Sam Szmodics - opinion changed ?

[Cherry Blue]

A great player for us but he's gone now. If he plays against us I'll give him a good receiption up until the game starts.

It was obvious when he started the pre season friendly at Accy that he didn't want to be with Rovers. Early that game he claimed to be injured from a soft tap and showed no respect for fans as he left the field. His mind was made up.

Twelve months earlier he played again against Accy like no other team mate. That season he proved he could do the job and was outstanding for us. In his mind he must have been thinking this could be my last chance to play in the premiership. Chance came and he took it. 

Good to recall but he's no longer our player. 

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Sometimes its just better to say nowt.

[Hasta]

13 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

They both refused to play because they wanted to go somewhere "better"

Not in the Derek Dougan class of downing tools but there's not much difference

Sammie's spoilt it for me and has tarnished his time at Ewood

Szmodics didn’t want to play in pre-season games. He went and discussed it with his manager who was fine with it , hence the quote "I went to see him and said listen, I don't want to disrespect the staff, the players, but I don't want to take any part in the preseason games and he said that's absolutely fine, I'll protect you and I'll help you with whatever you want.  Therefore he refused to play in pre-season games but played in the first competitive games he encountered. Let’s remember that the club were probably active.y trying to sell him, but squeeze every last penny they could because we were skint.

Also I’m not sure why people are suddenly bothered about this today as he told us all this when he left in September 2024.

Rudy meanwhile refused to play in the middle of January whilst we were just 6 points from the play offs. We ultimately drew at 23rd placed Wigan in the game he missed. We weren’t desperate sellers as we didn’t sell him until the summer.

 

Very different scenarios for me.

Edited 3 hours ago by Hasta

[Bohinen1983]

1 hour ago, Hasta said:

Szmodics didn’t want to play in pre-season games. He went and discussed it with his manager awhile was fine with it , hence the quote "I went to see him and said listen, I don't want to disrespect the staff, the players, but I don't want to take any part in the preseason games and he said that's absolutely fine, I'll protect you and I'll help you with whatever you want.  Therefore he refused to play in pre-season games but played in the first competitive games he encountered. Let’s remember that the club were probably active.y trying to sell him, but squeeze every last penny they could because we were skint.

Also I’m. It sure why people are suddenly bothered about this today as he told us all this when he left in September 2024.

Rudy meanwhile refused to play in the middle of January whilst we were just 6 points from the play offs. We ultimately drew at 23rd placed Wigan in the game he missed. We weren’t desperate sellers as we didn’t sell him until the summer.

 

Very different scenarios for me.

I'd have said 'no worries, you go home lad and we won't pay you then!' ..  Little rat!

[Hasta]

21 minutes ago, Bohinen1983 said:

I'd have said 'no worries, you go home lad and we won't pay you then!' ..  Little rat!

And then I'd have said "Fuck it then I'll stay and you can get Venkys to send the £11 million over you need, and also stick another £11 million in their matched bond. Don't forget you want me gone just like you wanted Adam gone earlier in the season - to actually fund the club. The fact is you are hanging on for a bit extra money but there's no chance you are going to keep me. And I actually do want to go to the Premier League but if I get injured in pre season it fucks me up. But as you are being a set of nobheads,  I'll stick around and watch you sell everything you can to raise funds elsewhere. Without that £11 million you will be that skint you will probably end up doing something really drastic and embarrassing to save funds - like making the entire women's team redundant."

Edited 14 hours ago by Hasta

[Bohinen1983]

26 minutes ago, Hasta said:

And then I'd have said "Fuck it then I'll stay and you can get Venkys to send the £11 million over you need, and also stick another £11 million in their matched bond. Don't forget you want me gone just like you wanted Adam gone earlier in the season - to actually fund the club. The fact is you are hanging on for a bit extra money but there's no chance you are going to keep me. And I actually do want to go to the Premier League but if I get injured in pre season it fucks me up. But as you are being a set of nobheads,  I'll stick around and watch you sell everything you can to raise funds elsewhere. Without that £11 million you will be that skint you will probably end up doing something really drastic and embarrassing to save funds - like making the entire women's team redundant."

He was going though wasn't he? It's principle, he can train with the squad until he leaves.. 

[Exiled_Rover]

31 minutes ago, Hasta said:

And then I'd have said "Fuck it then I'll stay and you can get Venkys to send the £11 million over you need, and also stick another £11 million in their matched bond. Don't forget you want me gone just like you wanted Adam gone earlier in the season - to actually fund the club. The fact is you are hanging on for a bit extra money but there's no chance you are going to keep me. And I actually do want to go to the Premier League but if I get injured in pre season it fucks me up. But as you are being a set of nobheads,  I'll stick around and watch you sell everything you can to raise funds elsewhere. Without that £11 million you will be that skint you will probably end up doing something really drastic and embarrassing to save funds - like making the entire women's team redundant."

You'd have said that to who?

The manager clearly wanted to keep him.

Imagine 20 goals from the #10 instead of whatever Cantwell / Weimann contributed - we'd have been comfortably in the playoffs. 

[Hasta]

5 minutes ago, Bohinen1983 said:

He was going though wasn't he? It's principle, he can train with the squad until he leaves.. 

