Jack Clarke breaks silence on poor Ipswich Town form with veiled nod to Tony Mowbray at Sunderland
Sunderland supporters continue to monitor Jack Clarke’s performance at Ipswich Town. Despite a slow start at Portman Road, Clarke has scored his first goal for Ipswich Town and may now be confident to score in the Premier League.
He scored in his team’s FA Cup victory over Bristol Rovers, which finished 3-0. In the FA Cup third round, Sunderland fell 2-1 to Stoke City after extra time.
Regis Le Bris and his team may now focus on Championship promotion. Ipswich, on the other hand, have a chance to win the FA Cup, however Kieran McKenna’s attention may be drawn to the Premier League, where his team is currently 18th.
McKenna will be hoping that by changing Clarke’s position, he has finally solved the Clarke puzzle and given him a confidence boost after scoring his first goal. If he has, he and Clarke may have Tony Mowbray to thank for building the basis.
Jack Clarke gave a veiled nod
Clarke, who recently scored his first goal for Ipswich Town, expressed confidence that his luck will alter if he continues to do the right things.
Clarke said: “That one felt nice and hopefully I can give myself a bit of momentum going into the next few games. I never try and think about it [poor form] too much. As long as you’re doing the right things day in, day out, your luck is going to turn at some point.”
And that echoes statements he made in 2023 when evaluating his excellent record at Sunderland under then-manager Mowbray. In an exclusive Sky Sports interview, he stated: “I believe he [Mowbray] identified our squad’s strengths.”
“We spent a lot of time figuring out what we were strong at and what would help us in specific games. Getting the ball in the correct places at the right time.
“I go out there every week and do my best. Things come off sometimes, but not always. To experiment and enjoy football. He offers you the platform.”
Tony Mowbray provided Jack Clarke a platform; now, Kieran McKenna must do the same.
In the same interview with Sky, Clarke mentioned how Mowbray suited him wonderfully as a player because he gave him ‘freedom’ to play and attack.
Clarke said: “For a young attacking player he gives you the freedom to express yourself, and that’s all I want to do.” At times for Ipswich though, Clarke has found himself quite deep, arguably because Ipswich are often penned back going up against much stronger opposition in the Premier League.
But McKenna has deployed Clarke in a new role. The Ipswich boss describes it as an ‘up right 10 role’ and in the game against Bristol Rovers, the highlights clearly show Clarke being much further up the pitch and closer to the opposition box, which is where he was most dangerous for Sunderland.
Clarke clearly learned a great deal at Sunderland under Mowbray. It’ll serve him well in the Premier League, but he and McKenna need to keep on experimenting, as Mowbray did at Sunderland, to finally unlock the winger’s huge potential.
The Black Cats will face off against Burnley on Friday evening in which will be a stern test for Sunderland coming up against a fellow promotion chasing side.
It is expected that Sunderland will line up yet again with a frontline of both Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor, who will have the tricky responsibility of performing against the best defensive side in the Championship.
Burnley boss Scott Parker has made his side a force that is incredibly difficult to break down, conceding just nine goals in 26 games, and Regis Le Bris must make his side wary of one player they are set to come up against on Friday.
It is expected that Sunderland will line up yet again with a frontline of both Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor, who will have the tricky responsibility of performing against the best defensive side in the Championship.
Burnley boss Scott Parker has made his side a force that is incredibly difficult to break down, conceding just nine goals in 26 games, and Regis Le Bris must make his side wary of one player they are set to come up against on Friday.
Sunderland must be cautious of the ability of Burnley shot-stopper James Trafford.
When looking at Burnley’s phenomenal defensive record in the Championship, one of the constants in the side is shot-stopper James Trafford, who has been spectacular for Parker’s side.
Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, whilst being a quality player, has somewhat of a tendency to be a player that is often targeted due to his hot streak of picking up fouls.
The Tunisian 21-year-old has already picked up five yellow cards this season, as well as a red card that was handed to him against Queens Park Rangers.
All it will take is for Sunderland to deploy a player to get under his skin and look to rile him up as there is no doubt that his hot streak he possesses could potentially backfire for himself and his side, in turn handing the advantage to the Black Cats.
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