Watford News 24/7Writer: Dr Watford 
Date:Thursday July 2 2009
Time: 7:30PM
UK time is: 23:43:50
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Smithy bidding war hits £1.8m
Ah it was inevitable really wasn`t it but Watford have confirmed that they have received a bid of £1.8m for Tommy Smith from a mystery club & that HE WILL be allowed to hold talks.
No screaming of "derisory" from the rooftops and no talk of "insulting offers" from the board this around and no stupid valuations of £750k being banded around - just a straight forward announcement from the club that the bid has been accepted.
Sad…but as we say inevitable.
The W`Observer reckon they have it on good authority that the bid from Smidger is "not from Reading" whilst the Hornets chairman Jimmy Russo states "this is a new club that has expressed a desire to sign Tommy".
It might well be the Wolves circling and here at VitalWatford Towers we have an inkling it could be Stoke, Hull or even Burnley tabling the offer - whichever way really it was the news we were dreading but the news we all knew would land at some point before August.
Still, for a 30 year old it represents good business in terms of balancing the books - you can`t knock a £1.4m return on investment after the service he`s given us.
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Your Comments
Really hope its not reading,got a sinking filling it is though.Just makes to much sence with kevin doyle being sold to wolves..Watford have signed young danny graham from carlisle,looks a handy player got quite an impressive goal record. Lets hope malky got a few more tricks up his sleeve to fill smudger's big boots..he going to be a big miss
eldlive
I hope its us but I doubt that! Im suprised 1.8 was accepted id have thought he was worth £3-4m of anybodys money!
wallis1289
Ipswich by the way!
wallis1289
Thats interesting wallis, i was under the impression it was Cardiff, but what do i know? as for a good return on Smithy, it does kinda make up for when he walked out of the club first time around for nothing. It does make me laugh, i remember being at sunderland and Smith was taking a penalty against us and boy was he abused, a bit like Rodgers really, now, if you listen or read other comments on other sites, he is known as Mr Loyalty, thats football. lol
ANDY710
Muck Fe! I now see it could possibly be Sheff Utd, what is this? Any chance of you buying Ellington as well? I see that our dear old supporter Gladys Primshore may be available on a free, to some of you, the lest sentance may make no sense at all. but im old and i don't care.
ANDY710
What is about Kevin Blackwell and those pesky Hornets!!!! Can't see him moving THAT north given his family are settled in Watford.
DrWatford
I heard on 3 counties radio this morning that they believe it was Sheffield United that have put the bid in of 1.8m for Tommy
1960
Perhaps, the scummer wanted to be ur manager and we wont employ him, so he thought he'd buy all our players and change the sheff utd name to WFC Utd
ANDY710
well who ever the club maybe,smudger has to agree personal terms.Tommy might want to stay,but the club have given him permission to talk,so would he fill pressure to move on just so we can balance the books.Being a local lad he most fill at home at the vic,he knows the supporters are behind him.Gets to me sometimes when a player like tommy comes around not that often,then we have to sell just to make some cash and get very little in return,1.8 mill how long that going to last.. is malky going to be given the funds if not some to try find a replacemant.
Golden Looney
yep it is us im really dissapointed given the fact the lita is available on a free transfer and beckford is at a snip 1.5m!! smith isn't half as good as these 2 yet he's guna cost us more - utter madness for a very very average player that won't even get in double figures for us. typical blackwell!!
bladesforlife1889
well i'll believe it when i see it,are you being serious when you mention lita and beckford are twice the player than smudger,leroy lita could not even hold a starting place at reading,and while beckford is a decent player he is unproven at championship level. tommy smith is in the best form of his life,watfords player of the year twice,scoring 17 goals with assists to match.there no comparison in my opinon.
Golden Looney
If he does go for that amount I hope they get a sell on clause.
Buzz Lightyear
Hey Buzz, no point in a sell on clause, he will have contract for 2 or 3 years and unless he is world class, his value is only gonna go down. Looney, Great name by the way, you make smith out to be a cult hero, as i have already mentioned, do you not remember him walking out on a Bosman first time round? No loyalty then, players come and go, if the money helps rebuild the club, then let the club live.
ANDY710
Very close andy,Very close. What i dont get is why we selling a great player,and yet we have still got old banana boots and john useless. further to your point andy,dont forget the year he left watford were in a real dark place back in 2003,can u really blame the kid for wanting to leave. Also dont forget he had been playing proffesional football with the ourn's for five years before that making his debut at 16 i think..
Golden Looney
i meant very close to a cult hero by the way andy, i wasent mocking you..smithy bagged 149 goals in them five years aswell,not a bad return from what was then a young boy..got a question for you andy,if you had to sell some of the players to balance the books who would you lose?.not including nathan ellington,and john eustace..I dont know about you but if were to make some money i would sell jobi mcanuff
Golden Looney
£1.8M for a guy who is out of contract in 12 months is good money. So Tommy has to leave for the benefit of himself and the club, we cannot offer him a new contract with the wages he deserves and we clearly need the money, So good luck Tommy wherever you go, be it Sheffied or even Reading (more convenient for his family). JJOT and others that are on big wages or can raise funds will have to leave also just to balance the books and we'll have to accept it. And the board were delighted to get £1/2M for Buck - who because of the massive sell-off cannot be blamed for moving on either, he's got a longer contarct with better terms and a budget for players.) He's not the reason we are in the current predicament for sure, so let's move on and look forward.
It's going to be a real tough season but Malky is a strong guy with a good football brain and let's just hope both the team and the club will survive the season. Farewell Tommy & Come on You Golden Boys!
RFB-gloryhornetboys
To answer your question G Looney is quite easy with how the clubs finacial position is, Every player is for sale, they all have the price and yes whilst i agree with you, Jobi is another player who will go, he too is in his last year of a contract, he has been offered another at a reduced rate with a promise that if we get promoted, he will get a % back, His agent has already stated that Rodgers goes, Jobi goes, but like all players they will only go for what other clubs want to pay for them. When it comes to negotiating a fee, WFC are i would say one of the worst around, look at WBA they got Robinson so cheap, but they will refuse to sell him untill their valueation is met, unlike us, who will sell the tea lady for a quid.
ANDY710
I don't dissagree with you with players such as Ellington, but there were not many takers for him at WBA and yet we still paid over the top for him, we could end up giving him away but still paying towards his wages, that may not make sense, but it could be cheaper than paying him what he is on to play for us. Eustace is a player i like, slow yes, but showed commitment, he will porbably go too. but like most things it wont really happen untill the last day of the transfer market
ANDY710
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