Tommy Smith - Gazumped by Pompey - Thread

[Royal Rother]

Replays show it crossed the line.

Shambles really aint it Rother?

Not really, it's been an unfortunate set of circumstances. Shit happens.

Without knowing all the circumstances it would be wrong to jump to that conclusion - not that it will stop many from doing so. In reality their are people, personalities, money, principles and negotiations factored in to what has happened - these cannot all be controlled. Our processes of completing transfer deals has, in the past, drawn praise from other clubs so I don't think the way in which we have conducted this particular one should be hammered; we are thorough and respectful of the people involved and do not rush things through generally.

That's just the way we do business - if because of that, this one has ended up with us losing our target then sobeit.

Rodgers should not have made public his desire to sign Smith which has made the rest of the process more difficult but a shambles? No. We will have conducted this one in exactly the same way as any other with negotiations, offers, clauses etc. - we just have to accept that this time it appears not to have worked and move on. Maybe Russo set us up and had Pompey waiting in the wings for a while - after all their interest was initially mentioned a while back. Not something we could have catered for or avoided really.

Look, for sure, if the club are unable to bring anyone else in then we have a problem that is bigger than we want / need right now, but if the window closes on us we still have the loan market available and in Hunt, Matejovsky and Harper we have 3 experienced players who have yet to play a full part in the League games due to lack of full fitness, so they will make a difference.

As a slight aside - it makes me chuckle that people are criticising the club for not playing those 3 sooner when "surely they are fully fit etc. etc." whereas in the past criticism has been because players have been brought back too early thus resulting in longer-term recurrence of old injuries.

[Sir Rodney Effing]

This is from the WATFORD OS

CLUB STATEMENT
Tue 25 Aug 2009

WATFORD can this evening (Tuesday) confirm the Club has received and accepted an offer from Portsmouth for attacker Tommy Smith.

The Premiership side made their bid for the 29-year-old late on and it is now down to the player to decide upon a move to Fratton Park or Reading, after the Hornets had accepted an earlier bid from the Berkshire based club.

Smith will take no part in this evening's Carling Cup game with Leeds United due to the ongoing situation.

PS if something like this is one of the previous pages sorry but I can't be arsed looking through the previous 90 pages

[79Royal]

What a fiasco , Brenda is turning out to be a right *ickhead. Its his fault in the first place by going public on the deal and just goes to show you how disorganised the club really is. The wheels have truley fallen off of the premiership train . Its embarrassing being a Reading fan at the moment but ha ho its the shape of things to come.

We missed out on our top transfer target to a club in a higher division and that makes Rodgers a '*ickhaed'? I hope I never have to get any motivational advice from you! Shape of things to come? Let's just see about that...

No doubt he had big plans for Sminth that would have meant our other targets would not have been necessary. Now he's going elsewhere, we'll revert to plan B.

Get over it.

It's all very well being positive, but you also have to be REALISTIC.

Why do you think I am not being realistic? It's wrong to call this transfer a fiasco. We were negotiating with Watford and Pompey made a very last minute offer. You said yourself it's understandable that Smith would go to Pompey given current situations.

Rodgers should never have made comments about Smith coming here, but embarrassed to be a fan? That's an over reaction. There's a week left of the transfer window and I don't think that Royal Spangle should be throwing insults around when we are still so early in the season.

[Y25]

I rate Tommy Smith and he would have been a great signing

i'm pissed off at this major oxf*rd up

should have been signed ansd sealed along time ago

[Royal Lady]

Plan B is almost certainly to panic buy someone. All the best pickings have been taken. We have a few days left. What would attract anyone to this club at this precise moment in time? That's realism.

[Royal Rother]

OK - so why do YOU think we haven't signed anyone else yet?

Probably because Smith was our No 1 target.

Rocket science it ain't - if you think you're going to get No 1 you don't go and sign No 2 or No 3 now do you?

Now, presumably, No 2 and No 3 come back into the picture.

[HolyBadger]

Due to our position in the league, form and the whole Tommy Smith saga, any player we go in for now we will end up playing over the odds for unless the team are desperate to get rid.

