Alan Smith

[Cajun]

Shearer-esque minus the goal threat, so Heskey-esque I suppose

[SUPERTOON]

Was Brilliant and as most people have been saying he must play upfront or not at all

[hakka]

I'd prefer we kept and played Smith upfront.  Sell Ameobi and buy another centre midfielder in Jan.

[Yorkie]

We'll need Shola in Jan - but i don't think he's got any future here long-term.

[Cajun]

If we got someone like Elano (I wish) we could sell Shola and have a player capable of player as an attacking midfielder or off the front man.

[hakka]

If we got someone like Elano (I wish) we could sell Shola and have a player capable of player as an attacking midfielder or off the front man.

 

That russian lad Arshavin can play midfield, upfront or support striker.  Good replacement for Ameobi?

 

 

[Cajun]

Never really seen him (obviously the England games but can't really judge from that). But yeah if he is that sort of player then get him in!

[tmonkey]

We should loan Ameobi out to a smaller club instead of selling him, since he has a great deal of potential and could be an England international one day.

[Cajun]

We should loan Ameobi out to a smaller club instead of selling him, since he has a great deal of potential and could be an England international one day.

 

All joking aside half a season in the championship could shoot his value up.

[Sparks]

While its good to see Smith finally playing in the correct position and producing the goods, I've got to laugh at the fact he has gone from being utterly hopeless a few weeks a go to a certain starter. The performance Smith produced yesterday is what you always get from him as a forward. A hard working battler but not a goal threat.

[Guest fraser]

While its good to see Smith finally playing in the correct position and producing the goods, I've got to laugh at the fact he has gone from being utterly hopeless a few weeks a go to a certain starter. The performance Smith produced yesterday is what you always get from him as a forward. A hard working battler but not a goal threat.

 

Toure sought out Smith after the match to congratulate him. Whilst agreeing with the comment about his goal-scoring ability to describe last night's performance as simply that of 'a hard working battler' seems ungenerous, not to say lacking in appreciation.

[Cajun]

As said the forward version of Scott Parker

[Guest alex]

We should loan Ameobi out to a smaller club instead of selling him, since he has a great deal of potential and could be an England international one day.

 

All joking aside half a season in the championship could shoot his value up.

Need to do it quickly then. He's out of contract in summer 2009 iirc.

[Mowen]

We should loan Ameobi out to a smaller club instead of selling him, since he has a great deal of potential and could be an England international one day.

 

All joking aside half a season in the championship could shoot his value up.

 

Worked for Chops

[plenum]

Aye, he was blilliant against ARSE'nal. Won every headr from throw-ins. Credit to Geremi for precision-throwing n' all. Smith/Martins up-front with Viduka on an offensive midfield position please. Or perhaps drop Martins coz he's not in form, but then again who is?

[Unlucky Luque]

Aye, he was blilliant against ARSE'nal. Won every headr from throw-ins. Credit to Geremi for precision-throwing n' all. Smith/Martins up-front with Viduka on an offensive midfield position please. Or perhaps drop Martins coz he's not in form, but then again who is?

 

Smith is

[Skirge]

Smith grafted his nuts off against the Gooners, but I am not to sure about the Smith Martins partnership. Not much link up play from them really, Oba was to far away from Smith most of the time, needs to be much closer if he is to get on the end of the flick ons, Oba also needs to get his head up when in and around the box with the ball, Smith made a few good runs off Martins but he never looked up to see him.

I fancy Smith to score against Brum though!!

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Smith grafted his nuts off against the Gooners, but I am not to sure about the Smith Martins partnership. Not much link up play from them really, Oba was to far away from Smith most of the time, needs to be much closer if he is to get on the end of the flick ons, Oba also needs to get his head up when in and around the box with the ball, Smith made a few good runs off Martins but he never looked up to see him.

I fancy Smith to score against Brum though!!

 

Watch him go nuts if he does

[Howaythelads]

While its good to see Smith finally playing in the correct position and producing the goods, I've got to laugh at the fact he has gone from being utterly hopeless a few weeks a go to a certain starter. The performance Smith produced yesterday is what you always get from him as a forward. A hard working battler but not a goal threat.

 

Why not just roll out your ridiculous mandate that a striker must score 20 goals a season or he is shit? There are some people who will never be happy with him no matter what he does and you're one of them. If he reached your mandatory 20 goals you'd still find something to moan about. It's been clear from discussions about Smith in the past that this is your criteria for judging him irrespective of where he's been used in a team so before you laugh at others posting in this thread you should consider how that makes you appear to others.

 

It would be a good thing to cut out posting shite and try something based on fact or even on common sense for a change.

 

Cheers

[Howaythelads]

While its good to see Smith finally playing in the correct position and producing the goods, I've got to laugh at the fact he has gone from being utterly hopeless a few weeks a go to a certain starter. The performance Smith produced yesterday is what you always get from him as a forward. A hard working battler but not a goal threat.

 

Toure sought out Smith after the match to congratulate him. Whilst agreeing with the comment about his goal-scoring ability to describe last night's performance as simply that of 'a hard working battler' seems ungenerous, not to say lacking in appreciation.

 

...but predictable. From some.

[Dave]

Inflammatory!

[Howaythelads]

Inflammatory!

 

Nah, he's a decent player.

[Dave]

[Howaythelads]

 

Seriously though, Dave. I've said for years he's a decent player and that all he needs is a good run up front. If he gets that run people who are a bit on the fence will get the chance to properly make their minds up about him. It will be even better if FS would be positive and introduce some creativity into the team, I'm not holding my breath on that one though. He's the most negative manager we've had since Jack Charlton imo.

 

Those who relentlessly slag Smith and have already made up their mind he's shit have come to that conclusion based on duff information and negative bias, this just has to be true because Smith's never had a proper run up front other than in the early part of his career when he looked decent.  People either don't know that, don't want to acknowledge it or are unable to recognise that he has the attributes.

 

Some nut a few weeks ago even said that if Smith's really a striker he should therefore score plenty of goals as a midfielder. With that kind of logic some people aren't worth convincing that Smiith's worth a chance. Others are even comparing him with Parker.  :laugh:

 

I'll shut up about him now and just let him do his stuff on the pitch, which I'm confident he will do if FS uses him correctly.

[Lazy]

He (Ameobi) is not really a decent player though to be fair. We've had him long enough and he hasn't really done anything worth mentioning.

 

If he's happy to sit and wait for a game without bitching or moaning, like he has been happy to do for years, it's worth keeping him as a backup.