Clarke V Hunter

And we did at least win our last home game against that seasons Fa cup finalists, QP.Rangers.
But admittedly, the '81 season was over by then, with no Play offs in those days of course.
In fact, they'd only just made it 3 points for a league win for the first time, that season!.

 

So close indeed to making it 3 promotions in 4 years.

 

Personally, I tend to look at 78 to 82 as the best era watching the Reds. The euphoria when Clarke signed. The support for the club. The town was buzzing. I just couldn't wait for the next game to come round. It was simply amazing!
The rumours that Clarke was leaving for Leeds were confirmed directly after a midweek draw at Griffin Park. The escort back to our coaches was quite a sombre one.
Then it stepped Hunter. We beat Swindon 2-0 and then witnessed an incredible ending to the League Cup victory over Cardiff. Following consecutive defeats at Reading and at home to Brentford we were on the up! Losing only one game (League Cup at West Ham) out of the next 25.
I'd never witnessed a decent Cup run but Hunter's team certainly changed that.
There's loads to enthuse over during that period. I reckon Hunter edges it over Clarke in those four years, offering up so many "big results".

 

I think the impact Clarke made cannot be described in words, the crowds tripled, going away was like a home game, Then, after he saw we couldn't compete in a higher league he rebuilt, when Leeds came calling it was inevitable. Norman carried on & added to the great work. What a team though & a time to follow the club.

 

Hey VR mate, just one question slightly off topic here, did Charlie George ever get a chance with the England team ?.
I do like watching highlights of when he was at A*rsenal, in the early 70s.

 

We were that poor in the first half against Derby The Big Game only showed a Birch shot that stung the goalies hands.
I think we batted them second half though.

 

The team Hunter inherited from Clarke with a couple of additions was the most exciting Reds team I've ever watched. Once that team started to unravel it wasn't rebuilt to the same heights, whether that was down to Norman or the suits in the boardroom is one for debate. As for the nearly when it came to promotion to League One, as it was pre-Premier, the key factor was the injury Derek Parker sustained against Wednesday. We never replaced his goals.

 

It's genuinely impossible and fairly pointless to try to put one above the other. They both had a huge impact in their own way on one of the greatest periods in our history.
The only thing you can say is that we were so lucky to have them one after the other.

 

Without the Clarke era we'd have eventually ended up having a spell non-league a la Scunthorpe, Donny, Chessie, Grimsby, Rochdale, Halifax, Mansfield, Oldham, Luton etc.

 

Hunter, without a doubt. I think Norman slightly altered the style of play and for me all areas of the team prospered under his man management. Clarke made some odd decisions, even more so in his second spell as manager. Sadly for Hunter, several of the best players moved on and he was unable to replace them adequately and it all started to fall apart. It was a sad day when he was sacked.

1981/2 season was the sweet spot, we were so close to promotion and so close to knocking Liverpool out of the League cup. I still think that if we'd gone up, all those players that left would have stayed and we'd have been easily good enough for the First Division.

 

Really? The season before, we finished 6th with the division's highest goal scorer Brian Joicey, and the likes of; Mick McCarthy, Ali Millar, Phil Chambers, Alan Little, Mick Prendergast in the squad?

 

I was there.. in the wrong end.

 

Spot on about Parker … his partnership with Aylott was sooo impressive until the injury

 

I believe so. Several of the above mentioned teams were regularly in a higher league than us at the time, we were drifting along doing nowt in particular.

 

He played just once Acido.. lasted 60 mins and got took off. There was a bit of an argument and he never played again.

 

Exactly how I see it - There wouldn`t have been a Hunter without Clarke.

 

I remember my dad telling me and my brother on way back to car after that Leicester game, "he'll play for England that Lineker lad". How right he was.

 

Was all this at the time of the Falklands war? My memory is vague but I could swear I heard about the defeat to Leicester around the same time.
Anyway, for me the Leicester result which I couldn't get to nailed the attempt for promotion. Great team though and I would say in retrospect a better team than Wilson had in 96/97.
As to Clarke /Hunter its horses for courses for me. Clarke did what he did. Would Hunter have had that same impact if it had been him in the 4th division? Hunter did what he did. Would Clarke have motivated and organised the team as well ad Hunter did in the second tier? Its circumstantial and unresolvable for me. Best time ever watching the Reds though. For about 3 years every time they attacked I thought they'd score!!!

 

Is it just me but the title of the thread sounds like a bad American golfer Clarke v Hunter the third lol.

 

Hunter got the team that Clarke built playing better football. It started to go wrong for him when he tried to build his own team.