Smith

[Billy Bests boot laces]

i really think he needs to be a lot more vocal and order his defence about, he just seemed to stand there quietly and let cresswell do it for him, this can be a potential problem because it could lead to a misunderstanding between the keeper and defence.

Interesting point. A few of us old 'North Bankers' from the late 60's-early 70's went in the North Bank yesterday for old times sake. Several of us were in agreement after the game, about how quiet he appears to be, and do's not command his area with verbal communication with his defence. Maybe we are getting deaf and did'nt hear him?

 

[fbm]

It doesn't make you right thought does it? There are loads of fans having doubts about Smith and that doesn't make them right either.

I don't slag him off at games, that isn't right. what I will say is I have acknowledged when he makes good saves etc but you will never admit when he plays bad. All you to is say 'another win, team game' you never come out and admit when he plays badly/makes mistakes and for me that is a worse attitude than someone that bemoans how Smith is but admits when he plays well or makes good saves.

I want Smith to do well, to come off his line, to claim balls, make the penalty area his own, be vocal etc, I really do, but I can't see it happening. The defence looks nervy in front of him and we have been lucky so far. It's only a matter of time before the mistakes cost us points. I hope it doesn't, but I think it will.

The trouble is DWB, that you seem to think he always has a bad game and it just isn't the case.

I think where you sit doesn't help to be honest. From the South Upper, everything in the box looks so close and balls that come into the box you think the keeper should claim when in fact when you see it from side on it's a completely different perspective. You also can't see anything depth-perception wise at the other end of the pitch so you can't comment on whether he should have come for a cross or not. You do use hindsight to the nth degree and the comment about getting up and making an effort for the first goal... well, that I'm afraid just made you look a bit daft.

Well done for not slagging him off during the matches (more that can be said for some) but maybe don't try SO hard to find fault with him.

 

[Tampa Blue]

The worst thing about a keeper from a defender's perspective is inconsistency - "is he coming out or isn't he?".

I have only been able to come back to the Uk for two games, but in both of those and from what I read on SZ, it doesn't seem that Smith comes for crosses at all so is consistent, at least the defenders now know that and it is their jobs to attack the ball rather than wait for the keeper.

In any event, the Team is the sum of it's parts and therefore Smith must be doing something right.

 

[leeblue]

Smith came for crosses on saturday and collected them with ease, the save in the second half was billiant, I was in the north and he saw it very very late and somehow saved it as it was practically in the top corner, his kicking out of hand was excellent at times one occasion in the first half to tomlin who almost made something out of a one on one situation and smith got the assist for the equaliser I believe, I like him as a keeper. Its a shame that the tradition at roots hall is now to have someone to pick on and its smith this season. Keep going smithy and ignore the 420 goalkeeping coaches that attend the hall and post on these boards. Im not saying hes perfect but we havent lost a game of footy for ages and we are playing a decent style too come on peeps support the lads wearing the shirt.

 

[Rayleigh Shrimper]

Smith has made some absolutely top draw saves this season and the stick he gets off some so called fans in the South Upper is just ridiculous, his kick to Tomlin in the first half was just pure class but instead of praising him for that he gets moaned at for his next kick just because it doesnt go directly onto Tomlin or Assombalonga's head. Yes Bentley is a very good young keeper with a great career ahead of him but Smith is our Number 1 and as long as he is wearing the SUFC shirt he should have the full support of all those at the Hall.

 

[duncan bulgaria]

Lots of clean sheets , flying high in the league , great team spirit , look like promotion contenders - lets all mess it up by getting on the back of our players all game .
When are people going to realise that having a solid, come for every cross ,commanding, great shot stopper keeper is a rare commidity outside of the top flight ( even Fergie has struggled to replace Van der saar for pst 2 years ) and we are a 4th tier team that IMO have one of the better keepers in the league .

Not seen enough to Bentley but whilst we are not losing and are still hard to beat I am more than happy with SMiths contribution.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Smith will never be a fans favourite becuase:

1) He hasn't progressed through the youth team

2) Doesn't play around with the fans (Belford)

3) Doesn't have facebook or twitter so none of our fans can constantly pester him and write stuff like "oh you were so good at the weekend, please retweet me".

