[Albion] Bart Verbruggen SINGS a 5-year deal

[Justice]

And if he had stuck Bart - a young, inexperienced (at this level, in this league) keeper - in straight away as permanent number one and he had an absolute nightmare, leading to his confidence being shot? That would be awful. He made some shocking mistakes early in the season and I would argue that the rotation helped his development.

Plus Steele was a more than capable alternative.

This, Bart himself said he was happy with and aware of last seasons arrangements before he signed.

 

[B-right-on]

I think RDZ was an utter knob

Reminds me of a poster in here, can't think who, but they start loads of threads and spouts loads of shite on other threads.

Must-something-or-other.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Reminds me of a poster in here, can't think who, but they start loads of threads and spouts loads of shite on other threads.

Must-something-or-other.

Is that the one who threw their toys out of their pram, demanding that all their posts were removed and account closed down?

Only to return later with a 'Mk II' version?

 

[Deportivo Seagull]

Is that the one who threw their toys out of their pram, demanding that all their posts were removed and account closed down?

Only to return later with a 'Mk II' version?

The ’Mk II’ version that is somehow worse than the ‘Mk I’ version, which is some achievement.

 

[AmexRuislip]

 

[aolstudios]

And if he had stuck Bart - a young, inexperienced (at this level, in this league) keeper - in straight away as permanent number one and he had an absolute nightmare, leading to his confidence being shot? That would be awful. He made some shocking mistakes early in the season and I would argue that the rotation helped his development.

Plus Steele was a more than capable alternative.

This ^

 

[Javeaseagull]

This ^

Compare our treatment of a young keeper in his first season in PL with Burnleys. It appears to me with hindsight that RDZ got it right with rotation that everybody else condemned. Trafford at Burnley was told he was No.1 and played every game, replacing the goalie that got them promoted. He burnt out, was replaced by original keeper and is back in the Championship next season. I’m sure there is more to it than that but that’s how it appears to this outsider.

 

[maresfield seagull]

I think he has a big future. I think any keeper would struggle being rotated like he was under RDZ

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Compare our treatment of a young keeper in his first season in PL with Burnleys. It appears to me with hindsight that RDZ got it right with rotation that everybody else condemned. Trafford at Burnley was told he was No.1 and played every game, replacing the goalie that got them promoted. He burnt out, was replaced by original keeper and is back in the Championship next season. I’m sure there is more to it than that but that’s how it appears to this outsider.

Exactly my point. It's *almost* like the club - and RDZ - knew what they were doing!

 

[Justice]

Chelsea looking for a keeper and apparently now sniffing around Bart

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

This, Bart himself said he was happy with and aware of last seasons arrangements before he signed.

This. All day.

(Why do people have such difficulty with obvious facts?)

 

[B-right-on]

Exactly my point. It's *almost* like the club - and RDZ - knew what they were doing!

Now you are in Fantasyland. I've been reliably informed by MK II that RDZ is a knob so therefore is utterly incapable of knowing what he is doing.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Compare our treatment of a young keeper in his first season in PL with Burnleys. It appears to me with hindsight that RDZ got it right with rotation that everybody else condemned. Trafford at Burnley was told he was No.1 and played every game, replacing the goalie that got them promoted. He burnt out, was replaced by original keeper and is back in the Championship next season. I’m sure there is more to it than that but that’s how it appears to this outsider.

I never ever condemned it. My first rule is trust the owner. My second rule is trust the manager. My third rule is trust the players. The people moaning about the 'rotation' on NSC were guilty of one-eyed scapegoating after defeats.

In a wider context, and with other graspable straws (we ain't got no proper strikers was one, for years), we've all done that, one way or another, of course. Mea culpa. But on this occasion I can be smug.

 

[Mustafa II]

Now you are in Fantasyland. I've been reliably informed by MK II that RDZ is a knob so therefore is utterly incapable of knowing what he is doing.

I said he was a knob in 'lots of ways', but not entirely. The conclusion you made the in 2nd part of your post was all you.

RDZ was stubborn as f*** and he effectively ruined his second season here through his attitude.

Steele should not have been near the first team and cost us SO many points in that season.

It's only my opinion, but I don't think Verbruggen's development would have been in any way harmed by playing every game last season. In fact the contrary. I reckon RDZs arrogance was at risk of harming his development. We're lucky that it looks like he's still on track to be a top keeper. We're lucky that The Netherlands persisted with him.

