Steve Clarke Sacked

[Ian Royal]

Sack the board, we've dropped two places after sacking Clarke! We need to get better, not worse.

[CountryRoyal]

Sack the board, we've dropped two places after sacking Clarke! We need to get better, not worse.

Disgraceful. We should have stuck with Clarke.

[Winchester Royal]

Although I absolutely agree it was time for him to go, I will remember the cup run and the day out at Wembley. Pretty much everything else was shit though.

[Ian Royal]

Although I absolutely agree it was time for him to go, I will remember the cup run and the day out at Wembley. Pretty much everything else was shit though.

Yeah, it certainly elevates him above Bullivant, Burns and Rodgers, although not by a lot.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Apparently a really nice bloke..affable and self-effacing

He had ius all in the palm of his hand....a shame how it all transpired

[Jinx]

Shame Clarke doesn't 'do' social media.

Shame, because he won't see this.

Dear Clarke,

You won't be missed. And fairly soon you won't even be remembered.

That's what you 'achieved' at Reading Football Club.

Yours etc.

Herring.

+ oxf*rd loads

[Avon Royal]

Although I absolutely agree it was time for him to go, I will remember the cup run and the day out at Wembley. Pretty much everything else was shit though.

I'm not sure Clarke can take any credit for not drawing a Prem team until the semi-final.

[semtex1871]

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces every time
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking us down

So Clarke that's why you're fired

Very apt RB. But someone needs to tell Daniel Powter that 'lost' doesn't rhyme with 'most' even if they both end in 'ost'!!

Yeah, and away & time don't rhyme with on.........

[Millsy]

To be fair Clarke had us playing some fantastic football, brought in some players who are fantastic and got the best out of the previously anonymous Blackman.

His biggest mistake was getting in two appalling keepers and getting rid of Sal Bibbo. One of whom is young and will come good with time. The other is and always will be a total and utter liability.

An extra 3 or 4 points that they cost us would have us in a decent position and stop the rot quite possibly.

[Ian Royal]

To be fair Clarke had us playing some fantastic football, brought in some players who are fantastic and got the best out of the previously anonymous Blackman.

His biggest mistake was getting in two appalling keepers and getting rid of Sal Bibbo. One of whom is young and will come good with time. The other is and always will be a total and utter liability.

An extra 3 or 4 points that they cost us would have us in a decent position and stop the rot quite possibly.

I think the good stuff was more luck than judgement given how brief it was.

Our problems went well beyond some dodgy keepers as well, which is frustrating given how good our squad is

[DaddyKuhl]

To be fair Clarke had us playing some fantastic football, brought in some players who are fantastic and got the best out of the previously anonymous Blackman.

His biggest mistake was getting in two appalling keepers and getting rid of Sal Bibbo. One of whom is young and will come good with time. The other is and always will be a total and utter liability.

An extra 3 or 4 points that they cost us would have us in a decent position and stop the rot quite possibly.

I think the good stuff was more luck than judgement given how brief it was.

Our problems went well beyond some dodgy keepers as well, which is frustrating given how good our squad is

Disagree with the first point. Steve Clarke knew how he wanted to play, but got two key injuries and it all unravelled. Saying that, he should have been more prepared, going into the season with 5 central midfielders when you plan on playing 3 in the middle was poor planning and was easily exposed. I think as a minimum your squad should have 2 players per position so playing 4-3-3 he should have had at least 6 midfielders at the start of the season. Had we had Quinn and Tish fit he would still be in a job regardless of the Fulham talks.

[MeMeMe]

Reminded me a whole lot of Kevin Keegan style tactics.... as long as we score one more goal than you. Entertaining until you are found out and don't have a plan B.... quick legit !

[Ian Royal]

To be fair Clarke had us playing some fantastic football, brought in some players who are fantastic and got the best out of the previously anonymous Blackman.

His biggest mistake was getting in two appalling keepers and getting rid of Sal Bibbo. One of whom is young and will come good with time. The other is and always will be a total and utter liability.

An extra 3 or 4 points that they cost us would have us in a decent position and stop the rot quite possibly.

I think the good stuff was more luck than judgement given how brief it was.

