Dean Smalley

[PlayItLivo]

I think a couple of months loan to Stockport or Chesterfield or someone like that, when the loan window re-opens would do Deane the world of good, try and get his confidence back up then when he returns he's fully fit and playing for a contract.

 

I want to see Millar and Purdie given a chance.

Edited September 2, 2010 by PlayItLivo

[bluehobbit]

..smalley is the same,you may get one absolute barnstorming game from him when he is totally unplayable,full of energy and enterprise firing crosses in taking on defenders winning free kicks and that...then nothing for the next 6 or 7 games.....

 

 

erm when? he rarley ever puts a cross in he just doest do it.

 

he has had some very good games. Leeds away on the left wing, stockport etc a few seasons back but he doesnt seem to have improved at all. His 1st touch is crap, 0 anticipation can only beat a man with a trick on the halfway line and can be very lightweight i wanted him to come good. He has pace and is good in the air and against county and northampton i really thought he had made the break through but it hasnt happend and i dont think it will now. Hes had plenty of chances time to offload him for me

[RobOAFC]

we started this season very brightly with decent games against trampmere notts county n charlton...then we had to change it...and since we have gone back to looking like last years team of clueless players not able to hit a barn door.....

 

we had to change it.. yes PD had no choice.. Alessandra was injured so taylor had to come in.. then JJ got sent off and then was unwell..

atm would rather see JJ on left wing then taylor.. not being unfair to taylor but he needs to slowly build his fitness back up, as with smalley, get them to rediscover the 'passion' and 'hunger' to play again.. Jacobsen been showing this recently.. examples as their to follow..

[Gemma06]

I agree. The lad has played more than double the amount of pro games than the likes of Lee, Stephens, Black and Lewi who are all around the same age. You can clearly see progress with these players but with Smalley he has gone backwards

 

Could this be part of the problem? The others have had to chance to progress without having people booo them most of the time they make a mistake. He is still fairly young and will be incosistant especially until he gets fully match fit, but he still has time to improve. He's been injured a fair bit the last year or so and will take his time to get back to best. We always seen to write off our players very quickly, it happened with Smalley, Eardley, Black and Alessandra was getting stick last season, now Taylor this season, fair enough they have all had their fair share of bad games but at their age and at this level of football they are going to, these are the players we should be getting behind 100% how many times have people moaned that our young players should be given a chance instead of bringing players in on loan yet if there not playing like Messi within a few games they start getting told how crap they are.

[slystallone]

Could this be part of the problem? The others have had to chance to progress without having people booo them most of the time they make a mistake. He is still fairly young and will be incosistant especially until he gets fully match fit, but he still has time to improve. He's been injured a fair bit the last year or so and will take his time to get back to best. We always seen to write off our players very quickly, it happened with Smalley, Eardley, Black and Alessandra was getting stick last season, now Taylor this season, fair enough they have all had their fair share of bad games but at their age and at this level of football they are going to, these are the players we should be getting behind 100% how many times have people moaned that our young players should be given a chance instead of bringing players in on loan yet if there not playing like Messi within a few games they start getting told how crap they are.

 

I fully agree about giving youngster the chance; i’m 100% all for it – if they’re good enough; they’re old enough and all that.

 

Just being a Devil’s advocate on your last point though; can we really still use the argument that Deane is a 'youngster with only a few games under his belt'?

 

He made his full debut over 3 ½ years ago & had been in & around the side before that on the bench & in pre-season friendlies. To date he’s played over 80 full 1st team games. I don’t think that counts as just “a few games”.

He has had plenty of opportunity to kick on; to learn & develop on the raw potential he has. To date; he still hasn’t done that. His next birthday; he’ll be 22. How much longer he can still play on the potential tag remains to seen – he’ll have to fulfil on some of it soon surely?

 

[opinions4u]

The only case for the defence of Smalley is "returning from injury".

 

The lad needs an end product.

 

He's a striker who doesn't score or a winger who doesn't cross.

Edited September 3, 2010 by opinions4u

[Gemma06]

I fully agree about giving youngster the chance; i’m 100% all for it – if they’re good enough; they’re old enough and all that.

 

Just being a Devil’s advocate on your last point though; can we really still use the argument that Deane is a 'youngster with only a few games under his belt'?

 

He made his full debut over 3 ½ years ago & had been in & around the side before that on the bench & in pre-season friendlies. To date he’s played over 80 full 1st team games. I don’t think that counts as just “a few games”.

He has had plenty of opportunity to kick on; to learn & develop on the raw potential he has. To date; he still hasn’t done that. His next birthday; he’ll be 22. How much longer he can still play on the potential tag remains to seen – he’ll have to fulfil on some of it soon surely?

