Leon Clarke Goes Back To The Owls

[OldBlueLady]

No idea... I'm not the manager!

There are obviously major issues with the way that we defend and they've been there for a good 18 months now right from the end of the 05/06 season. We have a lot of talented defenders at this club but as a unit it isn't clicking. If we could get in a Sodje or a Prior then that would go a great deal of the way towards sorting this out but as you say this is a lot easier said than done. A goalkeeper of the standing of Mark Crossley or someone like that would go a long way towards solving our problems.

I think we lack leaders on the pitch which is probably why we are so bad at defending set plays, which is mostly an organisational issue. Two years ago we had the likes of Sodje, Prior, Goater and Bradbury. Maher, Barrett, Peter Clarke, Bailey and McCormack are all players with a great deal of character and msot have a decent level of experiance but not at the same sort of level of those previous four.

Surprised at you including Bradbury in that little grouping, not the most influential of players as far as I'm concerened, although he did have his uses on the field.

 

[Interpol Shrimper]

Surprised at you including Bradbury in that little grouping, not the most influential of players as far as I'm concerened, although he did have his uses on the field.

Bradders was very good at gelling the team and highly underated by the football cognascenti we have as "supporters" :p

 

[Southminster_Shrimper]

Bradders was very good at gelling the team and highly underated by the football cognascenti we have as "supporters" :p

I cant understand big words like that...:(

 

[Beefy]

Wish I could be that optimistic. Our strikers have 2 league goals between them all season!

As was pointed out in another thread recently, our strikers and midfielders have scored more between them this season than at the same stage two years ago. OK, Leon Clarke has scored a fair chunk of them but then Freddy Eastwood had scored more at this stage in 05/06.

Leon Clarke has scored just once in his last eight games and that was a tap-in that I could have scored. He's a good player and I hope he signs for us sooner rather than later but regardless goalscoring is not our primary concern - it's keeping them out at the other end.

 

[Beefy]

Bradders was very good at gelling the team and highly underated by the football cognascenti we have as "supporters" :p

Indeed. Bradders was very good defensively at setp-pieces and he always seemed to be talking to the players around him, giving them advice and telling them what to do and where to be.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Bradders was very good at gelling the team and highly underated by the football cognascenti we have as "supporters" :p

I tell you who I think they've missed in that respect and that's Che - he's a decent communicator and calms tempers. A very calming influence when the firebrands of Messrs Maher, McCormack and Clarke get going.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Surprised at you including Bradbury in that little grouping, not the most influential of players as far as I'm concerened, although he did have his uses on the field.

I'm no particularly fan of Lead Bradbury, but he offered experience and height, two qualities that are desperately lacking in our current team.

I'm amazed how people haven't linked our failure to defend set pieces to our team having only one or two players over 6 foot tall.

Richards and Francis (who isn't actually that good in the air) are our only defender above 6 foot, none of our midfielders are over 6 foot, and only Leon Clarke and Matt Harrold of our strikers.

And people wonder why we struggle defensively at set-plays?

 

[Beefy]

I'm no particularly fan of Lead Bradbury, but he offered experience and height, two qualities that are desperately lacking in our current team.

I'm amazed how people haven't linked our failure to defend set pieces to our team having only one or two players over 6 foot tall.

Richards and Francis (who isn't actually that good in the air) are our only defender above 6 foot, none of our midfielders are over 6 foot, and only Leon Clarke and Matt Harrold of our strikers.

And people wonder why we struggle defensively at set-plays?

Wheras two years ago we had one of Sodje or Prior, at least one of Bentley or Bradbury and Shaun Goater. Plus Jupp & Wilson were pretty handy in the air.

Lack of height is definitely one factor, particularly combined with having two goalkeepers who don't want to come off of their line. That can be countered though by effective concentration and good organisation, neither of which we seem to have.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Wheras two years ago we had one of Sodje or Prior, at least one of Bentley or Bradbury and Shaun Goater. Plus Jupp & Wilson were pretty handy in the air.