Our problems went well beyond some dodgy keepers as well, which is frustrating given how good our squad is

Disagree with the first point. Steve Clarke knew how he wanted to play, but got two key injuries and it all unravelled. Saying that, he should have been more prepared, going into the season with 5 central midfielders when you plan on playing 3 in the middle was poor planning and was easily exposed. I think as a minimum your squad should have 2 players per position so playing 4-3-3 he should have had at least 6 midfielders at the start of the season. Had we had Quinn and Tish fit he would still be in a job regardless of the Fulham talks.

He had six but sent one on loan, and refused to use another one for ages, so I don't think that holds up. I genuinely don't think he did actually want to play 4-3-3, but it just sort of happened.... hence him abandoning it so quickly when just one player (Quinn) got injured. I mean once he brought in Piazon it was more like 4-2-4. He could have used either Tish or Fernandez in Quinn's position and chose not to.

[3points]

He had six but sent one on loan, and refused to use another one for ages, so I don't think that holds up. I genuinely don't think he did actually want to play 4-3-3, but it just sort of happened.... hence him abandoning it so quickly when just one player (Quinn) got injured. I mean once he brought in Piazon it was more like 4-2-4. He could have used either Tish or Fernandez in Quinn's position and chose not to

I think the vague hope was that Piazon could play a similar role to Quinn but he clearly just wasn't up to it in many ways. I think we needed either Vydra or Piazon in the squad, but not both. With all the wingers in the squad he could have good 4-4-2 with Sa and Blackman upfront. I'm surprised Hurtado hasn't got more game time. Think he could have done a job on the left. If you don't play him, then you'll never know.

[CountryRoyal]

The problem with Piazon is that we've been playing him on the left in a 4-4-2, he was marginally better in a front 3 in 4-3-3 where there are less defensive responsibilities but he needs to play centrally as a 10 or a CAM if you like, where I have every confidence he would thrive in a team playing well and with confidence. Either use him properly or not at all.

[RoyallyFcuked]

As we know the injuries to Quinn and Tshibola certainly haven't helped us, or Clarke for that matter.

But Clarke didn't help himself by not even trying to go back to what was working, instead he stuck with what wasn't.

[LoyalRoyal22]

I am split on the decision to sack Clarke but it's ignorant to say he was properly backed by the board. The £4m brought in from the Hector sale would have paid for most(or all of) our transfer dealings. Also, it was Clarke that really helped Hector push on, so you could say he pretty much brought the £4m in himself.

[leon]

I am split on the decision to sack Clarke but it's ignorant to say he was properly backed by the board. The £4m brought in from the Hector sale would have paid for most(or all of) our transfer dealings. Also, it was Clarke that really helped Hector push on, so you could say he pretty much brought the £4m in himself.

Right so Clarke was entirely responsible for developing Hector?

And of course as we know - whenever you sell a player you automatically get all the money to buy new players so technically it doesn't count as investment.

OK.

[Ian Royal]

I am split on the decision to sack Clarke but it's ignorant to say he was properly backed by the board. The £4m brought in from the Hector sale would have paid for most(or all of) our transfer dealings. Also, it was Clarke that really helped Hector push on, so you could say he pretty much brought the £4m in himself.

We sold Hector after bringing in loads of the players, wasn't it pretty much just Vydra's outrageous fee that he funded?

Pretty sure we already had Sa, McShane, Quinn, Hurtado, Fernandez etc. That's plenty of backing.

[RoyalBlue]

I am split on the decision to sack Clarke but it's ignorant to say he was properly backed by the board. The £4m brought in from the Hector sale would have paid for most(or all of) our transfer dealings. Also, it was Clarke that really helped Hector push on, so you could say he pretty much brought the £4m in himself.

We sold Hector after bringing in loads of the players, wasn't it pretty much just Vydra's outrageous fee that he funded?

Pretty sure we already had Sa, McShane, Quinn, Hurtado, Fernandez etc. That's plenty of backing.

Quite. Even where there was no transfer fee there probably would have been agents' fees, signing fees etc. Also he was allowed to make fundamental changes to the backroom staff and that would have cost money too.