Alan Smith

[Ally]

That lunging slide tackle in the 2nd half was the kind of thing Dabizas used to do.

 

But to be fair to Nick the Greek he scored a few goals as well.

 

Aye, good point.

[NE5]

Owen, Martins, Viduka would all be terrible in midfield

 

Smith is a forward who is fit enough and has the battling temprement to play midfield without the creativity. He has played 90% of his life with his back to goal, and in the last 3 seasons has been asked to change.

 

Get off his back, judge him when he is playing up front in his proper position

 

I will judge him where his manager plays him thank you very much. By now it is pretty clear Sam thinks of him as a versatile player and is perfectly happy to play him as a defensive midfielder. He is our captain, if that position doesn't suit him or doesn''t benefit the team he should be voicing his opinion about it.

 

Souness saw Craig Bellamy as a wide player [well, he didn't really, but he was just looking for an excuse to cause a situation to kick him out of the club]. Bellamy was criticised by numerous people for voicing his opinion, for the good of the team in his view.

 

Smith is playing where the manager wants him to play, for the good of the club, in the way he sees it.

 

Different scenarios, but both those players had the best interests of the club at heart.

 

But did you judge Bellamy as a wide player or a support striker ?

 

Fact is, Smith is playing where he is because we are short of midfield players and getting on with it. Nobody is saying he's particularly good there, because we can see that he isn't. The danger is, does the manager see him there long term. Only the manager can answer that. The rest of us are going to have to wait and see.

 

That may have been the case tonight NE5, and I agree Allardyce didn't really have a choice, but I don't need to remind you that Smith has been picked before Barton and more importantly and frequently Emre before, do I? Also, Sam must have banked on Smith as a midfield player, or he would have replaced Dyer and Solano with a proper midfield player. I have expressed my opinion on Smith before: I don't think he is good enough for us, even in his best position. He is a striker who can't score, create or shoot and to make matters worse our 6 million acquisition is not benched for constant underperformance, he is made the captain and put in the engine room of our team, with detrimental effects as is clear to see. I can't see where people who say I can't judge him in a position where he is being played and for which he was brought in are coming from, I really can't.

 

I'm not saying myself that Smith is a midfield player. I realise he is different to Emre, but Emre is a homer, so there is a case for preferring Smith in some away games. At the end of the day, I don't think either is good enough in midfield, not for what I want either. If Allardyce has brought him to play in midfield, especially alongside another defensive player, then he is wrong. I've always said this.

 

In that case it seems we do agree after all. It's just people who say we can't judge a player after such a shower of piss by said player do my head in..

 

I don;t know about that. Basically, I'm not viewing him as a midfield player, only as a forward. And I'm not really bothered about anyone elses view of him as a midfield player

 

 

[Guest alex]

Shame the manager doesn't share your point of view like.

[NE5]

Shame the manager doesn't share your point of view like.

 

Can anybody get Sams phone number from Alan Oliver for me 

[Guest alex]

Shame the manager doesn't share your point of view like.

 

Can anybody get Sams phone number from Alan Oliver for me 

[biggs]

smith gets ball gives it straight to butt to run with must have happened loads of times yesterday ,should be other way round for me with him cutting through there midfield and making telling passes and looking for one twos etc with the forwards but he looks scared shitless and treats it like a hot potato.

[Guest doghair]

was he playing

[Wullie]

How a player like Smith has commanded transfer fees of £12m in his career, while Solano in 4 transfers has cost less than half of that, is puzzling.

 

And yet people still have the nerve to criticize the likes of Wenger for looking abroad.

[Decky]

Not asking for his head, but Big Sam is proving himself to be a very weak man when it come to Smith, wasnt he always going on about bad performances mean you get dropped and someone else gets a chance, Taylor at City remember? What happened? Did he back down from that policy or is he just scared shitless to drop Alan Smith? Its becoming pathetic and you can be your arse he will start against Manure, Bolton, Stoke ®, Arsenal etc.

[Colocho]

Why does Big Sam refuse to take Smith off, no matter how little hes doing?

 

He was utterly invisible today except for barking at the referee/linesman, even more so (if thats possible) when pushed back into midfield.

 

Its not an encouraging situation when a manager has untouchables in his team, less so when the player in question isnt exactly world class. Im sure other players arent going to be happy in private when they get taken off and Allardyce's favourite doesnt irrespective of performance.

 

Mike Ashley.

[NE5]

Why does Big Sam refuse to take Smith off, no matter how little hes doing?

