident move from KMac, but it's clear that Clarke is an upgrade. I never had a problem with JD's attacking contribution, whilst acknowledging that that was not his strongest suit. We had an eccentric lop-sided look with JD, but it worked well enough. Clarke on the right, to replicate what Leif does on the left, is an amazing thing at this level. He's very fast and very strong. Those are two important points in any defender in this century.
Specifically I agree with you on the old school massive touch thing - there was a good example of that in the second half against Derby, just before he crosses it right from the goal line in the move that leads to Chaplin's shot at the keeper. That speed can allow you to back yourself and give real confidence. Clearly one thing that dear old JD was not quite so blessed with.
Attack is the best form of defence, at least when you're full of confidence, much better than most of the division, and quick enough to get back when you need some actual defence! |  | | |
| Our January additions on 10:23 - Apr 4 with 1295 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
| Our January additions on 10:15 - Apr 4 by HighgateBlue |
Totally agree. I appreciate that it's possible to go over the top with praise and comparisons, but we all loved JD, and his performances were very consistent. However, the very best managers keep improving successful teams, and that sometimes means making changes when you're succeeding in order to keep on an upward curve.
McKenna's four additions in January have been massive successes. Each has improved on what we had, and yet somehow they've also slotted into a system that may have been unfamiliar to them. Getting rid of a fan favourite (from the starting XI) was an uber confident move from KMac, but it's clear that Clarke is an upgrade. I never had a problem with JD's attacking contribution, whilst acknowledging that that was not his strongest suit. We had an eccentric lop-sided look with JD, but it worked well enough. Clarke on the right, to replicate what Leif does on the left, is an amazing thing at this level. He's very fast and very strong. Those are two important points in any defender in this century.
Specifically I agree with you on the old school massive touch thing - there was a good example of that in the second half against Derby, just before he crosses it right from the goal line in the move that leads to Chaplin's shot at the keeper. That speed can allow you to back yourself and give real confidence. Clearly one thing that dear old JD was not quite so blessed with.
Attack is the best form of defence, at least when you're full of confidence, much better than most of the division, and quick enough to get back when you need some actual defence! |
Agree with all of this. I think we knew we were getting a great athlete, I mean just look at the guy. He is a total unit. But I've been surprised how good a footballer he is. Perhaps I shouldn't be, you don't spend that long at one of the top academies in the country if you cant play. And has he been very solid defensively, strong in the air and mainly at the back post, which teams were definitely targeting, mainly on Leif but a fair share on JD as well.
We are genuinely stacked in every single area of the pitch. We have two top left backs at this level waiting in the wings, which we saw with a Greg leigh belter on Saturday. I'm pretty nervous about these next two games tbh, dont ask me why just the two games that stuck out to me as being a slog. But our depth could be the difference between us and the other top two hunters. | |
| |
| Our January additions on 15:17 - Apr 4 with 964 views | Exiled2Surrey |
| Our January additions on 09:20 - Apr 4 by RobTheMonk |
If we had started the season with Luongo and Morsy, we'd be top by at least 7 points. |
Where is the fun in that? | | | |
| Our January additions on 16:05 - Apr 4 with 841 views | Kropotkin123 |
Teams can't double up on marking Burns since his arrival. No disservice to JD, kind of a victim of his own successful partnership with Burns. |  |
| Submit your 1-24 league prediction here -https://www.twtd.co.uk/forum/514096/page:1 - for the opportunity to get a free Ipswich top. | | Poll: | Would you rather | | Blog: | Round Four: Eagle |
| |
| Our January additions on 16:18 - Apr 4 with 808 views | cbower |
Clarke is a huge reason why Burns is looking so good with the extra forward drive he possesses compared to JD. Combine that with Broadhead attracting attention on the left and heyho, Burns has more room. |  |
| |
| Our January additions on 16:21 - Apr 4 with 799 views | clive_baker |
He reminds me a lot of Davis when he joined, they've clearly met similar criteria in terms of scouting. Not in terms of physicality, Clarke is powerful, but age profile, pace, athleticism, they've both got a real engine on them, love to get forward and comfortable on the ball, very much modern day fullbacks.
Like Davis I think Clarke is understandably a bit raw from a footballing perspective, having had relatively limited senior football prior to joining, with the exception of a loan spell each. And like Davis he'll need time to find his feet, but I think both have a very high ceiling. They almost have the attributes you can't really learn, and with the development opportunities they'll receive here both tactically and technically they can go on to good things. Davis has improved no end as the season has progressed and I think Clarke can follow a similar trajectory. |  |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
