Tommy Smith - Gazumped by Pompey - Thread

[wolsey]

It's kind of funny if I'm honest, the clubs management are reaping what they have sown.

Too tight, complete lack of skill in the Smith negotiations, and our so called saviour isn't coming !

Wonder if they will now realise we need a few more players with experience to steadythis ship.

Well done to all at RFC for once again royally screwing things up.... That's if Smith does go to One Song.

What do you mean once again?

Thought it was pretty self explanitory.

We f*ck around trying to sign Smith on the cheap, leaving the door wide open for Pompey to nip in with an offer.

Hence, we are reaping what we sow !

Not hard really was it ?

Your final sentence suggested that the club had previously oxf*rd up in a signing.

I think the question was "when?"

Not difficult

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Fans Forum not looking like being a happy place.

I think the STAR man should demand that Bugs turns up and answers the prickly questions...no doubt it will be said that he's too busy negotiating!

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Are we still allowed to boo Tommy Smith the next time we play against Pompey? I know he was never actually a Reading player but the deal seemed so close that I still think he should count as a jumping ship Judas.

.and what year will that be in???? Smith will probably have retired!

[Ian Royal]

Fans Forum not looking like being a happy place.

I think the STAR man should demand that Bugs turns up and answers the prickly questions...no doubt it will be said that he's too busy negotiating!

Forget Hammond, Rodgers was clearly the one who wanted Smith and thought he wanted to come to us.

[RobRoyal]

SDR spot on as usual. Said three days ago that pompey were in for Smith. Obviously Hammond and co is not in tune with the main man. He's too involved licking the Madman's ****.

LOL @ staring out the word arse.

Perhaps he meant c*nt?

[Wycombe Royal]

It is also quite conceivable that even if we had agreed a deal 3 or 4 weeks ago that Portsmouth would still have come in and late and signed him.

Their interest hasn't just come from nowhere.

[Ups and Downs]

Your penultimate sentence suggested that the club had previously oxf*rd up in a signing.

I think the question was "when?"

Not difficult

I guess we never had Sir Steve shouting his mouth off about how another teams player wanted to join us in the past. And at least he had the good grace not to take anyone directly from Brighton, so their fans didn't get the hump too much. Oh no, good old Sir Steve had the decency to rob all the players from the team he was at before Brighton, so as not to cause any unecessary bad blood.

If only Brenda had stuck to taking past it Chelsea players then we wouldn't be in this mess!

[Ups and Downs]

Are we still allowed to boo Tommy Smith the next time we play against Pompey? I know he was never actually a Reading player but the deal seemed so close that I still think he should count as a jumping ship Judas.

.and what year will that be in???? Smith will probably have retired!

We might get them in the cup over the next 3 years before our slide into the abyss

[Platypuss]

Fans Forum not looking like being a happy place.

I think the STAR man should demand that Bugs turns up and answers the prickly questions...no doubt it will be said that he's too busy negotiating!

Forget Hammond, Rodgers was clearly the one who wanted Smith and thought he wanted to come to us.

And whose job is it to secure signings once suitable players have been identified?

[loyalroyal4life]

why has tommy smith made a wrong move? more money for sure as well the fact that we have dicked him around for the last 3 weeks, this transfer should of been wrapped up 2 weeks ago!!

on the other hand £1.8m for a 29 yr old in his last year of contract isnt' the greatest bit of business will be interesting to see who rfc go for as their next target as i am sure they thought it was a done deal

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Fans Forum not looking like being a happy place.

I think the STAR man should demand that Bugs turns up and answers the prickly questions...no doubt it will be said that he's too busy negotiating!

Forget Hammond, Rodgers was clearly the one who wanted Smith and thought he wanted to come to us.

yes but Bugs is the "main man" when it comes to negotiations - if you think of it from Smiths perspective - we could of signed him for a fee that now appears to be the going rate, some 4/5 weeks ago - we stalled we tried doing it cheap - Smiith must have got slightly pissed off that we didnt value him enough to pay the going rate - so Reading can only blame themselves , dont blame Smith

[Southbank Old Boy]

It is also quite conceivable that even if we had agreed a deal 3 or 4 weeks ago that Portsmouth would still have come in and late and signed him.

