Clarke Leads By Exam
The Football League Paper|December 01, 2019
Saddlers skipper seeks to inspire...
Luke Baker
Clarke Leads By Exam
JAMES Clarke has never really thought of himself as captaincy material but with the Walsall armband thrust upon him, he’s certainly making his mark.

For a man who “fell into the role” this summer, the defender has certainly taken his responsibilities seriously – calling a ‘players only’ meeting last month that helped spark an upturn in form.

A run of six straight losses heading into November necessitated something drastic, especially after manager Darrell Clarke labelled the team mentally soft and weak-minded.

So, the skipper gathered the squad together – without the boss present – and a subsequent run of three wins and two draws in all competitions signifies steady improvement.

“A few home truths were said amongst us,” said the defender. “It livened a few of us up – we got back to basics and played to our strengths, not our weaknesses.

“We managed to grind out a few decent results from it. It has to come from within us as players sometimes, it can’t always come from the manager.

This story is from the December 01, 2019 edition of The Football League Paper.

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This story is from the December 01, 2019 edition of The Football League Paper.

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