From bottom of the top tier to first in the second, Clark has emerged better than ever from his Aston Villa ordeal.
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez says he was always a fan of defender Ciaran Clark despite his disastrous relegation with Aston Villa last season, The Chronicle reports.
While the Republic of Ireland international was certainly not the worst player to don the claret and blue last season, Jolean Lescott has that particular gong sewn up, few expected The Magpies to bring him to St James’ Park as part of a squad pushing for an immediate return to the Premier League.
Nonetheless, Clark has repaid the considerable faith shown in him by Benitez, even forcing one of Newcastle’s few bright spots of last season, centre-half Chancel Mbemba (below), out of the starting line-up.
And the former Real Madrid manager has confessed that he had had his eye on the 27-year-old for some time, even when he was at the heart of a defence that conceded 76 times in the top flight last season.
“I liked him at Villa and he is a great professional,” Benitez told The Chronicle. “He’s done well & there is lots of competition in his position.”
There certainly is. The positive performances of the aforementioned Mbemba were something of an anomalie last season, while Jamaal Lascelles cemented his place on the team-sheet with a number of influential displays since Benitez took charge in March.
And that’s without mentioning Grant Hanley, the Blackburn Rovers captain and Scotland international signed for £6 million in the summer, according to the Daily Mail.
Yet, while Clark’s 2015/16 could hardly be more removed from his current position at the top of the Championship table, the stats hardly paint a dramatic picture of improvement.
Then again, considering the fact that Villa spent the majority of their time defending last season, whereas Newcastle are used to dominating games, Clark has come under much less pressure in the black and white.
That may explain why his tackles, aerial dues and interceptions have decreased per game. Yet, the most telling statistic here is his fouls per 90 minutes.
Dropping from 14 to 8 per cent, it’s clear that Clark is a more composed, cultured defender when freed from the chaos of Villa.
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