Will Smallbone

[saintant]

Get rid. 

[Saint_clark]

Still seems very pragmatic, I don't think there's any chance Smallbone stays. 

[karlb79]

One of the most pathetic bits of "defending" for Odegaard's goal, that I've ever seen. A traffic cone would've been harder to beat.

[St. Ciervo]

Is he still here? Spors out!

[coalman]

7 minutes ago, karlb79 said:

One of the most pathetic bits of "defending" for Odegaard's goal, that I've ever seen. A traffic cone would've been harder to beat.

Don't forget the no look pass shortly after to give the ball away and invite Arsenal to attack again instead of clearing it.

[Edmonton Saint]

Hopelessly out of his depth in the premier league. We need to be a lot more ruthless should we get promoted again next season and players like Smallbone should be first out the door 

[Saint Fan CaM]

Just. Go. Please.

[disconnect]

19 minutes ago, trousers said:

The conundrum is that he was one of our better players last season. Perhaps we keep him as a decent squad option next season but don't let him anywhere near the PL ever again

He was certainly one of our top 20 players last season but he wasn’t even close to being in our top 5 or 6 players! 
He’s a fairly decent Championship level recycler but he’s far too lightweight and doesn’t offer enough going forward to be at the level we need

[Gloucester Saint]

40 minutes ago, trousers said:

The conundrum is that he was one of our better players last season. Perhaps we keep him as a decent squad option next season but don't let him anywhere near the PL ever again

He did well in a central three but when RM used him in a two and played Bazanu in goal we conceded a horrific amount of goals where Downes was having to perform two roles. Unless he has MLT levels of attacking contribution, he can’t get away with that.

Needs a farewell last year on loan with a year’s supply of fillet steak and whey protein as a farewell gift.

[West end Saints]

42 minutes ago, disconnect said:

He was certainly one of our top 20 players last season but he wasn’t even close to being in our top 5 or 6 players! 
He’s a fairly decent Championship level recycler but he’s far too lightweight and doesn’t offer enough going forward to be at the level we need

He was decent last season 

"Not the top 20", the most popular championship podcast, named him the player of the play offs (the 5 games).

He, like many of our players has been found lacking in speed and physicality in the premier league.

Edited Sunday at 17:58 by West end Saints

[Gloucester Saint]

42 minutes ago, West end Saints said:

He was decent last season* 

"Not the top 20", the most popular championship podcast, named him the player of the play offs (the 5 games).

He, like many of our players has been found lacking in speed and physicality in the premier league.

*Decent in a central three, a total liability in a two, that’s an essential asterisk to add.

Edited Sunday at 18:26 by Gloucester Saint

[Lord Duckhunter]

He’s pony, get rid

[HarvSFC]

He's perfect for Russell Martin's system. Ball recycling, he'll keep the ball, won't do anything too adventurous and Martin loves that. Loads of times last season he sent the ball back to wherever he was facing. Often putting the defence under pressure. Ask him to do anything physical and he fails. Won't suit Still's tactics, in the final year of his contract and in FFP terms he's "pure profit". Time for Smallbone to go. Probably had his best three games in a Saints shirt in the play-offs, but wasn't the start of a new Will Smallbone, as he quickly reverted back to what we knew.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Very useful in Martin's possession tactic, where he offered outlets from defence and links into our attacks. He developed in lots of areas in Martin's system.

Sadly, he was never a defensive midfielder or an attacking one. So, in systems where he has to be one or the other, he's just not near it.

If Martin gets a role soon at Leicester, I'd think he'd look to bring Will in, if there's no one in his squad that offers the same things as he showed last season.

 

EDIT: Should make it clear that any compliments I'm giving to players outside of Ramsdale and Fernandes can only apply to last season.

Edited Sunday at 20:06 by Holmes_and_Watson

[S-Clarke]

He's a tidy enough player, but he needs help around him as he is weak as piss. He gets gobbled up in a midfield 2, and when Martin tried to play him in the Downes role last year it was inevitable what would happen. That 2nd goal today summed up every bit of weakness in his game and it's why he cannot be trusted in that role.

He's a tidy enough footballer, but you need to keep him away from the engine room and further up the top end. Make sure he's got power/strength around him, and he'd probably be a decent squad option next season. I would be very, very disappointed and underwhelmed if he's starting for us in CM next season though.

[Tommy]

please, please, please can we make sure this guy is gone by next Monday. 

[Sheaf Saint]

I've watched the replay of that 2nd goal yesterday multiple times, and I still can't actually believe just how fucking abysmal his contribution to it was. It's like he didn't even make the slightest attempt at making life difficult for Odegaard. Even a still pissed from the night before Sunday league player would have done better. 

He's a tidy passer of the ball in a team that dominates possession and where he's not expected to do much defensive work. But the way he just lets opposition players breeze past him is so appalling bad that you have to wonder how he got so many minutes this season, even after his biggest fan Russ was sacked. 

