Ex-Player Big feature on Ryan Clarke

[MJB]

From OUFC fan Dan Church. Lots of insights into the guy and his time with us.

https://www.shoot.co.uk/exclusive-the-bigger-interview-with-oxford-united-legend-ryan-clarke/

 

[MJB]

This bit is good, for example...

Were you and your Oxford team mates confident heading into the Wembley final?

“Yeah, we were confident. On the day, it was an actual blur. I can’t remember anything. Well, I remember one specific incident obviously! [Playing at Wembley] was a lot more daunting than I thought. The manager took us there a few days before and had a look round. The night before in the hotel, he brought Dave Bassett into the hotel for a chat, and that was one of the good things Chris was good at. He got Dave in and he said, ‘Look boys, you have worked so hard all season, don’t get all the way to Wembley, play well and lose. You have got to do whatever it takes’.

“We knew we were a good team and we were backing ourselves, but he said, ‘You can win this game in the tunnel. You can intimidate them in the tunnel’. And love and behold, Billy Turley pops up in the tunnel giving their boys a load of stick and that, from bits in the press, and it would be bits like that that helped us on the day. So we went into the game confident, but to actually win it in the manner that we actually did was great.”

 

[Shropshire U]

From OUFC fan Dan Church. Lots of insights into the guy and his time with us.

https://www.shoot.co.uk/exclusive-the-bigger-interview-with-oxford-united-legend-ryan-clarke/

Thanks for posting this, it's full of interesting stuff. Nice to see some much love towards OUFC. And a great little paragraph on Ian Atkins!

 

[Gary Baldi]

Thanks for posting it. I can read at work tomorrow and get paid to do so. #livinglifeonthecorporatedge

 

[MJB]

Thanks for posting this, it's full of interesting stuff. Nice to see some much love towards OUFC. And a great little paragraph on Ian Atkins!

Yes a great insight into his time here.

I asked Dan if he would ask Clarke what the reaction of his teammates after the own goal at Wembley.

Not surprised at all to hear that Jake Wright immediately told him to forget it and encouraged him to move on. Oh Appleton, why the f**k did you let Wright leave?!

 

[Navegante]

Thanks for sharing! Great read. Always liked Clarkey. I do distinctly remember he seemed to be wanting to get on-side with the East Stand faithful in that Northwich game - not surprised to hear a deal had pretty much been agreed by that point!

As an aside, some great personalities were in that dressing room with Clarkey: Elvis, Beasty, Beano, Bullie, Wrighty, Clisty et al. Ol' Chippy certainly knows how to get the team chemistry right - is that missing in the current team?

 

[unification]

Thanks for sharing! Great read. Always liked Clarkey. I do distinctly remember he seemed to be wanting to get on-side with the East Stand faithful in that Northwich game - not surprised to hear a deal had pretty much been agreed by that point!

As an aside, some great personalities were in that dressing room with Clarkey: Elvis, Beasty, Beano, Bullie, Wrighty, Clisty et al. Ol' Chippy certainly knows how to get the team chemistry right - is that missing in the current team?

Successful football teams are about more just good players, you need good personalities too. CW definitely engineered that with our promotion side and MApp did too in building the best League 2 side in 2015-16. You’re more likely to win promotions with Jake Wright and Alex MacDonald than Dean Morgan and Dave ‘final pay day’ Kitson!

Good interview with Ryan Clarke. Great to know he’s in a much better place now and is enjoying football again. I do find it heartening that he turned down League football and more money for a job he can manage at a lower level to be with his family. I didn’t really think that lower league players could be choosers rather than beggers but it’s a move that’s undoubtedly made him happy and good luck to him. One of football’s nice guys.

Say it quietly, but Clarke would have been a better choice than Büchel or Slocombe for our promotion season too!

 

[outsidethebox]

Yes a great insight into his time here.

I asked Dan if he would ask Clarke what the reaction of his teammates after the own goal at Wembley.

