Is this a sign that Clayton is leaving?

buffaloboro said:
Life shake-up that football can bring is no joke? Meanwhile in the real world of the masses...
I realise things are all relative but come on... They'll be fine for brass.
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Not very fair that. It is pretty tough moving to a new location whoever you are.
Yes, they will be alright for money - mental wellbeing doesn’t discriminate tho
 
I think his lack of pace is even more exposed now than its ever been, under Karankas defensive mindset he was ideally suited. Good honest professional though so good luck to him, I will be looking out for him wherever he goes and laying the odd bet on him to score as that is nailed on once he leaves us.
 
Good God, I hope he leaves.

One goal in 200 games for Boro, and that was because of a huge deflection. Meanwhile he's collected yellow cards like confetti. He's just another defender, and not a good one, who gets in the way of the centre halves.

Whoever is manager next season needs work out how to get the team scoring goals. Clayton is part of the problem, not part of the answer.
 
Soutra said:
Good God, I hope he leaves.

One goal in 200 games for Boro, and that was because of a huge deflection. Meanwhile he's collected yellow cards like confetti. He's just another defender, and not a good one, who gets in the way of the centre halves.

Whoever is manager next season needs work out how to get the team scoring goals. Clayton is part of the problem, not part of the answer.
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Don't forget that a lot of those cards he collected like confetti were taken for the good of the team, disrupting breakaway's, stopping opposition momentum. Yes he's struggled last few years but let's not rewrite history and pretend that for a couple of years he wasn't up there with the best midfielders in the division (at what he did). If he goes, and I think he will, I'll wish him well. He seems to have a real affinity to the club and you could never say that he didn't put 100% in.
 
A good example of a player who fit into a system but hasn't really found his role since. I doubt there was a midfielder in the league who relished coming up against him under Karanka. Ironically if he could have found form we were crying out for that sort of player a lot this season.

Reckon he'll probably end up at a team towards the top of league 1.
 
He suits playing in a 2 more than a 3 - he has never looked impressive sat in that deep solo role, but when he's there with a partner he's always done well. WBA away and Preston away spring to mind.
 
The 2 seasons in which we finished at Wembley and then gained autos, he was brilliant.

Him and Grant were by far the best two midfielders in the Championship those two seasons.

A good pro who's handled himself with pride and dignity.

Wish him all the best for the future.

Will always give him a good reception if/when he returns.
 
Strange one Clayton, obviously was a key player in our promotion and play off season and to me he is one of those players who seems better when he is not in the team! I get that he has generally played as a defensive midfielder, but I am old fashioned and expect a bit more from my midfielders - maybe a handful of goals and being able to create sometimes.
 
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Soutra said:
One goal in 200 games for Boro, and that was because of a huge deflection..
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One of the great mysteries is how he was a fairly regular goal scorer before joining us: 18 in the previous 3 seasons, of which 4 were admittedly penalties.

I know he's been used far more defensively than at Huddersfield, but even when he's had the chance to shoot here, he hasn't looked good at it.

"The 2 seasons in which we finished at Wembley and then gained autos, he was brilliant. "

Have to agree with that.
 
I th
Otto42 said:
Strange one Clayton, obviously was a key player in our promotion and play off season and to me he is one of those players who seems better when he is not in the team! I get that he has generally played as a defensive midfielder, but I am old fashioned and expect a bit more from my midfielders - maybe a handful of goals and being able to create sometimes.
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I think it's easy to forget that he did actually offer that bit more when he first signed,especially in the play off season. Nothing spectacular i don't mean, but when you watch some of the highlights it's noticeable what a much more mobile player he was then, and actually had a decent delivery on him at times. Those two seasons he was brilliant at reading the game and sniffing out danger but unfortunately he's lost that ability/mobility to do the same job as effectively.
 
indeedido said:
I have to say I couldn't agree less.
Those three should be moved on.
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I get where you are coming from Indeedido, In an ideal world I’d chase much of the entire squad, but given the huge turnover we are already having and given a lack of resources, I don’t believe we can simply afford to rip up the squad totally and start again. If we could, I would keep Howson, Tav, Spence and Coulson, possibly Djiksteel. I would happily sell Britt, Fletch, Saville, McNair, Pears, Wing, Fry, If we could be assured of better replacements and let the rest leave if out of contract. It just isn’t realistic to do all that in one go for me. I think we have a 2 or 3 year rebuilding job and not all incomings will be hits. With the squad as it is we need to keep some of it, even if they are to warm the bench. We need pace, creativity, leadership in all areas.

