McCormack: We've moved on since Clarke (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)
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McCormack: We've moved on since Clarke
6:00am Saturday 20th October 2012 in Sport By Sam Morshead
BUST-UP: Leon Clarke during his spell at Swindon
LEON Clarke’s return to the County Ground will not affect the Swindon Town players one bit, according to club captain Alan McCormack.
The striker arrives back in Wiltshire today for the first time since the infamous occasion last August when the 27-year-old, then part of the Town squad, refused to leave the pitch post-match following a scrap with manager Paolo Di Canio in the tunnel.
Clarke, who had only been with the Robins for 12 days, was soon packed off on loan to Chesterfield and never represented the club again - and all eyes are likely to fall on the forward should he come into contact with his former boss this afternoon However, McCormack emphasised how long ago the incident took place and how little it means in the greater scheme of things.
“We haven’t even thought about it, we haven’t even spoken about it. It’s a long time ago that it happened.
“It’s over a year now and everyone moves on in life, things happen in life especially in football where people have such a high opinion of certain things.
“We aren’t going to look to go out and dislike a player because of what happened, what happened was between him and the staff at the club and everyone knows that.
“He’s moved on, we’ve moved on, we had a very successful year last year and we go out to win the game - whether it’s against him or against any other player that’s left this club.
“It makes no difference, we want to win the game and that’s what we’ll go out to do this Saturday.”
Three other players with recent associations to Swindon are also part of the Scunthorpe squad, with Callum Kennedy, David Prutton and Mike Grella all in line to face their former club.
That will mean plenty of reunions during the warm-up but McCormack stressed that, once the game gets under way, pleasantries will be quickly abandoned.
“As soon as it comes to the game at three o’clock, any player will tell you, friendship does go out the window a little bit and you have more arguments with your friends that you’re close to on the pitch in a game than you do off the pitch,” he said.
“There’s no friendship in football. Come three o’clock it’s all about getting three points for Swindon Town.”
Comments(19)
batch
says...
7:28am Sat 20 Oct 12
Prutton on the other hand was chief teapot in a team of chocolate teapots.
Swindon1984
says...
7:46am Sat 20 Oct 12
batch wrote:Very good - now I have an image Leon Clarke as an actual walking, talking teapot - like Angela Lansbury in beauty and the beast. Ugh...
Clarke may be a ****, but he's handy at this level. That's why Paolo bought him.
Prutton on the other hand was chief teapot in a team of chocolate teapots.
BillyLucas4me
says...
8:02am Sat 20 Oct 12
Striker
Goals With:-
Swindon 0 in 2
Chesterfield 9 in 14
Charlton 1 in 6
Crawley 1 in 3
Scunthorpe 6 in 7
i.e. 17 in 32
He owes us 2 to-day (own goals?)
the real Tosh man
says...
8:30am Sat 20 Oct 12
BillyLucas4me wrote:Pretty handy eh, I was disappointed he went. Exactly what we're missing right now.
lazaat asked 'Leon Who?'
Striker
Goals With:-
Swindon 0 in 2
Chesterfield 9 in 14
Charlton 1 in 6
Crawley 1 in 3
Scunthorpe 6 in 7
i.e. 17 in 32
He owes us 2 to-day (own goals?)
SAPFanSTFC
says...
8:41am Sat 20 Oct 12
the real Tosh man wrote:...what?...an overgrown cry baby with an over inflated ego...just look at how many clubs he's played for and you get the idea that the negatives outweigh the positives.
BillyLucas4me wrote:Pretty handy eh, I was disappointed he went. Exactly what we're missing right now.
lazaat asked 'Leon Who?'
Striker
Goals With:-
Swindon 0 in 2
Chesterfield 9 in 14
Charlton 1 in 6
Crawley 1 in 3
Scunthorpe 6 in 7
i.e. 17 in 32
He owes us 2 to-day (own goals?)
---.
We've got better, the goals will come.
---.
Updated League Tables and Coventry Results Here:
---.
http://www.thisisswi
ndontownfc.co.uk/new
s/headlines/9987726.
PREDICTIONS_LEAGUE__
Coventry_results/?ac
tion=success
===.
