All this shite about ball-playing pussies who don't know how to defend, and we send our best defender on loan??? I bet LvG and Maureen did not rate him either, but they quickly changed their minds when they found no one better. Until we bring on defenders better than Smalling, he should remain here and be a starter. We know what he is not good at, but let's bring in the players before we dump him.
Smalling / SIGNED for Roma
- Thread starter Ranchero
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Sorry but this is lost on me. After watching the group of street clowns we’ve had at centre back recently I cannot for the life of me understand why we are selling Smalling.
To fund the Telles deal. We are poor.
Yeah except we aren’t poor really. Just badly run. And when I say badly I mean feckin horrendously.
Seems like its a done dealio.
Happy for Smalling as he's been a good servant for the club, and retained his dignity after Southgate ruined his career in England.
Best wishes to him and his family in Rome
Happy for Smalling as he's been a good servant for the club, and retained his dignity after Southgate ruined his career in England.
Best wishes to him and his family in Rome
We’re run by morons.
I’m struggling to find words to describe just how moronic, genuinely struggling.
Yeah. We’re just stacked at CB. Great move.
If we talk about defending, I would say Lindelof / Maguire were more successful last season than Smalling.
What an utter joke. We have agreed a deal to get shot of Chris Smalling. We are losing more players than we are bringing in. Alex Telles? One cap for Brazil and on the cheap. If I was in despair before, I am now.
What a joke, can’t believe we are clearing the dead wood.
Strange how Roma don't see him as dead wood, and are a better side than we are currently.
If you are going to clear the dead wood, according to this forum, that would include Maguire, Bailly, Jones, Lindelof and yes Rojo, who is still taking a wage with the club. The idea is to keep our best defenders if we are not going to bring in any upgrades. And Smalling is [right now] the best central defender that we have. And that is not saying much.
Then we don’t play silly buggers and pass the ball to him when he’s in our own 18 yard box.
Have you seen how shocking our supposed Ball Playing Centre Backs (TM) are with this playing out from the back nonsense? We immediately invite unnecessary pressure and rarely actually get up the pitch all because of this trendy gk-plays-it-short rubbish.
The best we seem to be able to do is that Maguire or Lindelof get the ball then are forced to play it back diagonally to a full back right in the corner or play it short to Pogba with his back to play and two opponents marking him.
I’m not saying hoof it every time, but a clipped ball to the wing does the job.
I'd rather we sold Maguire for £15 million. Feck this shit.
Smalling is an excellent defender but he can’t play in a system that requires him to have composure on the ball and play out from the back. I’m not interested in having a debate about how well we are currently doing that but that is quite obviously the reasoning and we are at least showing some conviction in sticking to that approach. He’s 31, it’s a good fee and a good time to move him on.
I understand that we are in the middle of a serious downturn in form but come on seriously. How are Roma a better side that us? They finished 6th in Serie A.
However. I do agree that Smalling is a better defender than anyone else at the club.
Deal is most likely off, Roma forgot to attach a mandatory document alongside his contract..
it just never ends
have to feel for Smalling, what a shitshow.Smalling wasn't even here last year... Selling him changes nothing.
So again, this was pointed out by others, but we had a player who wanted to go, a club that wanted to buy him, and we were happy to let it go. And we left it so late that there was a paperwork error that meant the whole deal collapsed?
No fax given
Did we sell them our fax machine as well?
If he isn’t going I hope he is placed firmly in the starting 11 as the first choice CB. Fed up of the clown performances the current set of CB’s put in.
I kinda hope it isn't true. Really feel for Smalling if it is.
I'm just happy this is done. Feel for the lad. He's been a good servant. Not nice to drag this out for so long, whoever's fault that is.
This might be the first bit of good luck for us this season if true. Imo at least. Would be harsh on him but I think we need him.
If it falls through bring him in and start him. The only defender in our squad who has good form under his belt, this rest have been woeful.
If it falls through bring him in and start him. The only defender in our squad who has good form under his belt, this rest have been woeful.
Sky just flashed it up that it's done.
Its done.
Relief for Smalling. Good for him.
Relief for Smalling. Good for him.
I hope it is done, would be awful for him not to get his move.
Well happy for him. He wanted the move and it would have been cruel to stuck with us for such an error in documents. Good luck for him there.
Good luck to him. Should have been three centre backs turfed out ahead of him.
Reminds me of when we needlessly sold Blind.
Reminds me of when we needlessly sold Blind.
My bad then, sorry. I heard on RAI that the deal was most likely off because one of the documents arrived only after the deadline but it seems it was not mandatory..
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