Words of praise for new boy Carlisle

Aidy Boothroyd - words of praise for Clarke Carlisle

Carlisle had been with Watford for just under two years, as long as Wayne Thomas had been with the Clarets, and during that time he suffered from a rare thigh injury that forced him out of the game for a while and then spent a month on loan with their rivals Luton.

But, despite no longer being first choice at Watford, he's left with words of praise from his manager Aidy Boothroyd who signed him from his former club Leeds United.

Boothroyd said once the deal had been completed: "I feel that the transfer is a good piece of business for the club as the fee we'll get is double what we paid for him two years ago, and we are well covered at centre back.

"It is also important for Clarke to get the opportunity to play as many games as he can at his age and I couldn't guarantee him that if he stayed at Vicarage Road. Clarke is a brilliant guy and if his football ability matched his personality he would be captain of England.

"I know that he will be sorely missed around the club and people will be genuinely sad to see him go because the human qualities that he brings to wherever he works are invaluable. Therefore, I would like to wish him all the best for his future career."

Talking about the deal, Burnley boss Steve Cotterill said: "I've acted swiftly because with our situation with defenders we have been light from the word go. The signing of David Unsworth gave us a boost, but I knew this was going on with Wayne Thomas, so that is why I have brought Clarke in.

"I agreed a fee of £200,000 with Aidy Boothroyd the day of the Grimsby game, spoke to Clarke on Wednesday and now I am delighted to have him on board. We have got a good, experienced player at this level and it is a decent bit of business I suppose to sell a player for £1.2 million and bring in a player who could be very similar to Wayne. We move on. Clarke will train with his new team mates on Friday and hopefully there will not be too much disruption.

"Clarke is a big, strong lad who is athletic and a good leader. He is also a charming, sensible young man who is 27 years of age, which keeps the age of the squad down. He's been through quite a lot in his career, but he has always been a bit of a pain whenever we have had to play against him and from what I have seen I don't have any doubts that he will be a good acquisition to our squad once he has settled in."