...and add your predictions for this week here:
---.
http://www.thisisswi
ndontownfc.co.uk/new
s/9993791.PREDICTION
S_LEAGUE__Swindon_v_
Scunthorpe/
SAPFanSTFC
says...
8:41am Sat 20 Oct 12
the real Tosh man wrote:...what?...an overgrown cry baby with an over inflated ego...just look at how many clubs he's played for and you get the idea that the negatives outweigh the positives.
BillyLucas4me wrote:Pretty handy eh, I was disappointed he went. Exactly what we're missing right now.
lazaat asked 'Leon Who?'
Striker
Goals With:-
Swindon 0 in 2
Chesterfield 9 in 14
Charlton 1 in 6
Crawley 1 in 3
Scunthorpe 6 in 7
i.e. 17 in 32
He owes us 2 to-day (own goals?)
---.
We've got better, the goals will come.
---.
Updated League Tables and Coventry Results Here:
---.
http://www.thisisswi
ndontownfc.co.uk/new
s/headlines/9987726.
PREDICTIONS_LEAGUE__
Coventry_results/?ac
tion=success
===.
...and add your predictions for this week here:
---.
http://www.thisisswi
ndontownfc.co.uk/new
s/9993791.PREDICTION
S_LEAGUE__Swindon_v_
Scunthorpe/
RAYSPARROW
says...
8:56am Sat 20 Oct 12
southside7
says...
9:04am Sat 20 Oct 12
batch wrote:Prutton was a poor player for us, glad he's cut his hair though he looked a right t1t.
Clarke may be a ****, but he's handy at this level. That's why Paolo bought him.
Prutton on the other hand was chief teapot in a team of chocolate teapots.
mallorca
says...
9:04am Sat 20 Oct 12
Plus all the off field antics have not helped.I sometimes think about this 1.5% that we overspent the embargo has taken a back seat and no doubt the powers to be will let us all know what's happening.
Feel they should concentrate on the football side of things and just get on with it.
I guess like a few of you all we get a feeling that just maybe all is not right at the CG
All these smoke screens this week /looking for money investors /middle east connects,is way beyond me.
Still I just hope the Team can carry on as normal,ok have a few hic-cups at home but overall a decent start to season in the top 6 cannot be that bad/
Good luck today TOWN get the result
stfcknowitall
says...
9:09am Sat 20 Oct 12
As the adver has said we have 3 former town players all up against us today, prutton doesn't bother me but leon and callum could definately be a threat, just hoping that another former left-back doesn't whip in another free kick against us again as we all know kennedy has a very good left foot when it comes to free kicks!
COME ON YOU REDS!!
RAYSPARROW
says...
9:22am Sat 20 Oct 12
mikek
says...
10:37am Sat 20 Oct 12
Oi Den!
says...
10:48am Sat 20 Oct 12
swindonmatt
says...
11:42am Sat 20 Oct 12
southside7
says...
12:47pm Sat 20 Oct 12
London Red
says...
1:34pm Sat 20 Oct 12
.
Once and you maybe right - but how do you explain bust ups at the majority of his parent clubs?
.
PdC said he got messages saying good luck with that one after it was announced we signed him - so clearly has a record - PdC said he hoped Clarke would see this as "one final chance" but no it was too much to ask!
.
Same as Leon Knight - PdC was going to give him a chance - but as they say a leopard can't change it spots!
Swindon1984
says...
2:26pm Sat 20 Oct 12
Oi Den!
says...
5:29pm Sat 20 Oct 12
London Red wrote:I didn't know about the other bust-ups. I knew he'd had a lot of clubs but didn't know the reason for all the moves. PDC has never changed his spots, yet most of us are happy to tolerate his outbursts during and after nearly every game!
Den you seem to have conveniently forgotten his entire career!
.
Once and you maybe right - but how do you explain bust ups at the majority of his parent clubs?
.
PdC said he got messages saying good luck with that one after it was announced we signed him - so clearly has a record - PdC said he hoped Clarke would see this as "one final chance" but no it was too much to ask!
.
Same as Leon Knight - PdC was going to give him a chance - but as they say a leopard can't change it spots!
Lazaat says...
6:43am Sat 20 Oct 12