Ex Player Sean Clare

He's probably crap. I mean, it seems like it's only Charlton, Sunderland, Ipswich and Portsmouth that would like to sign him, and I'm sure we will finish above all those...
That means he was one of our best players?
Goodness
 
We used to be in the top tier too. I don’t think anyone doesn’t appreciate that successive managers have done a pretty decent job and it’s been great to make the play offs like we have, however, the publicly stated aim of the club and the actual actions have not matched.

Now we could quite feasibly sign a whole host of quality players in the next week but I don’t think anyone can be blamed for feeling frustrated.

As for whether it’s working or whether in recent seasons we’ve been bloody fortunate to finish where we have then I guess that’s open to interpretation. Looking at the current squad with only a few weeks to go before the season starts I’d say Robinson will be earning his corn.
We made a brief appearance in the top tier over three decades ago, we spent more than twice as long in the Conference, and more recently. Which says more about our club?

The publicly stated goal was promotion every five years and we've done very well against that. You may think that we've been lucky to finish where we have in recent seasons. But that doesn't negate the obvious, steady improvement under the current model. Both statements can be true.

Recently the club has talked about being a top 30 club - that's a great aim to have and you can see from Brentford that it's achievable. They're using the same model, just operating it a few levels higher.
 
If say Leon Chambers-Parillon went out on loan to Burton this season, did exactly as well as Clare did, I wonder if people would be as happy if when he came back we immediately sold him?
 
If say Leon Chambers-Parillon went out on loan to Burton this season, did exactly as well as Clare did, I wonder if people would be as happy if when he came back we immediately sold him?


Probably, if he was as crap as Clare had been in his 20 odd games for Oxford. Where does Clare get in the team here ? We've sold a squad player to Charlton, get over it. I think the problem some people have is that he's gone to a team likely to be a rival this season, if he'd have joined Barrow or Harrogate no one would have batted an eye lid and would have been saying he's found his level.

Charltons manager is a lower league, journeyman manager, for a reason - he makes mistakes. He, like many of his lower league counterparts, makes wrong choices in the transfer market. Just because he wanted Clare is no endorsement that we have made a mistake in selling him. The counter argument to that would be Charlton fans thinking 'why the hell have we signed a player Oxford don't want and who they loaned out to a relegation battle last season'.

How would we feel if we signed a player from Charlton who they clearly don't want and loaned out to, say, Rochdale last season ? We'd be as negative and underwhelmed as anything.
 
Probably, if he was as crap as Clare had been in his 20 odd games for Oxford. Where does Clare get in the team here ? We've sold a squad player to Charlton, get over it. I think the problem some people have is that he's gone to a team likely to be a rival this season, if he'd have joined Barrow or Harrogate no one would have batted an eye lid and would have been saying he's found his level.

Charltons manager is a lower league, journeyman manager, for a reason - he makes mistakes. He, like many of his lower league counterparts, makes wrong choices in the transfer market. Just because he wanted Clare is no endorsement that we have made a mistake in selling him. The counter argument to that would be Charlton fans thinking 'why the hell have we signed a player Oxford don't want and who they loaned out to a relegation battle last season'.

How would we feel if we signed a player from Charlton who they clearly don't want and loaned out to, say, Rochdale last season ? We'd be as negative and underwhelmed as anything.
Think that's a little unfair on Clare, he was played out of position for 90% of his games which made him look poor. When he played RW against i think it may have been Plymouth? i thought he looked good and a better option of the bench than Hall. Im not losing any sleep over this but i think KR's ego has taken over on this one possibly?
 
  • React
Reactions: ljs
Think that's a little unfair on Clare, he was played out of position for 90% of his games which made him look poor. When he played RW against i think it may have been Plymouth? i thought he looked good and a better option of the bench than Hall. Im not losing any sleep over this but i think KR's ego has taken over on this one possibly?
I think maybe we just had too many midfielders and could dispense with the first one that someone offered a good fee for - most here thought it would be Sykes. Our main midfield is surely three from McGuane, Gorrin, Henry and Brannagan.
 
I think maybe we just had too many midfielders and could dispense with the first one that someone offered a good fee for - most here thought it would be Sykes. Our main midfield is surely three from McGuane, Gorrin, Henry and Brannagan.
Yeah i agree on that but i just think Clare is a great weapon to have of the bench with his pace & Power. Which KR said we needed more of after Blackpool?
 
I think maybe we just had too many midfielders and could dispense with the first one that someone offered a good fee for - most here thought it would be Sykes. Our main midfield is surely three from McGuane, Gorrin, Henry and Brannagan.
I think that's probably more it. Clare wasn't awful for the few games he played in midfield - I thought he was pacey and had a good touch. He just wasn't a defender.
As it is, we have an unbalanced senior squad with too many midfielders and not enough defenders so (although I'd have quite liked Clare to show what he can do) accepting an offer for a player who doesn't look as if he'd be key for our plans and using the money in an area we are short seems like sense.
 
