Ciaran Clark (now a free agent)

[Joey Linton]

6 minutes ago, worthy said:

My local pub team has defenders that can play better than this fuckwit

It doesn't though, does it. We're stuck with him for now, unless you wanted to see Krafth or Hayden in at centre back. 

[HaydnNUFC]

2 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

At the time, I blamed him. Looking back, I think it's Dubs' fault. 'keeper should be claiming a slow, looping ball in his 6-yard box every fucking day of the week.

 

The pair of them are at fault. Dubravka should be claiming it and/or Clark should be clearing it. Letting the ball bounce in the 6 yard box is beyond pathetic at professional level football. 

 

Someone pointed this out as well, we're a really quiet team. Lad I know watched all of our BCD games without the crowd noise and our players barely speak to each other especially compared to other PL teams. Communication was massive in that fucking embarrassment of a goal but so was just common fucking sense.

[Robster]

9 minutes ago, Gallowgate Toon said:

At the time, I blamed him. Looking back, I think it's Dubs' fault. 'keeper should be claiming a slow, looping ball in his 6-yard box every fucking day of the week.

I agree although a Centre Half should NEVER be ducking like that unless there's a clear call from behind. 
Dubravka probably takes a greater share of the blame. 6 yard box is the goalkeepers domain. Claim it or shout for it to be cleared. 

 

 

Edited December 19, 2021 by Robster

[Gallowgate Toon]

Dubravka actually made the first move to the ball. You want your 'keeper to communicate that's his because he can literally see the play in front of him. 

 

Clarke would likely not have got a decent headed clearance anyway as there was no pace on the ball.

[Rafalove]

8 minutes ago, worthy said:

If he was any sort of man, he would own up to being a fucking dogshit player and at least apologize for being braindead for two big moments after Howe has come in. Worst player I have ever seen and should never put on the shirt ever again fuck off out of town with him

 

EDIT:

He had the fucking nerve to blame Dubs as well after he fucking had a meltdown the shitter.

 

 

 

 

What exactly are you wanting? Him to come out and tell everyone he’s shit and not good enough for this level? It just isn’t going to happen. How is that going to help anything?

[Disco]

Seen better performances from players on the take.

[Kid Icarus]

Likewise Ritchie. It makes me squirm a bit seeing the pelters he gets when you think back to him being a huge part of us coming up and staying up. The criticism's absolutely fair but it's 99% that he's past it/playing in the wrong position/should have been improved upon ages ago rather than him not putting the graft in.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by kisearch

[SchärMix]

 

20 minutes ago, kisearch said:

Likewise Ritchie. It makes me squirm a bit seeing the pelters he gets when you think back to him being a huge part of us coming up and staying up. The criticism's absolutely fair but it's 99% that he's past it/playing in the wrong position/should have been improved upon ages ago rather than him not putting the graft in.

 

 

 

 

The good servant lark bores me to death. Never going to sell my heart to likes of Clark, Shelvey and Ritchie. Clark was atrocious when he went down with Villa years ago. Decent for us in the Championship, any decent game or period he's had for us in the PL has been a bonus. Baffles me how supporters expect anymore than a 5/10 performance from most of our squad - whatever XI is played, by probability one of two of them are going to cost us at least a goal a game whoever we play.

 

He was never the type of player that should have been playing for us past 2018 after we'd stayed up, but as supporters we've had to settle for him due to ownership - as supporters we never excepted the ownership, so by extension I'm not accepting Ciaran Clark playing for Newcastle United in 2020, 2021 and going into 2022.

 

Totally numb to the performances of likes of Clark, Ritchie, Hayden, Shelvey and Lascelles now. Was past giving a shit under Bruce/Ashley, and I've seen nothing to stimulate me under Howe as of yet. Whatever XI Howe is playing against Liverpool/Man City/Man U or even two thirds of the league, he's onto a loser.

 

If it wasn't Clark today, it would have been Lascelles. If it wasn't Willock/Hayden in midfield it would have been some other donkey. Almiron and Fraser we're shite. Since McLaren/Ashley, Howe is now in a situation of throwing whatever shit he come across to a wall, and it all sticking.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by SchärMix

[Hhtoon]

I'm too soft, I want to berate him but I just feel sorry for his useless ass 

[SchärMix]

In a parallel universe nobody would bat an eye at him bottom of the league with Derby or lining up alongside likes of Colback and Grabban at Forest, or even mid-table in League 1 playing for Sheff Wed or Ipswich. 

