We have to remember that Sam Long started the first game of the season as right back and Sean Clare only got his chance when Ruffels (and then Atkinson) were injured and Sam Long had to cover.
We then went on a run of around a dozen games where our defence looked fragile, Eastwood was struggling, Gorrin who had covered for Cadden so often was missing, and Henry was out of sorts. Clare looked poor, but so did pretty much everyone.
If we still had Clare, and played him last month when Long was out, I think we would have seen a very different player. To talk of scouting/recruitment not being fit for purpose is a little short sighted in my view. Some players just click at a new club and look great, others struggle for all sorts of reasons. For every Kemer Roofe, you get a Kane Hemmings, on a bigger scale, for every Eric Cantona there is a Juan Sebastian Veron!
For what it's worth, I'd definitely have Sean Clare back in the summer. He can play in a number of positions and should come back confident and ready to fight for his place in the team. If it clicks, we've still got a great prospect on our hands. If it doesn't then there should be plenty of clubs willing to give him another chance and cover our costs.