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Smith 'Close' To Rovers Move

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is close to sealing a £2.5m deal for Newcastle utility player Alan Smith.

The Rovers chief has been targeting the ex-Man United player since Newcastle hilariously got relegated and talks are apparently at 'advanced' stages according to various sources.

Newcastle would of liked to have kept Smith but cannot afford his Premier League wages. In fact, Smith is even going to be taking a substantial cut in his £60,000 a week wages to join the Allardyce movement.

Smith failed to settle with the Magpies after being signed from Manchester United for £5m two seasons ago during Big Sam's ill fated reign in the north east.

A succession of injuries left him spending most of his time in the St James`s Park treatment room without him ever able to demonstrate his undoubted talent.

Allardyce has a history of getting the best out of players who are 'injury prone' and Smith has the ability but he needs to stay on the field of play.

Keep your eyes on this one boys and girls...

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Writer: Mikey Delap

Date:Thursday June 4 2009

Time: 8:03AM

Your Comments

l'd be happy with thisbut Sam needs to concentrate on getting the best out of him as he is a sleeping giant.

Mikey D

mikey do you sleep? lol

sasman

Afew years ago, I went to watch our youth team play Leeds at Thorpe Arch. Smithy was training on his own after an injury. He had a bad rep at the time, however, he was a total gentleman and friendly, chatting with the Rovs supporters. I like him.

nut all

lol Sas... it is 9.30 here, I am just having a micne around before work! What time you on over there?!?!

Mikey D

I really don't want Smith at Rovers. What problem exactly will he solve. He can't play up front, and he's not a creative midfielder. He's just a slightly better Keith Andrews these days.

Money4midfield

Smith can be ok, if we work out wot position he will play, as Money4 says he's not a creative midfielder (as you would expect from a one time striker) he hasnt played up front in sooooo long - can he still do it, cos at Leeds I thought he looked the part as a striker.... but i agree again with wot will Smith being at Rovers solve apart from adding to the squad???

Clint

almost 7pm matey lol

sasman

He is English - if the restrictions on the number of foreign players comes in we will need more English or 'homegrown' players - I mentioned this a while back and it sounds like UEFA/FIFA are going along with it.

FreidelNo.1

i just been watching a few vids of smith and he seems good as a defensive midfielder but we dont need one.. maybe he will get a shot up front again? i think hes an excellent player when fully fit so id buy him 2.5million? anything happening with nolan? i thought we was interested at one point.. and the tuncay rumors have gone quiet :(

scottrover

I wouldn't waste £2.5m on him. He could be a decent acquisition but only for a bargain fee and relegated egos have no right asking for that much for a player who made his first appearance of last season in the closing games. £1m tops for me. But like the consensus - I don't know where he would play.

roversman

I agree roversman, he is past it i think and 2.5 is quite a lot, for a player who is injured all the time and has been since Leeds. Not sure what position he would play, but then again a real goalscorer does not lose an eye for goal.

roverjoy

I dont think this will be a good signing. He flopped at Newcastle and hasnt been the same player for a long time. I think we can do better than him for the money. Oh and someone mentioned Nolan, he is worse than Smith.

durks de rover

i think get him on loan and see how he gets on, but do we really want rovers signing more injury plagued players

glen9mullan

Id take him for £500k, seeing as Newcastle have to sell him, we may aswell, Id use it as a "we will take smith if we can have Nolan for 4.5m" :D

rover23

I'm not sure either player is what we need at the moment. We've always had the heart and the passion. What we need is some quality and a bit of a spark - would Nolan or Smith really add anything that Grella/Andrews/Warnock don't already bring to the centre of the park?

Money4midfield

Couldn't put it any better than that M4M. Do we want the effort of Andrews, the quality of Warnock and the hardness of Grella to be replaced by a couple of nothing players on the decline? Absolutely not. Get some flair on the flanks, some height up foward and forget about throwing 2.5mil at a problem that does not need solving.

retroflair31

we don't need him in midfield and i'd much rather have derbyshire than smith. bad business.

dominator2800

Smith hasn't been the same since his terrible injuries with Manure, however, even before that everyone apart from Stevie Mac (he did select him for England before and after the injury didn't he?!?!) and I suppose Big Sam (as he took him to Newcastle) could see that. £2.5 million isn't that bad, but I'm not sure how much he'll benefit us really?

Walker

Should we not get in the mix for Tommy Huddlestone? he is the sort of box to box guy that Sam could use?

Mikey D

looks like this one has been ruled out, who knows i guess!!

sasman

If he stays fit then you never know, could be a quality buy. I think if we can use his aggresiveness on the field he can be handy in winning the ball and then running at the oppositions box, i think him and Vincy could make a midfield that all other Premiership teams would want to avoid, and that's what we need, and something we had under Hughes, we were a hard team to beat, physical, but who cares as long as we dominate the games that is all that matters.

marsmanic

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