Adam Clayton

[nightporter]

James Milner is still doing it in the Premier league at 36.  33's nowt.

[DonnyOsmond]

We're only willing to shop in free transfers, so when it comes to January that leaves those without a club or where we can talk clubs into letting their player go. Hopefully Clayton will turn out decent, I personally would have gone with a 6 month deal and then pick up someone from another League Two team like Guy, McWilliams, Maris or Elliott Watt.

[Jimmydee]

Just as a signing should be, done and dusted then announced, hopefully he comes ready to go, lots of midfielder's are at their peak at 33,

Lewington is 37 year old, he created all of the MK play on Saturday.

He might RATTLE the back of the net and HUM a few of the critics.

[steve@dcfd]

Usually agree with you gaz but experience was exactly what we needed in this window

What is experience?? I think we needed maturity. You don’t have to be 33yo to have that.

Let’s be honest, he’s not fully fit but Agard looks like he can’t run and I saw Clayton at Birmingham, he’s the same.

They may end up being great players in L2 but this isn’t the way we need to be going. It’s not what intelligent operators do. Obviously depends on what he’s earning, if he’s on £500 a week then it may be a low cost gamble. Why not give him 6 months to see what he has left? I could make you 20 players that would walk to the Keepmoat for a contract in the summer that would be smarter options than Agard and Clayton.

Whatever league we are in this summer Gaz we will need the option of signing players. In Midfield we might have Bostock but his contracts up we will have Close if he recovers from injury. We will have to replace Galbraith and Smith. Up front we will need players.

[GazLaz]

We're only willing to shop in free transfers, so when it comes to January that leaves those without a club or where we can talk clubs into letting their player go. Hopefully Clayton will turn out decent, I personally would have gone with a 6 month deal and then pick up someone from another League Two team like Guy, McWilliams, Maris or Elliott Watt.

I’d carry Shaun McWilliams here from Northampton and he would sign as well.

It’s not just about age, it’s signing players who are regressive. I’d bet a very short price the best signing from this window is the one that’s most progressive, Younger.

Anyone can find outliers who’s performance remains pretty constant after 30/31 but generally it’s just not the case.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Pleased about this on the face of it. Vastly experienced and will add something extra to the side. I'm liking these additions but just feel they've come far too late. We will see though.

Is Clayton available for selection against Plymouth?

[Chris Black come back]

Not sure he is going to be fit for anything beyond a cameo appearance.

[rtid88]

Great signing, loads of experience and will certainly help Smith and Galbraith and some of our other younger lads.

I had given up all hope of staying up but with this signing and perhaps a left back and another striker we could still do this yet.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

Not sure he is going to be fit for anything beyond a cameo appearance.

He's only 33. Not 103.

[Colemans Left Hook]

that signing officially completes a "right handful " now we move over to the "left hand" to count the next signings    just like i have repeatedly said Burton did this time last year .......   

Déjà Vu ??   


update
at least we didn't have a Rovers Return for "spring chicken"  28 y.o Donervon Daniels released by Crewe  gone to Walsall short term.

[dickos1]

There’s no right or wrong answer with this signing at the minute. Let’s wait and see how he performs, that’s the only time you can suggest if it’s a good signing or not
If he plays well and we stay up he’s going to have been a very good signing

[EasyforDennis]

Coming from one of the glass half empty side of the fence I think this is very much a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I don't think we will avoid relegation this season but for me the signing of Adam Clayton suggests that the club definitely think otherwise.
Some would have moaned had we signed another midfield youngster on loan others moan that we have signed someone older and who isn't 100% fit to start.
Personally I think he could be a good signing and if we also manage to sign a striker we will have an outside chance of staying up.
For me it is more important to stay up this season, we can worry about next season once we know either way.

[Southboy]

Stop with the U2 jokes. Boy am I tied of it. Be New Years Day before it stops. I feel like The Fly on the wall watching it all. Please pay attention, or Achtung Baby to our German readers... (I'll stop now)....

[Colemans Left Hook]

"since-1961" seems to have hijacked a lot of users accounts on this thread

[aidanstu]

We’ve signed two 32/33 year olds in one window. Both played a dozen games in 18months. Whatever the situation, you never need to do that.

No doubt you'll get pelters for this (and I may do as well for this response) but it does make you wonder what the thinking is when the season is pretty much a foregone conclusion.

Not just that, but when you're trying to make the club sustainable, at 33, this is money you're not going to ever get back.

He's a decent player like and hopefully will do a job, but it doesn't jump out as very strategic to me.