Some people say he needs to bulk up, and they might have half a point, but as the old saying goes: "it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog". The truth is he's just a bottler who's too scared to put in a tackle. 

I really hope that's the last time we've seen him in a Saints shirt.

[IFHP]

He gets a lot of stick, sometimes justified some times not, at fail for Arsenals winner yesterday without a doubt. 
 

The better sub when you are trying to hold on for a well earned draw would have been bringing on Aribo rather than Smallbone. Simon Rusk has made many mistakes when making subs in his 7 games or so. Hope the club say thanks but off you trot .

back to Smallbone he was great for us last season in the championship, which is his level and scored a few goals. 
 

[Hatch]

Did Nathan Jones pick him,  maybe we can send him off to Charlton

[Gloucester Saint]

11 minutes ago, Hatch said:

Did Nathan Jones pick him,  maybe we can send him off to Charlton

Was on loan at Stoke. Not a Jones player either. 

[SfcPhil]

Like him or not, he's a Championship (at best) player, as are many of our current squad. 

I've seen a few comments labelling him as "great" last season. Downes was great, Will was ok compared to Charles who was shocking in some of his cameos. 

Some people need to remember how large the step down to the Championship is. Many of our squad could do a job in the Championship, however pathetic they've been in the Premier League this season.

 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, SfcPhil said:

Like him or not, he's a Championship (at best) player, as are many of our current squad. 

I've seen a few comments labelling him as "great" last season. Downes was great, Will was ok compared to Charles who was shocking in some of his cameos. 

Some people need to remember how large the step down to the Championship is. Many of our squad could do a job in the Championship, however pathetic they've been in the Premier League this season.

 

He’s a decent Championship midfielder in a three as the most advanced. That’s been proven at two clubs. However it’s also proven that he cannot play in a central two for toffee at any level, Stoke realised it and adapted, Martin never clocked it and we leaked like a colander. So comes down to what Still’s preferred formation is.

[benali-shorts]

Lacks the physical attributes to play CM, and insufficient technical ability to play further forward or wider.  He’s the sort of player who would be ok to be fourth choice CM if we’re playing two, but not sure he should stay on that basis. 

[benali-shorts]

He’s an intriguing one to place a value on. £3m?

[bpsaint]

13 minutes ago, benali-shorts said:

He’s an intriguing one to place a value on. £3m?

I’ll buy him myself for £3m if it keeps him away from Saints. Got all the midfield presence of a traffic cone that bloke, couldn’t give a flying shit if he’s “one of our own”, lads absolute pish and until he packs on about 2 stone of muscle always will be.

[Chez]

15 minutes ago, benali-shorts said:

He’s an intriguing one to place a value on. £3m?

Sheffield United offered £7m in 2023. He subsequently had a decent season in the championship, so maybe he stock rose? He won't have PL clubs after him, and not many clubs in the championship have money to spend...so difficult to value as you say.

[Chez]

3 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

until he packs on about 2 stone of muscle always will be.

it's not the lack of muscle it's the lack of grit. He has positive attributes, but a central midfielder without bite is an issue for me.

[Gloucester Saint]

5 minutes ago, Chez said:

it's not the lack of muscle it's the lack of grit. He has positive attributes, but a central midfielder without bite is an issue for me.

Maybe it’s a mix of the two - a summer of fillet steak, whey powder and weights, combined with 1-1 psychological insights into why he’s not keen on the competitive side of playing in central areas. Perhaps if he believed he could compete better physically the competitive instincts come out? He can’t have always been like this to have made it this far but perhaps a new environment and voice will push him further.

[Andy Hill]

Not his fault - should not be anywhere near a 1st team at this level. 

[Miltonaggro]

15 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

He did well in a central three but when RM used him in a two and played Bazanu in goal we conceded a horrific amount of goals where Downes was having to perform two roles. Unless he has MLT levels of attacking contribution, he can’t get away with that.

Needs a farewell last year on loan with a year’s supply of fillet steak and whey protein as a farewell gift.

This is a spot on assessment from my seat last year. Far, far too lightweight and risk averse for the level. Comparison with Downes is a good one. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

He’s what I like to call a passive player - a midfielder who doesn’t stamp his authority on the game. Pretty useless therefore.

[Gloucester Saint]

29 minutes ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

He’s what I like to call a passive player - a midfielder who doesn’t stamp his authority on the game. Pretty useless therefore.

That can be changed though along with some targeted physical beefing up if the player wants to do it - see JWP under Ralph.

[benali-shorts]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

Sheffield United offered £7m in 2023. He subsequently had a decent season in the championship, so maybe he stock rose? He won't have PL clubs after him, and not many clubs in the championship have money to spend...so difficult to value as you say.

