Reaction From Town Boss Lee Clark

Last updated : 02 January 2011 By Thetashkentterror

Town boss Lee Clark
Huddersfield manager Lee Clark spoke to BBC Radio Leeds after his side's 2-2 draw against Carlisle at Brunton Park, Clark understandably disappointed to only take a point out of the game :


" Of course you are very disappointed when you are 2-0 up away from home and the clock ticking down and they (Carlisle) put you under a bit of pressure. But, we have had a poor finish to the year 2010 and I think it just showed a little bit of lack of confidence towards the end, not lack of confidence but just a little bit of eagerness to try to do things right.

" By doing that what we did we got too deep as a group and we couldn't get out just outside our box. That allowed Carlisle to start putting crosses into the penalty area, which they were always going to be dangerous from because, the lad (Gary) Madine is a massive threat. So, we are disappointed but we have to rebuild somewhere and that is a base where we can start looking towards more positive results certainly for this coming year.

" The first hour was great and I have just said to the players - why did we change and why did we drop so deep? Everybody you know, we had midfield players in a line with my back four, defending their keeper (Adam Collin's) kicks.

" Even when my lads, because my back two or my back lads were winning their fair share of first headers anyway. So if we had just stayed in the shape we already were in the middle of the pitch then we could have got the ball up to our strikers and not allowed them any momentum to keep coming back at us. "



" I just wanted to make us more solid today, I felt that even though for half an hour at Southampton we competed well it should have been 3-3 at half-time. So, for us to score three goals in the first-half of an away game just to be at level pegging it doesn't make things right. We obviously conceded another two here today but for over an hour we looked very, very solid.

" Carlisle changed the way they played after they started the game and they went a bit more 4-4-2 with the diamond so we just matched them up and gave them those types of issues. So, I thought there were one or two who have been brilliant, Peter Clarke shouldn't really have played, he has had this flu bug that has hit my squad over the Christmas period.

" Again, Jamie McCombe had a fitness test and he was no good, Peter was really struggling but just put himself on the line. Lee Croft and Joe Garner were left back, they couldn't even make it with us yesterday they were that poorly and we had four or five others with it. So, that forced my hand a little bit, I knew the formation I wanted to do but it was just the personnel, so it was obviously on the personnel situation where I had to wait until this morning when Jamie didn't feel too good when he had a run around.

" I thought Nathan Clarke did well, that is why I was disappointed, it wasn't necessary for our midfield players to drop that deep with the lads to try to help them out. Because, the four back lads were competing and winning, if not winning they were stopping them getting clean headers. So, our midfield players didn't have to drop deep with the back four because if we won the ball it was dropping down into their midfield area in the last half an hour. "



" That enabled them to move the ball out to their two full-backs (Matty Robson and Frank Simek) to get crosses in to keep us penned back. We didn't need that to happen and we were trying to get messages on to get the lads to just keep up and keep their shape and keep their position. Because they needed to, just because, yeah they brought (Francois) Zoko on and they had another threat and they had the three up, but we still had four defenders against their three.

" So, as long as they do their jobs properly, which they had done all afternoon, then we would be OK and we could compete for those second balls that are dropping into the middle. But, because we had at least two of the midfielders dropping into the back line, when the ball was dropping into midfield we were outnumbered.

" Kevin Kilbane has been signed to play as a central midfielder, certainly when we play as a 4-4-2 he will be a central midfield player. I think you have seen his qualities out there, a great athlete, gets around the pitch very well and composed on the ball. So, I think he can be very pleased with what he has done for us and we are looking forward to having him and working with him.

" Kevin has won nearly 110 Republic of Ireland caps and over 30 of those have been in central midfield, certainly all during Brian Kerr's reign as Republic of Ireland manager he played every game as a central midfield player. For Hull City, for Wigan Athletic, for Everton, for Sunderland, for Preston, he has played as a central midfield player. "