Utility man

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

It appears we are after Clive Clarke, he is a decent player at this level and should be cheap I guess.

I hope he doesnt become the latest NCFC player I dislike cos there are too many of them at the club at the moment....

[Yellow Rages 0]

I''m sure he will CJF

[Saint Canary 0]

I have to say I was a bit worried when he was described as a utility man.

Could be a good player though and utility men are very useful squad members.

[chicken 0]

Wouldn''t it be just easier to say which players you do like?Not trying to be funny but it would be possitive and sometimes its hard to see who you do like because even players like Huckerby and Green have not escaped your wrath!

[EadiesRight Foot 0]

Nothing like looking on the bright side eh??!!?

I think he will be alright. Maybe he has picked up some skills from Darrell Russel. I think Clarke is better than most of the nidfielders we have at the minute, bar Safri.

[ZLF 274]

As long as he is only brought in as a ''squad'' player who can cover injury to Drury I cant see the problem - we have a gap in the squad at left back (and left midfield) with cover and a clear talented first choice in Drury, so getting a cheap and cheerful back up is surely a good idea and gives some competetion for places.

If its as a first choice player then it is questionable.

 

Our budget is limited and with a dire need for several midfield players, particularlyon the right, I want the squad players tobe got cheaply so we can spend the greater proportion on the aareas of greatest need.

[Misery Guts 0]

Im a bit depressed about all these positions he can supposedly play , surely Simon Charlton, David Bentley and Dean Marney have taught Worthy that utillity players often do OK in most positions but never excel in any.

[AP16 0]

*Bangs head repeatedly on desk with frustration* - He''s after a utlity man yet a-bloody-gain. Surely priority number 1 is right winger as we don''t actually have one? Whereas we do have a left back and currently a left winger, although he is technically a forward.

[Dizzy Rascal 0]

    Great another utility player... *cough* Hughes!*cough*

[Ken Aries 0]

I wouldn''t be unhappy at this signing. It sounds as though he would be a squad player rather than a 1st choice man, so the fact he''s a utility player probably doesn''t matter. On the front page of this website Clarke is described as being happy at left back, left sided midfield and right back. It would seem that the main reason for buying him is as back up for Drury, which is essential now that Charlton and Brennan have departed.

[Hartsons Gut 0]

Im fed up now with utility men, how many does worhtless want.

He is laughing in our faces.

[blahblahblah 2]

[i]Im a bit depressed about all these positions he can supposedly play , surely Simon Charlton, David Bentley and Dean Marney have taught Worthy that utillity players often do OK in most positions but never excel in any[/i]

 

Clarke did very well for Stoke last season, there''s no reason why he couldn''t do a good job for us in the Championship next season.

Would you rather that we had no cover in case of injuries ?

275k is probably a small slice of the cake available, so where is the harm in bringing him in ?

[Temp the Revelator 0]

Why do you all fall for this every time the transfer window opens - how many times has Worthy actually publically declared an interest in signing a player (like he has with Clarke) and then gone on to sign them in the end?  I wouldn''t be in the least bit surprised if this was merely some kind of smokescreen again.......

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="chicken"]Wouldn''t it be just easier to say which players you do like?

Not trying to be funny but it would be possitive and sometimes its hard to see who you do like because even players like Huckerby and Green have not escaped your wrath!
[/quote]

 

Well that is a total Lie chicken - you find where I have slagged Hucks please??  Greeno, maybe after his gesture but that is all?

[Faded Jaded Semi Plastic SOB 1,023]

Lets not get too upset yet, the guy is available on the cheap and he looks as if he will provide us with genuine cover on the left hand side of the field. I am all for increasing the numbers cheaply in the less important areas as long as we spend in the key (creative areas) like right midfield and centre midfield. Off course all this talk could just be a smokescreen, after all Mr Doncaster has stated that Norwich City does not conduct its tranfser business in public....!! 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

STOKE FANS VERDICT:

http://boards.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=944&p=16&style=2&forumId=3276&action=1&replytoid=531954794

Average player,not captain material,moans alot.

Dependable, will never be outstanding, but rarely is he abysmal either. I would personally expect a club like NCFC to go for a better quality of player then him.

Don''t expect lightening pace however - milk turns quicker than Mr Clarke

If we make money on him getting sold he is worth at least £5million.

Yep, moans like a Phillipino *** but not a bad player. Got a lot of stick at Stoke but was in a team playing dire football. Takes a mean penalty. One cap for Eire. - He''s OK

wasn''t disappointed to see him leave us at the time, but as last season progressed and our lack of a quality full back became apparant, I''d have had him back in a shot... - You could do worse, you could do better

If it''s one thing we learnt from when Pulis was here it is that Clarkes best position is left back,not in the middle or left of midfeild,Even though this was obvious to most it wasn''t to Tony ''tactical genius'' Pulis.And he should never be the captain of any team.he is a faily reliable,solid left back though

In my opinion average at best ! probably the worst stoke captain in my living memory though.

He is no premiership player in a million years , he had injury`s when first joined west ham , but has been fit for selection for a while now.

I think he has only had 3 starts for west ham and got subbed at half time in one of them ! Could just about do a job in the championship ( at very best) Seems to have a lot higher confidence in his own ability than is actually the case !