Whatever happens, I trust Warnock's judgement to get far more right than wrong, I can’t fault the effort on Tuesday of anyone that played, as I know you wouldn’t either. Lets hope the club finally has an excellent window for once though (y)
 
Never been that big a fan of Clayton, yes a good solid pro but my god his passing for 90% of the time was awful. So slow and predictable and slowed down countless attacks we tried to start.
During the 14-16 period him and leadbitter were excellent in that particular role but were so limited and played a big part in us being a low scoring team. “But grant got 15 goals that season”, he did and about 12 were penalties if I remember.
I always thought it was telling that during and after that period no bigger team made any real efforts to take either one of them.
 
"I always thought it was telling that during and after that period no bigger team made any real efforts to take either one of them"

Well Grant was knackered with injury to be fair. And Clayton did attract interest from championship clubs when Monk dropped him
 
coluka said:
I get where you are coming from Indeedido, In an ideal world I’d chase much of the entire squad, but given the huge turnover we are already having and given a lack of resources, I don’t believe we can simply afford to rip up the squad totally and start again. If we could, I would keep Howson, Tav, Spence and Coulson, possibly Djiksteel. I would happily sell Britt, Fletch, Saville, McNair, Pears, Wing, Fry, If we could be assured of better replacements and let the rest leave if out of contract. It just isn’t realistic to do all that in one go for me. I think we have a 2 or 3 year rebuilding job and not all incomings will be hits. With the squad as it is we need to keep some of it, even if they are to warm the bench. We need pace, creativity, leadership in all areas.

Whatever happens, I trust Warnock's judgement to get far more right than wrong, I can’t fault the effort on Tuesday of anyone that played, as I know you wouldn’t either. Lets hope the club finally has an excellent window for once though (y)
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Warnock signed 13 players and took 6 more in on loan in the season he took Cardiff up.
He also moved 11 out and loaned another 10 out.
He started in the same clarts at Cardiff as he was here and kept them up.
His churn of the squad was extreme.

Selling Assombolonga, Fletcher, Saville, McNair; not renewing Johnson and replacing with better players at better value, to play with the younger crop, is far from a problem for Warnock, especially with a long window, another in January and hell of a long season.
Back your man Coluka and what he has done before so very recently.

It is a far bigger risk to keep what you know has been so utterly rubbish for seasons now.
 
Best of luck to him. He's been a good player for Boro, and his passion in the Karanka years was second to none especially when we hit a few bumps in the road, he was always first over to the fans thanking the support. Forget which game it was but he came to speak to the crowd after a loss and was telling everyone to stick with them and we were still in the mix for promotion.

Good luck wherever you end up Clayts!
 
He has been a very good pro for us, no histrionics or whining, just knuckled down and made the most out of his limited technical ability.

His game is so dependant on fitness levels that age has caught up quicker than most, I think if he was playing week in , week out, it would be less obvious because he would have his 'game legs' a bit more, but he would still be less than the player he was. His limited technical ability means that he can only really play that CDM role, and that dictates a formation that maybe we don't want to play anymore.

He will likely be in our top 5 earners, his age, experience, and several contract renewals, will have seen his earnings increase above what he signed when he first joined. So the value for money isn't there.

He will be remembered as a great partnership with Leadbitter, but not in the same quality as Boateng as a CDM, or Mustoe or Grant as a CM. But I wish him well, and will always take an interest in teh final years of his career
 
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