Their interest hasn't just come from nowhere.

Absolutely WR

Smiths good start to the season and Pompey losing more players might have made him more desirable for them, but whenever we struck a deal it was always open to someone else coming in and making a late bid to snatch him. It must happen a fair bit

Still doesnt look good for us, and the whole thing has been a cock up from start to end

[Platypuss]

It is also quite conceivable that even if we had agreed a deal 3 or 4 weeks ago that Portsmouth would still have come in and late and signed him.

Their interest hasn't just come from nowhere.

Three weeks ago they didn't have a pot to piss in - they now appear to have pretty much sorted out their boardroom.

[IMAMATEOFJOVSKY]

Are we still allowed to boo Tommy Smith the next time we play against Pompey? I know he was never actually a Reading player but the deal seemed so close that I still think he should count as a jumping ship Judas.

.and what year will that be in???? Smith will probably have retired!

We might get them in the cup over the next 3 years before our slide into the abyss

Good point!

[PEARCEY]

It is also quite conceivable that even if we had agreed a deal 3 or 4 weeks ago that Portsmouth would still have come in and late and signed him.

Their interest hasn't just come from nowhere.

Three weeks ago they didn't have a pot to piss in - they now appear to have pretty much sorted out their boardroom.

Very true had we stopped pissing around and submitted a realistic offer the deal could have been done well before Pompey had a look-in. Besides its been two months since Doyle left so why has it been left so late to get Smith in the first place.
We now have a situation where the club will have to pay a premium rate to secure the services of a half decent striker before the window closes.
Serves 'em right.

[Ian Royal]

I think the STAR man should demand that Bugs turns up and answers the prickly questions...no doubt it will be said that he's too busy negotiating!

Forget Hammond, Rodgers was clearly the one who wanted Smith and thought he wanted to come to us.

And whose job is it to secure signings once suitable players have been identified?

Fair point, but the Smith stuff seems to have originated with Rodgers. We should either have coughed up originally, or found a new target. I would be inclined to think that Rodgers is responsible for sticking with him when Russo refused to play ball, instead of moving on elsewhere.

And of course there is the purely practical point, that Rodgers will be there and STAR can't just demand that a specific member of the club attends.

[Wycombe Royal]

Very true had we stopped pissing around and submitted a realistic offer the deal could have been done well before Pompey had a look-in. Besides its been two months since Doyle left so why has it been left so late to get Smith in the first place.
We now have a situation where the club will have to pay a premium rate to secure the services of a half decent striker before the window closes.
Serves 'em right.

What has Doyle got to do with Smith? Doyle is a striker, Tommy Smith isn't.

[Ian Royal]

Very true had we stopped pissing around and submitted a realistic offer the deal could have been done well before Pompey had a look-in. Besides its been two months since Doyle left so why has it been left so late to get Smith in the first place.
We now have a situation where the club will have to pay a premium rate to secure the services of a half decent striker before the window closes.
Serves 'em right.

What has Doyle got to do with Smith? Doyle is a striker, Tommy Smith isn't.

I can think of six million, five hundred thousand reasons. And of course that Rodgers himself said that Smith would be a good way to replace the goals we'd lost with Doyle. iirc.

[Terminal Boardom]

Officially signed for PFC

[FiNeRaIn]

It is also quite conceivable that even if we had agreed a deal 3 or 4 weeks ago that Portsmouth would still have come in and late and signed him.

Their interest hasn't just come from nowhere.

Three weeks ago they didn't have a pot to piss in - they now appear to have pretty much sorted out their boardroom.

+1, WR making wild assumptions as usual.

Had we not pissed around in the first place and matched sheff utd's bid, he'd be a reading player. End of story.