Smith threatens Dons exit and says 'family comes first'

Published on Monday 4 May 2009 22:51

JAMIE Smith has threatened to quit Aberdeen for the sake of his family.

The midfielder, who is out of contract this summer, has warned manager Jimmy Calderwood he is not willing to wait until the end of the season before resolving his future.

Calderwood recently revealed contract talks with the likes of Smith, Lee Mair and skipper Scott Severin had been put on hold until the Dons discover whether they have qualified for the new Europa League, which will have a huge impact on the club's finances.

But Smith, 28, said: "I've spoken to the manager about it; the manager understands how I'm feeling. I just get the feeling that if the club wanted to keep me then it could have been done by now, but obviously that's not the case.

"I've got other responsibilities which are more important than my football, as in my family. They come first. I have to look after my children; I've got three young children. We'll see how things pan out in the next couple of weeks and hopefully the situation will be a bit clearer."

Former Celtic trainee Smith insists he would love to stay at Pittodrie, having settled in Aberdeen since signing from Dutch club ADO Den Haag almost four years ago. "It's a great city; it's a fantastic club," he said. I've loved playing for the club.

"My family are really settled, the kids love the school that they go to, it's a nice area that we're living in. But if it's not possible, it's not possible. You have to work, you have to play football."

For the third straight year, Smith's season has been heavily curtailed by injury. He has recently enjoyed an extended run in the side but missed Saturday's 3-1 SPL defeat to Celtic after suffering a hamstring strain against the same opponents two weeks earlier.