 

[WATFORD zero]

No, FFS don't keep Rushworth back as our no.2 - loan him out to a lower PL team, maybe Spain or Italy (top level) or top Championship at least. Steele is a perfectly adequate no.2 and won't let us down if called upon through injury or suspension, so long as Hurzeler doesn't piss off Verbruggen by insisting he plays out from the back like Pirlo and then dropping him because Steele apparently does that better, resulting, quite reasonably, in Verbruggen wanting out. Hopefully our new manager has more sense in dealing with GKs than the last one.
Sell Verbruggen for a hefty wedge next summer, and replace him (at more or less no cost) with either Rushworth or Beagle, and cash in on t'other.

What on earth happened to that world class keeper, who was far better than Verbruggen, Steele and every other keeper on Brighton's books but was then unfairly forced out of the club by a vindictive Manager when he had done absolutely nothing wrong

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I said he was a knob in 'lots of ways', but not entirely. The conclusion you made the in 2nd part of your post was all you.

RDZ was stubborn as f*** and he effectively ruined his second season here through his attitude.

Steele should not have been near the first team and cost us SO many points in that season.

It's only my opinion, but I don't think Verbruggen's development would have been in any way harmed by playing every game last season. In fact the contrary. I reckon RDZs arrogance was at risk of harming his development. We're lucky that it looks like he's still on track to be a top keeper. We're lucky that The Netherlands persisted with him.

Give it a rest.

In some ways most of us can be knobs. Me included.

I enjoy your posts and threads but nevertheless, in lots of ways, you are a knob.

 

[GT49er]

What on earth happened to that world class keeper, who was far better than Verbruggen, Steele and every other keeper on Brighton's books but was then unfairly forced out of the club by a vindictive Manager when he had done absolutely nothing wrong

Whatever happened to the cult of de Zerbi, who knew he could do absolutely nothing wrong, and fanatically supported his every move even when he occasionally did?

 

[WATFORD zero]

I'm yet to be convinced that Bart is better than Sanchez (although Sanchez' confidence has been affected by his experiences - that can be recovered though). Sanchez' ability to find a flying winger with a precision pass (looked like he'd learnt that from Dunk, and was trying, quite well, to imitate it) suggested to me that his feet weren't that much of a concern!
I still think history may well judge pi$$ing off Sanchez as de Zerbi's first mistake (RDZ's first comment on Sanchez, weeks before the horrible Palace howler, started, "Robert is a good goalkeeper, but................") Regardless of whether Bart is or is not better than Sanchez, RDZ's stubborn obsession that GKs should be sweepers, not keepers cost us badly in his second season, as we were handicapped by the GK rotation - forced on us by having one GK not good enough, and the other, at least for the first half/two thirds of the season, not quite ready - and it cost us.

Less than four weeks ago

 

[Han Solo]

The rotation last season had nothing to do with "easing a young goalie in". RDZ showed on multiple occasions he had no problem playing young players to the breaking point.

Jason Steele was playing because RDZ wanted the ego boost from Jason Steele getting called up for England. People pretended that RDZ turned March from shit to footballing God so no doubt he wanted to repeat that. But it was easier to pretend RDZ magic when it came to a brilliant player playing brilliant football. With Jason Steele - a far below average PL keeper - it wasn't as easy.

We can sit here all day and pretend that the Dutch national team goalie playing a leading role in Euro 2024 couldn't deal with the pressure of playing against Manchester United in our final, entirely unimportant league game this season. Or we could see it for what it is: we had two keepers, one good youngster and one sub-par never-has-been and the manager, now sacked, decided they should get the same game time, which played a role in the poor results over the season.

The 72% save rate for Bart last season again (6th best out of the 25 goalies with 10+ games) and the 57% save rate from Steele (2nd worst in the league out of the same 25 goalies) doesn't say everything, but it says A LOT.

We went into last season with two inexperienced Premier League goalkeepers, one with potential and one without. And despite the young one dealing with it well and the old one failing to do so, the manager persisted with this dumb rotation scheme for reasons the RDZ cult have to invent, as there's no reality backing the idea as a good one.

Going into next season with a clear goalie hierarchy will benefit everyone, including Jason Steele who will return to what he was signed to do (being prepared for the few times he's needed rather than being thrown to the wolves evey week).

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Chelsea looking for a keeper and apparently now sniffing around Bart

£500m to you, Chelsea Todd