Smith

[Yorkshire Blue]

Sorry, but you're wrong about Flavs kicking IMO. As I said before, very good with the ball at his feet for a keeper - accuracy, distance, clean strikes - all good. Its not all about how far a GK can kick it. That's kinda the mentality of schoolboy football where the biggest kid must be the best player. It's funny how you don't consider Royce's poor kicking a problem, but pick out Flavs' as a fault of his.

I said I don't consider kicking all that important for a keeper, but have been pointing out the hypocrisy in criticising Smith for things that he does that Flahavan was as bad, if not worse at!

It's not all about distance, but it helps if you can reach the forwards. Flahavan didn't have good distance and plenty of his goalkicks would just bounce out for a throw. He was also painfully ponderous in distributing.

And no way was his shot stopping overrated. It's a keeper's job to make saves and Darryl did that part of the job very well. I remember Royce, who I'm a big fan of by the way, making fingertip saves and applauding his ability to do so. Why do you struggle to do the same with Flavs, but not Royce?

As I quite clearly stated, Flahavan's finger tips saves would have been easier saves for keepers with better reach, such as Royce. What stood Royce out was his decision-making, something that I repeatedly bemoaned in Flahavan.

Yes, Prior played a massive part in winning the league - as did Barrett, Maher, Goater, Gray, Flavs and everyone else. But, when push comes to shove - and one player has to be creditted with doing that little bit extra - Freddy Eastwood took us over the line to make history.

Eastwood gets credited because he scored the goals, but the success was built on the defence which was dominated by Prior. He's criminally underrated by many Southend fans because he anticipated instead of reacted.

 

[Crabby Shrimper]

Eastwood gets credited because he scored the goals, but the success was built on the defence which was dominated by Prior. He's criminally underrated by many Southend fans because he anticipated instead of reacted.

I'd also say Maher was underrated by many. Never seemed to do anything spectacular, but controlled and set the tempo from midfield pretty well.

 

[A Century United]

If Smith was a race horse he would of been put down by now

A large number of our fans would be ahead of him in the queue, though.

 

[WESTY_SUFC]

Prior. He's criminally underrated by many Southend fans because he anticipated instead of reacted.

Who underrates Prior then?

I got the impression most people thought he was superb for us.

.....Yorkshire Blue off on a tangent again

 

[fbm]

Bart was better than Flavs anyway...

 

[davewebbsbrain]

I'd also say Maher was underrated by many. Never seemed to do anything spectacular, but controlled and set the tempo from midfield pretty well.

Have to agree. Took a couple of seasons to settle in but did so much good work on the middle. Many moaned that he passed sideways etc but he had the vision to know when to move the across the middle to create space and when to pass the ball forwards into the correct space.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Who underrates Prior then?

I got the impression most people thought he was superb for us.

.....Yorkshire Blue off on a tangent again

Probably one of our best CB's of the last 30 odd years. Played at the highest level and never let us down.

 

[mfurok]

As long as the ball wasn''t over 5'6" high, Daryl had a chance

Did Ronaldo tell you that personally?

 

[londonblue]

As long as the ball wasn''t over 5'6" high, Daryl had a chance

Given that Daryll was included in the 2005/06 League 1 Team of the Year, the rest of the 'keepers must have been really awful.

 

[silentshrimper]

Given that Daryll was included in the 2005/06 League 1 Team of the Year, the rest of the 'keepers must have been really awful.

I think he was named league 1 player of the season that year!

 

[mfurok]

I think he was named league 1 player of the season that year!

Obviously this award must have been decided by more of YB's 'appalling judges' (definition: disagree with the majority of his pompous 'As I clearly stated' dictats.

Oh and, by the way, Lewis Hunt is not one of the 'hundreds' but Spencer Prior, Kevin Maher and many many more are.

 

[Welly7]

I said I don't consider kicking all that important for a keeper, but have been pointing out the hypocrisy in criticising Smith for things that he does that Flahavan was as bad, if not worse at!

It's not all about distance, but it helps if you can reach the forwards. Flahavan didn't have good distance and plenty of his goalkicks would just bounce out for a throw. He was also painfully ponderous in distributing.




As I quite clearly stated, Flahavan's finger tips saves would have been easier saves for keepers with better reach, such as Royce. What stood Royce out was his decision-making, something that I repeatedly bemoaned in Flahavan.




Eastwood gets credited because he scored the goals, but the success was built on the defence which was dominated by Prior. He's criminally underrated by many Southend fans because he anticipated instead of reacted.

You're one sided views on any player that you're not keen on (despite the blinding evidence in front of your very eyes) does make me smile... :smile:

It seems if you like a player then he's the best thing since sliced bread and if you don't he's a waste of space! I guess we're all a bit like that to an extent and if you prefer Royce to Flavs - fine, both good keepers and probably not a lot in it either way...but Smith & Mildenhall over Flavs?!?! Ok, whatever you say.

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

Paul Sansome was better than all of them.

...and Eric Steele.

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Given that Daryll was included in the 2005/06 League 1 Team of the Year, the rest of the 'keepers must have been really awful.

Jeez, I was joshing

 

[Cockle43]

Paul Sansome was better than all of them.

...and Eric Steele.

Sorry, disagree, Trevor Roberts was better although some thought Brian Lloyd was quite handy as he got three caps for Wales....

 

[davewebbsbrain]

Sorry, disagree, Trevor Roberts was better although some thought Brian Lloyd was quite handy as he got three caps for Wales....

A certain Freddy Eastwood has some of those as well, doesn't make him handy :winking:

I loved Sansome, a real fans fave and helped make the North bank in the early 90's a fab place to be

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

You're one sided views on any player that you're not keen on (despite the blinding evidence in front of your very eyes) does make me smile... :smile:

What blinding evidence?

Surely you don't mean the Team of the Year, as they are a joke. By that definition Eastwood isn't any good as he never made one of these.

The Player of the Month awards were possibly even worse. I think SZ rigged it four months running!

It seems if you like a player then he's the best thing since sliced bread and if you don't he's a waste of space! I guess we're all a bit like that to an extent and if you prefer Royce to Flavs - fine, both good keepers and probably not a lot in it either way...but Smith & Mildenhall over Flavs?!?! Ok, whatever you say.

Is it really that unreasonable to think that either Smith or Mildenhall might be better than Flahavan? I'm not exactly out on a limb here as I'm hardly flying in the face of professional opinion if I suggest that.

Look at it objectively and take Southend out of the picture: Smith and Mildenhall have both had more successful careers away from Roots Hall than Flahavan - be that games played in the Championship, transfer fees (Smith was deemed worthy of a £500,000 transfer fee (twice), Mildenhall (£150,000) but no-one has ever paid money for Flahavan) or whatever.

Mildenhall is still on the books of a Championship club, who extended his contract. Tilson when he had the opportunity of re-signing Flahavan in 2008 opted to sign Mildenhall instead of Flahavan.

Smith has kept clean sheets in the Premiership. He's played for big clubs like Southampton, Forest and Middlesborough.

 

[OldBlueLady]

Mildenhall is still on the books of a Championship club, who extended his contract. Tilson when he had the opportunity of re-signing Flahavan in 2008 opted to sign Mildenhall instead of Flahavan.

Smith has kept clean sheets in the Premiership. He's played for big clubs like Southampton, Forest and Middlesborough.

The signing of Mildenhall may have been more monetary based, doesn't mean for one moment he was better.

And as for Smith, well, presumably he's also been released by all these too.

 

[Neil 24]

Forest signed smith for 500k from saints in 2006 smith had a ten game loan spell at boro were he did very well then was released by forest end of last season