Billy Clarke confirmed

Sadly I think you're correct, the club have gone backwards, we all know why just glad Stefan has stepped in and steadied the ship, although I think your right I'm not sure it can be put right in 18 months.

 

Billy is a good insurance policy should anything happen to Payne, He is a talented player who will fit in well to the system we play, Suits both parties

 

That sounds like an improvement on the constant surrendering of possession that we have seen so much this season And I'm sure Hopkin will be much happier turning and seeing someone like Billy Clarke on the bench than young lads like Goldthorp & Maltby.

I can understand the caution with Clarke especially given his recent injury and he isn't the kind of striker we seemed to require. But anyone who has the desire to play for Bradford City and is brave enough with the ball like Clarke is welcome in this team.

I think he's a great option to have and someone who understands what it means which will help when we have low points in the run-in. Yes he's very similar to some other players in the squad but we saw against Southend that if Payne is heavily marked then we struggle. Clarke is another option for Hopkin that could ease the weight on Payne's shoulders.

 

You'd certainly expect Doyle to have scored more than Clarke, seeing as he's played most of his career as an out & out fox in the box striker, whereas Billy has played most of his as a 10 or attacking midfielder.
I don't think Clarke has been brought here as a prolific goalscorer. We all saw what happened when SM played him up front on his own - he was hopeless. I still have nightmares about those open goal misses away at Oldham and Bury.
He's here as cover for Payne and Ball and a bench option. He's completely changed games for us before from the bench. Remember how he came on and rescued us against Halifax in the FA Cup in the season we went on to beat Chelsea?

 

Do we really need something different? We have been scoring goals and to resort to more lumping because we got Sammon would set us back in my opinion.

I think the signing of butterfield we will cut the hoof and go through him and O’Brien and Akpan at times to build our play. Butterfield will be key. We have some real quality and guile in the final third for the first time in a long time. No height but that doesn’t bother me too much.

 

Clarke has exactly the right attitude you want, he absolutely loves it here, and he has talent. it's an excellent addition.

 

Attitude is fine but it does not make up for quality. His injury and goal scoring record is poor and he is now in the prime of his career. I dont see how this is an "excellent addittion" at all to be honest.

 

When I first heard about it I was a bit meh but the more you think about it the more it makes sense. He's a good footballer, he can score goals, he loves it here and if he's on the bench he makes it much stronger. No point bringing into question his injury as it seems every player we get has either had a bad injury, is recovering from a bad injury or is likely to get injured at some point during the season.

 

Think that's a bit unfair as he does have the quality, we've seen this during his time with us.

His goalscoring isn't that bad, he was a 1 in 4 for us and he's not an out and out striker. His record is comparable to that of Jack Payne and David Ball.

 

People whinging that he isn’t a target man. Yes, it might have been nice to have that option but when you are looking at 2m losses you can’t have everything.

We beat Oxford 2-0 without a target man.

We beat Walsall 4-0 without a target man.

We beat Scunthorpe 2-0 without a target man.

We beat Rochdale 4-0 at their place without a target man.

We beat Accrington 3-0 without a target man.

We beat Shrewsbury 4-3 without a target man.

A target man wouldn’t have helped us win at Luton, Barnsley or Sunderland.

We can beat lower ranked teams but just can’t ruffle the big teams - completely understandable.

Clarke will fit in well with clever players like O’Brien, Payne, Ball and Doyle and will enable us to mix things up. We aren’t managed by Phil Parkinson anymore and a target man isn’t prerequisite for us to stay up this year.

 

time will tell, if we stay up he will have played his part. If not then you are right

 

He's not even fit.

 

He hasn’t been starting but he’s not crocked. Has trained since November apparently but others are ahead of him in their pecking order.

There is being fit and being match fit but he’ll soon get back up to speed.

 

Englishman??!! He was born in Cork.

 

apart from that 1 cruciate injury, how is his injury record poor?

and his goal scoring record, i would wager, is comparative to any other attacking midfielder in the league.


it's alright going on about his lack of goals blah blah blah, but he's not a bloody striker. no ones kicking off about lewis o briens lack of goals, or david balls lack of goals. Clarke gets a decent amount in a season for the position he plays.

 

Good spot never noticed that.

 

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/13599771.scorer-clarke-injury-worry-for-bradford-city/

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/14939722.bradford-city-miss-influence-of-injured-clarke/

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/11686918.clarke-injury-blow-to-bradfords-city-festive-plans/

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/14482157.injured-striker-clarke-out-of-bradford-city-play-off-plans/

 

two injuries in 8 years eh.


nah you're right, he should retire on medical grounds

 

2? I've just posted the first six I came across.