Agreed, saved me typing it
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Another goalkeeper? [Ali Al-Habsi]
- Thread starter S'hampton Seagull
- Start date
Agreed, saved me typing it
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
If I had to pick two posters who i KNEW would be with me in welcoming the Omani Flair supremo to the Albion, it was you two
I've always been a big fan, in fact he's long been one of my favourite non Albion players out there.
I mean, how the HELL do you go from playing in OMAN to getting picked up by a (then) Premier League club? Nobody sends scouts to Oman. His story- if you ever read it- is brilliant, and whenever I've seen him interviewed, he comes across as one of the nicest footballers you could wish to meet. A deeply humble and quietly devout man. Oh, and also an excellent goalkeeper, most importantly for us.
DarrenFreemansPerm
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ali Al-Habseagull
I'll get my coat.
I'll get my coat.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
The other thing to consider is that Walton- whilst he did well at Spurs- is still very young for a keeper, and there is a chance (hopefully not much of one, from what we've seen & heard) that he could have a poor game and suffer a crisis of confidence at any stage.
If that happens, and he needed to be taken out of the firing line, we're down to just Casper. Clubs nearly all have three keepers ready to go at any time now. It's not like the old days when they had the main man and the youth teamer and that was it.
Nah. Bring him in, even if he only sits on the bench for a couple of games due to international breaks (hey! Do Oman have a game? Another ALBION INTERNATIONAL!).
glasfryn
cleaning up cat sick
if we decide to play Walton in goal can Al Habsi play up front?
Hahaha we all know he can't compete at this level, even he probably knows. But yeah we should put him in to avoid hurting his feelings.
The Brighton Buzz
Falmer here we come
- Jan 31, 2008
- 1,277
This we should be concentrating all our efforts to get a striker who can score goals, not poncing about looking at areas where we are already covered. Let's knock Walton while he's on a high. After the game against Spurs he did nothing wrong. What signals does that now send out if we get someone in who potentially is no better than him for a month. The club has lost the plot. They have lost it towards the fans and on the pitch. You wonder who is making the decisions.
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
The other thing to consider is that Walton- whilst he did well at Spurs- is still very young for a keeper, and there is a chance (hopefully not much of one, from what we've seen & heard) that he could have a poor game and suffer a crisis of confidence at any stage.
If that happens, and he needed to be taken out of the firing line, we're down to just Casper. Clubs nearly all have three keepers ready to go at any time now. It's not like the old days when they had the main man and the youth teamer and that was it.
Nah. Bring him in, even if he only sits on the bench for a couple of games due to international breaks (hey! Do Oman have a game? Another ALBION INTERNATIONAL!).
This. I really can't understand why some find it so hard to grasp.
Kuipers had a car accident, Ankergren had flu. Anything can happen at any time, but still some fans moan.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
This we should be concentrating all our efforts to get a striker who can score goals, not poncing about looking at areas where we are already covered.
The club has lost the plot. They have lost it towards the fans and on the pitch. You wonder who is making the decisions.
FFS
They. Are. Not. Mutually. Exclusive.
I get the impression some people on here think the club can't manage more than one task at a time. Do you think a quick phone call to Wigan to enquire about al Habsi means the entire club grinds to a halt? If that's the case, I'd love to see your office. Do you all down tools because somebody is putting the kettle on? If they run out of toilet paper in the gents, do all the computers get switched off until the facilities manager has popped down to Tesco and installed another couple of rolls?
I know the subject of the Albion generates passionate responses, but come on, people, let's not abandon all rational thought in the meantime.
- Jun 27, 2012
- 14,613
This we should be concentrating all our efforts to get a striker who can score goals, not poncing about looking at areas where we are already covered. Let's knock Walton while he's on a high. After the game against Spurs he did nothing wrong. What signals does that now send out if we get someone in who potentially is no better than him for a month. The club has lost the plot. They have lost it towards the fans and on the pitch. You wonder who is making the decisions.
