"Against it" - Middlesbrough FC frustration at imminent Derby County deal made clear | OneFootball

Middlesbrough's Matt Clarke is set to join Derby County until the end of the season, but FLW's Boro fan pundit is against the move.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Middlesbrough are set to offload defender, Matt Clarke, to Derby County.

It was first exclusively reported by Football League World that the Rams were in pole position to sign Clarke from Middlesbrough until the end of the season. The defender previously impressed at Pride Park, having spent two seasons on loan there, and was a regular in defence, so it will be a welcome signing for Derby.

However, from a Middlesbrough perspective, it may come as a surprise to see Clarke offloaded given the side's defensive issues this season.

Soon after Football League World revealed that Derby were looking at signing the defender, it was understood that Portsmouth were going to provide competition for his signature, according to Darren Witcoop.

However, John Percy all but confirmed that Clarke was heading to Pride Park once again on a deal until the end of the season.

Middlesbrough fan offers Matt Clarke verdict

Football League World spoke to their Middlesbrough fan pundit, Jasper Hudson, this week, who was rather disappointed at their club's decision to offload Clarke, but was not too concerned over a loan deal.

"Losing Matt Clarke will be really frustrating in my opinion. Our defence has been poor for the most part of this year and every defender has been blamed at one point or another for a poor run of performances.

"The best I can really say is that Dijksteel has been fairly consistent at right back and Fry has been good when coming in. Rav's had a few shockers, Edmundson's had a few shockers, especially of late. Clarke, as well, has had a few iffy moments this season, but I still think there's a really good defender in there.

"He's an out-and-out defender, body on the line and that really shows. At the back end of last season, he was making these really wonderful tackles and blocks, and we were actually quite good defensively last year, and Matt Clarke had a really good run of performances.

"To lose him on loan when, I think, he's our third-best defender all-round and first in terms of actual defending at the club, would be frustrating. If it's a loan and not a permanent, that's fine, but it would just be a bit confusing as to why we're letting him go when the defensive performances haven't been good enough.

"He's naturally left-footed as well, which would help us play out from the back better, so I'm against it, but I understand he's frustrated at not getting the game time. It seems that the club prefer Edmundson, Rav and Fry anyway, so it's frustrating, but if he wants to go, that's fair enough, and hopefully, it's only a loan."

Middlesbrough are serious contenders for the play-offs

As it stands, Boro occupy the final spot in the play-offs, but are just two points above the chasing pack, so will have to find some consistency to stay there.

So far, they have won 12 of their 29 Championship games, while drawing eight and losing nine, so if they can turn some of those poorer results into wins, they will be a real threat in the promotion race.

However, that requires a solid defence, and Boro have failed to really show that they are solid at the back this season, having conceded 36 goals, which is the most of any side in the top eight.