 

Just like the Bruce situation, and many players - it's only by the grace of being paid by Newcastle United that they are Premier League players.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by SchärMix

[Yorkie]

1 hour ago, ManDoon said:

One of the worst aspects of the Ashley regime is decent pros (under Rafa) like Clark end up turning to shit and everyone ends up hating them. It’s really grim. Not saying the criticism of him is wrong, it’s not at all, it’s just a case of him being here far too long. He was bought for the championship and as a rotational CB cover who would fill in a do a job. Which he was very good at a while back. 

 

Totally. Matt Ritchie is one of the best signings of the last twenty years tbh. Not, like, top three or whatever, but right up there with some of the best value-for-money signings we've made in my memory. It's a pity he won't go down as that. 

 

I don't 'feel sorry' for them, like. Like so many in the Ashley era, they've been elevated to (or, in their case, remained in) a position that they wouldn't be anywhere near were it for anything other than Ashleyism. They don't have it bad, I just agree that they don't deserve the pelters they get when really their contribution to this club was an extremely positive one... until it wasn't. 

[Disco]

2 hours ago, ManDoon said:

One of the worst aspects of the Ashley regime is decent pros (under Rafa) like Clark end up turning to shit and everyone ends up hating them. It’s really grim. Not saying the criticism of him is wrong, it’s not at all, it’s just a case of him being here far too long. He was bought for the championship and as a rotational CB cover who would fill in a do a job. Which he was very good at a while back. 

Would agree if they’re too shit on the ball/nee pace/can’t run any more/can’t finish/whatever but when you’re just being a lazy bottle job on the regular…nah.

 

Obviously he and many others should’ve been fucked off years ago disclaimer.

[Newcastle Fan]

Clark is a decent pro and a good servant of the club, but like many of our players he's simply not good enough for this level, we bought him in the championship to help us get promoted and he did, but he should've been gone a long time ago

[SchärMix]

10 minutes ago, Newcastle Fan said:

Clark is a decent pro and a good servant of the club, but like many of our players he's simply not good enough for this level, we bought him in the championship to help us get promoted and he did, but he should've been gone a long time ago

 

Stop dragging the bar so fucking low for that adulation.  

 

 

[Sima]

6 hours ago, Yorkie said:

 

Totally. Matt Ritchie is one of the best signings of the last twenty years tbh. Not, like, top three or whatever, but right up there with some of the best value-for-money signings we've made in my memory. It's a pity he won't go down as that. 

 

I don't 'feel sorry' for them, like. Like so many in the Ashley era, they've been elevated to (or, in their case, remained in) a position that they wouldn't be anywhere near were it for anything other than Ashleyism. They don't have it bad, I just agree that they don't deserve the pelters they get when really their contribution to this club was an extremely positive one... until it wasn't. 

Disagree massively.  Didn’t he cost £15m or something? Twenty years is a hell of a long way to go back and you’re including all of Graham Carr’s decent buys and fortunate that you’re just excluding Bellamy and Robert.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Sima

[Shearergol]

7 hours ago, Yorkie said:

 

Matt Ritchie is one of the best signings of the last twenty years tbh. Not, like, top three or whatever, but right up there with some of the best value-for-money signings we've made in my memory.

 

 Is this a joke?

[Kid Icarus]

You might snigger but he was the player that dragged us back up at the end of 16/17. Scoring massively important goals and putting in MOTM performances. Same goes to a lesser extent in 17/18 and us staying up. 

[Shearergol]

3 minutes ago, kisearch said:

You might snigger but he was the player that dragged us back up at the end of 16/17. Scoring massively important goals and putting in MOTM performances. Same goes to a lesser extent in 17/18 and us staying up. 

 

He cost £10.8m. Best value for money signings???

 

Same transfer window and fee as Lanzini at West Ham btw. Which would you prefer?

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Shearergol

[Yorkie]

Can't add anything beyond what KI said. Definitely not a joke, he was a tremendous signing for his contribution between 2016-18. £10/12/13m, whatever it was, he more than repaid in those two years. 

[Kid Icarus]

Just now, Shearergol said:

 

He cost £10.8m. Best value for money signings???