Not surprised at all to hear that Jake Wright immediately told him to forget it and encouraged him to move on. Oh Appleton, why the f**k did you let Wright leave?!

Completely agree about Wright. He brought an awful lot to the squad even when he wasn't playing in the team. A vastly underrated contribution in my opinion.

 

[MJB]

Completely agree about Wright. He brought an awful lot to the squad even when he wasn't playing in the team. A vastly underrated contribution in my opinion.

Absolutely. I’ve banged on about it so often (so apologies) but one of the big regrets for me is that he and his family were happily settled in the county. I genuinely think he’ll be a great coach and possibly a great manager one day. He could have easily done so here as his career wound down. Much more likely to do so up north now, unfortunately.

 

[Another Melbourne Ox]

Absolutely. I’ve banged on about it so often (so apologies) but one of the big regrets for me is that he and his family were happily settled in the county. I genuinely think he’ll be a great coach and possibly a great manager one day. He could have easily done so here as his career wound down. Much more likely to do so up north now, unfortunately.

Agreed here too! Letting Wright go was Appleton's Danny Bullmann moment.

 

[Navegante]

Agreed here too! Letting Wright go was Appleton's Danny Bullmann moment.

It was worse than that! More on a par with letting go everybody's favourite tennis-coach-turned-pro-footballer Jack Midson

 

[MJB]

https://www.shoot.co.uk/twitter-qa-with-oxford-united-hero-ryan-clarke/

A little follow-up article has been published now with a Q&A from questions asked by fans on Twitter. Including this...

Funniest moment at Oxford?

“Oh, it has to be Chris Wilder after the game at Stockport [County] away, doing a team talk whilst he is naked and brushing his teeth! Completely butt naked, doing a team talk, ripping into us and brushing his teeth at the same time. We lost to Stockport, he came in, started hammering us, started getting changed and by the end of the team talk, he was naked and brushing his teeth!” [Laughs]

 

[Berliner]

A good read and good to see he is in a better place now with his depression.

And how about the worst manager you’ve ever played for?

“Oh no, the worst manager I’ve had, he is still in the game actually! So I can’t say anything… but it would be him!”

Appleton?

Bit disappointed with him blaming his gloves at Wembley mind. Had them on for five games and knew they weren't right but kept using them? To hell with sponsorship, if I was walking out at Wembley you can be damn sure I'd have the tools that make me the best player...its like going out in the Ashes with a bat from Sports Direct!

EDIT: Just read the Twitter Q and A. Chances of it being MAPP increasing!

 

[NottsYellow]

A good read and good to see he is in a better place now with his depression.

And how about the worst manager you’ve ever played for?

“Oh no, the worst manager I’ve had, he is still in the game actually! So I can’t say anything… but it would be him!”

Appleton?

Bit disappointed with him blaming his gloves at Wembley mind. Had them on for five games and knew they weren't right but kept using them? To hell with sponsorship, if I was walking out at Wembley you can be damn sure I'd have the tools that make me the best player...its like going out in the Ashes with a bat from Sports Direct!

EDIT: Just read the Twitter Q and A. Chances of it being MAPP increasing!

I thought it was Ian Atkins?

 

[Witneyoldfella]

It is

 

[Berliner]

I thought it was Ian Atkins?

I thought he said Atkins first, then had a rethink and thought about someone else.
You can read it both ways, admittedly.

 

[Steve McAvoy]

Agreed here too! Letting Wright go was Appleton's Danny Bullmann moment.

Jake Wright was a superb player for us, however was plagued by back problems. Given the current debates about the fragility of players signed, I can’t help thinking that Jake moving on was the reasonable outcome for all concerned.

 

[MJB]

Jake Wright was a superb player for us, however was plagued by back problems. Given the current debates about the fragility of players signed, I can’t help thinking that Jake moving on was the reasonable outcome for all concerned.

Wasn’t immediately a starter for the Blades in the season after he left us but still made 31 appearances in League One’s title winning side. Seemed pretty fit to me.