I think he''s a good Championship player but nothing more. He wasn''t rated too highly at Stoke but it soon became apparent how much of a reliable consitent full-back he was when we sold both him and Marcus Hall and couldn''t find a decent replacement. I''d have him back. He''s not a remarkable player but good at this level, and I''ll always remember that mazy run and cross in the last minute at Ninian Park in the play-offs where he skinned three men leaving one on his *** and which led to O''Connor''s equalizer.

Let''s put it this way johnmcdowellshair, he was never anywhere near as well regarded at Stoke as Peter Thorne. He''s the sort of signing that will keep the heat on Worthington, that''s for sure - Drury''s certainly a better left back, and Clarke''s no left winger.

[Dionysus 0]

So according to the Stoke fans, and personally I give a lot more weight to their opinion than anything dished out by Worthy or the local media, he wasn''t very highly regarded, is an average championship left back and is poor when played in any other position.

Let''s hope this is just another smokescreen. OK for cover maybe but were we not saying the same thing about a certain other player last year and look how many games he ended up playing. New captain anyone?

[ZLF 274]

Unless we can come up with a talented youngster in league 1/2 who would come here as cover for drury (anyone aware of one?!) he sounds like a cheap back up in place of brennan/charlie, both of whom would probably have been on more money.

We do need some cover players (centre back too?) who are not going to be first choicers - sadly in midfield we have a couple of squad of players but not enough first choice players - thats where we must splash the cash.

 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

I agree ZLF, he sounds fine to me as a backup left back/left winger at a push, which we need at the moment.

[macdougalls perm 0]

Doesn''t sound particularly inspiring but it is surely worth waiting to to see if a) he actually becomes a City player and b) if he does, how he manages to play before writing him off because of the use of one word in a description of him. I personally agree with ZLF that he could be good business if he is to be signed as a replacement for Charlton (ie back up for Drury).

[John Boubepo 0]

You gotta try and look on the brighter side here guys, if he''s as bad/average as the Stoke fans suggest, which no doubt he will be, it will put one more nail in Worthingtons coffin and while we wait for the imminent Final nail to be banged in, Clark might actually make Hughes look good!

[Jimaldinho 0]

Zipper,

               In the past that lad Dean Lewington has been mentioned, he plays for MK Dons (who have just been relegated to league 2) and plays left back but can also push forward to left mid if need be. He''s abit  younger than Clarke, I think he''s 23 so perhaps he could be a better option?

[Oso Butch 0]

Isn''t this a case of mis-spelling?  What Worthless is pursuing (as always) is a FUTILITY player - but I thought we had enough of these already... e.g. Hooooooooooooooooooooz, Etuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, etc.

Of course, the general situuuuuuuuuation at Carrer Rud is as futile as ever. Ipswich, Palace both clear out their stables, but we insist on keeping our donkey....  [8o|]

 

[Oso Butch 0]

Isn''t this a case of mis-spelling?  What Worthless is pursuing (as always) is a FUTILITY player - but I thought we had enough of these already... e.g. Hooooooooooooooooooooz, Etuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu, etc.

Of course, the general situuuuuuuuuation at Carrer Rud is as futile as ever. Ipswich, Palace both clear out their stables, but we insist on keeping our donkey....  [8o|]

 

[General Stegglinho 0]

I can understand why Nigel Worthington wants to bring Clive Utility Clarke to carrow road. We have lost two left sided players in Charlton and Brennan. That gap needs to be filled. From Citizen Journalist Foghorns preivios post it is clear that his best position is left back. Drury needs cover and Clive seems like your average cover player at this level. I hope he is used for back up and nothing else.

When I hear us linked with yet another Utility player it makes me sick. I jolly well hope that Worthy does not try this guy in center midfield if he joins. I wouldn''t put it past him. Utlility players at this level have a streak of mediocrity and not quality. He may do the job but he can''t be brilliant I meen, He signed for West Ham for 250 K (ish). He not going to be necesserally good. Hughes can play almost anywhere on the pitch and last season for Reading he did play everywhere. These sorts of playes are handy for back up only. You cannot build a team from these sorts of players. I belive this one one of the key factors in why we underachieved. Hughes on the right, charlton in center mid. same for brennan. They are left backs ! my word worthy. It cannot be that hard. Players of Andy Hughes class cannot adapt to new positions like some world class players can. Steven Gerrard plays in the hole in the lynch pin role, behind the strikers, right back and right midfield. Gerrard is one of the best players in the world he can play anywhere because he is a complete player. Worthy needs a reality check. Andy hughes Utility rubbish cannot adapt like class players. I wish Worthy would sort his positional sense out. I wish he would get the players to play in there natural positions. But get a proper right midfielder rather than what he has done with  Huckerby, a striker  playing on the wing. Huckerby can because he is a class payer if not one of thee best in the championship. He has played at premiership level for alot of years. Andy hughes has not and neither has Clive Clarke.

I hope Clive Clarke will be bought in to help fill the gap left buy the two left footed players that need replacing. I hope Nigel has no over Ideas for him. It almost seems like a dig at us the fans for going after this re-ject. The word utility smakes me feel sick. I would have been alot happier to see "Norwich chase left back" than "Norwich chase another utility" In my papaer this morning. Its just the word utilty. It''s a word we all now accosiate Nigel Worthington with amoungst other words.

[EadiesRight Foot 0]

I still think, that on a FREE, he would be good cover, and a useful player. But if he pays over quarter of a million, then he is surely signing his own resignation letter.