The Imps’ winter signing Sam Clucas is in contention for the squad this weekend, as clarified by Tom Shaw in the pre-match press conference.
Sam has been conspicuous by his absence in recent weeks, leading many conspiracy theorists to suggest he is a club signing, not one the coaching staff wanted. However, standing in for Michael Skubala, Tom confessed that the former Stoke City man will be in contention for this weekend’s fixture against Cambridge United.
“Sam is training really well and in contention for the weekend,” said Tom. “Been a period of getting to know us, getting to know him, bending him a little bit into how we work and what we want from that position. Obviously, players in that position have performed very well.
“So he’s been a little bit patient and now he’s definitely in contention for the weekend. But you can see his quality every day. He’s very, very talented, and he’s been a pleasure to be around and coach and watch him work.”
Clucas returns to the club that released him in 2009, but has been made to wait to pull on the shirt for a second time, having only made a single appearance in his first spell. Since then he’s played in the Premier League, and moved for eight-figure sums.
Despite being 34, it’s clear he’ll add something to the Imps group, and Tom explained how he felt it was great business by the club.
“Yeah, it was a really well-planned bit of work by the club knowing what he can give us for the rest of the season. It was never going to be a straight in and playing. He’d obviously been at Oldham, so the intensity of League One’s a little bit different, you’d imagine.
“So we wanted to get him used to, it’s a lot of detail in that position in our team as well. So we wanted to get used to the tactical side of it, up to speed physically, and he’s there now. So he’s in contention. And he’s got to get the shirt off some really good players as well, Michael. That’s the beauty of our department in there.
“We’ve got some talented players, a few little injuries now that will open some doors, but we’re looking forward to giving Sam the opportunity at the right moment.”
One of the rumours doing the rounds is that Sam wasn’t a coaching staff signing, but someone that the club wanted. In fairness to Michael Hortin, he pushed Tom for an answer on that point, and our assistant head coach made it clear he was someone the coaching staff wanted.
“(It was) an absolute collaborative decision when a player of his quality is available to come to our club. We were all on board with that, and we just got to get the timing right.
“There’s other players that are doing really well in that role, and that’s the nature of it. And Sam will get his chance, I’m sure, in the very near future, and hopefully he’s as good as we all think he can be.”
He may get his chance this weekend, as an injury to Ethan Erhahon rules him out for a number of weeks. That’s the role Sam could almost certainly fill, and it’ll be interesting to see if we turn to him or Conor McGrandles for the visit of struggling Cambridge United.
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