Why does no-one ever talk about Colin Clarke?

[Midfield_General]

Reading the other threads about former players we could do with now, loads of former centre forwards are mentioned. Everyone from Davies, Chivers, Moran, Beattie, Pahars, Lambert, Pelle… they’re all remembered generally pretty fondly. 
 

In the middle of all that we had Colin Clarke. Signed for a very reasonable £500k, scored 20 top flight goals in his first season with us and 16 in his second. Scored two hat-tricks in his first few games. 36 goals in 82 games in total. Yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as much as mentioned on here. 

I remember watching him but I was very young and don’t recall much about him other than he had blonde hair and wore that brilliant Hummel kit. 

If someone offered us a striker today with those sorts of numbers to replace Ings, we’d take their hand off. Yet he’s been forgotten. Why’s that then? 

Edited 7 August, 2021 by Midfield_General

[Pilchards]

3 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Reading the other threads about former players we could do with now, loads of former centre forwards are mentioned. Everyone from Davies, Chivers, Moran, Beattie, Pahars, Lambert, Pelle… they’re all remembered generally pretty fondly. 
 

In the middle of all that we had Colin Clarke. Signed for a very reasonable £500k, scored 20 top flight goals in his first season with us and 16 in his second. Scored two hat-tricks in his first few games. 36 goals in 82 games in total. Yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as much as mentioned on here. 

I remember watching him but I was very young and don’t recall much about him other than he had blonde hair and wore that brilliant Hummel kit. 

If someone offered us a striker today with those sorts of numbers to replace Ings, we’d take their hand off. Yet he’s been forgotten. Why’s that then? 

Because he don’t play for us anymore.

Same as we won’t talk about Ings in 20 years time.

[revolution saint]

Phil Boyer was top scorer in the old division one in 79/80 - no one ever talks about him either.  I'm too young to remember him but seems strange that a player who was the top scorer in the top division for a club like us isn't talked about much either.

[Turkish]

29 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Reading the other threads about former players we could do with now, loads of former centre forwards are mentioned. Everyone from Davies, Chivers, Moran, Beattie, Pahars, Lambert, Pelle… they’re all remembered generally pretty fondly. 
 

In the middle of all that we had Colin Clarke. Signed for a very reasonable £500k, scored 20 top flight goals in his first season with us and 16 in his second. Scored two hat-tricks in his first few games. 36 goals in 82 games in total. Yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen him as much as mentioned on here. 

I remember watching him but I was very young and don’t recall much about him other than he had blonde hair and wore that brilliant Hummel kit. 

If someone offered us a striker today with those sorts of numbers to replace Ings, we’d take their hand off. Yet he’s been forgotten. Why’s that then? 

He was my favourite player at the time. Following on from Steve Moran. I remember the day he signed clearly. it was front page of the echo as that sort of money was a big deal at the time. I was 9 and my dad worked for the echo office I was playing out the front when he came home from work and he walked down the garden and showed me the front page,  He’d had a decent World Cup with Northern Ireland, think he scored twice in 3 games? thought he was brilliant after that and desperate for him to join so over the moon when he did.

hatrick on his debut at home to QPR in a 5-1 win in the days when we used to start the season well. Was at the Man City game when he scored a great goal, cutting in from the left beating a couple of players and smashing it past the keeper

Two good seasons, got an injury in the second then he started agitating for a move to a bigger club. Ended up going to QPR FFS 

Probably forgotten because most people who post on here won’t remember him, he was only here for two seasons and despite wanting a bigger club he left for one the same size and never really did much the rest of his career. Ended up down the road playing for the vermin.

 

Edited 7 August, 2021 by Turkish

[SW5 SAINT]

I still have very happy memories of my one and only visit to Old Trafford in the late 80’s, when two Man U supporting friends offered me a trip up there with them. Saints won 2-0, with Colin Clarke getting both goals. You can imagine all the ManU bragging on the way up there from Somerset..! The return journey was very different, I nearly had to walk home….!

[northam soul]

Scored at the skates as well

[Toadhall Saint]

Funny but I was thinking about this a few weeks ago - along with Phil Boyer. Both good CFs in their time with us

[John B]

3 minutes ago, revolution saint said:

Phil Boyer was top scorer in the old division one in 79/80 - no one ever talks about him either.  I'm too young to remember him but seems strange that a player who was the top scorer in the top division for a club like us isn't talked about much either.

We had so many really top International strikers playing for us in the Bates and McMenemy years that some will be overlooked but of course Boyer was a top striker I remember going to Wimbledon in a FA Cup match and him scoring the winner.

In those days we did not whinge much about who came to the club we used to just enjoy the football and support the team and the players

 

[saint1977]

56 minutes ago, northam soul said:

Scored at the skates as well

Ended his career there, in fact collided with a goalpost early-mid 90s for Pompey reserves v Saints reserves and broke his leg IIRC which was the end.

