The Independent:
Mention England and Alan Smith suddenly sounds like a Yorkshire version of Catherine Tate's truculent schoolgirl, catchphrase: "Am I bothered?"
Turning the conversation quickly back to Manchester United, as is advisable, and he is equally forthright but much more positive. "We've got good characters, strong players, players who want to win matches for this club, which is the most important thing. We want to win matches, challenge for honours and I'm sure we can do that."
"You can't get caught up in thinking that we've lost a game and it's all right," he said. "It's not all right, you should want to win every match you play, and that's what I and everyone else tries to do. The fans have had success for years and will be disappointed if they don't get it."
Whether such feelings justified vocal criticism as shocking as Bob Dylan being called "Judas" in another Manchester arena some 40 years ago is another matter. Smith, a footballer who has always given the impression of being more closely in tune with supporters than most of his breed, prefers to emphasise the positive effect of winning again in such circumstances: "Everybody's being criticised, from the manager and coaching staff to the players, but we win games together and we lose together. Everybody takes stick when it comes and enjoys victories when they come, so I was pleased for the manager. Every player wanted to prove a point. We've got a lot of injuries and it was an opportunity for others to show they're capable of playing in games of that calibre."
It is a giant leap for any man, especially one who, like most natural attackers - Paul Scholes alongside him comes immediately to mind - appears never to have been taught how to tackle. The reckless lunge that brought a yellow card and Benfica's equalising goal from a free- kick was a classic example of the difficulties involved. "It was a bit of naïveté on my behalf," Smith admitted. "I probably should have stayed on my feet. You've got to be more restrained in Europe."