THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

https://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/sport/fo ... on-4590273

“One of my old teammates Willo, Mike Williamson, is the manager there now and he has done a good job there since he went in.

“It’s a good club, and they have all the characteristics and the structure to be in a higher league. But there’s also a lot of other clubs that have the same now, and those leagues have become very competitive and more difficult for someone to say we will bankroll a League Two team and just get through the leagues, and we’ve seen that with Salford, that it’s not as easy as people think it is.

“Those leagues are tough and hard to get out of, they’re lads that fight for everything they can, as every player is fighting for next year’s contract, so what’s on the line for those lads is massive as well. “I feel like MK Dons is a good club, and I really enjoyed my time there. A very interesting club in the way that it came about and being in no man’s land.

“They’ve got a new base of fans now, but originally it was probably fans of other clubs that lived in Milton Keynes – my uncle lives there and is a Leeds fan and if Leeds aren’t playing he will go and watch them.

“That’s what the remit was, can we get those commuters to come and watch our team when they can’t watch their own team.”

I liked Smith.
Remember that goal? When he stood in front of the away fans?
I think young Dean has been watching that....

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

He was obviously a good player when he was younger but for us he just wanted to kick people.

I'm glad someone else agrees. The group-think seems to be that he was great.

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I don't need your ill-informed, half-baked, idiotic opinions. I have plenty of those myself.

I loved Smith.

As a late teen MK Dons fan in Belfast the most common response I would get when I told someone I was a Dons fan was 'who the fuck even plays for them'. Boy did I love it when I could say 'well actually former Leeds, Man United and Newcastle Player Alan Smith'. Then Dele came along and did his things and soon I was able to gloat that the premier league's hottest young talent was a Don. Simpler times.

Does anyone remember when he came on as substitute, upended a player first touch and got booked in about 30 seconds?

Good strikers have a high goals to games ratio. Smith had a high yellow cards to games ratio.

No, but I won't question the likelihood that it occurred.

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Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment

I remember a free kick or corner, he peeled around the box towards the far post - watching the flight of the ball all the way - and with a dive, headed the ball just inside the far post. Pure class.

He may have been past his prime, but how many strikers have we had with that much quality? I can’t think of any.

Pretty sure that was against Sheffield United.

Overall, I thought he was a bit of disappointment here. I say bit, because he wasn’t bad, but didn’t have the impact you’d expect given his experience and previously level.

I think Dele Alli’s career is/will be very similar to Smiths.