Jamie Clarke,the GAA's answer to Stephen Ireland?

[brokencrossbar1]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!

His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

[Walter Cronc]

Artist, artisan, bohemian. Jeez have you Cross men gone soft with that kind of language

JC is a superb talent. If he had been around 20 years ago he would have picked up numerous all stars.

I remember a few years back he was FF against Cavan. He won his first ball with ease to be confronted by 4 Cavan defenders. Would sicken any purist that.

[orangeman]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!
I
His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

Jamie is one of the few players you would jump in the car and travel a fair distance to go and watch. A special player with flare, style, vision and skill that should be appreciated and valued.

When he exits the footballing stage which hopefully won't be for a long time, we will look back on Jamie as this very special talent. He has ran a lot of defences ragged.

Best of luck to him in whatever he does in football and in life.

[brokencrossbar1]

Artist, artisan, bohemian. Jeez have you Cross men gone soft with that kind of language

We all are artists in our own right,  just some of us use a paint brush while others batter with a hammer and chisel!

[Gaa for life]

if some of the posters in this forum had of decided to travel a bit like Jamie intends on doing then they wouldn't be as bitter and narrow minded as to bad mouth a young lad who, after winning more medals than most clubs will see in 10 years, wants to travel and see the world. catch yourselves on and good luck to Jamie!

[armaghniac]

JC is a superb talent. If he had been around 20 years ago he would have picked up numerous all stars.

Absolutely.

I remember a few years back he was FF against Cavan. He won his first ball with ease to be confronted by 4 Cavan defenders. Would sicken any purist that.

This was par for the course. However, in similar situations Cross have managed to get men into his zone to get a pass, he has delivered some passes from the middle of crowds that seemed impossible. There have been games where he only scored a point or two, but assisted in a dozen scores. But Armagh last year were so withdrawn that there was often nobody to pass to, so allowing the blanket render Clarke useless.

We all are artists in our own right,  just some of us use a paint brush while others batter with a hammer and chisel!

Indeed, many drew the dole in an artistic way,  others draw up contracts and the like, and some draw silage.

[mackers]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!

His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

In fairness he has taken time out from his Crossmaglen duties in the past also.  He's a wanderer who comes in and out of both set ups as far as I can see.

[brokencrossbar1]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!

His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

In fairness he has taken time out from his Crossmaglen duties in the past also.  He's a wanderer who comes in and out of both set ups as far as I can see.

Of course he has but when push came to shove he has come in and done his duty for the club.  I can see him playing very little again as he is a wanderer but he is a special talent.

[Il Bomber Destro]

You have to hand it to Clarke, he's 26, hasn't done a days work in his life and has managed to see half the world on the back of his hobby which he hasn't even managed to really influence at the highest level of intercounty football.

Clarke hasn't done it at county level, that's just the bottom line of the matter. If he mirrored the efforts of other players he'd be one of the best in the country but he hasn't and that means he shouldn't be above criticism.

[Brick Tamlin]

..From who?.
guys behind keyboards, barstool experts?

[JoG2]

You have to hand it to Clarke, he's 26, hasn't done a days work in his life and has managed to see half the world on the back of his hobby which he hasn't even managed to really influence at the highest level of intercounty football.

Clarke hasn't done it at county level, that's just the bottom line of the matter. If he mirrored the efforts of other players he'd be one of the best in the country but he hasn't and that means he shouldn't be above criticism.

that's gutter rag levels of insight. The country has, is,and always will be full of supremely talented players who for reasons ranging from team tactics to geographical birth,  haven't achieved great success at county level. There's no bottom line here unless you aspire to the adage that anything other then ultimate success (in your terms county glory) is failure. Balls!

Jamie Clarke is an absolute joy to watch. He's naturally fit, naturally fast, can take take a hit and plays with skill and vision very very few others have. We're talking Linden, O'Neill levels. Tyrone posters have posted the names of a reek of current Tyrone forwards, listen, not a single one of them would come near to lacing Clarke's boots. Not even near it!

Best of luck to the lad. 

[smelmoth]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!

His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

I disagree on whether he would make the Dublin side but that is unproveable either way. The thread is being used to assess Jamie's ability but as surely the big issue here is the direction of travel of modern football (away from skill) and the specific set up in Armagh (reduced time with clubs, training like galley slaves, a limited match day gameplan that is neither exciting to watch or play in and ultimately a results outlook that is less than rosey). 

[screenexile]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!

His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

I disagree on whether he would make the Dublin side but that is unproveable either way. The thread is being used to assess Jamie's ability but as surely the big issue here is the direction of travel of modern football (away from skill) and the specific set up in Armagh (reduced time with clubs, training like galley slaves, a limited match day gameplan that is neither exciting to watch or play in and ultimately a results outlook that is less than rosey).

Connerton was in the paper today saying that 40% of the invitations he sent out to join his County panel were rejected. Cavan have lost 14 of last years panel . . . do we just ignore the problem until we're left with a bunch of running gym monkeys who can't kick a ball but are willing to train 4 hours a day to play football?!!

If the demands of inter county football weren't what they are Jamie Clarke would be playing. If he was around at the end of the 90s/early 2000s he'd have been a great!!

[stew]

Tony is winding lads, Jamie Clarke can do with his life as he sees fit, he has given more to football than he will ever get and instead of criticizing him Armagh men should simply say all the best Jamie and hope like hell they see him in the County Jersey again.

[yellowcard]

The reason why Jamie Clarke would start and stand out on the Dublin or Kerry teams is that the difference between them and Armagh is that they have other talented forwards which means that the defenders cannot afford to double mark Jamie.  I've seen him at training and in matches and some of the things he is capable of is unreal and for pure talent he is in the top 3-4 in the country,  on pure talent.  He is not a grafter, he is the artist not the artisan.  Armagh have 5 artisans and an artist when he plays,  the likes of kerry would have 3 artists and 3 artisans who have artistic tendencies!!

His first love is his club,  as it should be for every single player that plays the game and he is more committed to Cross than Armagh,  as it should be for any club player.  The difference is that he knows he will get success with Cross,  that will not happen very often in Armagh.  There are too many deficiencies in the county set up and as a result the artisan is becoming more popular than the artist.  Anyhow,  it makes no odds and from a Cross perspective I am glad we have him when we have.  At club level he will be replaced eventually but we enjoy him for his bohemian approach to the game!

I disagree on whether he would make the Dublin side but that is unproveable either way. The thread is being used to assess Jamie's ability but as surely the big issue here is the direction of travel of modern football (away from skill) and the specific set up in Armagh (reduced time with clubs, training like galley slaves, a limited match day gameplan that is neither exciting to watch or play in and ultimately a results outlook that is less than rosey).

Connerton was in the paper today saying that 40% of the invitations he sent out to join his County panel were rejected. Cavan have lost 14 of last years panel . . . do we just ignore the problem until we're left with a bunch of running gym monkeys who can't kick a ball but are willing to train 4 hours a day to play football?!!

If the demands of inter county football weren't what they are Jamie Clarke would be playing. If he was around at the end of the 90s/early 2000s he'd have been a great!!

Very good point. I'd imagine it will take the nornal course where the GAA is reactive rather than pro-active. They will eventually be forced into doing something with widespread media highlighting the issue. The current levels of committment are only sustainable for a player with a certain type of lifestyle. Young, single, no full time job (preferably no job at all). If Rory O'Carroll can leave a winning set up living in the capital and having a world of opportunities beside him then you can see the problems and demands being placed on players.