Steve Clarke

[P!ssed Off]

2WW what should he have achieved at WBA other than their highest ever PL points total?

Should he have got top 4? Europa qualification?

Also got great connections still at Chelsea for some decent loanees which in this period of FFP might come in bloody handy.

Excited about this. Certainly not a factor to be understated, would we have had the fantastic season-long loan of Bertrand without the connections of Rodgers.

Chelsea have got some great young players that need farming out. We desperately need a striker or two and Chelsea have got two of the country's best youth strikers in Dom Solanke and Izzy Brown.

Dom Solanke: born in Reading.
Izzy Brown: came through at West Brom, given 1st team debut at 16 by Steve Clarke.

Surely we've got to be 1st in line for these two!

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Adkins is the worst thing ever blah blah, we've been the worst we've ever been blah blah

Cut the histrionics, you've got your way. Now you can stop being such a melodramatic queen and look forward not back. He's gone, get over it.

Nice edit Ian you massive bell

[From Despair To Where?]

I don't see how anyone can't be massively underwhelmed. His win ratio sucks, he's done nothing.

At least the likes of Mcghee, Pardew, McDermott, were our own men and came from no experience at all and Sir John found something in them.

This guy has been tested and... done bugger all.

Hugely underwhelmed but obviously he may well do ok.

The biggest underwhelmage [sic] comes from the whole ownership situation which has lead us to the sad reality of having a top manager who we can't fund adequately and so we sack him to get some nobody in who we hope will accept the financial constraints we're now under and work wonders.

As others have already pointed out, a 32% win ratio with a lower mid table Premiership club is pretty decent. That's 12 wins a season, enough to see a club safe in all but the most exceptional circumstances. What more would you expect for a club who spent most of the last decade yo-yoing between the Premier League and the Championship.

Add to that, you have to look at who's available and who's a realistic target. Name me a realistic target with comparable credentials to Clarke. Hughton is the only one i can think of.

Clarke is far from a nobody. And to say Adkins wasn't funded adequately when under his management, we signed Wayne Bridge, Royston Drenthe and Danny Williams. Yes, the fallout from TSI has tied his hands to some degree but considering how close we came to administration, Adkins was given licence to make a few signings this summer and none were real bargain basement players, and depsite a promising start by all of them, they've all stalled. It will of course be interesting to see what Clarke can do with the existing squad, especially considering he will probably have less money to spend than Adkins but the way that the likes of Gunter, Pearce and Robson-Kanu, all players proven at this level, have regressed under Adkins, I can no longer see him taking us forward. It serves no purpose to have 65% possession when you can;t create chances and when you do, the forwards can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo.

Clarke needs to build from the back, make us hard to beat and get the squad fitness sorted out

[paultheroyal]

78% of Hob nob endorse the appointment. That's pretty decent.

[biff]

very happy. will be nice to have a manager that keeps his mouth shut. fewer soundbites, more wins, lovely.

[Cureton's Volley]

Either way, it is what it is. Let's get behind him.

[Eaststandman]

Not surprising Ian Royal wants to draw a line under the affair.
Sorry Ian, but over the last few months you've lost any remaining credibility.

If you want a fresh start, you'll have to change username.

Interesting he wants to draw a line under it because he can't actually substantiate what he's drivelling on about.

and he (IR) certainly never implied that being relegated was a good thing, apparently!

[Royal Rother]

I don't see how anyone can't be massively underwhelmed. His win ratio sucks, he's done nothing.

This guy has been tested and... done bugger all.

Coppell had had decades of experience in management before he took Reading to 7th in the PL an achievement lauded by one and all as pretty extraordinary.

Clarke achieved similar in his 1st season.

I appreciate the circumstances were different but to says he's done bugger all is pretty dumb.

[Royal Rother]

Not surprising Ian Royal wants to draw a line under the affair.
Sorry Ian, but over the last few months you've lost any remaining credibility.

If you want a fresh start, you'll have to change username.

Interesting he wants to draw a line under it because he can't actually substantiate what he's drivelling on about.

and he (IR) certainly never implied that being relegated was a good thing, apparently!

He didn't.

He said it could prove to be a good thing in certain circumstances. Regrouping, reassessing and all that a short sharp shock involves rather than hanging on by fingertips year after year can prove the best thing in the long run. Not that it always is the case, just that it can be... Perfect sense really.

But I can see that to a bunch of football supporters that might translate to "he says it would be good for the club to get relegated".

Par for the course but a bit sad really.

[leon]

Interesting he wants to draw a line under it because he can't actually substantiate what he's drivelling on about.

and he (IR) certainly never implied that being relegated was a good thing, apparently!

He didn't.

He said it could prove to be a good thing in certain circumstances. Regrouping, reassessing and all that a short sharp shock involves rather than hanging on by fingertips year after year can prove the best thing in the long run. Not that it always is the case, just that it can be... Perfect sense really.

But I can see that to a bunch of football supporters that might translate to "he says it would be good for the club to get relegated".