Player I enjoyed watching, had a prolific start with hat tricks v QPR and Newcastle and his scoring record was up there with Lambert and Ings for a couple of seasons. Like Rickie, good striker in the lower divisions for years beforehand. Fell out with Chris Nicholl and loaned back to AFCB and then Saints did well to get £800k to QPR.

Not sure he was fully fit by then and seem to recall some knee issues. Was a good player, good touch and great finisher, not the paciest or most mobile so not sure how he’d get on today. Good players find ways. Enjoyed a coaching career in the States as MLS got going again.

Edited 7 August, 2021 by saint1977

[Chris cooper]

Was under rated .. he looked heavy but boy he could finish ! Remember him scoring a screamer at loftus road to win the game for us 2-1 ..glen cockerill got the other one … and Liverpool at home 1988 ish .. John Barnes put them 2-0 up at the dell but for Colin to score a looping header over grobbelar’s head and Andy Townsend to equalise late on .. dippers had the whole of archers road that day and wen that Townsend goal went in half of Milton road and under the east were on the pitch .. great day .. spa tavern and skullards before the game .. miss the dell 😇

[Turkish]

17 minutes ago, Chris cooper said:

Was under rated .. he looked heavy but boy he could finish ! Remember him scoring a screamer at loftus road to win the game for us 2-1 ..glen cockerill got the other one … and Liverpool at home 1988 ish .. John Barnes put them 2-0 up at the dell but for Colin to score a looping header over grobbelar’s head and Andy Townsend to equalise late on .. dippers had the whole of archers road that day and wen that Townsend goal went in half of Milton road and under the east were on the pitch .. great day .. spa tavern and skullards before the game .. miss the dell 😇

 

[Granite_City_Saint]

I was there for his debut hat trick. He had a good couple of years for us. We had a period where we had some really effective strikers, some young and others experienced like Boyer and MacDougal.

[Dellman]

George O'Brien is another forgotten man, he had a great scoring record. The only time I've seen him mentioned is when he died, recently

[Midfield_General]

Here he is scoring a lovely chipped free kick (about 1 min 30 seconds in). 

MLT would have been happy with that one! 

[Yorkshire Saint]

Didn't he become a skate as well.....Rideout kinda took his place but we missed out on Gordon Cowans

[Midfield_General]

When Rideout signed that was another great opening day - beat West Ham 4-0, with Rideout getting two on his debut. 

Forward line that day was Rideout and Clarke, with Danny and Rodney Wallace on the wings and Le Tiss off the bench. Pretty tasty that. 

[Yorkshire Saint]

7 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

When Rideout signed that was another great opening day - beat West Ham 4-0, with Rideout getting two on his debut. 

Forward line that day was Rideout and Clarke, with Danny and Rodney Wallace on the wings and Le Tiss off the bench. Pretty tasty that. 

Thats before Shearer started coming through shortly afterwards as well. AKA 4-1 v Liverpool 

[jameslastfan]

My memories of Boyer are linked to McDougall. The pre match warm up was always down the family enclosure at the Dell. Dad and I ( and everyone) had to have their Witts about them because to practice shooting and miss and get some poor Herbert in the face with a practice shot was pretty regular. If they got them in they would have even been better than they were. 

Never hit us so I guess I remember them well and fondly, but if I was on the receiving end might have knocked me out the ground. I remember the thuds so clearly!

Happy days and not thought of them for years, so the OP point is well made, but in their case it goes back a bit too far?

 

 

[egg]

54 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

When Rideout signed that was another great opening day - beat West Ham 4-0, with Rideout getting two on his debut. 

Forward line that day was Rideout and Clarke, with Danny and Rodney Wallace on the wings and Le Tiss off the bench. Pretty tasty that. 

Remember that game, great debut. 

My favourite Clarke moment was away at  Anfield, probably 87 or thereabouts. Scored a diving header in front of our away corner. 1-1 draw I think. 

[The Kraken]

That Hummel kit really was an absolute delight.

[Badger]

Signing Colin Clarke was considered an exciting move at the time coming after a fairly successful time at Bournemouth and the World Cup. Most Saints fans thought we'd pulled off a good deal and he certainly lived up to that promise in the early days especially the debut hat trick, and another a few weeks later against Newcastle I think.

Not sure why he isn't viewed that fondly now  although to be honest I don't think he was ever that much of a hero or cult figure whilst he was with us, in the way that Lambert was from Day One.

During his second season I think there were quite a few supporters who felt Clarke had put a bit of weight on, and had lost some of his 'energy' in the games. This lead to the inevitable suggestion that he'd lost interest and was looking to move. Can't remember if he declined a new contract but it was soon in the press that he wanted to move on, and eventually did. Probably some indifference to him by the time he left.

