Tommy Smith - Gazumped by Pompey - Thread

[TBM]

Officially signed for PFC

Come on you Bees!!!

See ya

http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/page/Welcome

[Terminal Boardom]

So when will the apology come from the club for the manner in which it has gone about business? Wot a joke. And the window shuts 5pm next Monday. Bring back Coppell

[PEARCEY]

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 think Ian R has answered this for you. Nothing else to add.

[readingbedding]

Ah, never before have the VitalWatford boys been so pleased to hear the chiming of those annoying Pompey bells than we are right now....

Let them ring out loud and clear for all we care for the words 'hijacked` and 'gazumped" screaming out on the newswire are music to our ears anyway!!!

A last gasp bid from Premier League side Portsmouth have scuppered Reading`s plans to reveal 'new signing` Tommy Smith as the Watford wideman (bless him) decided to travel down for a medical on the South Coast.

It gets better....

It is believed that the right royal shower in Berkshire had pencilled in a press conference for this afternoon after agreeing a deal with Watford but Smithy has, brilliantly, had a change of er [Paul] Hart and has headed off to see what the bright lights of the big league can bring at Fratton Park.

Whilst we can never say never (and boy, we don`t know what Rodgers has up his sleeve), it`s now expected that Tommy will sign for Pompey in a £1.8m no quibbles arrangement.

No haggling between the chairmen. No mucking about with "derisory" offers from a failed ex goalkeeper. No wasting time wrangling over little fine details or a £200k fee for appearances.... just a simple offer that the Hornets are happy to accept.

It's all down to the player now.

Don`t you just hate it when you say one thing and then do another, huh Brendan?

[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.

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

Yeah thats not a bad point, although having got in the best part of 30m quid from player sales I reckon they might have been able to cough up the 1.8 if their hand had been forced

Pure speculation of course

Doesnt change the fact that we have dragged it out too much and given ourselves a headache of closing other deals, not to mention he was number 1 target and we failed to get him in for the start of the season and now we have no momentum

[Royal Rother]

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.

Indeed - why do people prefer to believe that the club they claim to support are at fault?

We have built up a reputation in recent years as being a decent and straightforward club to deal with and have earned kudos and respect because of it.

That will not have been undone by this episode except, it appears, in the minds of some of our own fans.

[Deathy]

Can we rename this thread as 'RFC Murked again, and again, and again'

[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.

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.

That money was used to pay off the overdraft.

[readingbedding]

The Watford Observer understands Tommy Smith is undergoing a medical at Portsmouth after the Hornets confirmed they have "received and accepted" an offer from the Premiership club.

The Hornets star is believed to be at Fratton Park to finalise the move, reportedly worth £1.8m, after a dramatic 11th hour approach has seemingly resulted in Smith turning down the chance to be reunited with former manager Brendan Rodgers at Reading.

Smith was due to be unveiled as a Royals player this afternoon - indeed, the Watford Observer understands a press conference had been called and the media were already assembled, only for officials to be left red faced when the player failed to show.

If the 29-year-old does conclude his move to the south coast it would represent a massive blow for Rodgers, who thought he finally had his man after a protracted saga that could have netted the Hornets more than £2m, and now has little time to find a replacement before the transfer window closes next Tuesday.

While the terms of Smith's move to the Madejski Stadium would have been undisclosed, we understand the Hornets would have received £1.6m up front and were almost certain to get the £1.8m they were asking for, injuries permitting, through a £200,000 add-on based on Smith making 100 appearances for the Royals.

Smith passed his medical at Reading’s Hogwood Park training ground yesterday, having already said goodbye to his Watford team-mates.

The saga over Smith’s move to Reading has dragged on for almost two months, following the Royals initial £750,000 offer, which was described as “derisory” by Watford chairman Jimmy Russo.

The relationship between the two clubs was already strained, following Rodgers' decision to leave Watford to take over from Steve Coppell at his adopted home-town club.

And Watford considered reporting Rodgers and Reading to the Football League last month after the Northern Irishman claimed Smith wanted to join him at the Madejski Stadium, despite the Royals not having permission to talk to the 29-year-old.

Smith turned down Sheffield United after their successful £1.8m offer and although Newcastle and Portsmouth had made enquiries about the forward, neither had tabled bids until Pompey made their dramatic move earlier today.

After Reading had a £1.2m and last week’s final ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ offer rejected, Russo released a statement on Sunday confirming the Royals had pulled out of the race to sign Smith because they were unwilling to pay the £200,000 appearance add-on.

