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Author Topic: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?  (Read 17308 times)

Offline paul_e

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #30 on: January 01, 2012, 05:46:25 PM »
Clark is a fantastic prospect, as someone else has said one of the most frustrationg things all season has been his lack of game time.  I'd keep him in midfield for the time being then move him into defence once Gardner is settled in and proving his quality.

We need to start giving the kids more and more game time this season as they are going to make or break our squad as is.  If herd, clark, gardner, bannan, albrighton, delph, delfouneso, lichaj, baker and weimann can all prove they're worthy members of the squad who can be relied on, either as starters or to come in when needed it take s a lot of pressure off on building the squad.  And that's just focusing on the guys who've played with the first team already and there are 3-4 more quality options coming through, (siegrist and Johnson being the main ones).

If they all make it that's 12 players through the system into the squad, at a conservative guess of £5m a pop that's a 'saving' of at least £60m in transfer fees.

Offline frankmosswasmyuncle

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #31 on: January 01, 2012, 06:06:26 PM »
Clarky has always been a highly intelligent, gifted player. He has it in him to be as good as McGrath, with experience and the right guys around him. It's great to see the way he has taken his chance in recent games but a pity it took AM so long to get round to playing him. We should be thinking of building the side around him and Gardner.
Without getting too carried away I'd be tempted to give Gardner a bit of an extended run. As someone else has suggested, he's a big lad, not easily dispossessed, and I feel could hold his own against most Prem sides.
He'll play against Bristol Rovers!

Offline TheMitaCopier

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #32 on: January 01, 2012, 06:10:27 PM »
Clarke is giving us more than Delph or Herd can at the moment, and fits in with petrov well. Clarke is composed and gives a simple pass when he see's it. Herd needs to improve his passing and Delph needs to stop trying to get to physical with people

Offline Simba

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #33 on: January 01, 2012, 06:58:10 PM »
When Clarke plays Stan is freed up to go goal poaching. Given that we all think his legs have gone it is amazing how much box to box stuff Petrov is doing lately and I think Clarke gives him that luxury.

Online KevinGage

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #34 on: January 01, 2012, 07:29:05 PM »
He has the stature and ability to play that role, more so than Herd who for me is more of a defender & less of a footballer.  He needs to be given time to learn the role, Barry played for years before switching to a central role. It's unrealistic and unfair to compare him with Barry, who looked a class apart from day one.

I'm in broad agreement with most of that (as per my previous post).  But I have to say that Clark has seemingly adapted to playing CM more quickly than Barry did. Still early days though, of course.

Part of the reason why Barry was moved about so much was that he was good as a left sided CB, passable as a LB (though his lack of pace may have counted against him had he tried to make that position his own) excellent wide left, but only OK (initially) in CM.

Think it was O'Leary in 03/4 who persisted with him in CM -and even then he was a bit hit and miss.  It was really only in 05/06 and then in MON's first season that he really looked the part there, by which stage he was 26.

Offline steffo

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #35 on: January 01, 2012, 10:45:05 PM »
Barry played against Chelsea in 2001 when SGT was manager. He was against Lampard in midfield and played him off the park that day. But because fwat fwank plays for cwelsky he has shoe in faw ingland.

Offline SashasGrandad

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #36 on: January 01, 2012, 11:05:46 PM »
Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?

A bottomless tit?

Offline olaftab

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #37 on: January 01, 2012, 11:26:29 PM »
i love the way Barry just stood there and watched Sunderland player roll the ball into the net.

Offline adrenachrome

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #38 on: January 02, 2012, 12:37:45 AM »
i love the way Barry just stood there and watched Sunderland player roll the ball into the net.

As Norman Crandles, occasional poster on this site once stated, GB used to make one bizarre lateral pass to the opposition each game. And then, he would just stand there with his hand on his hips, watching the fallout.

I vividly remember a game at VP against the short-lived visitors to the PL, Crystal Palace, when he did precisely this, leading to a goal for them.  Just stood there, watching. Fat Frank could not master the outrageous insouciance.

A great player, oozing class,  but it used to drive me fucking apeshit.

Online pauliewalnuts

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #39 on: January 02, 2012, 12:38:27 AM »
i love the way Barry just stood there and watched Sunderland player roll the ball into the net.

It reminded me of him half heartedly jogging after Ozil at the World Cup

Offline Somniloquism

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #40 on: January 02, 2012, 12:43:31 AM »
i love the way Barry just stood there and watched Sunderland player roll the ball into the net.

It reminded me of him half heartedly jogging after Ozil at the World Cup

With the commentator thinking he must have pulled up with groin strain because of how slow he was moving. I suspected snapped shorts elastic. Very similar to the goal against Liverpool when he took a long freekick that was instantly returned and although he had a 10 yard head start, was totally out sprinted by his bum chum Stevie M£.

Online eamonn

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #41 on: January 02, 2012, 03:31:47 AM »
Yeah, that Barry was crap wasn't he?!

Would have him back as cover for Clark and Stan!

Offline Steve R

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #42 on: January 02, 2012, 07:49:23 AM »
Clark doesn't have the same range of passing as Barry, or is quite as comfortable on the ball. No shame in that, few players are. Barry was absolute class in that respect.

He is still very good on the ball and also has a good turn of speed, is good in the air and has no problem with getting his shorts dirty. A lot of things that Barry seemed incapable of, despite his ample frame.

Clark is a better player than Barry, and ideally suited to the role just in front of the back four. I hope he stays in that position.

We have always seemed to be suckers for the player that exploits the gap between our defence and midfield. A big factor in recent performances has been that Clark has stitched that area up completely.

It's not that he has just been playing well himself, the way he's filled the position has done much to mask the immobility of those behind him. Its also allowed Petrov to play further forward in a position that suits his own skills far better.

Offline Shoody

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #43 on: January 02, 2012, 09:00:56 AM »
I think for now Clark should be our Defensive Midfielder. It will give him a good chance to learn from Dunne and Collins in the defensive role but will also mean his (expected) mistakes arent as costly whilst he's learning. Think he will be what Cahill should be currently for us: A ball playing, goal scoring centre half. Just a shame he hasn't got Cahill to learn from. Cahill-Clark would be a quality central pairing.

Still think we need a new Defensive Midfielder who is a real brute and can be an enforcer in the middle of the park bu Clark and Herd are both doing great jobs there at the moment. I just worry what they'll be like when Stan leaves as I think he is very good for them at the moment.

Keeping hold of our youth is the most important thing for us at the moment and for the next 5 or 6 six years. Especially in midfield where we seem to have another stream of top youngsters coming through (presuming they too meet their potential).

                            Clark/Herd/New
                      Gardner       Bannan/Crowley
Albrighton/Graham                       Grealish/Robinson
                      Gabby/Fonz/Andi/Burke

That would be a pretty fucking spectacular output for an academy these days. Especially when you look at what many people (not just us) are expecting from players such as Crowley, Grealish, Graham, Gardner and Clark. Presuming they meet their potential this could be as close to a Becks/Scholes generation as we get for a long time (not saying they will be as good or achieve as much... but as close to we will get for a long time imo)

Offline Rick_avfc

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Re: What do you call a Gareth Barry without a fat arse?
« Reply #44 on: January 03, 2012, 12:47:08 PM »
CM definitely suits Clark.  looks really comfortable on the ball just like GB did. He defo offers more that Delph did in his run of games in the first team.  That position is now Clarks to lose.  Keep it up fella!

 


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