[johnnym]

So, any ideas on what Plan B looks like???

Also, BR has consistently mentioned that he wanted 2 players in. Who is the other one??

[HolyBadger]

So, any ideas on what Plan B looks like???

Also, BR has consistently mentioned that he wanted 2 players in. Who is the other one??

Maybe we can sign Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, at least Tommy and Smith is close to Tommy Smith?

[Stranded]

Plan B is almost certainly to panic buy someone. All the best pickings have been taken. We have a few days left. What would attract anyone to this club at this precise moment in time? That's realism.

No plan x will be to panic buy.

The only reason it would even remotely seem than way is the fact that Smith has been the only name in public.

Mills came from nowhere for all fans, no mention anywhere until it was all but done, was that a panic buy?

[79Royal]

Plan B is almost certainly to panic buy someone. All the best pickings have been taken. We have a few days left. What would attract anyone to this club at this precise moment in time? That's realism.

Sounds a lot like pessimism to me!

I know it's disappointing at the moment, but we don't know what Rodgers has planned. I'm just waiting until the end of the transfer window before I make any judgement on the future of our season.

[phil in cornwall]

From today's Guardian -

Meanwhile in the Championship, Tommy Smith's move to Reading has hit the skids after the Watford striker decided he'd quite like to spend a few months getting beaten week-in and week-out in the Premier League before returning to the Championship with Portsmouth.

[TFF]

92

[Royal Lady]

Plan B is almost certainly to panic buy someone. All the best pickings have been taken. We have a few days left. What would attract anyone to this club at this precise moment in time? That's realism.

No plan x will be to panic buy.

The only reason it would even remotely seem than way is the fact that Smith has been the only name in public.

Mills came from nowhere for all fans, no mention anywhere until it was all but done, was that a panic buy?

and it was done at the beginning of the transfer window.

And RR, if he's got a no.2 and no.3 target - who is to say that after the prolonged negotiations for Smith, no.2 and no.3 haven't already been taken by someone else?

[frimmers]

i think he was overrated in his liverpool days..not sure how his signing would benefit the royals..and you want mick mills as well?

[HolyBadger]

Plan B is almost certainly to panic buy someone. All the best pickings have been taken. We have a few days left. What would attract anyone to this club at this precise moment in time? That's realism.

No plan x will be to panic buy.

The only reason it would even remotely seem than way is the fact that Smith has been the only name in public.

Mills came from nowhere for all fans, no mention anywhere until it was all but done, was that a panic buy?

and it was done at the beginning of the transfer window.

And RR, if he's got a no.2 and no.3 target - who is to say that after the prolonged negotiations for Smith, no.2 and no.3 haven't already been taken by someone else?

No. 2 would be a good signing for us I recon.

[Royal With Cheese]

No. 2 would be a good signing for us I recon.

Certainly younger than Smith who is, apparantly, having a medical at Portsmouth as I type rubbish.

[Silver Fox]

Mills came from nowhere for all fans, no mention anywhere until it was all but done, was that a panic buy?

and it was done at the beginning of the transfer window.

It was done the week before the season started shurely?

[Royal Rother]

Plan B is almost certainly to panic buy someone. All the best pickings have been taken. We have a few days left. What would attract anyone to this club at this precise moment in time? That's realism.

No plan x will be to panic buy.

The only reason it would even remotely seem than way is the fact that Smith has been the only name in public.

Mills came from nowhere for all fans, no mention anywhere until it was all but done, was that a panic buy?

and it was done at the beginning of the transfer window.

And RR, if he's got a no.2 and no.3 target - who is to say that after the prolonged negotiations for Smith, no.2 and no.3 haven't already been taken by someone else?

Perfectly possible.

But no, I see Paul Dickov and Graham Kavanagh are still at Leicester and Carlisle at the moment.

[Norfolk Royal]

A lot of people seem to be slagging off Rodgers for saying he wanted to sign Smith.

But surely he was only stating the bleedin' obvious. Anyone could work out that his first transfer target would be his former club's best player. Hardly a revelation.