STFC Transfer Rumours

[Nemo]

Taken a bit out of context. Holloway was annoyed at the second half performance at Chippenham and semed to think the fans should have been too.

Thanks, makes more sense realising he meant one group of drunks rather than the wider fanbase.

[UTR]

I think unless we’re talking unreasonable money here (which I doubt Cambridge go to) then this all hinges on whether Smith wants it or not.

At the current quoted figures, as much as it wouldn’t surprise us if the ownership took the bid, I don’t see even them rocking the apple cart enough to piss IH off by taking the bid over his head.

As mentioned, Smith is 30, 1 good contract left and coming off the back of a good season. Impossible for us to tell how he feels about this but going off his quotes at the end of last season, he’s settled in the area and has moved around a lot. I imagine if offered reasonable terms (including a well deserved wage bump) then from what he’s said in the press about being happy here, it would be a relatively simple thing to wrap up.

I’m not sure what’s changed between then and now for this to possibly not be the case but that’s the only scenario I’d see where the move could look more appealing.

Maybe they thought it can wait and this accelerates contract negotiations again but at the quoted figures, there’s no way you sell him as you won’t be able to replace him for that.

Feels like a wasted debate at this stage though as the figures being banded about are so low. Come back to this with an offer of 250k upwards and the argument probably becomes a bit trickier but surely you try and get the extension sorted first.

[Crozzer]

He has a year left on his contract doesnt he, so come January he will be worthless

I would think he would be worth more in January as the market normally shifts to then being more favourable to sellers, maybe with a bidding war.  Ollie recently said something to the effect that Smith had to earn a new contract, so January would seem to be the tipping point.  Makes no sense to flog him in this window, unless a higher league team comes in with a an offer that nobody could refuse.

[Bob's Orange]

Another thing worth noting, a lot of £££ deals are done and the fees are not disclosed. One, or both clubs have clearly let slip the amounts being bid. Who out of us and Cambridge have anything to gain from that?

[UTR]

We also don’t know if there’s any extension clause within his contract (although I imagine it would have been mentioned by now).

If there is then there’s less weight on his contract running down

[Boy About Town]

Not to burst your bubble, but clubs in league one largely lose more money than clubs in league two. Your income doesn't go up that much but your wages have to, in order to compete with those at the top end. Not sure promotion means profit. As well as the fact there is no guarantee a possibly unhappy Smith gets the team promoted anyway.

Better oppo leads to bigger attendances, winning teams have higher attendances. Nothing to me suggests that if we can be top four after ten matches, we won’t be pulling close to just under 10k per week.

[Batch]

If we did the same would any right minded Swindon fan think we were serious?  It would be, probably rightly, regarded as an offer to make us look like we were trying to sign a player we can't.  

We've done it before, other clubs must do it all the time to make it look like they're 'trying to do something'.  

Doesn't mean the player is into it, doesn't even mean the club is serious so long as the fans think it looks good to bid for a player.

Very true

I think the Harris connection makes it more credible but they must know it's going to fail without silly money

[Pericardinho]

Good point.

Remember when Lee Power pretended to try and buy Tom Bradshaw

More chance of me buying Amazon

[tans]

Good point.

Remember when Lee Power pretended to try and buy Tom Bradshaw

More chance of me buying Amazon

And Jed with half of the Brentford team

[Kinky Tom]

That's exactly what I was talking about.

[Power to people]

Better oppo leads to bigger attendances, winning teams have higher attendances. Nothing to me suggests that if we can be top four after ten matches, we won’t be pulling close to just under 10k per week.

I think you will find our ticket prices will have a bearing on this ?!

[dogs]

i thought last week was £75k, nothing up front?

Yeah and they actually came back the 100k on Friday and again told it's not happening.

[Peter Venkman]

The shit Smith bid is a blatant attempt to unsettle a player by Cambridge, they know they cant afford him and that Ollie wont take feeble bids like £100k from a much smaller team with less than half our fanbase too, last time they were in L2 they averaged just a little over 4,000.

By comparison over the last 4 season in L2 we have averaged 8,500, admittedly last season it fell to its lowest yearly average of 7,700 but that was down to a shocking start and the general apathy of Clems ownership affecting the fanbase.

Smith is happy at Swindon, Ollie is happy with Smith, but of course Smith wants an improved contract.

[Boy About Town]

The shit Smith bid is a blatant attempt to unsettle a player by Cambridge, they know they cant afford him and that Ollie wont take feeble bids like £100k from a much smaller team with less than half our fanbase too, last time they were in L2 they averaged just a little over 4,000.

By comparison over the last 4 season in L2 we have averaged 8,500, admittedly last season it fell to its lowest yearly average of 7,700 but that was down to a shocking start and the general apathy of Clems ownership affecting the fanbase.

Smith is happy at Swindon, Ollie is happy with Smith, but of course Smith wants an improved contract.

Cambridge need to understand they are minnows. Second worst team in L1. Forget your training ground, I ask people bookmark this, they don’t finish above us next season unless they pay what Smith is worth.

[UTR]

Someone on the Cambridge forum reckons they’ve heard Smith has asked to leave us. Assuming it’s bollocks but anyone heard anything similar this end?