Sounds pathetic but that is honestly the case.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Far too many times yesterday there were players (notably Clohessy or Barker) who he could have released an early throw out to but didn't, then there were times when we could have caught them on the hoof with a quick punt up field for the forwards (particularly near the end when we'd unbelievably kept 3 up!) and instead he threw the ball. There were also far too many times when he SHOULD have come off his line and didn't.

Smith's distribution was excellent on Saturday. Those quick rolls out late in the game were exactly the right thing to do as the players he rolled it out to were able to advance unchecked to a more favourable position (ie further forward and better angle) to launch it forward from.

Did you not see how his kicking was straighter once Corr came on? With a target man you want kicks more down the middle because Corr will beat the centre-half in the air, whereas with Tomlin and Assombalonga you need to move their centre-halves by kicking it more into the channels so Tomlin and Assombalonga can use their superior mobility to get into position before the centre-half and make it awkward for the centre-half to win the ball. That ball in the first half to Tomlin was a superb pass and you can probably count on one hand the number of times we've scored from a punt down the middle in the last two decades - basically since Sammy, so it's nice to see that Smith has that in his armoury as Morris, Flahavan and Royce all struggled to get it that far.

I have no problem with his kicking generally or the fact that he's a pretty decent shot stopper, what I do have a problem with is that his decision making is poor - and that covers all three areas that I just highlighted. To me, he's a player shot of confidence, looking at him as he played yesterday, you wouldn't believe the level and clubs he's played at previously.

I don't know what the answer is though, you can't drop him for Bentley, it would just be wrong. And we ARE still unbeaten in 12 and Smith has been a big part of that. I think we have to accept what to a lot of us are his liabilities and just rally round and help him re-discover that confidence. The bits and pieces are all there to have a very decent keeper on our books, he just needs to put them all together and he won't do that if we keep getting on his back during the game.

He's a more conservative goalkeeper than Belford and doesn't play as a sweeper, but you can't have everything and the rest of his game is decent. The defence know where they stand with that which is why Prosser put that ball out Saturday. As he's not an undersized keeper his starting position is further off the line than much smaller, far more inferior keepers (as he doesn't have to worry about being chipped the whole time) which gives him more time to make his decisions anyway, but his decision making has generally been pretty decent - whilst fans are bemoaning his decision not to come and claim driven balls that aren't there to be caught we keep scoring goals when opposition keepers come for a ball that isn't there to be caught.

The way I see it is that yes he is a decent shot stopper but I'm afraid it ends right there. The defence are a nervous wreck in front of him as he's an absolute mouse. Not Smith bashing, just seen enough now to come to that conclusion. Could have done so much better in the keeper stakes and a couple of pen saves by Bentley wouldn't get me clambering to have him in goal either....we are weak in this area compared to other teams. There keeper y/day, kicking wasn't great but at least he come out and claimed everything!

Can't wait to see how good our defence is once they get a bit of confidence seeing as they've only conceded 16 goals in Smith's 20 games.

Also, interesting to see you change your tune. Do you now admit that Bournemouth's current third choice was a poor keeper? Both are shot stoppers, but Smith has vastly superior distribution (isn't it a relief not to see every other goal-kick not go out for a throw-in five yards past the half way line?), superior size and reach, dominates his area more (they catch the same amount but Smith also punches). Smith's not quite as good as Mildenhall, but otherwise he's our (ie not a loanee like Daniels) best permanent keeper since Royce.

Smith came for crosses on saturday and collected them with ease, the save in the second half was billiant, I was in the north and he saw it very very late and somehow saved it as it was practically in the top corner, his kicking out of hand was excellent at times one occasion in the first half to tomlin who almost made something out of a one on one situation and smith got the assist for the equaliser I believe, I like him as a keeper. Its a shame that the tradition at roots hall is now to have someone to pick on and its smith this season. Keep going smithy and ignore the 420 goalkeeping coaches that attend the hall and post on these boards. Im not saying hes perfect but we havent lost a game of footy for ages and we are playing a decent style too come on peeps support the lads wearing the shirt.