Par for the course but a bit sad really.

The boy can answer for himself.

Anyway let's all get along shall we?

After all we all support the same team (apart from Rother)

[Harpers So Solid Crew]

Pansies are not tender so don't need covering in winter.

[BritInBigD]

Baggies fan here.

Steve Clarke inherited a well-drilled squad from Roy Hodgson and continued the momemtum into his first season with the benefit of an effective frontline partnership in Long and Odemwingie and the defensive midfield pairing of Mulumbu and Yacob. He was also instrumental in bringing Lukaku to the club (via his Chelsea connections), which may bode well for the Royals.

Ultimately, it began to unravel for SC when opposing teams began to figure out the Hodgson-Clarke system and he then reverted to a safety first, containment approach (his natural inclination, it seems). His positon as Head Coach was increasingly undermined by internal club politics and his departure became inevitable.

Despite the cries of indignation from the Press, not too many fans mourned his loss. The football served up was pretty turgid after his first half-season in charge.

He became a cult figure, however, due to his total lack of sartorial elegence. The joke was that he always looked as though he slept in his car every night. One of the most enduring posts on the wbaunofficial message board was titled "Photos of Steve Clarke looking pissed". It was very funny.

Good luck for the rest of the season.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

Chelsea have got some great young players that need farming out

I really don't see this as a positive. I would like to see a new manager develop the talent we have and build a team around them. If they decide they're not good enough then I'd like to see them bring in up and coming talent and develop a team.

Bringing in Chelsea 'farmed out' reserves, in my opinion, is a short-term and short-sighted fix.

[SPARTA]

Baggies fan here.

His positon as Head Coach was increasingly undermined by internal club politics and his departure became inevitable.

Ruh-oh.

[The Real Sandhurst Royal]

WOW that was a quick appointment.

Let's hope is can turn the rabble that Adkins has created into a team.

Clake's first team selection this weekend will be interesting!!

[Pepe the Horseman]

Baggies fan here.

Steve Clarke inherited a well-drilled squad from Roy Hodgson and continued the momemtum into his first season with the benefit of an effective frontline partnership in Long and Odemwingie and the defensive midfield pairing of Mulumbu and Yacob. He was also instrumental in bringing Lukaku to the club (via his Chelsea connections), which may bode well for the Royals.

Ultimately, it began to unravel for SC when opposing teams began to figure out the Hodgson-Clarke system and he then reverted to a safety first, containment approach (his natural inclination, it seems). His positon as Head Coach was increasingly undermined by internal club politics and his departure became inevitable.

Despite the cries of indignation from the Press, not too many fans mourned his loss. The football served up was pretty turgid after his first half-season in charge.

He became a cult figure, however, due to his total lack of sartorial elegence. The joke was that he always looked as though he slept in his car every night. One of the most enduring posts on the wbaunofficial message board was titled "Photos of Steve Clarke looking pissed". It was very funny.

Good luck for the rest of the season.

Thanks for this. Please could you send us a link to that thread?

[blythspartan]

I am pleased with this appointment and below are the views of a Baggies fan at work.

Think the feelings on him are quite mixed. He did get our highest finish for many a year, highest since the Premier League started but it was basically with Roy Hodgson’s team + Lukaku. After a great first half of that season we went pretty poor and that went right through the first half of the next season when he was sacked as he didn’t seem to be able to stop the decline (although we weren’t in the relegation zone at the time, so may have been premature). Not too many complaints when we got rid of him.

The other thing is we have a stupid structure at the club where Clarke was ‘Head Coach’ (no one really seems to know who has responsibility for what at club, and it leads to a hell of a lot of buck passing), and would have had to work with the backroom staff already in place. If he is being appointed a manager and can bring in his own people then he’ll have a better chance of sustaining any early success he has.

The football was pretty decent to watch though he certainly didn’t go all guns blazing, but thats to be expected as Albion are a small Premier League club whereas Reading aren’t a small Championship club so may be more attacking.

I wouldn’t be massively surprised if he does a good job and has you up challenging for the top 6 next season.

I’d take him over Alan Irvine any day.

Interestly a couple of weekends a go my neighbour who is a Fulham season ticket holder mentioned that Steve Clake was at their Watford game making notes.

[Pepe the Horseman]

Wrttop, having got over the initial disappointment of Dolan missing out and me losing £40, I'm pretty happy with this. Could've done a lot worse.

All aboard the Steve Clarke express choooo choooo, destination the Premier League (calling at West Drayton and Southall).

[paultheroyal]

Chelsea have got some great young players that need farming out

I really don't see this as a positive. I would like to see a new manager develop the talent we have and build a team around them. If they decide they're not good enough then I'd like to see them bring in up and coming talent and develop a team.

Bringing in Chelsea 'farmed out' reserves, in my opinion, is a short-term and short-sighted fix.

A short term fix we urgently need right now.

[CemeteryJ]

http://www.wbaunofficial.org.uk/forum/s ... ed#pid3218