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Smith v Butt - craptastic midfield contest


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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest neesy111

is the guy deaf, 52,000 ppl shouting man on like 3 seconds before he was tackled ffs, i've given him a chance and he's still shit

 

guthrie back v hull and that'll do me

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What I saw in this game is that both Smith and Geremi should start ahead of Butt.

 

Smith kept it simple and when he lost the ball was still quick enough to sprint in an effort to win it back.

 

Geremi might have 40 yr old legs, but they are no slower than Nicky Butt's and he's got a hell of a lot more to offer in in terms of vision and passing.

 

 

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What I saw in this game is that both Smith and Geremi should start ahead of Butt.

 

Smith kept it simple and when he lost the ball was still quick enough to sprint in an effort to win it back.

 

Geremi might have 40 yr old legs, but they are no slower than Nicky Butt's and he's got a hell of a lot more to offer in in terms of vision and passing.

 

 

 

agreed

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Guest Heneage

Smith is winning because he is suffering from Emre syndrome - drop out of the team for enough time and people forget how average or poor you really are and pretend otherwise.

 

Bit harsh on Emre.  He at least had some ability... could dribble, pick a pass and score the odd goal.  Just was never fit...

 

Smith can't do any of these things.

Stupidly harsh on Emre, he was a real talent, could have been great if it wasn't for his injuries.

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is the guy deaf, 52,000 ppl shouting man on like 3 seconds before he was tackled ffs, i've given him a chance and he's still shit

 

guthrie back v hull and that'll do me

 

Phew. I thought Smith would never leave again once he managed to squeeze himself onto the teamsheet.

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Guest Heneage

So without being kneejerk or stupidly over the top, how did Smith play tonight? Would it be wise to put Geremi/Guthrie in for  Hull.

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So without being kneejerk or stupidly over the top, how did Smith play tonight? Would it be wise to put Geremi/Guthrie in for  Hull.

 

He was less bad because he was less involved. For some reason Man United chose not to go through the middle a lot and to be honest Smith didn't have a lot to do. he put in one really good tackle and played a few simple passes without losing the ball.

 

On the flip side he gave away a very poor foul in a dangerous area once, and also passed the ball straight to a red shirt on a couple of occasions.

 

Like I said, good performance by Alan Smith standards, really bad by normal footballer standards.

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Smith is winning because he is suffering from Emre syndrome - drop out of the team for enough time and people forget how average or poor you really are and pretend otherwise.

 

Bit harsh on Emre.  He at least had some ability... could dribble, pick a pass and score the odd goal.  Just was never fit...

 

Smith can't do any of these things.

Stupidly harsh on Emre, he was a real talent, could have been great if it wasn't for his injuries.

 

indeed, if he stayed fit and was allowed to play his natural game here he'd be a geordie legend by now

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Smith at least has the ability to pass the ball forward quickly, on the deck, into the path of a forward player. Butt takes longer to control the ball, and the pass is more likely to be sideways or back. If it goes forward, it is usually slightly behind the player (because Butt wants to play it safe) and the other man has to check his run. The momentum of the attack is lost and everyone starts to receive the ball under pressure. Other specialities are the lofted diagonal ball or the tiny prod to a player who is tightly marked, both of which put his team-mates in trouble.

 

Butt is the better tackler, and gets through a lot of work, but he's not a player who spreads confidence through the side.

 

 

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Guest teepee

when smith goes in for a challenge, i am always sitting there "ohhh nooo.... here comes the red card"

 

i really look forward to having nolan, guthrie and even barton back - at least they are a bit mobile. i think that maybe nolan/guthrie could work, they are both hard working, able to tackle and get forward - but the lack of a clear distinction of roles could be a problem..

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What I saw in this game is that both Smith and Geremi should start ahead of Butt.

 

Smith kept it simple and when he lost the ball was still quick enough to sprint in an effort to win it back.

 

Geremi might have 40 yr old legs, but they are no slower than Nicky Butt's and he's got a hell of a lot more to offer in in terms of vision and passing.

 

 

 

This.

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I did not want Smith and have not had a good word to say about him BUT he played very well yesterday and if you think about how long he has been out it makes it an even more impresive performace, we need players like him if we are going to stay up.

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Guest Stephen927

I did not want Smith and have not had a good word to say about him BUT he played very well yesterday and if you think about how long he has been out it makes it an even more impresive performace, we need players like him if we are going to stay up.

 

I agree, put in a decent shift in what many consider to be his weaker position.

 

You need the battlers next to the flair players, it's why Arsenal are slipping this season (not saying they should sign Alan Smith, though a £8m bid from them for him would be welcome) they have the flair but not the bottle. Hopefully in Jonas, Lovenkrands and Martins we have a trio who can link up well together to compliment the battlers like Barton and Smith who won't provide much in an attacking sense from midfield.

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when smith goes in for a challenge, i am always sitting there "ohhh nooo.... here comes the red card"

 

i really look forward to having nolan, guthrie and even barton back - at least they are a bit mobile. i think that maybe nolan/guthrie could work, they are both hard working, able to tackle and get forward - but the lack of a clear distinction of roles could be a problem..

My thoughts exactly. I found myself hoping he'd launch himself at Vidic - knowing Smithy would get lamped...

 

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Like a late fitness test before a match, players of such ilk should have to have a late "craptastic test" where the manager can decide if its a risk to play them or not.

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Smith at least has the ability to pass the ball forward quickly, on the deck, into the path of a forward player. Butt takes longer to control the ball, and the pass is more likely to be sideways or back. If it goes forward, it is usually slightly behind the player (because Butt wants to play it safe) and the other man has to check his run. The momentum of the attack is lost and everyone starts to receive the ball under pressure. Other specialities are the lofted diagonal ball or the tiny prod to a player who is tightly marked, both of which put his team-mates in trouble.

 

Butt is the better tackler, and gets through a lot of work, but he's not a player who spreads confidence through the side.

 

 

 

Spot on. The quick passing to forward players for the first time in ages wasn't a coincidence. I'm not saying Smith is the answer, obviously Barton and Guthrie will come in when they are fit, however, it should be clear now that both Smith and Geremi should be on the team sheet ahead of Butt and IMO should start ahead of Nolan as well because if anything he's slower than Nicky Butt.

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Smith looks better in midfield when he has a midfielder with some ability beside him as he is at least intelligent enough to pass to that individual and not try to do too much with the ball himself (those Butt hollywood passes are despicable).

 

As has been mentioned he is also more mobile and believe it or not would be a greater goal threat than Butt from set pieces and even from shooting as at least the ball would remain in the stadium when he shoots.

 

Every negative as far as his suspect tackling goes already exists with Butt anyway. At least Smith had the decency to give away free kicks on the edge of the box while Butt just waits till the opposition are in the penalty area before he goes sliding in recklessly the filthy beast.

 

Alan Smith over Butt everytime for me thanks.

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I honestly don't see what pundits and football experts see in Butt at the moment. His legs have gone, he vary rarely tackles anyone, and his ability to pass the ball to the opposition is second to none.

 

Maybe he has some mystical football expertise that normal fans can't see?

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