Having got permission from us to play in the game, Matt Smith scored the equaliser with a storming header for Bristol City in their 1-1 draw away to Doncaster in yesterday’s cup tie. That’s his 4th goal for them in 3 games. Here’s a video of his double in their previous game - [VIDEO] page[/VIDEO] Given the preponderousness of Bodurov and, in particular, of Hutchinson to lump the ball forward, are we missing out ?
I thought the signing of Smith would be a good one for us, he would give us another option upfront and a bit of much needed height in the forward areas. Kit just didn't seem to fancy him when he got here and didn't give him much of a chance. I know we have quite a lot of strikers and forward thinking players but none like Smith. I know it's not pretty on the eye and a lot of fans don't like seeing it but sometimes the old "hoof ball" tactic is necessary, having a big guy like Smith upfront gives players that out ball and a chance for Smith to hold the ball up and allow other players to get up and support him.
What we forget is that Symons was part of the early Tigana squad, and has probably tried to implement a possession game as his philosophy, but as we know Tigana was brought down by his teams trying to keep possession with no end product. The whole of the Smith transfer was very strange, as we got him for only £700K, then plays 1 game, gets sent off, then loaned out !!!!
I'd be very surprised if we see him in a first team Fulham shirt again. As others have said, Kit just doesn't seem to fancy him. Shame, I think he'd be a better option than Hugo alongside McCormack - with whom he has a proven partnership - and would have more goal threat (for now, at least) than Woodrow and Dembele, who aren't yet the goal scorers we hope they will grow into. In Smith's continued absence I'm pinning all my hopes on Taggart getting fit and proving himself.
Smith should be part of the team. Kit is technically poor. He needs someone alongside to help him. Personally I can see him going in the summer and frankly would not mind someone with more experience. As C58 said there is plan A, no plan B and as others said the subs are usually not adding any value... The good feel factor is not enough on its own to get the club forward...
Kit watched Matt Smith score 4 goals tonight as Bristol City beat Gillingham 4-2 in their Johnstone’s Paint Trophy southern area final first leg tie. No surprise though that City want to hang on to him. “Bristol City manager Steve Cotterill is eager to keep hold of 6ft 5in striker Smith, who netted all four goals on a memorable night for himself and City, who are now just 90 minutes away from a Wembley final. Fulham boss Kit Symons was at Priestfield to watch Smith in action and must have been impressed by what he saw as the former Oldham and Leeds United man registered his first career hat-trick and became the first City players to score four in a game since Paul Agostino achieved the feat in an FA Cup tie against St Albans in 1990s. Cotterill has made no secret of his desire to broker an extended loan deal for a player who has now scored eight goals in his last four outings and he is confident Symons will acquiesce. Speaking immediately after City’s third victory over Gillingham in the space of two months, Cotterill said: “I’ve spoken to Kit about Matt Smith and I don’t think anything has changed. He was fifth or sixth choice at Fulham when he came to us and I don’t see him getting in their side ahead of the likes of Hugo Rodallega and Ross McCormack.” “Matt was magnificent tonight and he’s enjoying his football with us. I’d love for him to stay beyond the end of January and I’m confident that can still happen.” Source: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristo...tory-25813447-detail/story.html#ixzz3O5TPAnZ1
Bristol City fan, leave him with us, he's playing in a winning side, that plays good football, if we keep him till the end of the season, he should come back to you a much better and fitter footballer. Saying that, we would buy him tomorrow, please.
As soon as I saw your username, I knew you were a City fan. Believe me when I say that Fulham fans have very different memories of Alan Dicks to yours!
Wow they were all exceptional goals, he even got a perfect hattrick (left, right, head). The problem having Smith in our team is the fact that we have no width so can't play to his strengths.
He would be useful to receive the long balls we keep playing, get his head on the throw ins, and be a target for corners though. He looks fairly useful with his feet too, back heels and long range wowsers I thought he was a good signing for us. Is he tied to a duration with the loan deal?
His loan expires on 25th January, which may be why Kit hasn't called him back. Being optimistic, we sent him out to get match fit and regain his confidence so why cut it short for the sake of two weeks? And anyway, if we did the Club could lose credibility in the loan market. As an aside, remember a season ago when we had 8 goalkeepers and questions were asked about the Club's strategy, even though 4/5 were Academy players. This season we have 8 first team strikers (albeit two on loan, one just returned from loan and one injured) so ....... ? Somewhere, sometime (and probably sooner rather than later) we're going to have to move out a few.
I know he took you into the old first division and is rightly remembered fondly by City fans, but to us he was a hapless has-been in the early 90s, part of our long, steady decline that culminated in relegation to the fourth tier and Ian Branfoot leading us to 91st in the league. I think Dicks was manager when we lost to Hayes in the FA Cup, the first time we were ever knocked out by a non-league team. Even if that wasn't on his cv, he was still one of the weaker managers in a succession of ineffectual failures for us in those days. I moved down from Scotland in the early 90s, and the first game I went to at the Cottage was towards the end of his time. It was surreal and slightly disturbing to be surrounded by a terrace full(ish) of grown men shouting 'Dicks out!' Mercifully, no one complied. Incidentally, I lived in Bristol for a couple of years in the mid 90s, and City was my adopted second team. Glad to see you doing well this season, even if it's slightly painful to see Matt Smith doing for you what we'd rather he was doing for us.
"Matt Smith netted his ninth goal in five as Bristol City returned to the top of League One with a 4-0 win over Notts County" Match report: http://www.sportinglife.com/football/live/match-report/314609/-
Bristol City beat Doncaster 2-0 in their Cup replay tonight and Matt Smith .... didn't score! However, he now has a chance to play in their 4th round tie at home against West Ham. The game is scheduled for a week on Sunday, 25th January - the last day of his loan deal with them.