Indeed. If it wasn't Smith it would be someone else. I had a right moaner next to me, turned out he was a W*** H** fan, which explains a lot. The trouble is this is something we're going to have to get use to as they more and more opt to see some decent football at Roots Hall instead of Allardyce's long ball stuff.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Smith will never be a fans favourite becuase:

1) He hasn't progressed through the youth team

Didn't help Kane Ferdinand did it?

What about Spencer Prior? One of our greatest ever players, a true product of our youth system yet the fans favourite was his central defensive partner (who Prior made look good) who was an Orient youth team player.

Franck Moussa wasn't particularly popular, despite scoring the winner against Col Ewe.

Objectively these three are amongst our best players ever (all went onto play for championship clubs),all come through our youth system yet none were crowd favourites.

Simon Royce was the nearest thing to a home produced goalkeeper (let's forget Mel Capelton, please) we've produced in donkey years and also clearly objectively our best, yet people seem to somehow prefer Sammy and Darryl.

Maybe it's just our fans are just appalling judges? Lee Sawyer was loved far more than Nicky Bailey but ones in the conference and the other one is battling for promotion to the premier league?

 

[Jam_Man]

Nicky Bailey is only disliked because he left like he did, I think most people accept he was twice the player of Lee Sawyer.

As for keepers Im not sure what goes on, Mildenhall was a good keeper yet not liked at all. Belford seems adored yet almost lost us the game vs Crewe with as big a clanger Ive seen a keeper drop.

One issue is a keeper, unlike someone like Tomlin will always find it hard to turn opinion. A striker can start scoring goals and those fluffs from earlier in the season are forgotten. Smith can make outstanding saves but will always concede goals so people who have judged him will always have something to mark him down for.

 

[londonblue]

How can you praise a keeper from punting a ball up field he wasn't exactly picking out players a'la Federici was he? Bit of a weak case for the 'Pro Smith' argument.

He is a very decent shot stopper, just lacks a presence and needs to be vocal. He must be decent and his career will show, but for me he is under par of what I felt he would bring to the club.

For me, he is a good shot stopper, kicking is ok, he lacks a presence but he really needs to be more decisive with coming off his line and certainly needs to be more vocal.

But he is our number one and our senior keeper for the next 18 months so lets back him and not ruin him.

Don't you think it's a little unfair to compare a League Two 'keeper with a Premiership 'keeper?

I couldn't be there today , but with respect to some of the posters on here - why not try and do something about it--- in an un-confrontatinal manner
When I here anyone slagging of our players I immedialtly start singing . If it was the keeper I would (and have) started singing 'Southend's Number One '. And almost every time two things happen

Others join in around me - as they are thinking exactly the same , and are equally ****ed with the abuse one of our players is getting (as proved on this board)
The abuser tends to shut up as he realises that not everyone agrees with him. If no one does this he 'assumes' that others must agree and therefore will continue.

Its not confrontational and it works , and you know what - it makes you feel so much better. You might find it difficult to do the first time , but it gets easier each time . Try it

Being the shy and retiring type I wouldn't do that. But what I do do, is applaud and say "well done" very loudly every time they do something good.

Today was the first time i saw him play this season, and i did not like the abuse he was getting. He is playing in a southend shirt so why give him soo much ****. Get behind him rather than abuse him. My views on him were that he has the makings of a good keeper but seems to lack confidence (which isnt helped by all the abuse from the home fans). Lastly i really think he needs to be a lot more vocal and order his defence about, he just seemed to stand there quietly and let cresswell do it for him, this can be a potential problem because it could lead to a misunderstanding between the keeper and defence.

Sorry I don't buy this "vocal" argument. I sit pretty much on the half way line and I could hear him screaming various things at the defence. (For example, I heard him shouting "time" on numerous occassions.)

Two weeks ago I had an audiogram test as part of my annual flying medical. I suggest a number of people on here might need one too.

