Alan Smith

He's a good lad in't he. Just seen an interview with him on MUTV. Says the gaffer has been brilliant letting him have time to get fit, says he's proud to play for United and give his all for the team whenever he's needed, says he knows he was shit in the League Cup, and says he's not going anywhere if it's up to him.

Not sure it'll be up to him in that case, but that's by the by; good luck to him for the rest of the season I say.

He owes us and he wants to pay it,you cant fault that in a player.Personally i don't think he can hack it as a 10-20 goals a season striker but he will try.

Originally Posted by f.l.a.t.s

He owes us and he wants to pay it,you cant fault that in a player.Personally i don't think he can hack it as a 10-20 goals a season striker but he will try.

Not a fan meself either but you can't fault that kind of honesty. Tomorrow there'll be an interview with Richardson offering to halve his wages - not

I thought he had a decent game last night. His movement was good even if he did end up wide right a bit too often and he was always working very hard winning the ball back and holding it up well. It doesn't seem like he's likely to score any time soon but perhaps he just needs a goal to get him on track again. In fairness he's not played up front consistently for a long time and it's hard to get back in the goals.

Verdict: We'll see...but top marks for effort

He's a squad player, and he appears to be happy being a squad player.

I have a sneaking feeling he's going to provide an important goal in the next few months.

Football (maybe life in general) has this habit of finding stories. Smith coming back from injury at this stage of the season.

Less reliant on my dodgy gut instinct, I think Smith will be a very valuable asset in a few games this year even if he doesn't get a sniff of a goal. One of the few players in our squad that would put the fear of God into you as an opposition player with his work rate and wild tackling! I could see him having a humdinger of an encounter with JT at the Bridge if needs be. Hopefully we'll have the title in the bag by then but would be nice to see him hopping off that @#%&! for 90 minutes.

tbh I wouldnt like to see him go, I think he is a valuable asset, great energy which rubs off on others, and a great weapon to throw on.

He's only what 24? He's good in the air, can hold the ball up as good as any striker we have and is an all round team player. Good movement is a plus. Once he's match fit he'll do a good job for us, could have scored/created a couple in the QF had the timing of passes been on, but they were on slightly different wavelengths.

He loves it here and he knows once he takes a step out the door, be it a loan or whatever, the dream is up and he wont ever get back here. Good on him for holding onto it with everything he has.

Originally Posted by f.l.a.t.s

He owes us and he wants to pay it,you cant fault that in a player.Personally i don't think he can hack it as a 10-20 goals a season striker but he will try.

the We Like Smith Club discreetly gathers.


I'm a paid-up member. He's good at what he's good at (or at least he used to be, and you'd hope he will be again), and there are times when what he's good at is exactly what's needed.


He'll never be a 10-20 goals a season striker because, apart from anything else, he'll never get enough starts to be. But he looked both tough and surprisingly tidy against Boro, so fingers crossed for him.

smith is not good enough for united

but could we afford a replacement who would be good enough for us? sadly, i think not. i suspect next season it will be saha, rooney, smith and rossi, which will put huge pressure of the youngster. let's hope he can cope.

Originally Posted by Tropical

He's good at what he's good at

high praise indeed, which could not be applied to everyone. and you still added a caveat :o)

Brilliant attitude, average player.

I wouldn't call him an average player at all. Some people seem to forget how he carried the forward line for the first month when he was our only fit striker 3 years ago. Scored a vital equaliser at Blackburn in the 94th minute, Scored a spectacular goal against Norwich I think it was as well.

And £#%&! me, he works his %@#$&!s off. Can tackle better than O'shea and Fletcher combined.

If we sold him, I think we'd be doing the lad an injustice - he hasn't even been given a chance.

Smith is a quality player. Watch him score some important goals in the title (and possibly Champions League and FA Cup) run in.

Originally Posted by borsuk

smith is not good enough for united

but could we afford a replacement who would be good enough for us? sadly, i think not. i suspect next season it will be saha, rooney, smith and rossi, which will put huge pressure of the youngster. let's hope he can cope.

high praise indeed, which could not be applied to everyone. and you still added a caveat )

Tropical is getting into squeaky bum mode I think, he doesn't want us jinxing it for him. I bet he hasn't washed his lucky boxers in weeks!

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Brilliant attitude, average player.

I agree.

Another point - he was totally £#%&!ed after an hour on Monday night. Those run outs in the reserves have done nothing for his stamina and fitness. Beginning to think there may be more to this than meets the eye, it's nearly 9 months since he was 'fit' again after his injury. Presumably we do time trials and stuff for sprints during training (constantly monitoring performance), is he properly £#%&!ed do you reckon? It can't simply be 'match practice', surely?

I'd be happy for him to stay.

There are at least 5 people on the fringe of the first team that I would get rid of first.

We all know who they are.

Originally Posted by antonin jablonsky

Brilliant attitude, average player.

spot on ..

Originally Posted by carlosartorial

Another point - he was totally £#%&!ed after an hour on Monday night. Those run outs in the reserves have done nothing for his stamina and fitness.

He's a Yorkshireman. Sending him out chasing sheep on the Yorkshire moors will soon sort him out.

the myth continues:
brilliant at holding the ball up - nope, but quite good at falling over.
good in the air - nope, care to list his headed goals? You will be surprised.
good movement - the biggest joke of them all. his movement is non-exisitent. part of the reason we couldn't get any chances on monday was because smith was always in the way. should have been pulling defenders about like saha does and creating space for others. and don't get into his crossing ability.

like his attitude, but let's face it, he is lucky to be getting a game in a team like this and he knows it.

he will no doubt chip in a few goals this season and everyone will love him, but it won't change anything. a villa player at best.

Originally Posted by shenwen

like his attitude, but let's face it, he is lucky to be getting a game in a team like this and he knows it.

Which was pretty much the point of the thread, shenwen. Except that his recent interview has shown me why he is so well thought of in football and so now I'll not be giving him much stick. It's hardly his fault Rooney was signed a month after him.

Smith is a better footballer than he's given credit for. And he's certainly a better footballer than he has any right to be, which is testimony to that attitude many people admire.


He's not first-rate and never will be, but nor is he the blood-and-guts clogger he's made out to be. He can play a bit. Or he used to be able to. I'm hoping he can come back from injury and Fergie's demented attempts to make a midfielder of him to show the form he did when he first signed.