Newcastle’s Alan Smith will miss the crucial Tottenham game on Monday evening because he has picked up 5 yellow cards this season and is suspended for the game.
Alan is a fiery player on the field and certainly doesn’t shirk a tackle, but every time he makes one of his slide tackles, it gets a foul and then sometimes even a yellow card.
Even though manager Allardyce admits the tackle is fair the referees keep calling it a foul so Sam says Alan should curb his ways a bit.
Alan Smith – a fiery player but too many yellow cards
This is what Big Sam told the Sun today:
“He played well (against Everton) but the sad thing is that he failed to stay on his feet and he got another booking, although I thought his treatment was harsh.†“As a result Alan has got this suspension coming up.â€
“It’s part of his game and you can’t take the devilment out of him or you lose some of the player. But there’s something about staying on your feet rather than lunging in because, these days, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a good tackle or a bad one.â€
“It’s in the rules that you can tackle like that, but referees have it in their minds that you can’t. It doesn’t come from them, the referees, it comes from their bosses.â€
“The people higher up are telling the referees to stamp it out and it has become a problem. Allowing the game’s physical side is a real problem these days.â€
“If Alan can just curb it a bit it would help because the next time a suspension comes around, it will be two games.†“Three suspensions would equal six games (missed in total this season) and that’s the reason that I need him to demonstrate a little bit more self-control.”
Sam is always going on about how to get his players more available and he makes a good point here. But we think Alan’s reputation goes before him and one or two of the yellow cards have been harsh – such as the last one against Everton. But Alan is a good player and a sensible lad and we’ll see if Sam’s words have an effect. We think they will.
Comments Welcome.
11 comments so far
yemozone
Oct 18, 2007 at 10:38 AM
Comment #1The sliding tackles are getting too much.He has to show a bit of control
Hammy
Oct 18, 2007 at 10:50 AM
Comment #2Hmmmmn, he hasn’t got 5 yellow cards for spraying the ball around and scoring a sh£t load of goals has smudger…..he is a dirty player, if I played against him I’d get him before he got me,
This won’t be the last time he’ll be suspended this season.
Tom from Aus
Oct 18, 2007 at 11:14 AM
Comment #3Hammy i agree, good player but dirty. Do you think he will be in the starting 11 when barton gets back to his best.
Hammy
Oct 18, 2007 at 11:23 AM
Comment #4Tom….possibly up front, not in midfield.
ToonKing
Oct 18, 2007 at 11:31 AM
Comment #5Damn i love Smidge, he’s not a dirty player, he’s just a little short tempered and enjoys the physical game, just like i do, and Ed it’s not true he always gets a foul, he makes quite a few very good tackles. I’m waiting for the day when he meets someone like Matarazzi and tackles him into the ground. U gotta love Smithy.
ToonKing
Oct 18, 2007 at 11:32 AM
Comment #6aaaa thats Smudge not Smidge 🙂
yemozone
Oct 18, 2007 at 11:39 AM
Comment #7he is a good striker though…
Ashton
Oct 18, 2007 at 1:22 PM
Comment #8I like his dirty style 🙂
Stami
Oct 18, 2007 at 1:44 PM
Comment #9yeah me 2, kinda stamps his authority on the game
leo
Oct 18, 2007 at 3:01 PM
Comment #10just like chopper harris, honestly i would rather him make them tough tackles than skimp out, emre would be tired thats why they would have taken him off. i hope that is
Etna
Oct 23, 2007 at 9:48 AM
Comment #11You’ll never change Alan Smith, he’s a volatile player with attitude. He is his own person and he said himself that he won’t change. If it makes him different than the others then so be it. I would rather have anyone be themsleves than pretend to be something they are not anyday. Alan Smith is simply Alan Smith deal with it.