Lack of height is definitely one factor, particularly combined with having two goalkeepers who don't want to come off of their line. That can be countered though by effective concentration and good organisation, neither of which we seem to have.

At our best defensively we had Sodje and Prior together at the back, with Barrett and Hunt (or was it Jupp?) at full-backs, both of whom had played at centre-half. That made us strong aerially at the back, something you could hardly say about us this season, and for large parts of last season.

The Prior-Sodje combination was the pairing that saw us pick up clean sheet after clean sheet during January/February of our title season and was also the combination that kept Rooney and Ronaldo out of harm's way.

 

[duncan bulgaria]

At our best defensively we had Sodje and Prior together at the back, with Barrett and Hunt (or was it Jupp?) at full-backs, both of whom had played at centre-half. That made us strong aerially at the back, something you could hardly say about us this season, and for large parts of last season.

The Prior-Sodje combination was the pairing that saw us pick up clean sheet after clean sheet during January/February of our title season and was also the combination that kept Rooney and Ronaldo out of harm's way.

Lets not foget Che , for all his faults i thought he was very good in the air for his size and rarely lost a header .

so with him , goater , bentley , prior ,sodje and bradders we could cope a lot easier with set pieces and i'm sure statistics prove that too.

 

[Southminster_Shrimper]

Sorry to butt in....

Is the story actually confirmed anywhere else?

I am guessing the Star is on a par with the Echo so are we to actually believe this story?

 

[Kenny]

If it's height we want, surely it's time to summon Zoltan back in to the fray. At the very least we should certainly look at having Richards and Clarke in the middle with AB at left back - strangely this was our most successful period of the season when these 3 were in the defence.

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

We need height and leaders all over the pitch. Watch at corners, there is very little communication between the players. No one seems to know their position or which man they are picking up. Basic training ground stuff. Just what is Dean Austin being paid for? Or is it the players not listening? Either way I cant see us tightening up at the back without significant changes to the team or coaching staff, or both!

 

[Beefy]

It's worth pointing out that two years ago, with all these great, tall players I remember us having the exact same arguements on here about why we couldn't stop conceeding from set pieces and if I could be bothered I doubt it would take me more than a few minutes to dig out threads about it. Remember Brentford away? Didn't both their goals come from corners that night even with Sodje, Prior, Barrett, Goater, Bentley and Bradbury starting?

Having tall, commanding players is obviously an advantage when defending set pieces (and attacking them for that matter) but if you're not organised then it counts for nothing.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

We need height and leaders all over the pitch. Watch at corners, there is very little communication between the players. No one seems to know their position or which man they are picking up. Basic training ground stuff. Just what is Dean Austin being paid for? Or is it the players not listening? Either way I cant see us tightening up at the back without significant changes to the team or coaching staff, or both!

Managing the reserve team? :confused:

 

[Clinton Baptiste]

Also meant to be coaching the defence. Seeing as he played for Spurs, I would argue this isnt something he is an expert in!

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

If it's height we want, surely it's time to summon Zoltan back in to the fray. At the very least we should certainly look at having Richards and Clarke in the middle with AB at left back - strangely this was our most successful period of the season when these 3 were in the defence.

There's nothing strange whatsoever about Barrett at left-back and Richards in the middle making us defensively stronger.

 

[Hawkwell Blue]

Sorry to butt in....

Is the story actually confirmed anywhere else?

I am guessing the Star is on a par with the Echo so are we to actually believe this story?

Was in a taxi today and the cabby, who was a football fan and knew of the situation, told me that he had dropped a couple of players off at Boots and Laces today and they told him Clarke had gone back.

 

[Jonny_Stokes]

Bradders was very good at gelling the team and highly underated by the football cognascenti we have as "supporters" :p

I cant understand big words like that...:(

The literal translation is: "Thick mudflat dwellers".

 

[Sherif H]

The literal translation is: "Thick mudflat dwellers".

lol...good Christmas JS? What has happened to Orient of late?! :angel: