Richard Smallwood

Did I read that he wasn't scouted? Approached the club as it was geographically convenient for travelling.

Just sums up how professional our recruitment is.

 

Just drop him! Worse than Josh Wright. Utter shite for us.

 

Really. If that’s true then bloody hell!

 

Says turned down league 1 and approached us. No doubt eying the 3 year contract. Taken us for a ride.

 

I want to like him but it's impossible to when he acts like a baby every game. He acts like he's doing us a favour when in fact, his legs have gone and he's no longer at the level required. Hughes can get some credit back by benching him

 

Exactly my thoughts. I've cut him slack because of the level he's played at and have thought that eventually it would shine through. Have now run out of patience though and reluctantly accept he will probably go down as one of our most disappointing signings ever.

 

You'd have to think that someone who is subbed every week between the 60th and 70th minute mark , must either be doing something badly wrong or is unfit.

You'd also think at some point that player would have to be left out for either reason

 

Here for retirement and to top up his pension fund!

He’s done! Such a shame but boy a poor signing.

 

Sadly it looks that way. He's gone downhill from last season and he was underwhelming then.

 

Were you there??
1st goal stems from Cook messing up a simple clearance to the edge of the box which puts Smallwood in a position of closing down a potential shot from 18 yards.
2nd goal yes he plays his part but Stubbs is sucked in and gets a 1-2 played around him.
The fans in the stand who were around us shot anyone down who started with the Anti Smallwood calls.

Stubbs
Ayegoke
Platt
Kelly
Cook
Odour

All these played far worse ffs.

 

Don’t understand the hate he gets. I appreciate that he’s not the lower league Pirlo that some expected but he’s far from our worst player over the last season and a bit.

He’s playing in a system that asks him to cover a lot of ground and also be the main channel for playing from the defence. I think if we put him alongside McDonald in a 433/4231 like we had last season he would look far more comfortable.

 

I agree he wasnt alone in having a bad game. I think the views re Smallwood go way beyond today though. Given his experience and the level he's played at, I expected so much more. He just seems to be in serious decline. That said, some fans do seem keen to scream abuse at every mistake and I found the atmosphere today the most unpleasant its been ironically since the days of Adams!

 

Exactly.
It was pathetic.

 

And that all comes from Hughes set up but you don't have a problem with him either!

 

I’m sorry but if you’re defending Smallwood after today then you’re either a close family member of his or you’re incredibly stupid.
That second goal was absolutely pathetic from him.

 

For his own good I think he might get a ‘knock’ in training this week to take him out of the limelight for a week or two. That second goal showed him in such a bad light but there is a player in there when he pulls his finger out. Ive not normally noticed a lack of effort before today. Hopefully he gets a kick up the backside but we need more from the skipper.

 

That “performance” today looked like a captain who wasn’t playing for his manager.

 

Please keep with this thread I had it yesterday with folk pulling players up but get with the bigger picture ............. it's not the players it's the manager who is making them look shite or do you really think they wanna mess around with at the back when they ain't comfortable doing it ?????
If Hughes has anything about him he will sit the whole squad down and let them voice there opinions about what's going ............ the best out there have done that so why can't he ?????

 

Didn’t he try that with Jake Young?