Tommy Smith - Gazumped by Pompey - Thread

[Maguire]

Tommy Smith is very average and runs like a muppet.

Can't be worse than Shane Long who runs like he's wearing some kind of strait jacket

[URZZZZZZZZ]

an Adebola type striker would be perfect in my opinion.

An Adebola like striker would be perfect? FFS.

We are a footballing team, we don't want a big lump in the middle who scores once every 4 or 5 games. We want young, hungry, intelligent and improving footballers who are capable of building on the attributes they already have, not some under-achieving has-been / never-really-was.

Anyway, we already have players who score far more frequently than that in Long and NHunt; and in Church, Robson Kanu and Mooney probably have 3 more players who will have better careers than Adebola (and anyone else of a similar ilk).

I took that as meaning a player who can hold the ball up at the top end of the pitch and bring in his team mates, which Adebola did very well on Saturday. A younger version of that type of striker would, IMO, be a very strong addition to the squad. I don't believe we have that in the squad at the moment and given the way we want to play there is a large onus for the front man to do this to allow the wide men to link up with him.

This is exactly what I meant. Lest we Adebola's forget the goal he scored against us for Brizzle last year, and the solid performance on Saturday. Im not saying we should sign him, but there is definately room for a player of his stature and type of play.

[Royal Rother]

It was more the "lethal finish" bit I was disputing. But I take (what I think is) your main point that someone capable of keeping possession with his back to goal thus allowing others to join up would be no bad thing.

[Hoop Blah]

I still think that Smith might be a target with the right side in mind, but also with the obvious ability to play upfront quite successfully if we don't suceed in either getting Long/Church/Hunt to perform their or getting in our Drogba'esq centre forward.

As a few other have pointed out, that centre forward doesn't have to carry the weight of 20-25 goals a season if the wide men chip in with the best part of 10 goals a piece.

Would be nice to see Smith and then either a decent centre forward or a left winger capable of scoring 10 goals (someone like Campbell-Ryce perhaps?) come in once we've shifted out Hunt.

[Terminal Boardom]

What we really need up front is a thinking forward. Someone who can see the pass before it is made. Someone in the Sheringham mould would do. With the intention being on maintaining possession, we need someone with stamina to continually look for space and pull the defenders into positions they don't want to go. Unfortunately, I dont think there are that many on Championship / League 1 wages.

An alternative is that our attacking players do their utmost to get forward of the lone striker which I think is what we all hope Marek can bring to the party.

[(.)Boobies(.)]

What we really need up front is a thinking forward. Someone who can see the pass before it is made. Someone in the Sheringham mould would do. With the intention being on maintaining possession, we need someone with stamina to continually look for space and pull the defenders into positions they don't want to go. Unfortunately, I dont think there are that many on Championship / League 1 wages.

Tommy Smith it is then.

[Focher]

looks like the chairman is giving the reason for his imminent departure already

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1786_5484823,00.html

[Barry the bird boggler]

So is this is a smoke screen to give a more valid reason for flogging Smith to Reading for less than the 1.8m the blades offered or is it true and watford's wage structure is, in fact, worse than ours

[tee peg]

I think you have hit the nail on the head.There seems to be some momentum building up again.
Smith a Reading player by the end of the week?

[Tilehurst End]

Sounds like a "come and get him" message from their chairman.

Starts in their side tonight though.

[Ian Royal]

Sounds like a "come and get him" message from their chairman.

Starts in their side tonight though.

Spite to cup tie him. Helpfully that drops his value to us a smidg.

[Royalwaster]

That would rather suggest to me that it's not so cut and dried as we'd have thought on here ... surely if we were seriously in for him, he'd be preparing for a medical rather than playing a game tonight.

[Royal Rother]

Waiting for the Shunt deal to be completed perhaps?

[RIP ELM Park]

The pundit from the local watford rag was on tlk sport before tonights game saying this will be Tommy Smith's last game for Watford. No clue as to where he's off too though.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Sounds like a "come and get him" message from their chairman.

Starts in their side tonight though.

Spite to cup tie him. Helpfully that drops his value to us a smidg.

Very unlikely he would ever play for us in the Mikey Mouse Cup any way, so not really much of an issue for us if he gets cup tied

[Royalwaster]

Sounds like a "come and get him" message from their chairman.

Starts in their side tonight though.

Spite to cup tie him. Helpfully that drops his value to us a smidg.

Very unlikely he would ever play for us in the Mikey Mouse Cup any way, so not really much of an issue for us if he gets cup tied

But seems a risk - if he got injured tonight, they'd have an expensive player on their books and we'd just wait till January and get him for even less ...

[Tilehurst End]

[
Spite to cup tie him. Helpfully that drops his value to us a smidg.[/quote]

Very unlikely he would ever play for us in the Mikey Mouse Cup any way, so not really much of an issue for us if he gets cup tied[/quote]

But seems a risk - if he got injured tonight, they'd have an expensive player on their books and we'd just wait till January and get him for even less ...[/quote]

SSN reporter at Barnet mentioned that he was hardly in the game, maybe avoiding as many tackles as possible.

Sports summary on the breakfast show on Talksport also mentioned that he may have played his last game for Watford.

[I was there at Elm Park]

I've got a mate who works at Watford's training ground and he's just texted me saying that Smith is on his way to Reading. He told me last week that he knew that Priskin was leaving before Sky Sports had reported the deal so at the very least I expect negotiations to be taking place.

[brendywendy]

GTFI

probably

[Arch]

The guy's fcukin' ancient. Will he stagger around with a zimmer frame? Ten years younger and I might be interested.