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Will Smallbone

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Davey Langan
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SC92 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Mar 2023 at 9:59pm
I watched some of the Stoke game tonight. Playing well. Last two games I've seen him play should of scored in each game at least once.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Green Cockade Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Mar 2023 at 6:57am
I saw the last fifteen minutes of the Stoke game last night and Smallbone was impressive. Watched the Wigan v Coventry game before it, Keane was Wigan’s best player, McClean put in a strong shift as always. Luke McNally was very good for Coventry, Sean Maguire showed some flashes of form but was subbed at half time, no doubt not fully fit yet.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote kevin100 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 9:50am
Positive start last night linked up well with Doherty. That cross for O’Dowda was pure quality just floated into the box. If O’Dowda tried to miss it he couldn’t. Sort of quality ball we have been missing! 

Good to see him have a positive impact and I hope he plays a big part in this campaign. Has ability this lad.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote The O'Shea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 9:57am
Looks like a proper all rounder. Good competition between himself and Knight for the more advanced midfield spot. Both athletic, Knight probably a bit better at taking on players and Smallbone a more crisp passer. It's a decent problem to have.
We're decent enough..
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SeaSharp Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 10:01am
Originally posted by The O'Shea The O'Shea wrote:

Looks like a proper all rounder. Good competition between himself and Knight for the more advanced midfield spot. Both athletic, Knight probably a bit better at taking on players and Smallbone a more crisp passer. It's a decent problem to have.
There's not even a debate there for me. We need a player like Smallbone. We've enough lads that can run around a bit and not enough who can put a quality ball into the box or play a nice through ball.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Nice Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 10:23am
Originally posted by SeaSharp SeaSharp wrote:

Originally posted by The O'Shea The O'Shea wrote:

Looks like a proper all rounder. Good competition between himself and Knight for the more advanced midfield spot. Both athletic, Knight probably a bit better at taking on players and Smallbone a more crisp passer. It's a decent problem to have.
There's not even a debate there for me. We need a player like Smallbone. We've enough lads that can run around a bit and not enough who can put a quality ball into the box or play a nice through ball.

What it does is give us the opportunity to play Knight in the deeper role in rotation with Molumby. I think Knight's ultimate position will be as an 8, he doesnt offer enough in either a creative sense or in a goalscoring sense as a 10. We have Smallbone now who can play as the most advanced of a midfield 3 (and hopefully in time Azaz will be blooded as his understudy). We then have Cullen, Molumby, Knight for the 2 deeper roles and hopefully we will see the likes of Hodge/Coventry/Connell emerge as further viable alternatives there. Browne's a good lad and I'd have him in the squads for now, but he shouldnt ever be starting for Ireland imo, he can provide a bit of energy off the bench and get himself in to the box. Hendrick's days are surely numbered if he is only coming on as a sub for our secondish XI (I'd have had him starting rather than Browne last night), he'll likely see out this campaign as a back up with a bit of experience to help the young lads along. Things are slowly moving in the right direction., Smallbone and Ferguson are another big step in the right direction.


Edited by John Nice - 23 Mar 2023 at 10:25am
Idah Dream!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shedite Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 10:28am
Yeah very impressed with him last night, looks a great player
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Trap junior Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 11:26am
Saw him once or twice for Stoke and was impressed.  Likes to have a crack at goal from outside the box too.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Eoink21 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 11:34am
Originally posted by John Nice John Nice wrote:

Originally posted by SeaSharp SeaSharp wrote:

Originally posted by The O'Shea The O'Shea wrote:

Looks like a proper all rounder. Good competition between himself and Knight for the more advanced midfield spot. Both athletic, Knight probably a bit better at taking on players and Smallbone a more crisp passer. It's a decent problem to have.
There's not even a debate there for me. We need a player like Smallbone. We've enough lads that can run around a bit and not enough who can put a quality ball into the box or play a nice through ball.

What it does is give us the opportunity to play Knight in the deeper role in rotation with Molumby. I think Knight's ultimate position will be as an 8, he doesnt offer enough in either a creative sense or in a goalscoring sense as a 10. We have Smallbone now who can play as the most advanced of a midfield 3 (and hopefully in time Azaz will be blooded as his understudy). We then have Cullen, Molumby, Knight for the 2 deeper roles and hopefully we will see the likes of Hodge/Coventry/Connell emerge as further viable alternatives there. Browne's a good lad and I'd have him in the squads for now, but he shouldnt ever be starting for Ireland imo, he can provide a bit of energy off the bench and get himself in to the box. Hendrick's days are surely numbered if he is only coming on as a sub for our secondish XI (I'd have had him starting rather than Browne last night), he'll likely see out this campaign as a back up with a bit of experience to help the young lads along. Things are slowly moving in the right direction., Smallbone and Ferguson are another big step in the right direction.

Agree with all this. Knight needs to nail down the 8 position. He has dropped a division and his goal contributions return is only marginally better with 2 goals and 3 assists in 30 games to date compared to the same in 38 games last season. If he doesn't have any more for the next 8 games then the return stays the same. I know he's still young but those numbers really would have to be better.  

His legs in beside Cullen would be useful and Smallbone offers the ability to find pockets of space and pick out good balls in those spaces. Realistically if you are a 10 or the advanced midfielder in that system you need to drag left and right out of the strikers' way quite a bit and link up with the wing backs. He did that well with Doherty.  Will be interesting to see if he pulled to the other side a bit with a flat pair behind him. 

I think that front 3 offers quite a bit and suits the system. It's not perfect but within the system and with the pick we have then Smallbone behind Obafemi and Ferguson feels like what we need. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote darman28 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 11:36am
Yes it was an impressive debut for him.
Defo adds something different in general play plus he is a regular set piece taker for Stoke now and I think he will be when he plays for us. I don't think there is another right footed set piece taker close to him in our squad. We had Cullen, Browne and a few others trying to take corners and they were generally poor. Defo staked a claim for game time against France.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hatsoff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2023 at 11:53am
i think he has to start for us.
Agree about set pieces. Also seems to have remarkable stamina. Covers lots of ground 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Greenie50 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Mar 2023 at 12:24am
In the lead up to this game I was more interested in seeing how Smallbone did rather than Ferguson. That AM position has very much been a missing piece in the squad, & he looks like he could nail down that position which is great.

Very pleased he hit the ground running. Really seems to have a natural understanding with Doherty. Offers the type of interplay that gets the best out of Doherty.

Noticed it for Stoke, & it was on display last night too - he's a very strong runner. Not outright pacey, but eats up ground quickly.

Deserved MOTM too.

To call him a major upgrade on Hourihane would be an understatement.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 50%lesssugar&salt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Mar 2023 at 12:42am
Originally posted by Trap junior Trap junior wrote:

Saw him once or twice for Stoke and was impressed.  Likes to have a crack at goal from outside the box too.

Yeah, if he was playing against us every week he would have some amount of goals. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hatsoff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Mar 2023 at 9:12am
yeah he has brilliant stamina.
He should be starting for us every game. He's a bit of an all rounder: creative and technical but also gets tackles in and wins ball
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Nice Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 4:34pm
Continues his good form with a goal!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote You Tell Me Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 4:38pm
Nice placed finish from the edge of the area. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote J89 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Apr 2023 at 4:35pm
Grabs an assist from a corner.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote J89 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jun 2023 at 8:19pm
Don't know how reliable Jacque Talbot is but he's reporting that Bournemouth, Hull, Sunderland, and two unnamed PL clubs have interest in Smallbone. Has a year left on his Southampton contract unless there's a clause to extend it.
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