Tommy Smith

[Woodwaaard]

So, fellow Blades, what kind of welcome or otherwise should we give Mr Smith?

"We'll take more care of you............" or ???????????????????

I wonder

 

[NN6]

definitely not the former as he already knows that, we must be mad to offer £1.8m and 14k a week to a 29 yr old.

 

[matth]

None at all, why should we? He's not a bad person for turning us down, he just doesn't want to come. I won't be cheering or jeering him, to be honest - he's neither hero nor villain to me.

 

[Revolution]

He has a habit of doing well against us so the last thing we want to do is provoke him...

 

[SotonBlade]

He's a decent player, i'll be disappointed if anyone boo's him etc. He didn't want to move, that's his perogative. It's a personal a decision, leave him alone if you ask me.

 

[Houso]

I can understand the boos if there are any. Not nearly passionate about it personally to add to the jeers, but still, will understand why others do.

 

[matth]

Why? Because he put his family before money and a move to a team with whom he's got absolutely no link whatsoever?

Why should he uproot himself and his loved ones just because we decide we want him?

Players get slagged off for moving all the time; why then should someone who decides that they don't want to move somewhere just for the money get abused?

 

[Houso]

Because, so rumours go (and they have as much weight as the fact that his family comes first), rather than simply say "no, I don't want to move north of Watford", he said "I'll be willing to move North of Watford for 15k per week". As I say, these are all rumours, but each is as credible as the last.

Also, it seems interesting that despite having a young family for the last few years, he was willing to play for Derby County, which as far as I'm aware, isn't actually a southern city?

 

[Foxy]

Also, it seems interesting that despite having a young family for the last few years, he was willing to play for Derby County, which as far as I'm aware, isn't actually a southern city?

He did include wanting to move back south as one of his reasons for leaving Derby though

 

[Revolution]

Mark Wright famously turned the Pigs down because he didn't want to move north from Southampton and then signed for Derby...

I don't see what's wrong in saying he'd be preferred to move to somewhere he doesn't really want to for more cash. There are thousands of people in the world making a decision like that every day, not just footballers.

 

[SotonBlade]

Mark Wright famously turned the Pigs down because he didn't want to move north from Southampton and then signed for Derby...

We'd all do that though, lets be honest!

 

[Revolution]

Of course. There were plenty of entries in Flashing Blade's "they refused to play for Wednesday" column back in the day.

 

[Houso]

Mark Wright famously turned the Pigs down because he didn't want to move north from Southampton and then signed for Derby...

I don't see what's wrong in saying he'd be preferred to move to somewhere he doesn't really want to for more cash. There are thousands of people in the world making a decision like that every day, not just footballers.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with what he's done, but I can understand why supporters may boo him tomorrow.

Football is entirely different to any other walk of life. Careers are much more tribal and those who pay your wages (in a sense) demand even more from you than most other walks of life.

I'll be keeping my gob shut as I'm not too fussed either way, but I'll understand why others may not.

 

[matth]

We don't pay his wages, though, as he didn't come to us.

 

[Houso]

Fair enough point, but it's still a different scenario and all the talk of uprooting families and the like isn't particularly relevant in my eyes. It's commendable without a doubt, but footballers are expected to travel throughout their careers. And a drive up the M1 (and not that far up the M1 really) isn't going to destroy him.

Personally, I think the family argument is simply a smokescreen for him not wanting to play for Sheffield United and Kevin Blackwell.

 

[matth]

I can't agree with that at all. There's nothing to say a footballer has to travel. He's not compelled to do anything at all, and I personally don't blame him at all for not wanting to move, especially as he's got young kids.

And say he did travel up the M1 - he'd have to devote that much more time to the club than other players who don't travel so far. He'd possibly get more tired and distracted - what would the fans think then? Also, what if he had an accident whilst commuting?

Even if the argument is a smokescreen, so what? Why shouldn't he not want to play for us or our manager? He's not duty bound by any means.

 

[Houso]

I didn't say that the smokescreen was a bad thing did I? I didn't even infer it in my tone.

I also didn't say he has to travel, but it's expected that footballers move to different clubs throughout their careers. This is a fair statement isn't it?

As I keep saying anyway, I don't think he's done anything particularly wrong. Just that football supporters are a different breed and therefore it's well within the realms of possibility that they may boo tomorrow.

*shrug*

 

[Grecian2000]

He's an opposition striker trying to prvent us from winning by scoring against us. I don't think he'll receive a great deal of encouragement.

He also played in that well known Southern outpost, Sunderland!

 

[SE1 Blade]

On £14,000 a week surely he could have a house (or rent) in both Sheffield and Watford and commute, say, a couple of times per week. Still see the family, no need to uproot. That's if he really wanted to play for us...which I suspect is not the case!

 

[matth]

Yeah, the ungrateful sod. He should put himself out to play for us, shouldn't he, as we're such a big team that everyone in their right minds would want to play for us.

Maybe he doesn't like Sheffield, or Blackwell, or a million other things about us.

Should Killa go to Celtic just because they want him? I'd imagine their fans would be saying similar things to us.