If I was to grade the start of the season it would be 4/10 some will say this is too high but for me, the next two league games are the big ones as we should win them both if not maybe then we can start to lose patience, last year most of the Clark knockers (towards the end of season) were disappointed about performances when we were amassing points, for me in league 1 all I care is points and I do believe we have found the perfect away formula, which worked so well last season and should of yielded 4 from 6 this season but only 2, It is the home form that needs addressing, we are definitely hard to beat but that seems has been swapped for the fear factor visiting teams had when coming to play us at home during the early stages of Clark's reign, if this returns which I have always believed it will, I will be successful this season, still not convinced about Sheffield United.

Cas, if town win there next two league games then I am to blame! I went to all three games so far and we drew all three!

Seriously though does Lee Clark actually know his best team!

Gobern looked to be the midfielder we was crying out for last season against Bury and last night the game just passed him by!

Arfield, who people were saying will make way for all these new players, was ok/good against Rochdale, but arguably M.O.M last night

Miller, I didn't even notice really against both Rochdale or Pools, so can't work out if this is a good or bad thing.....yet.

Robinson and Johnson are both unfit still, but both will be expected to start. Does L/C know where to fit them in?

In todays news, Rhodes is linked with quite a few clubs now too. With him looking even less lightweight, is he the next to jump ship?

for those not following me on twitter here is todays tweet

Torn between Falasteen and Ritual in the 200 so todays tip is Furners Green 230 1pt win, cant see past Seville or Await The Dawn either.

RW, I can see why you say the away formation should have worked at Rochdale, as we were genuinely unlucky there, but it didn't even come close to working last night. Considering the opposition, last nights performance is right up there with the worst we've had during Clarks tenure.

Our home form is a shambles and we seem scared to have a go at teams, either home or away, for some reason. Lee Clark really doesn't want to lose matches, which means we end up more bothered about not conceding than we are with scoring. What's wrong with having confidence in the defensive side of things and trying to score a few? The mindset of the management and players is what worries me most.

linked with

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_Miller

today

Played 4.
Won 1
drawn 3
lost 0.

Could be better,
But could also be a lot lot worse.
3 of those games were away from home.
we scored 6 goals in two of them.
only failed to score in one game so far.
Colchester at home next.
another TOWN win ...I HOPE.
Looking forward to it,
How about you.

People always say managers need time, in my opinion this is to work out what his best team (starting 11) is and how he wants them to play.

We Clark has been here nearly 3 years and we still don't know our tactics and how many players would you say are definate starters week in week out. I'd say 2. It's not good enough.

Having said that we have no option but to give this time. The small chants last night of 4 4 2 and you don't know waht you're doing help no one. Johnson and Robinson will make a big difference, i hope!

Another season of wishful thinking ahead for the Terriers .......

I can't see past the simple fact that we have just broken the club record for unbeaten regular league games. I can completely understand the frustration of supporters, I myself seem to be nearing my wits end when considering the quality we have on paper. From the outside looking in the supporters of other teams laugh at the fact that we slate our manager after being unbeaten for so long, many teams would love to have the run we have.

I'll be patient, for a good while yet, I'm focusing on the positives that can be taken from the games, figuring out whats wrong and trying to fix it with the next game. I do believe that LC will find his winning team, the players will find the drive, commitment, passion and confidence they need and we will soon be able to put this frustration behind us and start enjoying the games week in week out, whether we win or draw we will be able to celebrate a good match which entertained us all.

I hope and I believe, in Lee Clark I trust!

Just go out and get Steve Howard on loan. Strong as an ox, ball sticks thus taking the pressure of whatever cm's are playing and scores goals. Problem solved

Derby, i like your positivity and perhaps we shouldnt throw the towel in after 3 games. My only concern is, is it only going to be these 3 games where we struggle, as i fear, Clark may not get enough games to have a settled side!

I think we can forget 4-4-2 for now. Clark obviously doesnt want to play that way and is trying his hardest to coach the players in to making the adjusted 4-5-1 formation work.

We need to be tight at the back, yes, but we need to get some more attacking play in our game. I thought we had got better on that front but after last night's game, ive got my doubts! We had a role reversal of the match against Dale - solid at the back but no good going forward.

