What is Alan Smith's role exactly?

[Guest teepee]

i also wonder why he isn't pushing up behind viduka more often. it would put so much pressure on the opposition with their defenders forced to keep an eye on him as well as viduka and martins also coming through the middle.

 

the way i see it we can chose from one of two ways of playing three in the middle:

 

two dcms covering the back four and one very acm pushing forward, but coming deep to get the ball

 

or

 

one "ultra" dcm covering and two acm's taking turns running forward and spraying the ball around

 

atm we are simply playing with three dcm's. this is not very attractive, and will not produce many chances, but it is very deliberate. sam sees our defensive weaknesses as the most important to adress. and he has a point, we have the individuals to scores goals anyway, but we cannot do it the other way around.

 

once the team becomes more settled i reckon we'll see more attacking from the cm's as well.

[Guest jimmy1982]

If Sam plays 433 as it looks like he might, I think alot of people are agreed that Owen and Martins don't fit in. So lets assume BS has got a strong enough character and enough confidence in his convictions to leave the two of them out (I think a more likely senario is that he compromises and fits one or both of them in from now til January/next summer when he hopes someone will come in with loads of cash for them). Anyway, imagining a squad without those 2, I reckon Smith is perfect for the role Diouf played in the 433 at Bolton, but he's even better cos he's a more complete player than Diouf. So he can compete with Miner for that role and that leaves Zogs and Duff to compete with the other striker position alongside Viduka, and a midfield three of whoever Sam wants form Barton, Geremi etc. Obviously it would take a brave man to disregard Owen and Martins though, given the money they've cost and their reputations worldwide.

[Guest Knightrider]

Smith is no where near as good as Diouf in terms of ability or being able to operate on the right. For me he was signed for his versatility and his character, he's getting games in midfield due to the injuries of Emre and Barton, when they return I expect him to be picked on the right or up front, alternating with others, while being used in midfield when injuries and suspensions occur. I'd like to think Big Sam won't start him in midfield every week as he's plainly not good enough in there.

[madras]

you also have to remember the games in which he's played so far, 2 away games (one in which we are 3 up after 30mins) in which the midfiled 3 has to take on a more organised defensivly role and one home game in which it could be said the whole team never fired.

[Guest shaun11177]

Sam said in his interview with the Times he was the link between the Midfield and Attack in the 433. So far he has been the missing link.

More like cover if Martins or Owen leave.

[Parky]

Sam said in his interview with the Times he was the link between the Midfield and Attack in the 433. So far he has been the missing link.

More like cover if Martins or Owen leave.

 

Bear in mind this is a newish role for him and we're only 3 games into the season.

[Guest jimmy1982]

Smith is no where near as good as Diouf in terms of ability or being able to operate on the right. For me he was signed for his versatility and his character, he's getting games in midfield due to the injuries of Emre and Barton, when they return I expect him to be picked on the right or up front, alternating with others, while being used in midfield when injuries and suspensions occur. I'd like to think Big Sam won't start him in midfield every week as he's plainly not good enough in there.

 

Well I'll have to disagree with you there Coach. I think Smith could do very well in that role - I think he would get as many if not more goals than Diouf (who is not very prolific at all for a front player). That role as the most defensive of the front three in the 433 requires a lot of discipline to keep getting in behind the ball as soon as we lose posession - Smith definitely has the edge over Diouf here as well. Added to that he'd take some responsibility for winning balls in the air (neither Anelka or Diouf do this at Bolton) and he would be in his element I reckon. Long term I'd like to see Milner be first choice, but its good for everyone if Milner doesn't have the preesure of being the only option in that position at such a young age, so we've got Smith as another very strong choice. His versatility definitely made him a more attractive signing, but I don't think he was signed as a utility man - for one thing I don't think he would have agreed to come unless Sam had a role for him, as it seemed he'd had enough of being moved about at Man U. Watch him prosper once he's settled into one position and gets used to it.

[Parky]

Smith is no where near as good as Diouf in terms of ability or being able to operate on the right. For me he was signed for his versatility and his character, he's getting games in midfield due to the injuries of Emre and Barton, when they return I expect him to be picked on the right or up front, alternating with others, while being used in midfield when injuries and suspensions occur. I'd like to think Big Sam won't start him in midfield every week as he's plainly not good enough in there.