 

He was utterly invisible today except for barking at the referee/linesman, even more so (if thats possible) when pushed back into midfield.

 

Its not an encouraging situation when a manager has untouchables in his team, less so when the player in question isnt exactly world class. Im sure other players arent going to be happy in private when they get taken off and Allardyce's favourite doesnt irrespective of performance.

 

Mike Ashley.

 

no, that can't be true, only the fat bastard sticks his nose into his managers doing their job.

 

In fact, the reason we are no further forward, and don't look like finishing any higher than last years, is all his fault too 

[Howaythelads]

He's shit upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

[captainhaircut]

I think he deserves a run up front. He's very average in my opinion but he holds the ball up just as well as Viduka at the moment, battles for every ball, is willing to run a channel and defends from the front.

 

These are things we just aren't getting at the moment. The performance of Drew Talbot for Luton yesterday shows how a very limited player who works hard and runs channels can occupy and trouble defenders. 

 

As Smith is the only one of our strikers willing to be aggressive and let defenders know he is there, he should be given the chance up front. How you replace his creativity and dynamism in midfield is beyond me though!

[Ronaldo]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

he's looked as dangerous as bath water up front

[JH]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

he's looked as dangerous as bath water up front

 

Well you never know. Slip over, fall asleep and drown, get pushed in; bath water can be quite dangerous at times.

[Howaythelads]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

he's looked as dangerous as bath water up front

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet.....as I just said. 

[Guest alex]

He suits our style of play better than Viduka imo, although Viduka has scored some important goals I don't think Smith would have already this season. Unfortunately we all know he'll keep getting played in midfield.

[danswan]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

he's looked as dangerous as bath water up front

 

Well you never know. Slip over, fall asleep and drown, get pushed in; bath water can be quite dangerous at times.

 

Toaster in the bath is a killer.

[Colocho]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

Played well with Martins against Arsenal.

[timnufc22]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

Played well with Martins against Arsenal.

 

& vs Everton.

[NE5]

He suits our style of play better than Viduka imo, although Viduka has scored some important goals I don't think Smith would have already this season. Unfortunately we all know he'll keep getting played in midfield.

 

He needs better players around him if he plays up front, but there is no doubt he's more mobile than Viduka, it would be difficult to be less so.

 

 

[Howaythelads]

Aye, he's had some decent games upfront but these aren't mentioned much because it's the group of people who hate him and want to judge him as a midfielder who make the most noise and are prone to clutch at every straw they can to slate our players. Hence they rush to judge a player who is obviously being used out of position. The same people made excuse after excuse for the inept Parker, despite him being used in his correct position all the time. The tactics were wrong, apparently.

 

Anyway, it's true that those who don't hate Smith don't bang on and on and on and on when he has a decent game up front, they just stick with the concept that he needs a run in that position and that he shouldn't be judged as a midfielder. It's called common sense and isn't that difficult really.

 

[Optimistic Nut]

He's s*** upfront as well, in fairness, HTL.

 

He hasn't had a decent run upfront yet, NM.

 

Played well with Martins against Arsenal.

 

McClen played well with Acuna against Arsenal.

[Rich]

Aye, he's had some decent games upfront but these aren't mentioned much because it's the group of people who hate him and want to judge him as a midfielder who make the most noise and are prone to clutch at every straw they can to slate our players. Hence they rush to judge a player who is obviously being used out of position. The same people made excuse after excuse for the inept Parker, despite him being used in his correct position all the time. The tactics were wrong, apparently.

 

Anyway, it's true that those who don't hate Smith don't bang on and on and on and on when he has a decent game up front, they just stick with the concept that he needs a run in that position and that he shouldn't be judged as a midfielder. It's called common sense and isn't that difficult really.

 

 

HTL, I can only assume you're on the wind-up here looking for a scrap, because otherwise your recent double standards regarding Parker and Smith are laughable

 

You bang on about supporting our players, when last season you slagged the club captain off mercilessly, when in his first season he showed miles more than what Smith has shown here so far. I'm not one of these who slags the current captain off, but I can see where his detractors are coming from, to an extent, except the ones who have a blatant agenda against the lad.

 

At least Baggio is consistent in his views, he didn't rate Parker and doesn't rate Smith and he makes it known.

 

Personally, I see a lot of similarities between the pair of them as footballers and as professionals as well, and think that both have suffered here because of the weight of expectation/pressure of the armband and by not being utilised properly by their managers.

[Guest alex]

He gets judged for playing in midfield because he keeps getting played in midfield. Not his fault but the problem is he is a regular there with the occasional game upfront and not the other way round.