Michael Smith has acknowledged his reputation at Rotherham will be ‘tainted’ after he joined Sheffield Wednesday. The striker, who scored 19 goals for Paul Warne’s side as they won promotion to the Championship last season, will be playing in the third tier once again after rejecting a new deal with the Millers to sign for the Owls.
As you would expect, that didn’t go down well among the Rotherham support, particularly as Smith had been with the club for over four years.
However, speaking to the Rotherham Advertiser, the 30-year-old opened up on the move as he admitted he knew it would impact the way he was felt by the fans who had cheered him on over the years. “I’m a smart enough lad to know that my Rotherham reputation built up over four and a half years is going to be tainted now.
I made the decision and I’m big enough to take everything that comes with it. I’ve given my all for the club. It’s really sad that it’s ended this way. “Football is completely ruled by emotion and I ‘get’ the response to what I’ve done.