by Vision »
24 Aug 2009 20:11
handbags_harris Vision handbags_harris Nobody has said that we're attempting to cheat Watford out of anything, but to ignore the extenuating circumstances around this deal is to show a touch of naivety imo.
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Yes your Watford mate did which is why I responded in the first place
My mate Watford Tom I think most Watford fans realised Smith wouldn't stay with us. He's in his last year of contract and we can't afford his wages - that's been clear for a while. Most fans also don't grudge Smith a move away from the team - he's been great for us - but from our perspective it does appear Rodgers and Hammond have tried everything they can to steal Smith on the cheap.
That's not saying we were trying to cheat Watford out of him, that's us being incredibly cheeky and stupid. That's not cheating. In fact, I'm not sure how you do "cheat" in a player transfer
No you can't. You can't "steal" them either but that hasn't stopped Watford fans as above taking that view. If they use words like "steal" then they're taking the view that somehow something underhand is happening.
In the end, we'll get the player, Watford will get their money (and Smith off the wage bill), Russo will have saved some face by maximising Smith's sale value and JM can temporarily stave off fans accusing him of not supporting the manager.
Cheeky perhaps but I still don't see how trying to get the best deal possible is "stupid". This time it didn't work for us (although I bet we'll never actually find out the full details of this transfer) but in the past it most certainly has.