 

I never said he was a youngster who had only played a few games, but he hasn't had the chance to improve and develop in the reserves/out on loan - basically away from all our fans who have a go at him all the time - like the other players mentioned in the post i was replying to (Lee, Stephens, Black, Alessandra), my point was could this be one of the reasons why he has struggled to carry on improving? He's never going to be a world beater but he does have the ability to play at this level if not the championship but there is still the chance he could drop down the leagues if he doesnt get his act together. I dont think he should be written off yet though

[NIKI1234]

Could this be part of the problem? The others have had to chance to progress without having people booo them most of the time they make a mistake. He is still fairly young and will be incosistant especially until he gets fully match fit, but he still has time to improve. He's been injured a fair bit the last year or so and will take his time to get back to best. We always seen to write off our players very quickly, it happened with Smalley, Eardley, Black and Alessandra was getting stick last season, now Taylor this season, fair enough they have all had their fair share of bad games but at their age and at this level of football they are going to, these are the players we should be getting behind 100% how many times have people moaned that our young players should be given a chance instead of bringing players in on loan yet if there not playing like Messi within a few games they start getting told how crap they are.

 

The difference with Eardley, Black, Lee is that they did not get worse the more games they played though.... Smalley is close to playing 100 games for us and has had plenty of runs in the side yet i can count on one hand the amount of good games he has had... the most annoying thing about him compared with the others is when he has had these good games he has been sometimes unplayable, his performances against Leeds, Everton, Stockport and a few others were fantastic. But 5 or 6 out of 70 odd games is no good at all..... the other players mentioned have come in and are pretty consistant every game. The same cannot be said of Smalley when he has had runs in the team.

[Stitch_KTF]

I think some are a little harsh on Smalley - for me the most annoying thing about him is the fact he wears the hallowed number 8.

 

Seems that dodgy back injury really knocked him back. Wasn't he doing ok up until then, yet nothing from him since?

[mickeylatic]

Just read an earlier post in this thread drop Stephens!!! Not been funny but sure a specsavers appt could be due for me he oozes class at moment him and furman backing each other up like rocks

[RoyleArmy]

let hope smalley silents the fans with a good display tomro fingers cross

Edited September 3, 2010 by RoyleArmy

[De_La_Vega]

Always been a bit unsure of Smalley - far too many games where he goes missing for my liking and it is interesting that such comments are beginning to proliferate on the boards after a period where some seemed to think he was amazing.

 

I do feel a bit of sympathy for the lad in that he seems to be pushed from one position to the other without much concern as to where he will influence the game; for my money he is a striker but unless he is given a good long run up front then I fear it'll be a position he never comes to terms with. Out wide he lacks the awareness to play the subtle roles that a winger needs to, and I don't think he has the out and out pace to take a man on down the outside; to my mind Smalley can beat a man but only does it when he is stood up one on one and he can use quick feet to gain himself some space. That said, he can do that and is not without pace to exploit a gap when he has one.

 

The key issue seems to be a lack of footballing intelligence and more disconcertingly too little indication that he is learning from his experiences. A bit like Shane Warne commented with regards to Monty Panesar, it isn't so much that he's played lots of games but that he has played the same game lots of times.

 

To be honest I think the best thing that DS could do for his career would be to drop a level on loan. He needs to find a level where he gets regular game time, and work out where his best position is - once he finds this he needs the run of games that will help him learn the position. It'd be a real shame to lose his abiltities, but I cannot see that if he stays with us for the season then there will be any other ending.

[steveoafc]

Always been a bit unsure of Smalley - far too many games where he goes missing for my liking and it is interesting that such comments are beginning to proliferate on the boards after a period where some seemed to think he was amazing.

 

I do feel a bit of sympathy for the lad in that he seems to be pushed from one position to the other without much concern as to where he will influence the game; for my money he is a striker but unless he is given a good long run up front then I fear it'll be a position he never comes to terms with. Out wide he lacks the awareness to play the subtle roles that a winger needs to, and I don't think he has the out and out pace to take a man on down the outside; to my mind Smalley can beat a man but only does it when he is stood up one on one and he can use quick feet to gain himself some space. That said, he can do that and is not without pace to exploit a gap when he has one.

 

The key issue seems to be a lack of footballing intelligence and more disconcertingly too little indication that he is learning from his experiences. A bit like Shane Warne commented with regards to Monty Panesar, it isn't so much that he's played lots of games but that he has played the same game lots of times.

 

To be honest I think the best thing that DS could do for his career would be to drop a level on loan. He needs to find a level where he gets regular game time, and work out where his best position is - once he finds this he needs the run of games that will help him learn the position. It'd be a real shame to lose his abiltities, but I cannot see that if he stays with us for the season then there will be any other ending.

I just can't see him as a central striker, despite his adequate physique i think he's too timid and goes missing when the going gets tough.

I agree about sending him out on loan to try and gain some confidence but if that doesn't work then i fear his days are numbered.