Not necessarily best value, that would probably go to Perez for me, as much as he frustrated the life out of me, but we definitely got the value out of Ritchie in the first 2 seasons and should have moved on then. If we had done he wouldn't be still here, with paceless graft and a final ball being the only things he can potentially offer.

[Shearergol]

1 minute ago, kisearch said:

Not necessarily best value, that would probably go to Perez for me, as much as he frustrated the life out of me, but we definitely got the value out of Ritchie in the first 2 seasons and should have moved on then. If we had done he wouldn't be still here, with paceless graft and a final ball being the only things he can potentially offer.

 

And that's the point - if we spent £10m on him, got two good seasons out of him and then got rid of him, we'd all consider him an excellent signing. However, the last 3 years he's been rubbish, there's no way we can consider a £10m player in the championship amazing value for money when he's still here stinking up the place. 

[Yorkie]

Bit amazed that it's seen as a controversial take tbh. Again, I'm not saying he's top of the pile, and Bellamy/Robert would obviously come way above thanks to their impact. And you've got the likes of Perez, Ba, HBA and probably Cabaye who also beat him if only for the fact that they were so cheap. But £10.8m is nowt and considering it's basically identical to what Robert cost 15 years earlier, then factoring in inflation, it kinda emphasises the point imo. 

 

3 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

 

And that's the point - if we spent £10m on him, got two good seasons out of him and then got rid of him, we'd all consider him an excellent signing. However, the last 3 years he's been rubbish, there's no way we can consider a £10m player in the championship amazing value for money when he's still here stinking up the place. 

 

But this is the overall point I'm making. Imo his performances over the last three seasons don't negate the impact he had initially, or take away the achievements which get him the accolade of "one of our best signings of the past 20 years."

[Shearergol]

2 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Bit amazed that it's seen as a controversial take tbh. Again, I'm not saying he's top of the pile, and Bellamy/Robert would obviously come way above thanks to their impact. And you've got the likes of Perez, Ba, HBA and probably Cabaye who also beat him if only for the fact that they were so cheap. But £10.8m is nowt and considering it's basically identical to what Robert cost 15 years earlier, then factoring in inflation, it kinda emphasises the point imo. 

 

 

But this is the overall point I'm making. Imo his performances over the last three seasons don't negate the impact he had initially, or take away the achievements which get him the accolade of "one of our best signings of the past 20 years."

 

We'll never agree on it, not a problem. At the time £10.80m was expensive for the league we were in (I believe the 3rd most expensive signing at the time?). I just don't think I rated him as much as you did.

 

Incidentally, I didn't realise Hendrick was once a £10m player

[Lush Vlad]

No idea if Dubravka called it as his or not.  But either way, I feel like a good chunk of blame has to go towards Clark.  Whatever level you play at or watch.  You regularly see keepers call for balls and the defender will just clear their lines and make sure, if they are in a decent position to do so.  The fact it's on his head and ducks out the way at the very last second, leaving Dubravka looking a bit confused and wrong footed, is absolutely criminal.  You're just effectively letting the ball go across your 6 yard box, not knowing what is behind you.  

 

All that said, I've watched it back this morning and Dubs looks a bit hesitant, comes to his near post, seems to shout something and then just stops.  You'd like to think if there was a call for him to claim it, he would have came towards the ball and Clark would have tried to move out of his way and not just duck at the last second. 

 

Complete clusterfuck at the back yet again, though.  Gifting a goal to the best team in the country after 5 minutes.  It was game over already at that point and again, it's self-inflicted. 

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Lush Vlad

[Awaymag]

6 minutes ago, ManDoon said:

 

I don't particularly think Clark is being lazy or a bottle job thought, Ritchie definitely isn't his legs are just fucked. Clark is making errors, I don't think they are due to him not being arsed though. I don't know what it is, he was prone to it at Villa, he might have lost a yard in his legs, I'm not too sure. I don't think his mistake against City was laziness though, I think it was stupidity.  The first two times I saw him live, he should have gave away a penalty on HBA, then under Rafa he gave a stupid one away. My opinion is he's just not very good in long periods in a team.

Its obvious what has gone on - he is getting older and the game is getting quicker.   Clark was fine 5 years ago, he isn't now, and that can be said for most the squad.  Christ we bought Gayle in 2016 and if he sees out his contract he will leave in 2026 - that statement alone shows you what the new ownership is up against.  Gayle, 10 years at the club, what has he done in that time except get richer?