 

[southchurchblue]

I enjoyed the game last saturday we certainly didnt deserve to find ourselves 2 goals down but full credit to all the players for keeping going and to keep pressing forward you got a share off the points in the end.
I just cant abuse my own players in the game what good is it doing? although i'm not completely sure of smith he is who is picked by the manager so i will get behind him,i left one side of the ground because of the abuse to certain players now i sit in the east stand and its a lot better as they on the whole get behind the team.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Sorry I don't buy this "vocal" argument. I sit pretty much on the half way line and I could hear him screaming various things at the defence. (For example, I heard him shouting "time" on numerous occassions.)

Yes I also noticed this on Saturday, though it is the first time I have done so.

 

[Neil 24]

smudge is doin well he is a pro and wil do his best week after week regardless of the minority slating him. top bloke

 

[Ayrshire Blue]

Only just seen Saturdays highlights, definitely Smith with the assist for Tomlin, Corr doesn't touch it.

 

[londonblue]

Only just seen Saturdays highlights, definitely Smith with the assist for Tomlin, Corr doesn't touch it.

Agreed, but Corr also deserves some credit for making a nuisance of himself. If he didn't do that the defender would have cut it out.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

I dunno how on earth people can blame Smith in any way.

The game reminded me very much so of the Crewe playoff home game.

The same player took center stage in allowing the opposition to score even more so this time.

 

[Welly7]

Find it hard to believe Smith has raised so much doubt! Luggy's explaination as to why he chose Smith over Bentley was short, to the point and 100% right.

 

[GBJ]

Not convinced by him at all, but I'll leave my opinions for on here & not at the game. If that makes me a bad fan, then so be it

 

[mfurok]

Smith's distribution was excellent on Saturday. Those quick rolls out late in the game were exactly the right thing to do as the players he rolled it out to were able to advance unchecked to a more favourable position (ie further forward and better angle) to launch it forward from.

Did you not see how his kicking was straighter once Corr came on? With a target man you want kicks more down the middle because Corr will beat the centre-half in the air, whereas with Tomlin and Assombalonga you need to move their centre-halves by kicking it more into the channels so Tomlin and Assombalonga can use their superior mobility to get into position before the centre-half and make it awkward for the centre-half to win the ball. That ball in the first half to Tomlin was a superb pass and you can probably count on one hand the number of times we've scored from a punt down the middle in the last two decades - basically since Sammy, so it's nice to see that Smith has that in his armoury as Morris, Flahavan and Royce all struggled to get it that far.




He's a more conservative goalkeeper than Belford and doesn't play as a sweeper, but you can't have everything and the rest of his game is decent. The defence know where they stand with that which is why Prosser put that ball out Saturday. As he's not an undersized keeper his starting position is further off the line than much smaller, far more inferior keepers (as he doesn't have to worry about being chipped the whole time) which gives him more time to make his decisions anyway, but his decision making has generally been pretty decent - whilst fans are bemoaning his decision not to come and claim driven balls that aren't there to be caught we keep scoring goals when opposition keepers come for a ball that isn't there to be caught.



Can't wait to see how good our defence is once they get a bit of confidence seeing as they've only conceded 16 goals in Smith's 20 games.

Also, interesting to see you change your tune. Do you now admit that Bournemouth's current third choice was a poor keeper? Both are shot stoppers, but Smith has vastly superior distribution (isn't it a relief not to see every other goal-kick not go out for a throw-in five yards past the half way line?), superior size and reach, dominates his area more (they catch the same amount but Smith also punches). Smith's not quite as good as Mildenhall, but otherwise he's our (ie not a loanee like Daniels) best permanent keeper since Royce.



Indeed. If it wasn't Smith it would be someone else. I had a right moaner next to me, turned out he was a W*** H** fan, which explains a lot. The trouble is this is something we're going to have to get use to as they more and more opt to see some decent football at Roots Hall instead of Allardyce's long ball stuff.

Try and get your facts right.

Darryl was first choice until he was injured (for the season probably).

Injured does not mean third choice.