01/12/03
Denis joins an elite club By David Lovett, Evening Leader DENIS SMITH has reached a milestone in his football career - his 1,000th game as a manager. Smith, 56, is to get an award for his achievement after joining a unique band to manage 1,000 games in the English game. They include Sir Matt Busby, Alex Stock, Brian Clough, Graham Taylor, Dave Bassett, Lennie Lawrence and Dario Gradi. Smith said today: ”I think there's another one but we’re talking here about people managing 1,000 games in the English game. Stints with foreign clubs do not count. I’ve actually gone past the actual 1,000th game. I wish I had known about it at the time - but I’m well passed it now. “I read something about it in the Rushden and Diamonds programme which said I was getting close to the 1,000 mark as manager. It’s come and gone now, but it’s still a hell of an achievement. “My first management post was at York City and I also played 30-odd games for them as well. I began at York 20-odd years ago and stayed there until 1987. From there I went to Sunderland, Bristol City, Oxford United, West Bromwich Albion, Oxford again for a short time and here at Wrexham.” The LMA - League Managers’ Association - is recognising Smith’s milestone with a special celebration dinner next week. |
WREXHAM manager Denis Smith today claimed thugs ruled at Brighton.
Outspoken Smith described a decision by fourth official Steve Tomlinson to ask Wrexham striker Chris Armstrong to leave the dugout area after his substitution midway through the second-half as ‘pandering to thuggery.”
Armstrong was jeered and heckled by Brighton fans, probably because he is a former Crystal Palace player - one of Albion’s arch rivals. Armstrong was given more stick as he was replaced by Lee Jones midway through the second-half.
Armstrong said: “I was just asked to leave the bench and, to be honest, I didn’t know why.”
Smith said today; “Chris wasn’t banished from the bench. He was asked to leave by the fourth official because of what had gone on during the game. He took some more stick as he came off and the fourth official asked him to move from the dugout.
“I didn’t agree with that decision and I told the fourth official so. I mean, what is going on here? Are we now letting supporters control who does - and does not - sit on the substitutes’ bench? That is all wrong in my view. At the end of the day, I had to let Chris go because these people do have security responsibilities at football matches.
“But you can’t give-in to thugs. I know. I grew up with them and the more you give-in to them, the stronger they get. What happened was no more than pandering to thuggery. I’ll never agree to that, no matter what the circumstances are.”
Smith spent some time discussing the issue with the fourth official but it is unlikely the matter will be taken further. By then Wrexham were 2-0 down and Smith also had some outspoken views on the game.
He said: “I just felt the amount of possession we had in the game should have brought us something out of it. We must have had 75 percent of the play. Anyone trying to convince me we were two goals inferior to Brighton on the day will have a hard job. I just don’t believe we were the worst side.
“We have had an awful lot of the play, but what we haven’t done is keep a clean sheet - and scored. But having said that, Arsenal didn’t score yesterday. Neither did Manchester United and they’ve got two of the best strikers in the world in their side.
“Certain players did not perform how I would have liked them to have performed on Saturday. But having said that I still come back to what actually went on out there. We had a tremendous amount of possession, but didn’t use it to our advantage.
“I can criticise players and I will do when they deserve it. But there’s no way I am going to hang, draw and quarter players for the way they played on Saturday. We played well, but at the end of the day we lost. That’s all that matters in some minds. Perhaps I should keep my mouth shut until we win because until we do win, I am dead.”