He's the pantomime villain of non-league football and everyone has an opinion on him, but with 174 goals to his name it's little wonder that Daryl Clare has made a few enemies on the way to signing for his tenth club.
Martin Ling has described the prolific striker as "the answer" as Cambridge seek to secure a return to the Football League, and it seems that Daryl's double strike for Gateshead against United in April might have made that apparent.
It brought his tally of goals against the U's to six in the last four seasons - "I've been a bit of a pain in the neck for Cambridge," he laughs, and he's not wrong.
But now he is intent on inflicting that pain on the rest of the Blue Square Premier on behalf of his new club, and the 31-year-old is nothing if not confident when he speaks about what he hopes to achieve within the duration of his two-year contract.
"I want to score 25 goals in each of the two seasons and get promoted, for me that will be a success," he says, with no suggestion he is anything less than 100 percent serious.
"Cambridge as a club can only go forward, they're signing better and better players every year and it looks like those dramas of the past three or four years have been buried. It all bodes well."
He is no stranger to drama himself, having experienced a few well-documented departures from previous clubs. Rather than trotting out the 'water under the bridge' cliché that many might hide behind, the Jersey-born striker confesses some regrets.
A fruitful spell at Boston United ended on a sour note when he fell out with acting manager Neil Thompson after a loss of form combined with an injury had seen him dropped to the bench.
"I was a young lad and there was probably still quite a lot of testosterone in my body, I'd just won my first Golden Boot the previous season but the new manager dropped me when I lost a bit of form," he explains.
"A young lad and a centre-half were picked ahead of me and at the time I took it badly, it hurt me. I reacted in the wrong way and the situation came about where I was left out completely. I think when you make a mistake it's important to be honest and say you did, and I admit it in that case.
"It's sad because I left the club on bad terms after what had been a good spell, but I like to think it was a one off and I've never been down that road again since."
But Mansfield manager David Holdsworth also described himself as "disappointed" with the way Daryl's move from Field Mill to Gateshead came about.
Things were a little more complicated in that instance, and Daryl maintains that some people have jumped to the wrong conclusions, too easily led by what they're told and not interested in finding out the other side of the story.
"I've always said there are things that happen that are private and between me and my family and they should stay that way, it's blatantly obvious if you don't do well at a club because you're injured or whatever, but sometimes it's stuff away from the pitch," he says.
"I had a difficult 18 months or so outside of football but I tried to keep the reasons private, unfortunately someone in quite a high-powered position opened the door half ajar and everyone waded in and made their own assumptions.
"Basically my wife had some difficulties and our baby was in a dangerous condition, and then on top of that I had to close down my property business which was hit by the recession and I was probably more affected by it than I realised at the time.
"For those reasons, which were carried over from my time at Rushden, I never really got going at Mansfield, but it's one of those things; if you did well at every club you had played for you'd be playing a lot higher, so most of us have got clubs in our history where things haven't worked out for whatever reason."
Gateshead's decision to go fulltime played a role in his move to Cambridge as the demands of travelling the huge distance to training five days a week were always likely to prevent Daryl from producing his best for the club. It was one departure which he says was definitely amicable.
Daryl has been close to signing for the U's on two previous occasions and the breakdown of those moves is something he believes has contributed to his impressive scoring record against the club.
"Games against Cambridge have always had a little added edge because I was actually disappointed not to be able to sign here before," he admits.
In the 2006/7 season the added meaning invested in matches against United seemed to be in evidence again as Daryl netted a last-minute penalty to give Burton a 2-1 win at The Abbey. His celebrations in front of the home fans did not win him any new friends.
But there was no malice nor provocation intended, he insists, before revealing the real reason for his over-exuberant reaction.
"On that occasion the goalkeeper had been sent off and a former team mate of mine, Danny Brown, had gone in goal for the penalty," he recalls.
"He was giving me a fair bit of verbal because he's like that, and he was trying to get inside my head. It was leading up to an important spell for Burton when we were chasing the playoffs and I just felt before I took the penalty it was one of those banana skin situations - you've got a mate of yours, an outfield player, in goal and it's a big moment in the season. It was about winning a psychological battle more than anything.
"There was nothing in the celebration that was aimed at any fans or anyone really, it was just an important goal and a bit of a personal victory over a friend of mine!"
There can be little doubt that his goals are the main reason why Daryl is the subject of so much stick at grounds up and down the country, but though he admits some recognition wouldn't go amiss, it would appear the abuse ultimately works in his favour.
"I've taken a lot of stick from supporters over the years and I have thought it would be nice one day to go to a ground and get a round of applause or be welcomed," he says, rather more in hope than expectation.
"But when you're scoring goals against teams you're not exactly going to be in favour with their supporters. I use it to spur me on to score more goals, that's what I do - I'm a goalscorer."
It's a reputation he will have to live up to at Cambridge, especially with some questioning if this prodigious frontman might just be past his best.
Martin Ling doesn't think so and has signed him with the conviction that he will score goals. So, is the former Grimsby Town trainee feeling the pressure of high expectations?
"Absolutely, and it's something I thrive on," says Daryl, without hesitation.
"It's what keeps me practising my shooting after training every day. I've always been under pressure. Daryl Clare is not allowed to score 15 goals a season because it's not good enough, Daryl Clare has got to score 25 goals or he's finished.
