Have you taken to Steve Clarke yet?

[From Despair To Where?]

It's the first backwards step taken under Clarke. It's a concern but I don't see any negative pattern forming as yet.

#nokneejerk

[GH Royal]

The thing is with Clarke is that we've had 9 good performances and now the 1 anomalous bad performance.

With Adkins we had continual poor performances for a while, cumulating in the Brum hammering. I'm sure we'll see a much improved performance on Saturday, even if we do lose.

It hasn't been 9 good performances at all. Probably about 50/50.

But there has been noticeable improvement in every game. One bad game doesn't break a season, the same as one good game doesn't make it. Draw a line under it as a blip and look forward to Derby. If we put in a good showing we'll of forgotten about this by next week.

[Ian Royal]

Disappointed Clarke re-visited the Chalobah, Norwood, Williams midfield which had already failed miserably against 10 man Millwall. Given Chalobah and Williams together in a two had been a revelation it was a seemingly crazy step back, even if Norwood is a cracking player.

Cox had been looking like he links well with Pog and he links midfield and attack well. I can kinda understand giving Blackman a go over HRK to see how he does. But if you're dropping Cox it has to be for someone to play upfront with Pog, Yak, even HRK, Blackman or Taylor!

On the whole, he's in credit still. He's made some silly mistakes but it'll take a massive collapse to not give him at least another 9 months. And I'm sure he'll do fine and we'll all love him.

[Delboy]

Since Steve Clarke arrived we have 6 wins, 3draws and 3 defeats in all competitions. Over a full season in the league this would be promotion form!

[harry]

21 points from 12 games is a bit short of promotion form in my view (depending on the year). Still a good start to build on though.

[Snowball]

Bit unfair to include the Watford game
as he'd only been at the club a coupla days

6-3-2 = 21 from 11, not bad at all

Fulham should've been a win, only Wednesday looks bad, a blip

[P!ssed Off]

Bit unfair to include the Watford game
as he'd only been at the club a coupla days

Do you want this engraved on your tombstone?
Give it a oxf*rd rest...

[P!ssed Off]

During Clarke's tenure we've won 12 points in 9 league games.
If you must include cup games then it would be 12 points in 12 games.

[Snowball]

During Clarke's tenure we've won 12 points in 9 league games.
If you must include cup games then it would be 12 points in 12 games.

When did 6 wins and 3 draws total 12 points?

[Snowball]

Bit unfair to include the Watford game
as he'd only been at the club a coupla days

Do you want this engraved on your tombstone?
Give it a oxf*rd rest...

er, NO

[SCIAG]

During Clarke's tenure we've won 12 points in 9 league games.
If you must include cup games then it would be 12 points in 12 games.

When did 6 wins and 3 draws total 12 points?

You don't win points in cup matches...

[Snowball]

DUH!

[Snowball]

Steve Clarke’s Reading Away

2-2 Brighton
1-0 Huddersfield
1-2 Fulham
2-1 Cardiff
0-0 Millwall
2-1 Wolves
2-1 Derby


P7 W4 D2 L1 10-5 = “14 Points”

And THAT is promotion form

Interesting, too, that we dropped points at Brighton and Fulham to goals at the death

[harry]

During Clarke's tenure we've won 12 points in 9 league games.
If you must include cup games then it would be 12 points in 12 games.

When did 6 wins and 3 draws total 12 points?

I think the point being made was 3 of the wins were in the cup. In the league 3 wins and 3 draws = 12 points

Either way those 3 cup wins count for something, especially if we get a decent draw for a change

[Ian Royal]

Always foolish to translate cup games to points, even against opposition from your own division. It's just a totally different beast.

I reject the idea that Watford was too early in his reign to include as well. Maybe a little note to go with the stats, but not excluding it. Anyone who went could see a significant difference in us. We created a hatful of chances we should have put away and only lost on a 10 man sucker punch.

We're better and still improving. The cup run is having a huge affect and shows what we can do... but we're not there on the day to day hustle and bustle of the league yet. If he continues in this way we should have a good platform for challenging for the play offs next year.

But bear in mind we've still got big wages and one of the major factors is contracted to the end of next season. We lose a big old slice of parachute money next season and we're close to the wire this season as it is, though giving our selves better breathing room than we were.

Tough times ahead still.

[marlowuk]

Always foolish to translate cup games to points, even against opposition from your own division. It's just a totally different beast.

I reject the idea that Watford was too early in his reign to include as well.

Absolutely correct on both counts!

We're better and still improving. The cup run is having a huge affect and shows what we can do... but we're not there on the day to day hustle and bustle of the league yet. If he continues in this way we should have a good platform for challenging for the play offs next year.

But bear in mind we've still got big wages and one of the major factors is contracted to the end of next season. We lose a big old slice of parachute money next season and we're close to the wire this season as it is, though giving our selves better breathing room than we were.

A realistic view from IR! The cup run is great and should boost that all-important commodity called 'confidence'.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

But bear in mind we've still got big wages and one of the major factors is contracted to the end of next season. We lose a big old slice of parachute money next season and we're close to the wire this season as it is, though giving our selves better breathing room than we were.

Tough times ahead still.

Not quite true - we didn't get the benefit of any of the parachute money this year as it was secured against a loan from the previous season...so hopefully this summer some of it will go towards the squad particularly with Drenthe and Guthrie (hopefully) gone - 2 of the 3 biggest earners.

[Ian Royal]

But bear in mind we've still got big wages and one of the major factors is contracted to the end of next season. We lose a big old slice of parachute money next season and we're close to the wire this season as it is, though giving our selves better breathing room than we were.

Tough times ahead still.

Not quite true - we didn't get the benefit of any of the parachute money this year as it was secured against a loan from the previous season...so hopefully this summer some of it will go towards the squad particularly with Drenthe and Guthrie (hopefully) gone - 2 of the 3 biggest earners.

That's not what the accounts seem to suggest, to me, or something I've seen anyone else say. I don't see how the club could possibly operate going into the season having previously had a wage cost of ~£34m and not having the ~£16m parachute money for this season available. Our income without it would be around £15m, so even if we cut the wages by £10m, that leaves a shortfall of £9m on just the wages, ignoring all other expenditure.



Everything I've seen suggests those saying we'd taken loans on parachute payments for future seasons were talking nonsense and it was last season's, because they only get paid at the end of the season (or fully paid).

[RoyallyFcuked]

The big question is, did we really need another thread on Steve Clarke?

[GH Royal]

The big question is, did we really need another thread on Steve Clarke?

Sounds like a good thread title, shall I include a poll?