Adam Smith

It's been a turbulent few years and transition looks set to continue. Good to have someone like Smith around to be a steady consistent influence. Hopefully he's not having to play 100 mins a week until 2025, but you'd always have him nearby.
 
Good piece in the Echo today from Adam Smith.


“It is obviously a privilege to be in the Premier League and fighting to get promoted.

“And then just when you get older, do you still enjoy your job after doing it for so long?

“It isn’t just the pressure, but the abuse. It is grinding. Maybe I’m being too honest, but the abuse players get… no other industry gets it.

“You wouldn’t walk down the street and abuse a trader or something but if you are a footballer you get abused left, right and centre.

“Twitter, Instagram, at the stadium. I know I’m lucky to be a footballer but I just don’t think it is acceptable.

“I still enjoy it, but there are some moments where I don’t enjoy it.”

 
Well regarded, but perhaps not as much as deserves?

One of my favourite AFCB players. Always felt confident about seeing him in the lineup over the years.

Extremely tenacious, never goes missing. Good footballer, with ability too... relative to our level.

Our best right back of all time? I know Franno was quality, but was on his way down by the time we reached the PL. I think Smithy is/was a better player TBH. Franno had telepathy with Ritchie during our climb and was more effective with us due to 'sum of all parts' factor, but like I say, objectively I think peak Smith is the better player of the two and would have started ahead of peak Franno at pretty much every other club.
 
As a new supporter, I am getting to know him in these last few games.

Lacks pace and you could see Aston Villa were trying to find his back in the first half.

Outside of that, quality player.

Good on the ball, very composed and makes good decisions.

Aggressive defensively and positions and uses his body well.

Great backup to Aarons, so good on the club for giving him another year.
 
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Bitzer said:
Strange today. Almost like Tavs was playing wing back and Smudge crept into rh central defence.
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There was a clear tactical instruction because we kept saying ‘why is Smith there?’ He followed Mcginn into the middle when he drifted, Tavs moved to right back and Kluivert to the right wing. It happened continually.
 
Neil Dawson said:
There was a clear tactical instruction because we kept saying ‘why is Smith there?’ He followed Mcginn into the middle when he drifted, Tavs moved to right back and Kluivert to the right wing. It happened continually.
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One of the key improvements in my view is the clever movement of defenders to fill the gaps that we saw loads of initially. Both central defender moving into that opposition no. 10 space and Smithy moving in there today. It's really clever and seems to have made us much more solid.
 
SlowDownDerek said:
One of the key improvements in my view is the clever movement of defenders to fill the gaps that we saw loads of initially. Both central defender moving into that opposition no. 10 space and Smithy moving in there today. It's really clever and seems to have made us much more solid.
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What’s interesting to me is he always did this at Rayo. So for the first 8 or so games did he not instruct us to do it for some reason or did he and the players just didn’t get it or follow instructions? Guess we will never know and it’s water under the bridge.
 
Neil Dawson said:
What’s interesting to me is he always did this at Rayo. So for the first 8 or so games did he not instruct us to do it for some reason or did he and the players just didn’t get it or follow instructions? Guess we will never know and it’s water under the bridge.
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I think it's easy for us to forget what looks natural like today, is the result of understanding between players, understanding between players and manager, all of which takes time to learn and implement.

We don't automatically rock up on the first day in our careers at a new company and smash it like we have been there a lifetime.

I'm looking forward to the future if it continues as it has so far, much enjoyment to be had irrespective of the result.
 
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