 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

8 hours ago, Turkish said:

He was my favourite player at the time. Following on from Steve Moran. I remember the day he signed clearly. it was front page of the echo as that sort of money was a big deal at the time. I was 9 and my dad worked for the echo office I was playing out the front when he came home from work and he walked down the garden and showed me the front page,  He’d had a decent World Cup with Northern Ireland, think he scored twice in 3 games? thought he was brilliant after that and desperate for him to join so over the moon when he did.

hatrick on his debut at home to QPR in a 5-1 win in the days when we used to start the season well. Was at the Man City game when he scored a great goal, cutting in from the left beating a couple of players and smashing it past the keeper

Two good seasons, got an injury in the second then he started agitating for a move to a bigger club. Ended up going to QPR FFS 

Probably forgotten because most people who post on here won’t remember him, he was only here for two seasons and despite wanting a bigger club he left for one the same size and never really did much the rest of his career. Ended up down the road playing for the vermin.

 

Same here. Moran first and then Clarke. When you look back over the years that I have been supporting Saints, we've had some superb forwards.

[Badger]

8 hours ago, revolution saint said:

Phil Boyer was top scorer in the old division one in 79/80 - no one ever talks about him either.  I'm too young to remember him but seems strange that a player who was the top scorer in the top division for a club like us isn't talked about much either.

Remember that season, and Phil Boyer, very well. Unfortunately for him though I think his time with us and even that season is eclipsed by his time playing in tandem with Ted MacDougall a couple of seasons before in Division 2, and then the signing and arrival of Keegan the following season.

The 79/80 season was pretty spectacular though, the most remarkable thing was that before Christmas he was the top scorer with all goals coming at The Dell. I remember seeing Saints at Ashton Gate v Bristol City on a Friday evening fixture before Christmas. Won 1-0, with Channon scoring, it was brass monkey weather and we spent the second half willing Boyer to score but it didn't happen that night. Think he broke his duck away at Anfield a few weeks later.

Thought he would play well with Keegan the following season but it didn't happen unfortunately.

[Cabrone]

Yes I'm another one in the Moran then Clarke fanclub, I guess that was my era. He was a great signing and scored his fair share, was sad to see him go. His goal at Fratton in 87 stands out, just before the mayhem on the way home.

[Greenridge]

I use to get his old boots. Sadly they never seemed to cope with their new defensive midfielder role. Maybe it was just the bloke wearing them. True story dat. 

[Ekelund]

8 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

Here he is scoring a lovely chipped free kick (about 1 min 30 seconds in). 

MLT would have been happy with that one! 

Wow! What a free kick, thanks for sharing 👍

[Fan The Flames]

On 07/08/2021 at 11:42, Toadhall Saint said:

Funny but I was thinking about this a few weeks ago - along with Phil Boyer. Both good CFs in their time with us

I was always Phil Boyer when kicking the ball about in the garden and always getting the last minute winner against Man U.

Moved on to Moran and then Clarke. We seemed to play Northern Ireland a bit whilst he was with us, so I was Clarke a lot in the playground smashing in another tennis ball hat trick.

The late 70's and 80's were brilliant, made school in a town outside of Southampton pretty good. My boy is having the opposite experience.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Boyer is the same with Boscombe supporters as well, Macdougal is a legend there amongst the older blokes but Boyer rarely gets mentioned. People forget he played for England once as well. 

[Badger]

On 07/08/2021 at 15:50, Midfield_General said:

Here he is scoring a lovely chipped free kick (about 1 min 30 seconds in). 

MLT would have been happy with that one! 

I was at that match, thanks for posting it.

Had forgotten about the works at the Leazes end of the ground next to where we were standing. 

[OttawaSaint]

I have very  fond memories of Colin Clarke. When I was a kid I was lucky enough to be the away mascot at St James’ park when we took on Newcastle in 1987.

Team had the likes of Bond, Cockerill, Townsend, Danny and Rod Wallace, Clarke, Flowers etc.

I got to chat with the players before the game. Townsend was an absolute psycho in the dressing room, all hyped up screaming and shouting about getting stuck in and stopping Glenn Roeder at all costs...lol.

When we got out onto the pitch I was a bit overawed by the occasion (big crowd, still terraces in those days)  and froze a bit. Colin noticed and came over with a ball so that we could pass to each other while he warmed up. Such a gent!

He scored that day but unfortunately I didn't bring the team enough luck, lost 2-1 (see highlights in Midfield General’s post above). 

I did get to meet a very young  Gazza and Mirandina, a Brazilian Newcastle had signed that season.

Edited 8 August, 2021 by OttawaSaint

[SNOWY]

I remember us playing at Stamford Bridge and the Chelsea fans singing "Your just a fat Kerry Dixon" to be fair it was a pretty accurate assessment. 

 

[Kenilworthy]

59 minutes ago, SNOWY said:

I remember us playing at Stamford Bridge and the Chelsea fans singing "Your just a fat Kerry Dixon" to be fair it was a pretty accurate assessment. 

 

To which he replied by scoring the equaliser. The crowd for that Easter Monday game was 11,500. But not one of  Chelsea's current fans have jumped on the bandwagon since they became successful...