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Bye Bye Graeme Smith
- Thread starter seagullsovergrimsby
- Start date
SI 4 BHA
Active member
We did have a perfectly decent backup keeper in Sullivan who was quite happy here and didn't wany to leave, but for some reason we let him go so we could get someone worse and pay him more!
Pelling should be in goal on Saturday.
May as well get rid of Smith and bring in a new keeper ASAP
May as well get rid of Smith and bring in a new keeper ASAP
Garry Nelson's Left Foot
Well-known member
At which point does a tall dwarf become just a short normal person?
1234andcounting
Well-known member
- Mar 31, 2008
- 1,609
Er, goalkeepers make mistakes. All of them, even the great ones. It is the most exposed position on the pitch in terms of the cost of a mistake made. There is the world of difference between a goalkeeper who has some grasp of what is required,ie Kuipers, and one who doesn't, ie Smith. No-one would confuse Kuipers with Lev Yashin or Gordon Banks, but over the years the overwhelming majority of his performances for the Albion have been satisfactory or better. Smith has, so far, done nothing whatsoever to demonstrate that he is a goalkeeper. Even bad players have the occasional good game and he hasn't even managed that.
Southover Street Seagull
Well-known member
Excellent post, spot on.
TWOCHOICEStom
Well-known member
The guy has looked very VERY shakey infront of a defence which he has no confidence in and whom have no confidence in him.
It's not his technical ability. He can catch, is a very good shot stopper, can kick etc etc. But his judgement has been awful, he's looked unsure of everything.
I reckon he needs to be sent out somewhere on loan, where he hasn't got the stigma attached to him that he has here. or have a real good spell in the reserves to build him back up again. At the moment he is NOT ready to be first team keeper. With a defence as shit as it is, we NEED someone to command our box. In my opinion we desperately need a keeper. A good one.
It's not his technical ability. He can catch, is a very good shot stopper, can kick etc etc. But his judgement has been awful, he's looked unsure of everything.
I reckon he needs to be sent out somewhere on loan, where he hasn't got the stigma attached to him that he has here. or have a real good spell in the reserves to build him back up again. At the moment he is NOT ready to be first team keeper. With a defence as shit as it is, we NEED someone to command our box. In my opinion we desperately need a keeper. A good one.
Scotty Mac
New member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 24,405
i think that is spot on
at the end of the day, goalkeeping is a position where you need confidence. when you are confident, you feel like you can stop anything and you often do - which results in you coming for balls and commanding the box. when you are not, mistakes happen and that is what is going on at the minute. if a defence and team has confidence in their keeper, then he will be confident himself. last night, every time the ball went near him everybody was nervous, if he makes a save it is greeted with sarcastic applause.
at this moment in time, he is blatantly not ready to be playing in the first team and the more he plays the worse things are probably going to get. kuipers back asap or preferably somebody better in on loan, and get smith out and let him sort his head out
Juan Albion
Chicken Sniffer 3rd Class
From watching the goals from last night's game, I think you are being rather harsh on Smith.
Guy Fawkes
The voice of treason
- Sep 29, 2007
- 8,295
It's not just the goals he's conceeded though, it's his all round performance. He looks a bit lost in goal.
He doesn't communicate with the defenders (as seen in the latest example of many in the Norwich game when Elphick expected him to claim the ball but ended up having to boot it into touch near our penalty area, leading to more pressure)
He doesn't help a struggling defence by cutting out crosses and commanding his area, something Kuipers does well.
This could be why we are conceeding more with Smith in goal, the defence is deeper due to having to defend far more because Smith isn't tidying up loose balls and crosses when playing meaning more pressure than the defense can cope with.
Someone produced a set of stats on another thread, it shows that in 76% of game Smith has played in he has conceeded 3 or more goals, whereas Kuipers has conceeded 3 or more in just 13% of games, That can't be just down to bad luck or poor defending as it is the same defenders for both keepers.
BensGrandad
New member
Should we be looking at Tony Godden the goalkeeper coach, what is he doing and is he doing the right things?
Bromley shrimp
New member
Sullivan shouted the whole game thru, even in the reserves. At Brentford the players were taking the mick out of Smith in the warm up and only tried when Kuipers went into the main goal. Smith I can't even remember producing a save of any note, doesn't command, is too small/weedy and positional play is appalling both in terms of angle and how far out he comes - lobbbed against Leeds and Norwich. Can kick the ball straight tho'. It's quite cruel making the man suffer at a level he's clearly not cut out for. Not entirely his fault as someone else made that judgement call pre-season. In 46 years I can't remember anyone quite so inept and joked he was worse than Will Packham before the Leeds game. "No way" I was told. After the game the person was agreeing with me. Anyone see that bloke in the South, Block H having a right go after the third on Saturday.
HseagullsH
NSC's tipster
So many on here blame the defence, but the fact remains - Smith lets in MORE than double the amount of goals Kuipers lets in, WITH the same defence.
I very rarely single a keeper out as being the weak link, but he really is.
I don't deny that he may have been a decent keeper for Motherwell, but he's been absolutely shocking for us.
I very rarely single a keeper out as being the weak link, but he really is.
I don't deny that he may have been a decent keeper for Motherwell, but he's been absolutely shocking for us.
There are lies, Damn lies, and statistics - but in Smith's case the statistics are incontroverible. All four Norwich goals were saveable - they'd have needed good saves, OK, but that's what GK's are there to do; a decent GK would have saved two or three of them.
He may be a good Scottish goal-keeper - but therefore, looking at the standard of Scottish goal-keeping over the years, he's not good enough fr the English leagues. If you're shopping for a GK, Scotland isn't the place to go!
seagull1971
New member
They're long gone ! And they must realise from now he is one of the best shot stoppers in this division. It would be interesting to read all the stats on the other goalies in this league and stats on the back four in front of them. The point i'm making here is put Kuipers or Smith behind a solid back four at another club, would be another story. Pathetic example but even van der sar would have leaked as many as Kuipers this season (maybe not Smith) at the Albion at the moment.
Stumpy Tim
Well-known member
Well I've only seen the goals on Seagulls World too, and the first & fourth were clearly his fault. His positioning on the first was appalling. The second could/should have been saved too.
I hope he gets his confidence back & turns out to be a cracking keeper.... I really do
Dick Knights Mumm
Take me Home Falmer Road
Same here. Meantime - I wonder what the pre-match team talk by Rushden & Diamonds will be.
BensGrandad
New member
R & D have a few old league players like Paul Terry, Nathan Abbey etc who have been about so will be no pushover.
- Jul 7, 2003
- 47,624
Terry is suspended.