I hadn't realised he's out of contract June 2026 (well, according to the sticky on the forum page) in which case we might be lucky to get £3m......

[LGTL]

He’s a lower Championship standard midfielder. It’s an absolute disgrace that he is anywhere near a PL squad, which sort of sums up perfectly the pathetic season we’ve had. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

2 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

That can be changed though along with some targeted physical beefing up if the player wants to do it - see JWP under Ralph.

I just don’t think he’s that type of player - he’s more suited to an ACM role but hasn’t got the ball distribution skills to operate at the level we require. JWP for all his limitations is more gifted player without the bulk.

[Midfield_General]

He's a puff of pink mist wafting about where a midfielder should be 

[Wade Garrett]

Sell him while we can get a fee.  Feel a bit sorry for him as he’s been at the club for such a long time, but he just isn’t good enough.

[kitch]

Very limited midfielder, which for an incoming manager who's reknowned for being very versatile, you'd think would be the end of his time at the club. Bang average, occasionally semi-decent in a strong championship team that dominates the ball, and absolutely hopeless at anything else.

[SaintsLoyal]

Useless and needs transferring out

[Challenger]

Like a useless, unwanted pet.

[SWLondon Saint]

7 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

 Even a still pissed from the night before Sunday league player would have done better. 

I went for 'pathetic' but you absolutely nailed it - chapeau good sir 🎩. That guy who everyone is like 'f**ks sake mate, either don't get hammered the night before or don't show up' 🤯

[Toussaint]

1 hour ago, Challenger said:

Like a useless, unwanted pet.

Like an axolotl, who lacks a lot(l). Not keen on them at all. 

[die Mannyschaft]

I think he will stay on to provide some experience. I'm still surprised we managed as many points in Championship with RM keep ball. I can't see many players staying unless the ne manage plays same style of football. Then a lot of the players will end up just slotting into what football has been practiced for ages. Ant ineknow how many assists Smallbone got in championship? The other mistake managers fall into is stats, they make anyone look good.

[Sheaf Saint]

33 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

I think he will stay on to provide some experience. I'm still surprised we managed as many points in Championship with RM keep ball. I can't see many players staying unless the ne manage plays same style of football. Then a lot of the players will end up just slotting into what football has been practiced for ages. Ant ineknow how many assists Smallbone got in championship? The other mistake managers fall into is stats, they make anyone look good.

I don't know how many, but he did provide the pass for Arma to score the winner in the playoff final.

[die Mannyschaft]

On 01/05/2025 at 10:46, ItchenRob said:

Are you definitely in the 1000 who have to collect at Goodison? Roughly a 2 in 3 chance of not being!

 

On 10/05/2025 at 08:28, obelisk said:

Musk has probably given Tall Paul defensive duties this week with a instructions of marking Haaland in the middle of a back seven for Saints.

I suspect Saints won't plan to venture even as far as the half way line very much in this game. Expect a near empty stadium by the end.

 

On 12/05/2025 at 15:13, Hardbark2 said:

Anyone actually had an email saying they're to collect?

 

On 23/05/2025 at 19:57, Football Special said:

I don't know how he can play his 5 at the back if not enough defenders are fit 

THB injured 

Janny B injured 

KWP AWOL 

I've heard ABK isn't interested again and won't feature 

 

On 19/05/2025 at 11:39, gio1saints said:

Wade you’ve gone off on one haven’t you? 
The email you are referring to was one sent to all the players before start of season. And you’ve even misread it. 

The original email warned our players not to run ON the pitch.  I think they’ve done a pretty good job of that this year despite all the criticism.
Mateus nearly ruined it towards end of season and there was a patch mid season when they had to have a stern word with Tyler but, on the whole, Saints players have complied with the not running on the pitch instructions very well this year. 

 

Just now, Sheaf Saint said:

I don't know how many, but he did provide the pass for Arma to score the winner in the playoff final.

It was a class pass, great vision.

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Sheaf Saint said:

I don't know how many, but he did provide the pass for Arma to score the winner in the playoff final.

Scored some vital goals as well. He has ability but the lack of off the ball presence and professional sense eg take a yellow yesterday and stop Odegaard is something you can’t contemplate in a central two. If Still isn’t going to mainly use a central three, Smallbone’s options will be very limited. 

[Football Special]

 

Worth a watch this:

 

[BarberSaint]

59 minutes ago, Football Special said:

 

Worth a watch this:

 

 

 

Where's the  story of where he learned to tackle?

[Convict Colony]

Smallbone gives me that top player for a Scottish club vibe but a poor mans Todd Cantwell.

Edited Monday at 19:37 by Convict Colony

[Smirking_Saint]

Technically gifted, but just has zero tactical proficiency and zero defensive awareness 

Not a good enough dribbler for an attacking midfielder, zero defensive qualities to be a DM

Not really sure what he offers unless you play a 3 man midfield and you’re in the ascendancy