Appleton hasn't got a clue

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Hog
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Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Hog »

... Who is going to be his goalkeeper next season! What the flaming Ada etc etc?
neilw
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by neilw »

Given that he has offered two new contracts to two keepers, neither of which are Clarke, one can only conclude that Clarke is being pushed out. Quite why, I really don't know.

It's difficult not to be sentimental with Clarkey. However, is he really not good enough?
Radley Rambler
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Radley Rambler »

neilw wrote:Given that he has offered two new contracts to two keepers, neither of which are Clarke, one can only conclude that Clarke is being pushed out. Quite why, I really don't know.

It's difficult not to be sentimental with Clarkey. However, is he really not good enough?
I hear from a good 'sauce' that Clarke and Wayne Brown do not get on but that Brown and Appleton do. This coupled with Clarke's substantial wage, I understand that the management would not be upset if Ryan chose to leave.

Reading between the lines in MApp's OM interview, this would appear to be the case i.e. publicly saying that he won't stand in Clarke's way if he wants to leave - not exactly encouraging.

Are Ashdown/Crocombe good enough? I hardly saw the former given my apathy towards the end of last season and have only seen Max recently at WBA away where for the first 20 minutes, the ball was like a bar of soap. Reports of his performances at Nuneaton however, suggest that he could be ready.
GodalmingYellow
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by GodalmingYellow »

The interview in the Fail certainly contains the sorts of words managers use when they want to invite offers for a player.

Clarkey is a quality stopper though and has been a very good servant for the club and I wouldn't want to see him leaving.

Even if Crocombe went out on loan, surely it would be a bit of a luxury to have both Ashdown and Clarkey in the squad.
ty cobb
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by ty cobb »

Don't understand this at all, Clarke is an excellent keeper, popular with the fans and players and I wouldn't have thought would be on a huge wage given he came from a team relegated from the conference so his starting salary would not have been large.

Still he is getting on in years, but then so is Ashdown so that would be a poor excuse to get rid of him. If it's because Brown doesn't rate him................well I don't rate Brown, couldn't understand why we made him coach when he was useless everytime he turned out for us.
amershamwrighty
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by amershamwrighty »

Given :

1 - his local connections and

2 - the performance of their keeper in the Conference playoff final on Sunday...

....then I wouldn't be at all surprised if Clarkey went to Bristol Rovers.
Old Abingdonian
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Old Abingdonian »

I have to say, I think in this Appleton is being fair.

I am no goalkeeper, but Clarke does not give me the confidence he once did. Too often the opposition has scored from his parries - first goal home to Hartlepool comes to mind. And it seems fans choose about whom to be sentimental. I'm sure he is a great bloke, he has been an excellent servant to the club, but if MApp thinks that Ashdown may be a better keeper next season, then surely he has done the right thing. It is open to Clarke to fight for his place. And on-one can say that Ashdown played badly at the end of last season.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Old Abingdonian wrote:I am no goalkeeper, but Clarke does not give me the confidence he once did.
Funnily enough I think the opposite about Ryan Clarke. I've never been completely convinced by him (let's not forget how he made our own play-off final much more nerve-wracking than it needed to be), but in the games I attended last season he was as good as I've seen him - back to his shot-stopping best, but also commanding his area and catching crosses really well, which had been a weakness in previous years. It is noticeable that our form improved almost as soon as he replaced George Long between the sticks.

That's not to say that I'd be gutted if he left - he's not infallible and there are other decent keepers out there. But I don't think Appleton's doing himself any favours by saying he 'hasn't got a clue' who our number one is going to be next season. He bloody well ought to! I think it's more likely that he doesn't think it'll be Ryan Clarke and Appleton is inviting him to find another club. This seems to be confirmed by Clarke today saying "“If an opportunity does come along [elsewhere] it would be something I would have to look at, if it was right for me and my family.”
Brahma Bull
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Brahma Bull »

Oddly made a scapegoat for four, five at best, poor performances all around the time Appleton was under some real pressure in early January. It seems it has skewed people's views on him because honestly, he was one of our better performers this season, probably sat only behind Hylton, Roofe and Wright.

He returned from an injury and was fast-tracked back into the side when we were really struggling and George Long was being lauded as the next De Gea by everyone but the majority of our fans. And stabled our season in December through to his 'dropping' at Wimbledon.

I have no doubt Clarke is one of our more considerable wage-earners but respectfully he has earnt that privilege over a number of seasons. We don't need two senior goalkeepers and if Ashdown has been offered his deal (note he hasn't officially accepted it yet - how long are we intending on waiting??) then it is curtains for Clarke, as I sadly predicted on the other forum four months ago.

The only reason we should be looking for Ryan to move, is by replacing him with an established, mid 20's goalkeeper with potential to develop and is already of a high league standard, someone like Mr T Carson.
joepoolman
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by joepoolman »

Clarke says he is unsure of his future. If Clarke goes Appleton will have lost the small amount of faith I had built up in him. I feel it is extremely unlikely we will find someone more reliable than Clarke for next season.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Kernow Yellow »

"Speaking about fellow keeper Ashdown, whose deal runs out at the end of the month, Ashton added: "We know what we're doing internally and as soon as we can we'll communicate that, because it's a key position for us."

So it sounds like the club does have a clue what it's doing with regards to the goalkeeping jersey, but doesn't want to say anything yet. My guess is that they're waiting for Clarke to find himself another club so they can announce that he's left of his own accord and then announce that Ashdown is staying (or AN Other is coming in). Announcing Ashdown's (or AN Other's) signing before Clarke is sorted somewhere else would make it look like they're pushing him out of the door (which is exactly what they are doing by the looks of things).
Hog
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Hog »

Personally I can't understand why they want Clarke out. Unless there's still an underlying injury issue. Presumably as he's still got two years on his contract they need to unload him before they spend more money on Ashdown so Clarke seems to be the master of his own destiny. I hope he sits tight unless he gets a genuinely better offer elsewhere.
OUFC4eva
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by OUFC4eva »

I think Clarke is decent but I would not lose that much sleep
If he went to pastures new. I thought he had an OK season.

I have not seen enough of Ashdown but what worries me is that
he has not played a massive amount of football for a guy who is 34 - have a look
at a his record. He played second fiddle to Hahnemann at Reading
for many years and also at Portsmouth as understudy to Hislop/Robinson
if my memory serves me correctly.

I thought the teams that got promoted last season had top 'keepers
in Jayson Leutwiler at Shrewsbury, Nick Pope at Bury, Daniel Bentley at Southend and
Jonny McLaughlin at Burton.It is a key position that we must get right.

I reckon we will have a new number one next season.
Kernow Yellow
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by Kernow Yellow »

Clarke's departure seems increasingly certain. Some odd quotes from Appleton though:

“Ryan has made it public, as I have, that his time at Oxford United is probably over [...] Everyone has a timespan at a football club. [...] Sometimes you have to make decisions and people move on.”

Confirms what we all suspected (that Appleton doesn't rate Clarke and doesn't want him here) but rather contradicts his previous utterances on the subject
slappy
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Re: Appleton hasn't got a clue

Post by slappy »

We must be the laughing stock of football. We sign loan players like Long who are awful and continue to play them, even when Crocombe has a cracking game at West Brom. Crocombe gets sent out on loan and does well and we play Ashdown, who then turns down a contract.
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