It’s all about balance and people are never happy so the club can’t win.
When we signed the likes of younger and olowu the response is we need experience then when we sign experience the response is it’s not very strategic

I never said we needed experience when we signed Olowu and Younger. Don't think Gaz did either. I think they were two decent bits of business that will probably have upside if they both develop as players.

I knew I'd get accused of moaning or being "never happy" - it's not that at all. This guy will probably be a tidy player for the next 6-12 months if he can get fit quickly. But I care about the club and am concerned in the mid to long term that we haven't learned any lessons from what's happened before. Short-term fixes, no resale value, short term contracts and/or contracts expiring in bulk, gambles on players who aren't physically up to speed, managers dictating the football strategy and everything being ripped up when the next manager comes along.

I may well be proven wrong if the club starts doing deals like the Younger one that outweigh these ones (I hope so!). But out of the 4 signings this January, half of them have been in their 30's with patchy recent records of actually playing football, so forgive me for questioning it.

That's what's got us into the state we're in now. If I'm a moaning f*cker for not wanting that to keep happening, so be it.

Don’t worry it’s Dickos’ M.O. to put words in the mouth of others in order to cause an argument. He is either a WUM or lacks the capacity to process information properly.

[sha66y]

Nobody knows anything until it starts happening, I read and shudder at what must fill some peoples heads……everyone’s a gaffer !

[selby]

He puts a foot in and lays the ball off, and has been a useful member of some good teams. I think he is a great addition to our side, the type of player we have been missing, and will allow players in our young mid field the space and time to be more progressive and expansive.

[Jonathan]

I’m very happy with this signing. Of course he’ll need time to get match fit, but he brings a lot of things this team currently lacks.

[Avsuptem]

How long will it be before someone says his legs have gone ?

[normal rules]

Getting close to The Edge now.

A great tune by thirty seconds to Mars.

[MachoMadness]

How long will it be before someone says his legs have gone ?

[normal rules]

This from a brum forum.

“Good luck to him. Seemed like a decent guy from the interviews I've seen but he just didn't have the legs anymore to do a job for us.”

We shall judge him on his performance with us of course. A good acquisition for lge 2 if that happens.

[Ronnie Dovers]

I feel like a big reason (as well as injuries) we've struggled in the last year has been an over reliance on youth and loans. We've signed 2 experienced players, in positions we're desperately short, on permanent deals. That feels like fairly smart recruitment to me.

[phil old leake]

Bessie why does he need to build a league 2 side we’re staying up

[Filo]

On the face of it this is a good signing, just what we’ve been crying out for, Galbraith could thrive alongside him, lets see before putting the black dog on him eh?

[Upton Rover]

We’ve signed two 32/33 year olds in one window. Both played a dozen games in 18months. Whatever the situation, you never need to do that.

the younger ones could not do it, so experience could work

[belton rover]

I hope he’s not a pile of overrated kak, like his namesake’s band.

[Metalmicky]

I never said we needed experience when we signed Olowu and Younger. Don't think Gaz did either. I think they were two decent bits of business that will probably have upside if they both develop as players.

I knew I'd get accused of moaning or being "never happy" - it's not that at all. This guy will probably be a tidy player for the next 6-12 months if he can get fit quickly. But I care about the club and am concerned in the mid to long term that we haven't learned any lessons from what's happened before. Short-term fixes, no resale value, short term contracts and/or contracts expiring in bulk, gambles on players who aren't physically up to speed, managers dictating the football strategy and everything being ripped up when the next manager comes along.

I may well be proven wrong if the club starts doing deals like the Younger one that outweigh these ones (I hope so!). But out of the 4 signings this January, half of them have been in their 30's with patchy recent records of actually playing football, so forgive me for questioning it.

That's what's got us into the state we're in now. If I'm a moaning f*cker for not wanting that to keep happening, so be it.

Did you feel the same way about James Coppinger when he was still playing for us at 39/40...?  I get where you are coming from, but Adam Clayton has only just turned 33 (younger than Tommy Rowe) and was playing in the Championship less than a year ago.... He will bring invaluable experience, cost us nothing and I doubt that he will be on a huge wage...

Let's see how hungry he is..... if we can get him fit and playing to anywhere near his potential, we will have a good player on our hands - for no significant outlay. 

[DonnyOsmond]

We’ve signed two 32/33 year olds in one window. Both played a dozen games in 18months. Whatever the situation, you never need to do that.

the younger ones could not do it, so experience could work

Couldn't do what?

[normal rules]

Bessie why does he need to build a league 2 side we’re staying up

I did say “if” that happens.