Probably, if he was as crap as Clare had been in his 20 odd games for Oxford. Where does Clare get in the team here ? We've sold a squad player to Charlton, get over it. I think the problem some people have is that he's gone to a team likely to be a rival this season, if he'd have joined Barrow or Harrogate no one would have batted an eye lid and would have been saying he's found his level.

Charltons manager is a lower league, journeyman manager, for a reason - he makes mistakes. He, like many of his lower league counterparts, makes wrong choices in the transfer market. Just because he wanted Clare is no endorsement that we have made a mistake in selling him. The counter argument to that would be Charlton fans thinking 'why the hell have we signed a player Oxford don't want and who they loaned out to a relegation battle last season'.

How would we feel if we signed a player from Charlton who they clearly don't want and loaned out to, say, Rochdale last season ? We'd be as negative and underwhelmed as anything.
No way was Clare awful as some are making out, he couldn't defend well at full back as was pointed out numerous times, but KR persisted with him there. He eventually gave him a few run outs further forward and he did play well... then got shipped out. It just 'seemed' like KR didn't want to have been proved wrong.

With the role he was given at Burton, and with his known attributes of pace and a decent pass, I think he may have proved to be a more dynamic version of Gorrin given the opportunity.

It will be interesting to see how he gets on at Charlton.
 
Really disappointed at this - he clearly wasn't a right back but he is one hell of an attacking midfielder as his time at Burton showed. What odds he knocks in a brace on 14 August.........
 
Really disappointed at this - he clearly wasn't a right back but he is one hell of an attacking midfielder as his time at Burton showed. What odds he knocks in a brace on 14 August.........
I wouldn’t choose him over at least 3 of our midfielders. Maguane is a much better player.
 
Probably, if he was as crap as Clare had been in his 20 odd games for Oxford. Where does Clare get in the team here ? We've sold a squad player to Charlton, get over it. I think the problem some people have is that he's gone to a team likely to be a rival this season, if he'd have joined Barrow or Harrogate no one would have batted an eye lid and would have been saying he's found his level.

Charltons manager is a lower league, journeyman manager, for a reason - he makes mistakes. He, like many of his lower league counterparts, makes wrong choices in the transfer market. Just because he wanted Clare is no endorsement that we have made a mistake in selling him. The counter argument to that would be Charlton fans thinking 'why the hell have we signed a player Oxford don't want and who they loaned out to a relegation battle last season'.

How would we feel if we signed a player from Charlton who they clearly don't want and loaned out to, say, Rochdale last season ? We'd be as negative and underwhelmed as anything.
Clare was decent for Hearts, couldn’t defend for us as a fullback and then looked good as a right winger and got an assist. He then goes to Burton, a team in our league, and does well for them.

It may not work out for him at Charlton but it’s ridiculous to say that he was ‘crap’ for us. Where are all the offers for, say, Jamie Hanson for £300k+ from teams in our league then?
 
Clare was never going to be in the first choice 11, ahead of Brannagan, McGuane, Henry, or Gorrin in midfield. He's s**t at rightback and Williams, Agyei and probably another new signing will be ahead of him as a right sided forward. I'd much rather see Leon Chambers-Parillon as 4th choice midfield. He impresses me more and more.

When Clare went out on loan to Burton I don't remember one poster shedding a tear for the loss of him. Excellent business.

Edit: I forgot Sykes, so Clare would have likely been 5th choice midfielder and 4th choice right sided forward. Kerrr-ching!! This should mean that Sykes stays which is really good news IMO.
 
Last edited:
Different sorts of players and Clare would have a serious impact coming off the bench imho. Squad game these days with 5 subs allowed.
Are 5 subs still carrying on for next season? I quite liked it tbh so I wouldn't mind it becoming a permanent change
 
Clare was decent for Hearts, couldn’t defend for us as a fullback and then looked good as a right winger and got an assist. He then goes to Burton, a team in our league, and does well for them.

It may not work out for him at Charlton but it’s ridiculous to say that he was ‘crap’ for us. Where are all the offers for, say, Jamie Hanson for £300k+ from teams in our league then?


'Ridiculous to say he was 'crap' for us' ? Really ?

Have a look through the 20 matchday threads on here where he was involved. On the basis that this forum is somewhere near representative of our over all fan base, to call him 'crap' is being polite.

Love him or hate him, Robinson is a very good L1 manager who, in his time here, has got far more transfers right than he has wrong and I trust him totally on this one.
 
Back
Top Bottom