Coming to a new club as a record transfer signing, a lot
of 20-year-olds would probably think they have made it and want to be the star
of the show, but not Jonson Clarke-Harris.
The striker joined the Millers from Oldham on transfer deadline day in August for a fee, although undisclosed, thought to be around
£400,000.
Arriving in the Championship after just one season of
regular football in League One, boss Steve Evans touted his new man as a
signing for both the present and future, with the emphasis perhaps put on the
future.
And it was a slow start for the Leicester-born frontman
until his Millers career burst into life when he came on as a substitute in the
Yorkshire derby with Leeds and less than two minutes later thumped in a
swerving shot from 25 yards which earned a famous win.
Then, when rewarded with a start against Fulham three days later, he added
to his tally with a cute finish from Ben Pringle’s cross in the pulsating 3-3
draw to put his name up in lights.
But throughout it all, Clarke-Harris has remained totally
grounded, though that may not be too difficult with Evans' selection as he surprisingly found himself out of the team for the 1-1 draw at Brighton on Saturday.
Nevertheless, he is unfazed about the weight of his price tag and knows
he has to work hard both in training and on the pitch if he is to get a regular
run of games.
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| Jonson Clarke-Harris opened his Millers account in fine style against Leeds |
"There’s no pressure on me about my fee, I am just
one of the boys, I have come here to play football,” he said.
“The price hasn’t got anything to do with me, I am just
here to play football.
“The gaffer tells you the truth, he has been telling me
what I need to work on, what I am good at.
“He knows when it will be my chance to play. I have been
too inconsistent on the training pitch, there’s things that I need to work on
and tick some boxes in his head.
“I am grateful for that, even if it is negative or
positive feedback, I always like to listen, advice is good for me, I will take
it from absolutely anyone.
"There are little things in training that have
probably put me back a little bit.
“It’s little things that I know I need to improve on for
me to be a regular starter.
“It’s a team game, I have done well in the last two games
but I could do something in training that makes the gaffer think ‘Well he’s not
ready’. I take every day as it comes and I will always wait for my chance.”
Evans may be willing to tell Clarke-Harris exactly what
he needs to be improving on because the Scot knows what a potential star the
striker is.
And he has been shouting it from the rooftops, though
concedes it may take time until Millers fans see the best of their record
signing.
“People should remember his name, we think he is a
special talent," said the boss.
"We beat some big clubs in the Championship to get
his services.
"He needs to be instilled with confidence every day
and I will be the manager that gives him that.
"He really has every attribute. He is very talented,
he is strong, but at times he has a schoolboy approach with his runs.
"We really think he could be a real find and talent,
but we need to work with him.
“There's a lot more to come from him, though, he has got
staggering potential.
“We have watched him enough times to realise what he was
doing at Oldham was all self taught.
“He needs to be coached into becoming a more accomplished
striker, about timing his runs and when to go long and short.
“It was the raw potential we saw, it will be 18 months before
we have him right.
“He has just left his teens. He has settled in, he's a
lovely kid. He is son in law material, if your daughter walked in with him
you'd be happy.
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| Record-breaking Arsenal striker Thierry Henry was an idol for JCH |
“He conducts himself properly and the nice thing from
our point of view is he wants to improve, he wants to get out on the training
ground and work hard.
“He wants us to teach him and work with him and when he
has that desire there's always an opportunity.”
Evans believes that Clarke-Harris’ array of attributes
are so unique that he is incomparable any modern striker.
Comparison is also something Clarke-Harris himself wants
to avoid, though admits to admiring a certain former Arsenal striker and hopes
he can emulate his prolific nature.
“I don’t compare myself to anyone,” he added. “There are
players that I like but I don’t really want to compare myself to any of them. I
am just here to my job as the player I am.
“But Thierry Henry was a hero. He had pace, power and
could finish so he is the all-time person that I wanted to be.
“I see myself able to score 15 goals a season, if I
didn’t I wouldn’t want to be a striker. That is the goal that I want to be
aiming for.”
