Clark’s lucky his old gaffer didn’t listen to advice
Csaba Laszlo wasn’t short of advice when he considered signing Nicky Clark for Dundee United. Most of it was bad.
The ex-tannadice gaffer has revealed several people in the game tried to put him off recruiting the striker. They said Clark wouldn’t succeed if United returned to the Premiership and that he wasn’t robust enough to stay fit.
Clark will be grateful that Laszlo snubbed that sniping in May 2018 and gave him a deal when he left Dunfermline. For it proved well off the mark. The 29-year-old helped Robbie Neilson’s squad gain promotion last season.
Now he’s top scorer on 10 goals for Micky Mellon’s top-six Tangerines – form rewarded with a new two-year contract. Laszlo said: “The first time I saw Nicky for Dunfermline, I said: ‘This guy definitely has to play in our club next season. He’s the goalscorer you need if you want to move ahead’.
“But everyone told me not to touch him. I heard he was a hero for two games then injured for a month.
“They told me that he wasn’t going to be a Premiership player. But I took Nicky and I don’t ever regret that. “Believe me, he knows where the goal is. But I really think he’s best as second striker. His fantastic timing and balance impressed me. “When the ball drops to him, he always has himself in the right shape for a shot at goal. “He’s not the usual Scottish No. 9 striker, typically strong who goes in between.
“But he can be even better. I really don’t understand why a Premiership manager didn’t touch him sooner.” Clark couldn’t prevent Laszlo being sacked three months after he linked up with the Hungarian.
Now he’s ahead of 50-yarder hero Lawrence Shankland and Marc Mcnulty in the goal charts at Tannadice. Shankland was prolific for Ayr United when Laszlo also considered him a United target. But Laszlo, now coaching in India, believes the pairing would be appreciated far more in Dutch football. He claimed: “In another league, maybe they are a proper partnership – but not Scotland. They want one striker who is strong, fast and can head the ball. “In Holland, definitely, it’s different. I encourage many good players to look outside the normal. “Sometimes the crowd mentality in Scotland is they want the ball going forward quickly and you fight for the second ball. “Shankland is not the player for this, nor is Nicky. The ball into feet is what they need and they are both good at this.”