“I was still training, sometimes with the team and sometimes on my own, but I was going in and being professional.”

[Hasta]

8 minutes ago, Exiled_Rover said:

You'd have said that to who?

The manager clearly wanted to keep him.

Imagine 20 goals from the #10 instead of whatever Cantwell / Weimann contributed - we'd have been comfortably in the playoffs. 

Imagine Wharton pinging balls through a year older. But it wouldn’t have happened as the club wanted to sell him, just as they wanted to sell Szmodics.

Therefore I’d have said it to whoever objected and said to me whatever Bohinen1983 said. Let’s not pretend we were hopeful he would stay.
 

As a club you can’t try and flog a player and then moan if he doesn’t want to get injured in pre-season to ensure said move happen.
 

Another quote from Szmodics “Blackburn wanted to sell me for as much as possible.”

Edited 14 hours ago by Hasta

[DE.]

3 hours ago, TimmyJimmy said:

If he aspires to get into coaching after his playing career is ended he's pissing on his chips with any return to us.

If he aspires to be head of football and/or CEO, though, then he's all good. 

[Scotty1991]

Would of been a miles better decision to keep that to himself 🤣

But….

Im not going to crucify him, shit happens. If he’d of snapped his ankle in pre season against dog and duck he never plays a premier league minute. Sometimes got to be selfish to get what you want!

if I had to sell my mother to a Moroccan fella to play in the masters, I wouldn’t think twice about it! 🤣

[Bohinen1983]

Made up with this, good lad, gooood lad! 

Brilliant stuff, still love you Sammy lad, great lad, brilliant stuff!

Certainly won't receive a warm reception from me.

 

[Polky]

He scored 33 goals in the previous season and kept us up.
 

Could not give a fuck what he did in pre-season as we all knew he was being sold 🤷🏻‍♂️

[waynerovers]

Doesn't change my opinion of him at all. Absolute legend for what he did for us keeping us up almost single handledly. Not gonna hate on him for having ambition, sadly something our club lacks. If he plays against us he'll get a warm reception from me.

[LWX]

6 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

A one season legend - like Andy Crawford

Speedie, Bellamy, who else are we missing?

Edited 10 hours ago by LWX

[Forever Blue]

There was a lot of fawning and emotionally-wrought silliness when he left from people who should know better. I kept hearing what a great guy he was. He also used to go out of his way to portray himself as a good human being, which I always find a bit suspect! Mowbray was very similar in that regard. 
 

Ultimately, Szmodics was all about Szmodics. He got a great career move to Rovers, and an even better one to Ipswich and the Prem - just another player who did well out of Rovers, but who only gave a shit about himself (like they all do). 
 

I found his interviews at the end of his last season with us very revealing. To paraphrase- he kept us up and Rovers fans shouldn’t begrudge him a move. A twatty thing to say and no better than Gestede trying to force a move. The fact he also refused to play, albeit in a pre-season, doesn’t surprise me. 
 

I hope Carter launches him into the advertising hoardings when he returns! 

[Forever Blue]

6 hours ago, Mashed Potatoes said:

A one season legend - like Andy Crawford

A comparison I made when he left. 

[Forever Blue]

41 minutes ago, LWX said:

Speedie, Bellamy, who else are we missing?

Gestede

[jim mk2]

1 hour ago, waynerovers said:

Doesn't change my opinion of him at all. Absolute legend for what he did for us keeping us up almost single handledly. Not gonna hate on him for having ambition, sadly something our club lacks. If he plays against us he'll get a warm reception from me.

 

Nothing wrong with ambition (our club badly needs some) but the way Szmodics went about it to engineer a move was wrong. And his recent comments have made it worse. 

As mentioned above, I hope one of our players runs their studs down the back of his legs when he comes to Ewood. 

Edited 10 hours ago by jim mk2

[RevidgeBlue]

I don't have a problem with him at all. When it mattered, he gave his all and kept us up virtually single handedly. Who in their right mind would give up what might have been their only chance of Premiership football in favour of staying at this shitshow?

If I did have a gripe with him it would be that after one season here I thought he was rubbish. In season 2 he proved he was a great player. If he'd performed anything like that in season 1 we'd have definitely made the play offs and could quite easily have been promoted.

[RevidgeBlue]

1 hour ago, jim mk2 said:

As mentioned above, I hope one of our players runs their studs down the back of his legs when he comes to Ewood. 

You're better than that jim.

[Ossydave]

I'd have no issues with his leg getting snapped at Ewood next season. Also says a lot about what a mard cunt Eustace was.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

7 hours ago, RevidgeBlue said:

I don't have a problem with him at all. When it mattered, he gave his all and kept us up virtually single handedly. Who in their right mind would give up what might have been their only chance of Premiership football in favour of staying at this shitshow?

If I did have a gripe with him it would be that after one season here I thought he was rubbish. In season 2 he proved he was a great player. If he'd performed anything like that in season 1 we'd have definitely made the play offs and could quite easily have been promoted.

He started to shine when he moved positions and started to play further forward. Before that he was pretty ordinary. Maybe before your time but Andy McEvoy was another example. Pretty average attacking midfield player but when he was moved further forward - a goal scoring machine up there with Denis Law and Jimmy Greaves.

Edited 1 hour ago by Tyrone Shoelaces