Clarke Oduor Kenya

Would just be our luck at the moment.

 

Either injured, or played dreadfully….?

 

So imagine the scenario he gets injured. He played all of 22 mins across two games. He missed a home game for his club where he was a 99.9% certain starter, returns and ‘could’ now miss games, risking his place in the team when returning.

Given the games were friendlies, it’s a tough situation for National fringe players such as Odour as to the risks these games pose. Appreciate the big picture opportunity at is to be part of a squad for the potential of been part of the competition games, but if realistically your always a fringe player at best, you can understand why certain players choose not to represent their countries nowadays as more and more of these non-competitive games occur.

 

Unfortunately this goes with the territory. We knew he was an international when we signed him

 

At least he won't be being called up for the next international break as Kenya don't have a game but in the November break they have 2 world cup qualifiers so I would expect he's called up for them. Frustratingly their first game is at the very start of the window on a Monday 13th then the next is Monday 20th so he will likely miss the Barrow game on 11th and Notts County on 18th plus the Barnsley EFL Trophy game.

 

Also, this will be commonplace if we ever did get back to the championship, with games called off several times over the course of a season

 

Most League One matches were postponed last Saturday.

 

The championship get the same international break as the PL, so don’t suffer from this at all.

 

Interesting comments from the Kenya manager about the substitution. The positive is it wasn't injury, the negative is that it was tactical as the manager didn't like his performance. Hopefully for him this was just nerves of playing international football, from what I've seen of him this season he might not pass as much as he could but I think he makes up for that with dribbles and trying to take on defenders.
https://www.mozzartsport.co.ke/football/news/he-needs-to-risk-firat-explains-situation-leading-to-clarke-oduors-substitution/34431
“First of all, this is the reason why we have friendly matches,” he said. “I could have put in an experienced player but I decided to see what Clarke [Oduor] could do in such an aggressive match.

“But when he came on, I had the feeling that he was a little afraid. It’s as if he has a brake. He needs to let it go and I believe we will have a good player on the side with him.”

Asked about the conversation he had with him on the sidelines before returning to the bench, Firat said: “I told him he has great capability but he needs to show it on the field. He has real capacity and it is good that he is now playing more often in his club as an attacking midfielder.

“But there are things we need to change because I needed him to pass more inside and there were moments where he always passed to the side.”

In need of a goal, Firat urged that Oduor “needs to learn to risk” and that more opportunities would be offered in the upcoming matches.

 

Some of those comments are very telling. I wonder who it is that's caused him to put the brakes on, to pass sideways and to be risk averse?

 

Cheap shot.

Winning only his second cap, 3 years after his debut Kenya were apparently alerted to him after his strong start to the season with his club side. I wonder who it is that caused that then?

 

Hopefully the experience helps him, and he comes back with a point to prove.

 

Aye. I'm not Hughes' biggest fan but that's some leap of logic going on there.

 

Are you really trying to say that within 2 months Hughes has completely changed him? The Kenya manager also says that it's good he's playing as an attacking player for his club so surely Hughes has to take some credit for that.

 

Maybe it's because he's a product of English football?

 

Absolute bollocks, if you'll excuse me.

He's "risk averse" and plays within himself because he's a young, league two player who's looking to make a career in professional footballer.

Is he the complete article? No, clearly not, but has he finished improving? I'd also say clearly not.

He may or may not improve dramatically but either way, let's at least give someone who shows potential at least half a chance!

 

I'm more than happy to give him half a chance, I just found the comments interesting, given Hughes approach to games is very much risk averse.

 

If anything, Hughes is the first manager to allow him to play in an attacking role in years, and that's according to the lad's own narrative when he came in complaining he was forced to play in defensive positions he's not suited to?

 

That's a fair point, but just because he's playing higher up the pitch doesn't mean he's necessarily being given free reign to go for it. Look at all the comments there are after every game about negative football and safety first. Oduor like the rest of the players is receiving instructions to play that way week after week in training. It shouldn't then come as a surprise when another manager picks up on it. That's my view anyway, I appreciate others think I'm talking bollocks