Darrell Clarke

[LancyTony]

On 07/03/2021 at 19:00, Eddie Ford said:

Why are you talking about Askey?

Open apology, here, Eddie - I remembered which one of our fans couldn't accept we'd sacked Askey!  - and it wasn't you! 

[LancyTony]

9 hours ago, Swifty said:

Walsall fan in peace. 

A crying shame what is happening at both of our clubs just now.  Twenty years ago we were playing each other in the second tier, now here we both are on the fringes of a fight for our league status.  No joy in any of that for anyone.

Clarke is seen by us lot as an odd choice for you to poach.  You’ll have seen many Walsall fans in slight disbelief that we got paid compensation rather than having to pay him on his way out. I understand what your board see in him.  We were delighted with his appointment when he joined and we loved his straight talking no nonsense approach.  He was given a decent budget and brought in five experienced players who were to combine with youngsters to navigate our way out of this league in the right direction.  It obviously went very wrong.  He had a bit of bad luck with injuries but 80% of it all going wrong was him.

He tactically twists and turns as much as he does verbally.  Pretty rubbish footballers trying to get their head around formation number three in a game and formation twelve in a month.  To begin with you enjoy him frankly calling out unacceptable performances and even individuals.  You then realise he is happy for a torch to be shone every which way but at himself.

He said he left us because you had a better squad.  Debatable, but our squad are 95% his signings as is his old assistant who is now enjoying a similar start in his new job to the guy he worked alongside from Salisbury onwards.  
 

I hope that when Flitcroft or whomever interviewed him, they asked him how he likes the game played - his football philosophy if you will.  I’d love to know the answer beyond “winning - it’s about winning, I’m a winner, I get out of bed to win” like one of those awful Apprentice candidates.  

I genuinely hope to be at Vale Park for a league fixture next year and it would be a better occasion if we were both at the right end of things.  If in the meantime you spot the “Clarke way” please post it on here because it really is a conundrum we never got to solve in eighteen long months.

How are you doing without him?

[darren1810]

6 hours ago, LancyTony said:

Proof? Actual proof, not you heard it from a neighbour's cat's milkman?

I was being cantankerous because WV had made that out all season long .

[Wrex]

8 hours ago, LancyTony said:

If he were a better man manager, why did the team seem to implode?

That's the million dollar question. I don't think we'll ever have a satisfactory answer to that.

I think team is the key word though. They were better than the sum of their parts and once the stopped being a team then they looked very frail as individuals

[Boslem's Brazil]

Wonder if there is any truth in this? 

[Rampant Zebra]

Jobs for the boys? 

[valefan16]

Wonder if there is any truth in this? 

Decent appointment if the case.

[osprey]

Big squad
And big back room staff !

[Jacob_123]

Big squad
And big back room staff !

Yeah, because Billy Paynter (an academy coach) and Danny Pugh is such a big backroom team

[osprey]

Yeah, because Billy Paynter (an academy coach) and Danny Pugh is such a big backroom team

Plus - recruitment person, flitcroft, fitness coach, physios, youth coaches etc

Used to be a manager and Lol Hamlett ( plus sponge and bucket of water )

[Wrex]

1 hour ago, Rampant Zebra said:

Jobs for the boys? 

Agreed. Let's give the job to a female football coach for a change

[Wrex]

36 minutes ago, osprey said:

Plus - recruitment person, flitcroft, fitness coach, physios, youth coaches etc

Used to be a manager and Lol Hamlett ( plus sponge and bucket of water )

We need Lol back. He'd clear out the treatment room and get fizzing fizzers fighting again

[The Kalamazoo Kid]

2 hours ago, Boslem's Brazil said:

Wonder if there is any truth in this? 

Would seem a slightly strange one, in that it doesn't seem that he's worked with or been at the same club as Clarke in the past.

Plenty of experience though, both as player and assistant manager (including numerous promotions and play-offs as both), having been no.2 to Nigel Adkins at his various clubs.

Currently head coach of Northern Ireland under-21s.

If true, Clarke is obviously evaluating the coaching setup, in addition to the playing squad, as he said that he would.

[valiant_593]

Strange imo. Wasn’t one of the specifications of the new manager that he had to work with Danny Pugh? I’m sure carol specifically said that

 

Saying that, he does look like he would be a very useful addition 

[ELDERBEZZA]

A few points on the board should be our only priority at the moment!!!