However, yesterday the two clubs had come to an agreement and Smith was in Reading having his medical.

Smith, who has previously had spells with Derby County and Sunderland, had a poor start to this season but the 29-year-old has scored two and helped set up three in his last two games for the club.

Smith has won the Watford Observer player-of-the-season award for the past two campaigns and is the club’s joint 13th all-time highest scorer on 64 goals, alongside Heidar Helguson.

[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.

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.

Where is the assumption in what I said? I used the words "quite conceivable" in what I wrote. In other it was a possibility.

[FiNeRaIn]

We have built up a reputation in recent years as being a decent and straightforward club to deal with and have earned kudos and respect because of it.

That will not have been undone by this episode except, it appears, in the minds of some of our own fans.

I take it you haven't seen the watford forum then? First we steal their manager and then make out of place comments about one of their strikers.

I can assure you, its much bigger than our own fans.

To quote.

When we are good they never remember, when we are bad..they never forget.

[howser]

We have fudged and farted around, as usual, with this deal, once they had accepted £1.8m from Sheff Utd that was going to be the amount they wanted, but as usual we have been scrimping around trying, as we normally do, to do it on the cheap. We are being destroyed by this ownership, and we are going to get what we deserve, 21st in the league, cant win, cant score who with any creditability is going to want to come to this, ambitionless, passionless shambles

[Chaney]

Officially signed for PFC

SO WHERE IS THE FVCKING SOURCE???

[Stooper]

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.

Like Stephen Hunt & Bradford then?

[FiNeRaIn]

have fudged and farted around, as usual, with this deal, once they had accepted £1.8m from Sheff Utd that was going to be the amount they wanted, but as usual we have been scrimping around trying, as we normally do, to do it on the cheap. We are being destroyed by this ownership, and we are going to get what we deserve, 21st in the league, cant win, cant score who with any creditability is going to want to come to this, ambitionless, passionless shambles

Enough commas in there 0_0

But agree with the sentiment.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Thank god, I know we need signings but thank the lord it isnt tommy smith.

[Ups and Downs]

Ah, never before have the VitalWatford boys been so pleased to hear the chiming of those annoying Pompey bells than we are right now....

Let them ring out loud and clear for all we care for the words 'hijacked` and 'gazumped" screaming out on the newswire are music to our ears anyway!!!

A last gasp bid from Premier League side Portsmouth have scuppered Reading`s plans to reveal 'new signing` Tommy Smith as the Watford wideman (bless him) decided to travel down for a medical on the South Coast.

It gets better....

It is believed that the right royal shower in Berkshire had pencilled in a press conference for this afternoon after agreeing a deal with Watford but Smithy has, brilliantly, had a change of er [Paul] Hart and has headed off to see what the bright lights of the big league can bring at Fratton Park.

Whilst we can never say never (and boy, we don`t know what Rodgers has up his sleeve), it`s now expected that Tommy will sign for Pompey in a £1.8m no quibbles arrangement.

No haggling between the chairmen. No mucking about with "derisory" offers from a failed ex goalkeeper. No wasting time wrangling over little fine details or a £200k fee for appearances.... just a simple offer that the Hornets are happy to accept.

It's all down to the player now.

Don`t you just hate it when you say one thing and then do another, huh Brendan?

Exactly th sort of thing I'd expect to come from this site if the roles were reversed.

If any Hornets fans do read this ridiculously over long thread then can I just say that the vast vast majority of Royals fans are majorly embarrassed by every single step this non-transfer has taken.

Looking forward to your visit, by which time all 4 sides of the ground will probably be booing the big man.

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Officially signed for PFC

SO WHERE IS THE FVCKING SOURCE???

http://www.watfordfc.com/page/NewsDetai ... 81,00.html

[Wycombe Royal]

I take it you haven't seen the watford forum then? First we steal their manager and then make out of place comments about one of their strikers.

We stole Brighton's manager as well nearly 6 years ago. Didn't affect our reputation then.

[Terminal Boardom]

have fudged and farted around, as usual, with this deal, once they had accepted £1.8m from Sheff Utd that was going to be the amount they wanted, but as usual we have been scrimping around trying, as we normally do, to do it on the cheap. We are being destroyed by this ownership, and we are going to get what we deserve, 21st in the league, cant win, cant score who with any creditability is going to want to come to this, ambitionless, passionless shambles

Nail on head!

Sums up this club. I hope that the club are satisfied with having a sound business model in place but no-one to watch.

At this rate, who would touch us with anything more than a barge pole? I bet SSC is pissing himself!