 

Well I'll have to disagree with you there Coach. I think Smith could do very well in that role - I think he would get as many if not more goals than Diouf (who is not very prolific at all for a front player). That role as the most defensive of the front three in the 433 requires a lot of discipline to keep getting in behind the ball as soon as we lose posession - Smith definitely has the edge over Diouf here as well. Added to that he'd take some responsibility for winning balls in the air (neither Anelka or Diouf do this at Bolton) and he would be in his element I reckon. Long term I'd like to see Milner be first choice, but its good for everyone if Milner doesn't have the preesure of being the only option in that position at such a young age, so we've got Smith as another very strong choice. His versatility definitely made him a more attractive signing, but I don't think he was signed as a utility man - for one thing I don't think he would have agreed to come unless Sam had a role for him, as it seemed he'd had enough of being moved about at Man U. Watch him prosper once he's settled into one position and gets used to it.

 

 

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[Kev]

I still havnt got a clue on his role after his few games...he plays like geremi and butt  is he not the attacking player of them 3?

[Keefaz]

I still havnt got a clue on his role after his few games...he plays like geremi and butt  is he not the attacking player of them 3?

 

Not on the evidence so far. Does a similar job but about half as effectively as either of those.

[Guest jamesmartinsmith]

Now Luque's gone and Emre and Barton will be back in the next month he should start to be given chances as a striker.

[McCormick]

I still havnt got a clue on his role after his few games...he plays like geremi and butt  is he not the attacking player of them 3?

 

Not on the evidence so far. Does a similar job but about half as effectively as either of those.

 

disagree.. ability-wise he's miles ahead of butt. butt's passing is absolute crap- too often he has to make up for his mistakes. 1st game at bolton smudge was great, last 2 games not so much but i'd still choose him over butt since geremi is a class above and plays the same position.

[Keefaz]

Think Butt's been better than both of them the last two matches, tbh.

[Guest Pie]

Think Butt's been better than both of them the last two matches, tbh.

Think there's been little to differentiate between them. All too similar in terms of style and output so far.

[Kev]

Think Butt's been better than both of them the last two matches, tbh.

 

agree, butt hasnt had a really bad game in months

geremi and smith have been shite past 2 games

[Cajun]

A versatile Scott Parker without the twirls. Still think the £6m could have been spent better.

[Lenny]

When everyone's fit, I don't think he should be in our strongest 11. That said though I still dont think he'll turn out to be a bad signing, he (like practically all of our players) need time to settle into a new club and a new managers ideas.

[JH]

Smith is not a good midfield player. It's as simple as that. Ferguson tried to convert him and IMO has terribly failed. When midfielders return from injury, I'd like to see Smith pushed upfront, where I reckon we'll see more from him.

[Guest Dan]

when everyone's fit i imagine smith's role will be in the bench

[Dunedin]

In the Middlesboro game I wasn't aware he was on the pitch for the second half. Poor against Aston Villa as well. Agree with those who say he is not a mid field player

[timnufc22]

He should be bombing into the box much more and we havent seen it.

[The College Dropout]

A versatile Scott Parker without the twirls. Still think the £6m could have been spent better.

 

Agreed.

 

There is no way he should get a game ahead of Owen or Martins. What the hell is he going to do on the right? I thought he was hear to be Kevin Davies away from home.

[Rich]

To give Nicky Butt competition in the fouls/yellow cards stakes?

[Parky]

The this is fast sinking into the depths of depravity.

 

Given time to gel and with some more games imo he will shine.

[Guest Knightrider]

To be fair to Smith, in the past 4 years or so he has selflessly allowed several coaches to basically drill out everything he's ever learned himself and become, in order to fill a gap. It will take a long time for someone to get him back to the player he once was; a talented striker. He's neither that nor a midfield destroyer at the momemnt. I trust in time he'll become an effective player for us though, albeit from a squad perspective. He needs a good run of games up front to unlock the conditioning.