Thierry Small - signed a 4 year deal with Preston (p36)

sam3110 said:

Imagine if we played against Patrick Bauer the season we went up in the playoffs last time and he left us for Preston, and then relentlessly booed him and called him a greedy bastard etc. it wouldn't make any sense. I feel the same about this, and there's a teeny tiny part of me that feels a bit glad the idiotic fans in attendance that were booing him today got their comeuppance. It's a shame it was in a loss, I would have liked the best of both worlds where he shut up those fans but then we ended up winning or drawing anyway, but I digress

What utter drivel. Thierry Small played for us for one season but Bauer was with us a little longer and scored a last second winner in a play off final at Wembley. Don’t blame us for booing him, and don’t blame him for giving a bit back - it’s football, nothing to see here. 

usually have no problems with players giving it back to fans but expected more from small. Sure he got boos for 90 minutes but let’s not pretend we didn’t save his career gave him a platform to improve and was a fan favourite.Think all of that is worth just putting ur hands up and accepting 90 mins of grief for 18 months of constant support and potentially a big future career as well. I mean even Stockley didn’t celebrate after scoring us and he got hung out to dry under those 6 months with garner/holden. 

cafcsinger said:

sam3110 said:

Imagine if we played against Patrick Bauer the season we went up in the playoffs last time and he left us for Preston, and then relentlessly booed him and called him a greedy bastard etc. it wouldn't make any sense. I feel the same about this, and there's a teeny tiny part of me that feels a bit glad the idiotic fans in attendance that were booing him today got their comeuppance. It's a shame it was in a loss, I would have liked the best of both worlds where he shut up those fans but then we ended up winning or drawing anyway, but I digress

What utter drivel. Thierry Small played for us for one season but Bauer was with us a little longer and scored a last second winner in a play off final at Wembley. Don’t blame us for booing him, and don’t blame him for giving a bit back - it’s football, nothing to see here. 

Why boo him though? Did he call us crybabies and flip the bird when he left? No. In fact he gave a whole interview on Sky about how much he enjoyed his time at Charlton and how he feels he turned his career around because he felt he was at an all time low point beforehand. He had nothing but positive words to say and our brain dead fans decide to boo him all game instead. 

It would probably irritate players like this more if we were silent when their names were read out tbh.

I guess it's all opinions and it doesn't cause too much harm either way as long as it doesn't step into any really bad territory but I do dislike the new mentality that's cropped up towards former players across football. It used to be if a player left with no bad blood they'd get a bit of a clap at the start and then you'd move on with the game. Now if anyone played for you for any amount of time no matter how they left it's boos all the way. It's a shame because not only is it probably a bit sad for a player who did their best for the club while they were there but it's also a bit weird; who has the energy to worry about switching to hate mode every time someone who spent a bit of time at the club touches the ball? It sounds exhausting. Small's time with us was good for him and good for us and then when his contract ended he was free to choose wherever he wanted to go and he did. In a time in the game when players are traded as commodities it seems odd to devote that much energy to abusing them for going elsewhere.

The boos aren’t really that necessary. I think it was silly for the club to put itself in that position where a young player thats a regular first team player could leave for a free in the first place. It’s not like he was our key player and our best player that we thought would go on to be worth many millions. In fact I think apter and certainly bree is more than a good enough replacement, I would’ve expected small to maybe have lost his place anyway this season. 

killerandflash said:

Crispywood said:

usually have no problems with players giving it back to fans but expected more from small. Sure he got boos for 90 minutes but let’s not pretend we didn’t save his career gave him a platform to improve and was a fan favourite.Think all of that is worth just putting ur hands up and accepting 90 mins of grief for 18 months of constant support and potentially a big future career as well. I mean even Stockley didn’t celebrate after scoring us and he got hung out to dry under those 6 months with garner/holden. 

If a player gets continually booed, they're 100% entitled to give it back.

Yeah u could say the same of the fans to not give it for 90 minutes. We never learn 

Good player who is going to go for a lot of money due to the position he plays. Disappointing we won’t benefit from any of it but that’s football. Personally don’t give a shit what he does just need to focus on is staying in the division 

The booing of Small was a bit daft, although sadly predictable in this day and age (look at the abuse that Karlan Grant, one of our Academy products, got at The Valley when playing for Huddersfield). The chants of "There's only one greedy bastard" were a bit ridiculous. How many of us (at least those of sound mind) would turn down a big salary hike to stay with our current employer ? If Thierry Small hadn't played so well for us - effectively smoothing over the loss of Blackett-Taylor in that first half season - the club would have had no compunction in showing him the door and rightly so. It's the nature of the football industry.

In the end, Small played a big part in keeping us out of trouble in the second half of his first season and getting us promoted last season. He'd have been on a very modest salary and the compensation we received from Preston (£200,00 was mentioned somewhere) probably pretty well covered that. If so, we had 18 months of good service for nothing.

Supporters are entitled to respond how they like but, as well as being predictably banal, I feel that booing opposition players is potentially counter-productive, as it may serve to spur some of them on. I would make an exception for Lyle Taylor but, unless Chelmsford City get through to the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and we draw them, I shall be deprived of that opportunity. If that infinitesimally remote outcome somehow came to pass, would the supporters who booed Small yesterday also give Ricky Holmes the same treatment for leaving us to join Sheffield United ? If they'd be so inclined, they should listen to Richard Cawley's excellent interview with him on Substack, as it might give them pause for thought.

AndyG said:

It was embarrassing yesterday the way our fans were giving him stick I don’t mean the usual banter which in the main was funny but there were a few shouting stuff like I hope you get cancer ! Absolutely no excuse for that kind of behaviour towards a player that helped us get promoted and left us for more money 

The bigger shock was him using his right foot. 

sam3110 said:

cafcsinger said:

sam3110 said:

Imagine if we played against Patrick Bauer the season we went up in the playoffs last time and he left us for Preston, and then relentlessly booed him and called him a greedy bastard etc. it wouldn't make any sense. I feel the same about this, and there's a teeny tiny part of me that feels a bit glad the idiotic fans in attendance that were booing him today got their comeuppance. It's a shame it was in a loss, I would have liked the best of both worlds where he shut up those fans but then we ended up winning or drawing anyway, but I digress

What utter drivel. Thierry Small played for us for one season but Bauer was with us a little longer and scored a last second winner in a play off final at Wembley. Don’t blame us for booing him, and don’t blame him for giving a bit back - it’s football, nothing to see here. 

Why boo him though? Did he call us crybabies and flip the bird when he left? No. In fact he gave a whole interview on Sky about how much he enjoyed his time at Charlton and how he feels he turned his career around because he felt he was at an all time low point beforehand. He had nothing but positive words to say and our brain dead fans decide to boo him all game instead. 

I wouldn’t have booed him but I was very disappointed and surprised he chose Preston over us.
We hear bits of tittle tattle re the contract we offered him…but I am by no means confident that those rumours are correct.

AndyG said:

It was embarrassing yesterday the way our fans were giving him stick I don’t mean the usual banter which in the main was funny but there were a few shouting stuff like I hope you get cancer ! Absolutely no excuse for that kind of behaviour towards a player that helped us get promoted and left us for more money 

It's symptomatic of the amount of hate that there is within this country, not just in football. 

Small currently in the top 4 for most crosses and progressive carries in Championship.