"I've been under that scrutiny for the last four or five seasons and I think it just pushes me on to keep banging in the big targets. I know Cambridge have signed me to be the leading talisman for the next two seasons and I gratefully accept that challenge.
"I'm as sharp as I've ever been - none of the qualities that have helped me get all these goals over the last ten years are qualities I've lost. If anything, I've got better with age."
But why, after a career of uprooting and moving on, is he so sure that Cambridge is a club he can settle at for two years of uninterrupted goalscoring bliss?
"You find out pretty quickly if a club feels right, I have had three spells where I've spent two and half seasons at a club, at Boston, Chester and Burton. I have comfortably settled at places and enjoyed it and if things feel right at Cambridge, which I'm sure on first impressions they will, I've proved I can deliver and I can be loyal.
"Looking at the size of the club, the fan base, the fact there is such a good manager in charge with League experience - it's got all the right ingredients."
Before joining, Daryl reveals he did his homework on United and their manager, and every single person he spoke to "spoke extremely highly of Martin Ling". Much like with Adam Miller, another recent recruit, the manager provided one of the main incentives to join.
Promotion from non-league's top tier remains the biggest ambition for the club and having experienced it twice before, Daryl knows better than most just what it requires.
"I've played for a couple of sides who have gone up without necessarily having the best or most talented players," he reveals.
"Like at Boston, we didn't have any superstars, but what we did have was an absolutely great team spirit and a real work ethic. It was the same at Chester where we romped the league with just a steady squad of players with the right attitude.
"Then on the other side of things I've played for the likes of Rushden and Mansfield who've spent big on trying to get the best players, not just from this league but the one above and even higher, and they've just not been able to find the right team to gel together."
That problem may be one that another much-maligned character has to deal with this season, as Steve Evans tries to keep his expensively-assembled Crawley squad happy.
Daryl has worked with the outspoken Glaswegian on two occasions and valiantly attempts to defend the man who he claims is misunderstood.
"You've got to know Steve Evans to judge him, if you go and sit down in a coffee bar with Steve Evans you'll realise what a right good laugh he is.
"I've worked for him twice, he's a taskmaster and he can be very harsh, but his teams are always up there so he must be doing something right. He can push players so far that they want to do well to prove him wrong.
"Maybe I fall into the same category sometimes, in terms of people not knowing me but judging me harshly anyway."
Not many people would lump themselves into the same category as Steve Evans, and even fewer would advocate sharing a latte with him, but it seems a typically candid insight from Daryl, who also offers his take on this season's promotion contenders.
"Crawley have spent a fortune so now from day one they'll be under pressure. Luton have a quality squad which they'll keep adding to and they're probably expected to win the league. Then you've got your usual suspects like York and a few others who will be up there.
"But the great thing about Cambridge United this season is they're quietly going about their business, signing a lot of young players who are potentially excellent. It'll be a young squad with no fear, and with a couple of experienced heads like me and Paul Carden in the mix I think we've got a right chance. Nobody is expecting us to do anything but we're hoping to sit nice and quietly in the pack and cause a surprise."
With youngsters like Adam Marriott, Josh Coulson, Sam Ives and Rory McAuley expected to play major roles in the forthcoming campaign, Daryl insists he will use all his experience to help the players around him.
"I'll definitely take a bit of extra responsibility, whether it's on the pitch or off it. Young players can go through spells of being on fire then they go a bit quiet for a couple of months and you can help take the pressure off them and keep them level-headed. I'm more than happy to pass on as much knowledge as I can."
The manager's plans are nearly complete, with just one more centre forward left to finish the picture, but Daryl insists he will play alongside anyone up top, be it the promising Marriot, the workaholic Danny Wright or the mystery fourth striker who, we are told, will have pace to burn.
"As a striker you've got to be adaptable, I like playing alongside someone who also has a good football brain, strikers should work in a partnership. But playing with a big man takes a lot of the workload away from you and takes pressure off the team generally.
"Without doubt, the ideal situation is to play attractive football, that's what people like to see and it's nice to play in a team like that too."
Once you add that last item to the wish list, it makes for pretty exciting reading: 25 goals a season, promotion, and football that's easy on the eye.
It might be time for people to cast aside their preconceptions and let Daryl's feet do the talking.
Interview by Russell Greaves
Danny NaisbittDanny WrightSimon RussellJames JenningsConal PlattAdam Miller Cambridge United: YOUR CITY - YOUR CLUB
Current 2010/11 Squad List/numbers:
1: Danny Naisbitt
2: Kevin Roberts
3: James Jennings
4: Josh Coulson
5: Brian Saah
6: David Partridge
7: Simon Russell
8: Adam Miller
9: Danny Wright
10: Daryl Clare
11: Robbie Willmott
12: Rory McAuley
14: Conal Platt
15: Paul Carden
16: TBA (Centre-forward)
17: Sam Ives
18: Daryl Coakley
19: Adam Marriott
20: Jordan Patrick
26: Blaine Hudson
27: Luke Berry
28: Jack Eades
29: Liam Hughes
30: Simon Brown
Cambridge United: YOUR CITY - YOUR CLUB
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