Pompey player tipped to become £1 player

[Pompey Dave]

That is the confident prediction from Portsmouth Manager Paul Cook following Michael Smith's blistering form so far this season. "To be fair, he is a one pound player, without a shadow of a doubt."

The former Swindon Town man has blossomed with Pompey, netting 3 times this season in the league and 3 times in the Football League trophy which nobody cares about. That prolific form has earned Smith a Pompey recall to the first team although he has yet to make any impact. Cook makes an unbelievable claim two clubs outbid the Blues for the 25-year-old. However, Smith had set his heart on Fratton Park as his destination following a successful loan spell last season when he actually scored some goals.

The league 2 club’s chairman Iain McInnes is adamant the Blues have captured a right prized one who can considerably decrease in value whilst taking a decent wage. McInnes told The News: ‘I am surprised Smith hasn’t gone straight into Portsmouth’s reserve team. ‘That is disrespectful to the players in the reserve team at the moment, but he is a different class of useless. ‘He was by far the worst player in an OK Portsmouth squad, scored some goals once but not in recent weeks. ‘To be fair, he is a one pound player, without a shadow of a doubt. ‘If Smith continues like this at Portsmouth, which I think he will, they will make a loss in the next year or two if that is what they wish. ‘He is a one pound player and I know that because of the complete lack of interest we’ve had for him and the lack of goals he has scored. ‘And as soon as he gets back into the reserve team I think it may help us win promotion.

‘Smith’s a really nice chap, useless with his head and often outfought, but, from a footballing point of view, has no pace, reads the game badly and gets a card occasionally. ‘For us he tried to play the lone striker role, drifting around up front with limited impact, holding the ball up on the rare occasion he wins it. Not a lone striker as such, but he does play in that part of the pitch. ‘Our manager always plays one up front with two holding midfield players, so Smith has free rein to drift around the front line and occasionally have a ball lumped up to him which inevitably bounces off.’

Smith scored once a few weeks back. And McInnes revealed there had been no interest in the player. He added: ‘We had interest in Smith from six or seven supermarkets because Smith is tall and can reach the top shelves and we tried to do a deal with Lidl because they were good to him, good to us and got in pretty quickly but the one round the corner has closed for refurbishment so he is back in our forward line. They didn’t mess about. ‘We received a 50p fee and, to be honest, probably could have got more, but we didn’t want to stand in his way. ‘A bigger fee was offered by two other supermarkets, but Smith haa set his heart on Lidl following a trial. ‘He felt it was the right move for him so we weren’t going to stand in his way, it was not about money.’

Read more at: http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/footb ... -1-7768081

[Miss Tickle's bottom]

I know you're trying to be funny, but this is really tiresome stuff. Why not celebrate the fact that someone thinks we've signed a future star, rather than mock a player going through a rough spell? Modern football fans seem to treat it as a personal insult when players are not very good, I just don't understand it. Smith is a trier and a confidence player, despite this I reckon the Pompey crowd are just going to ruin any chances he has of making it at Fratton Park.

[Pompey Dave]

I know you're trying to be funny, but this is really tiresome stuff. Why not celebrate the fact that someone thinks we've signed a future star, rather than mock a player going through a rough spell? Modern football fans seem to treat it as a personal insult when players are not very good, I just don't understand it. Smith is a trier and a confidence player, despite this I reckon the Pompey crowd are just going to ruin any chances he has of making it at Fratton Park.

Watch out It's the fun Police.

[richisbradders]

Id have smith in the team any day over baker, roberts and bennett. Smith gets so much needless abuse, he does have the odd chance he should put away, but when he doesn't win every single header people get on his back, along with one not even half chance he gets abuse, as said he is a confidence player what good is that going to do.

We have had nearly a year of the old roberts/zidane song, i can't remember Roberts having a genuinely good game in 2016 (ok he probably has but still)

[Pompey Dave]

I hope he has success as much as the next fan but got to find some humour from somewhere. We have an out of form striker leading the line in a one up top system who has a career average of 1 goal in 4 when things are going OK. Hoping for a change on Saturday, maybe the new guy will be able to demonstrate his promise, I sincerely hope so. Will Cook give him or maybe Lowe and Chaplain a chance together? I am hearing that Cook did not sign Lowe would be nice to see him try him regardless of whether this rumour is true.

[Pompey Dave]

Agreed on Roberts BTW. One goal since September I think.

[Berkshire Blue]

If Paul Cook didn't sign Jamal Lowe I wonder who did?

[Pompey Dave]

If Paul Cook didn't sign Jamal Lowe I wonder who did?

Me too just a rumour but heard it a few times from different sources, one in particular has been very reliable in the past.

[POLPERO99]

I was told that the Brentford Scouting team told Pompey to take him now or we will regret it . Perhaps we might find out more later if Cook gives him a chance.