We care so little about the confidence of Christian Walton that we've just given him his first team debut at the age of 18 only weeks after offering him a 4 year contract, have had him on the bench half a dozen times this season and Sami praised him to the hilt after White Hart Lane. We're carefully nurturing one of our brightest prospects which means not necessarily throwing him in at the deep end of what is our tough run of form and matches upcoming against in form teams. We're now, like every other club in a similar predicament, looking to ensure we have three first team keepers in the squad even if that means an emergency loan. Walton and Ankergren being rather familiar with how goalkeeping squads work at club won't be in the slightest bit surprised we've done this or that we're not intending to throw caution to the wind by not backfilling Stockdale.
Yet this normal bit of business becomes a "waste of money", is undermining Walton, and is some how related to solving our striker problem .
For the sake of everyone's sanity on here i hope we win a few matches soon.
daveyboy1973
New member
If we were worried about waltons confidence then surely we wouldn't have thrown him in against a PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM!!! I would suggest it would dent his confidence even more if after having such an assured game on Wednesday we now say to him sorry chris but we are gonna get another keeper in because we don't think you can play against championship teams for a month!!!!! Madness
And the world ended?
I can see the need to have three keepers on the books, one to play and two in reserve. When one is injured, one of the others takes over - but I don't see why that means adding another goalkeeper to the wage bill (still on Premier League wages?), just so we can continue to have two goalkeepers being paid for not playing. I'd like to see young Walton given a run - he earned the place on Wednesday night and should be allowed to keep it.
At the same time, I have to admit El Habsi is an excellent keeper, in my opinion probably better than Stockdale.
Al Habsi has 100 Premier League appearances under his belt, 100 International caps, and has won the bloody FA Cup, FFS. They are not loaning in somebody else's 18 year old prodigy.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,630
Look. He did well against Spurs. Evidently they have a lot of faith in the lad, and that's great. But if- IF!- he were to drop a clanger or two in his next few games, then the club would be criticised for not having other options in place.
He's still a kid. Hopefully a very talented one. But you can't afford to assume he's going to play flawlessly from now until whenever. It would be brilliant if he did, but most young keepers are prone to dips in form at some stage (Butland has had some stick, Joe Hart several times early in his career, etc etc).
I'd be more than happy to see Walton start at Bournemouth. I think he's earned that opportunity. But I really can't see the issue with having al Habsi coming in to help out: nobody's saying he's definitely going to play.
It's highly unusual for an 18yr old to be a regular starter in goal for a professional side at any level. How many Championship teams have a teenager as their first choice keeper? I daresay the seemingly level-headed Mr Walton is aware of that, even if a lot of NSCers don't seem to grasp it.
I don't see why everyone assumes this means Walton isn't going to be selected. He may well not be, given our current form it won't do him much good if fans are at his throat if he makes a small mistake, but bringing another keeper doesn't automatically push him down. Three keepers, as people have said, is just for cover. Personally I don't like us potentially ending up in a no keeper on the bench situation if someone were to pick up a minor knock in the warmup. No, you don't see sub keepers come on often, but I'd much rather have one and not need them than need one and not have them.
durrington gull
Well-known member
Al Habsi is a very good keeper - surprised he's been loaned out!
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
If Brezo had been carded or injured in that game, we had nobody on the bench to replace him.
I doubt that we're paying Al Habsi's full wages.
On another note, it's a shame that Adam isn't still with us. Warren Aspinall would get in a real two & eight, with his pronounciations.
If.....IF....IF! Didn't happen, though, did it? And anyway, we're not in that position now - we'd still got two keepers.
Good, hope you're right about that.
OK, OK, I get it - Al Habsi, not El Habsi! (corrected your spelling for you, by the way!
)
Thunder Bolt
Silly old bat
Would you take a risk as manager, allowing for the fact that the U21s have a game on Monday night, and the other youth keeper is suspended following a red card?
I don't know, but isn't there some sort of injury insurance?