Stockdale to West Ham rumour

[Pavilionaire]

Keeper is a very odd position, if I was an young "potential England" keeper (Stockdale isn't) I'd want to play for a club where I'm going to get a lot of action (football action BTW) and can show what I can do albeit behind a leaky defence. Many such keepers may be looking at Albion in that way before next season?

Tom Heaton,, Butland, Pickford have all advanced their careers by choosing to play for teams in the bottom half of the Prem.

 

[Exile]

I think it would be fairly easy to find a replacement who is as good a shot stopper as Stockdale

I think it would be fairly easy to find a replacement with as good distribution as Stockdale

I think it would be effing difficult to find a replacement who is as good at both

Then you are mental*

*unless you meant we could sign a random midfielder and play them in goal?

 

[BBassic]

Then you are mental*

*unless you meant we could sign a random midfielder and play them in goal?

I've often thought about doing something like that in Football Manager. Finding a 16 year old with good technical stats and retraining him as a goalkeeper.

 

[seagully]

Then you are mental*

*unless you meant we could sign a random midfielder and play them in goal?

Maybe "fairly easy" was understating it somewhat. The point I was trying to make was that there are keepers out there as good as Stockdale in terms of shot stopping and distribution, but none who are so good at both aspects

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

Sadly there is no longer any player loyalty in the game now. Sky has made sure of that. With very few exceptions, players will go play for whichever club offers them the most £££. That's just the bottom line.

Even in the Championship; look at that **** Pritchard. Could have come to us with our great stadium, world class academy and training facilities, in a fantastic area with the Downs, the sea, the city, an exceptional manager, a Chairman who is a lifelong fan and superb, quality team-mates. And he decided to go to Norwich. It's all down to the ££££.

To be fair, I think that is a sweeping generalisation. Yes, some will go for the ££££s and nothing else matters, but not everyone. I don't think Stockdale would go just anywhere. If he was wanted by one of the really big clubs and have the opportunity for, say, European Football, possibly, but not West Ham.

 

[the right footed denilson]

Stockdale, Dunk, Duffy, Stephens is the central rock on which our Premier League team should be built.

Absolutely this.
Personally i feel that no matter who else we sign, if we can start most games with those four we should have enough to stay up.

 

[Icy Gull]

Keeper is a very odd position, if I was an young "potential England" keeper (Stockdale isn't) I'd want to play for a club where I'm going to get a lot of action (football action BTW) and can show what I can do albeit behind a leaky defence. Many such keepers may be looking at Albion in that way before next season?

If there is one area that we are likely to be OK I reckon it will be in defence. What makes you think we will have a leaky one? Quick classy young strikers is where we always fail spectacularly, although we seem to be pretty good at finding wingers these days.

 

[LowKarate]

You can replace a keeper. You can't easily replace a motivational and team-bonding character like Stockdale.

For that reason we should do everything possible to keep him (and Stephens).

It would be madness not to want to start next season with all of the major players who have delivered this season.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

If there is one area that we are likely to be OK I reckon it will be in defence. What makes you think we will have a leaky one? Quick classy young strikers is where we always fail spectacularly, although we seem to be pretty good at finding wingers these days.

My point, poorly put, was that young keepers would favour playing for teams that they MAY perceive will struggle. However good our defence is we are going to be facing teams that will create more chances than us and a keeper would have more opportunity to show his attributes than playing for Chelsea, City or Utd, I'd guess?