My view

No, but there's got to be room for common sense. Sacking the manager before he's had a fair chance is what we seem to have a bit of a track record for. That policy hasn't worked too well IMO.

 

The same Killip who all the fans wanted rid of in the summer.

Never seen so much defence for a completely average goalkeeper, the fans are probably more bothered about Killip being dropped than he is.

 

I can’t look any further than the players. I’m not ‘blaming’ them, but it’s clearly not happening for our most influential players, ie DKD, Phillips and Humphrys. I expect better from them because I know they’re capable of better.

2 goals scored in 4 games now, courtesy of Earl & Russell. Some of our goal scorers need to have a look at themselves.

 

Clarke needs a player who can put some of these chances in the back of the net. Creating chances doesn't seem to be a big problem.

 

Weird how no-one, Clarke included, has been able to answer this or addressed it.

What's changed? We played Bristol Rovers away, missed a billion chances, and decided it wasn't worth bothering after that. Or that's what the performances on the pitch suggest, anyway.

 

You 'can't fault him'? Honestly?

Also, you can't just skim over that baseball cap today. He makes Tony Pulis look like Giorgio Armani.

 

Yeah and today as well, there were more than enough chances to have won comfortably.
And the same players who keep missing chances, can't keep saying we were just unlucky today etc.

 

My view is I bet Clarke couldn't believe his luck when the call came from Barnsley FC. He's just seen his team relegated from L1 to L2 (not for the first time I believe) and a team who've been in the L1 playoffs for two Seasons on the trot and we're in the championship play offs in the last 5 Years come calling. He's a L2 manager at best not seen anything from him to makee think he'll get us out of L1 the right way.and just like Collins last season the longer the season goes on the worse things get

 

Honestly mate. I think we are pretty well setup but have some really average players. I think he’s doing a good job with what he’s got to work with.

the lack of replacement for Cole is criminal. They’ve had months on end to sort it out and yet he has to persevere with Watters who couldn’t finish his dinner and Cosgrove off the bench, it’s mental.

I’ve banged on about it for ages , but a bit of experience up top serves you well at this level. If we’d have signed someone like Lee Gregory / Billy Sharpe we’d be flying. Obviously I could be talking total ******** and probably am


In terms of the hat, you’re 100% correct. Case dismissed.

 

review of what? We can see already there has been a gradual decline in off and on the field performance. I hope we dont hear that ‘we need to rebuild’ story once again. Seems like that is our strategy, executed year after year. Any review by the owners needs to look themselves in the mirror first and foremost. However what will they measure against? They might be happy in their context?

 

Whilst I'm still undecided on Clarke, the "relegated last season" argument is a complete straw man. He took over a team marooned at the bottom of the table with 2 points from 13 games and came within a whisker of keeping them up despite having one of the weakest squads in the league.

 

A Lee Gregory type player would make this team look (and play) completely different.

 

It’s difficult to judge him as it’s still early days for a Manager with a squad that needs rebuilding.
My only concern with him at this time and i said this when he was appointed is his career shows generally his first season is always good in terms of results but he doesn’t seem to be able to maintain that.

 

I think an end of “season review “speaks for itself. Let’s see where we are, who knows we may be top side even though looks unlikely at the moment.

 

I think it is too early to make a call on Clarke. He has to be given more time to see his changes take effect and for him to shape the squad a bit.

For what it's worth, so far I'm fairly unimpressed. I reckon the league position is about as low as this squad could be. The sheer talent on the books means a certain amount of points will be picked up.

The weird substitutions have dried up a bit so there are signs things are settling down. He's been unlucky with injuries.

I missed the Wycombe match so cannot comment on that but the last two games I have seen there were almost no clear cut chances created. Yes, I know there was Lofthouse's chance yesterday but then ask yourself, at any point during that move did you think it would be a goal? I didn't. So maybe even that chance wasn't clear cut.

 

Yeah but the sack Clarke mob, don't think of those sort of facts do they.
If he's been relegated somewhere else previously, then they're going to use that in their agenda against him.

 

Well yes. At the point the ball was rolled into Lofthouse, if I'd had enough time for the thought to process, I'd have been thinking that either of my grannies would have been odds on to score. And it's been quite some years since either took their last gasps.

I'd have expected to have taken at least one of Russell's three chances myself too, and it's been 10 years since I last donned a pair of boots in anger.

There's plenty wrong with the overall balance, but don't downplay just how many gilt-edged chances this group have missed over the last few weeks. They've made more than enough to be out of sight in each of the games they've lost. That's why Clarke should be tearing his hair out (maybe he has and that explains the f***ing hats) - if we'd put away half the chances we've made this month, we'd be on a run of 8 wins on the trot.

But we're not because we can't finish, and we give away too many stupid chances with sloppy defensive play.