Here we go again...another "utility player"

[South Norfolk Old Boy 0]

Good to see nothing has changed and no lessons learned. NW is looking at yet another "utility" player. Clive Clarke can play left back, left midfield or right back. Which almost certainly means he will spend his time at Carrow Road playing right midfield or centre back.

Gerrard is a utility player. He is excellent wherever he plays. Unfortunately, at our level for "utility" read - "not particularly good anywhere but almost adequete in a number of positions". Hughes, Robinson, Jarrett, Charlton, Henderson, Docherty. Why don''t we learn our lesson and just go out and buy a good player in a specialist role?

Good squads always need a utility player who can fill in in an emergency but you don''t pack your team with a whole bunch of them all playing slightly out of their favoured position and expect to win anything.

Here we go again.....

[chicken 0]

Robinson is not a utility player, nor is Doherty - at least not anymore than Robert Huth is!!!!So far as I understand Clarke can play down the left as he is left footed and thats his favoured side. The bit about him playing right back is hardly worth mentioning really. A bit like the one game Charlie had to play there because of other injuries.

[sheded 0]

If we can forget the " utility "  tag for a while  , its just possible  that Clarke   could be a bargain !    a defender who` scored 10 goals for Stoke   can`t be  sneered at !   and he wouldn`t be the first player  to be signed up into a prem club , and then found he couldn`t  get into the first team  because  that team were playing well .... 

The only worry is that he`s classed as a LEFT sided  midfielder  

[Ken Aries 0]

To defend Worthy a little bit here, don''t forget that Sir Alex Fergusson has used strikers (Smith) and defenders (Ferdinand) in midfield. I think Rooney also is given a variety of roles, so it would appear that even the best managers like to shuffle their packs from time to time.

[ZLF 285]

[quote user="sheded"]

If we can forget the " utility "  tag for a while  , its just possible  that Clarke   could be a bargain !    a defender who` scored 10 goals for Stoke   can`t be  sneered at !   and he wouldn`t be the first player  to be signed up into a prem club , and then found he couldn`t  get into the first team  because  that team were playing well .... 

The only worry is that he`s classed as a LEFT sided  midfielder  

[/quote]

If that means hux leaving left midfield and becoming a striker then I am all for it!

If we can get him on a free or very cheaply then he fills a gap on the left nicely and so boosts the squad - and hopefully meaning we can still sign a decent right sided midfielder too. 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

[quote user="stephen nobbs"]To defend Worthy a little bit here, don''t forget that Sir Alex Fergusson has used strikers (Smith) and defenders (Ferdinand) in midfield. I think Rooney also is given a variety of roles, so it would appear that even the best managers like to shuffle their packs from time to time.[/quote]

he has and Rooney looked out of sorts on the left wing/forward position.

Smith has looked well.. adequate in central midfield (no surprise that during uniteds great run 2nd half of th season he was injured)

And Ferdinand hasnt played midfield since???

Fergie was trying to fill a gap cos he couldnt sign a decent central midfielder

[Tumbleweed 106]

I''ll reserve proper judgement until I have sen him play but I find this monumentally depressing. Worthington has a near 100% failure rate in so-called "utility" players and what we need right now is small doses of quality specialists not large dollops of mediocrity so that he can fill holes he doesn''t know exists. We need a genuine right winger and a central midfielder with some imagination, not a left footer who will almost certainly end up in the wrong place as Hux is stuck limpet like out in Clarke''s seemingly obvious position.

[Angus Nisbet 0]

I saw Clarke play when he was Stoke captain in March 05 and he was good....similar to Adam Drury (which is why I remember him) - a good defender who looked to get forward as much as possible.

A good purchase if we can get him cheap - there''s a big difference between a talented versatile player and a journeyman utility player. from what I saw, Clarke is the former.

[South Norfolk Old Boy 0]

Deep despair! He''s followed up the "Utility" player announcement with a similar decree that he will be taking loan players on again next season to further deplete the coffers. Best he finishes using the one ones he had last season first. Rehman and Johansson were hardly stretched while they were with us. How many others has be got lined up to sit on the bench or back in their hotel rooms.

We all thought NW wasn''t listening to all the comments about where most people thought he was going wrong last season. He was, in fact, taking careful notes so that he could demonstrate how untouchable he was by pre-announcing his plans to do exactly the same next season!

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

As we seem to have 2 threads on this topic I will repost here also: 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.

[lucky green trainers 0]

I groaned when i read the Evening News - Worthy said.. "he is someone who can play at left-back and can also do a good jon on the left-hand side of midfield.''   Brennan and charlie, both had sweet left feet, but for me were never left sided midfielders.   both lacked the neceassary guile and craft of a huckerby to create chances for themselves or set other others up, especially in the final third.  unless clarke is to be used a defensive left sided midfielder in 4-5-1 formation, i don''t see the point of taking left backs and trying to make them into midfielders.  we need proven players, skilled in their specialied roles - we haven''t the luxury of time to gamble by putting players into unproven areas or formations - 1 year left of prem money demands a new approach in my view from worthy and the board.  back the poor guy with resources or sack him delia

[Syteanric 1]

Left sided player.. wont get in the team ahead of Drury and Hux.. will sit on the bench before being released...

good business Worthy!

jas :)

[GPB 0]

Spot on Old Boy. You could actually delete the words "Clive Clarke" from the pink un story and insert one of a dozen "didnt quite make it", "injury depleted season" and  "utility" players names that we have previously been introduced to before a lame season.  

Personally I would prefer Clive Dunn.  

[Captain Obvious 1]

to reference a point made in another post... isn''t everyone forgetting that we''re getting this guy rather cheap, leaving money available to buy good players for things such as the right midfield.plus, this is probably just a smokescreen anyway...