Even if we do get Johnson and Robinson back, they are defensive minded players so we can count them out in improving our attacking options! Lee Clark just needs to keep instilling confidence in the attacking players and they will come good. Only question is, does he have the motivational skills to do this???

comment by jonnyh (U8462)
posted 2 minutes ago

Just go out and get Steve Howard on loan. Strong as an ox, ball sticks thus taking the pressure of whatever cm's are playing and scores goals. Problem solved


====================================

You just described Alan Lee too there before he signed for us

oh well look on the bright side wendies lost to bury. ill take the draw pmsl

Inter, fair point. Just don't agree. Didn't like AL before we signed him and nothing has changed my mind in the very few games he taken part in. Fair enough, he gets us a few free kicks but I'd rather have the ball brought down, layed off and the attack continued. Howard is more hungry and will do exactly that and continue his run to be on the end of the cross from the attack he started. More of of heavy weight than a light to middle weight if yer like

PATIENCE..
all we hear is the football speak...
its cliches and excuses to make football management look more complicated and much more difficult than it is..clark already tries hard to over complicate the game itself and has the coaching badges to prove it..
its just another 90 minutes where not much happened..its very, very dull.. we havent quite got the luck of the 2nd half of last season so we didnt sneak a goal but thankfully the luck at our end held out as larkin and the some other bloke both missed complete sitters.
if clarks luck runs out totally, we will lose games like last night, regularly..
being unbeaten is only relevant when,

a. you win enough games
b. it leads to a load of confidence running through the squad..

neither of the above is/has happened..

johnny thats exactly what al is meant to do but its a bit hard when ball comes smashed towards u at head height.

Can't say I've seen enough of Howard to make a judgement like that on him, but with your description he should be Premier League at least. Not stuck in Championship. The lad is wasting his talent

38. weve got neither a or b

Alan Lee did nothing wrong from Christmas onwards last season. Did you go to Arsenal? Did you go to Walsall? Did you go to Brighton? The people who slate Alan Lee must not have seen him play towards the end of last season...

Agree Cas, Alan Lee was just getting going and then Clark dropped him back to the dugout !

Howard is just the same as Lee if not a little slower, Neither are cut out to play primarily as a lone frontman and both are much more suited to having someone playing off them, within 10-15 yards, not way behind.
Its ok people saying one up top, Chelsea do it etc etc, But you need a big lad, who is brave, strong, quick and who knows where the onion bag is, And we aint got a Grant Holt/Collymore/Drogba type, Nor are we going to find one, They are in short supply, highly sought after and of premium prices.
Things aint looking good if we cant match up the minnows tactically and overpower them.
Good players dont become bad ones overnight which begs the question what the hell does Clark n co do to them ?

if alan lee is the answer, then the question is very f-cked up...

can anyone actually picture alan lee playing on his own in this system???

he would be booked in the first 15 minutes out of sheer frustration that the ball kept going nowhere near him..

the amount of time required to hold the ball waiting for others is beyond him now.. he cant flick any high balls on because there is no one there..

and he cant chase into the channels or out wide...

novak can just about keep up with it, rhodes has no chance and alan lee is laughable..

38, although you're right, that's not Alan Lee's fault. If we got players up to support him then there's no reason for him not to be a success, too often the ball goes forward and there's a massive gap between our front line and the midfield. If there are always people to support Lee then he's a massive handful for defenders and he brings other people into play well - the reason he was brought here to begin with. Just as he got going last season he was dropped and hasn't had a look in since.

The problem is we can;t really experiment until we have a good game where we are 2 or 3 up at 60 minutes and then we can bring Alan Lee on and see how he does, may test the 4-4-2 in a proper game.

I thought the whole point of bringing in a new set of midfielders was so we wouldn't resort to hoofball again, but from what I'm hearing that's exactly what we were doing at hartlepool.

Who's in blooming charge with town, the players or the manager ?

It was said pre-season that bringing in new midfielders was a waste of time with McCombe and P Clarke as centre backs because all they do is hoof it as far upfield as possible...

It's unbelievable that the players seem to just do as they please on the pitch. LC has brought in the parts to make us play footy, but they aren't fitting together.

Maybe we should get rid of the wide midfielders and play 4 proper central midfield players, use the full backs as the wingers and play 2 strikers. having wingers double up as midfielders doesn't make them midfield players, so we have only 2 or 3 actual midfield players. No wonder we are over run both with 4-5-1 and 4-4-2. Roberts will never be a midfield player, neither will Ward regardless of what LC does by telling them to be part of 4-5-1 while defending and 4-3-3 while attacking...We're ending up with something that just plainly does not work..so, we've got plenty of proper midfield players so why not play them all together and forget converted wingers ?

4-5-1..

novak up front.. with mcdermott playing at the point of a diamond 3 central midfielders.. allow mcdermott to play where he likes in the oppositon half just behind and around novak..

with roberts/ward swapping sides and supporting novak/mcdermott when in possession..

mcdermott is wasted playing wide all game... if he has a "free role" we might even be able to get it to his feet in their half allowing him to turn and run at them "just like he did against us??"...and not just from the halfway line out wide!!!!

4-5-1 isnt the problem, the rigid system employed around it is..

the above still allows arfield to get up and support whilst the holder, holds...

we cannot waste mcdermotts talents.. i havent seen him play a lot, but i hope by now i can spot a good one when i see one..