Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
I have just watched Southampton's 6th goal - give me Stockdale everyday of the week
https://twitter.com/EasyTen/status/523517570536968193?lang=en-gb
Well...I hesitate to do this, because I really wasn't criticising his performance today (as it happens, I think the complete lack of a fullback presence was to blame for the 1st, and he did pretty well with the block for the 2nd before the rebound was tucked away).
But what pissed me off was seeing him retweeting people defending him. He initially retweeted somebody who said "nothing you could have done about either goal" (fair enough), but then for Stockdale to retweet someone who said "defenders too slow to close down for both Boro goals"...sorry, but WTF ? Maybe they were, maybe they weren't. But I don't expect to see our goalie covering his own arse at the expense of his teammates.
Maybe it was just a misjudgement. But if that's his post-match Twitter routine then yeah...probably best he does take a break.
I can't recall too many out-and-out HOWLERS from him, but what you remember from a good keeper is the incidents where you think "he really bailed us out there and earned us a point / a win". To date, I can recall ONE - that late close-range one-on-one block vs Cardiff at 1-1. That is the ONLY time I can recall him making a save when I really thought we were about to concede.
The rest of the time he'll deal with most of the routine stuff. But he really is nothing special IMO. He's not Graeme Smith terrible obviously. But he's not done much to persuade me that he's worth that 10-15 points a season a really good keeper will get you.
I thought the 2nd was a decent reflex save of the 1st shot, surely, the nature of a reflex save is that you don't have time to plan to put it round the post.
Pushing shots you can't hold onto away from goal and not right back where they came from is such a basic of goalkeeping that it should be second nature, even reflex should be instinctively pushed wide.
Not when it is next to the post.
Especially when it is next to the post, because it's so much easier to put it out of play and end that immediate threat. And I speak as a goalkeeper, too.
He's got previous!
The pressure built, and built, and then was released in an instant, by the best breakaway goal the Amex will see this season. The flawless Ayala won possession by his own corner flag, and ran the length of the field, exchanging a series of first-time passes with Albert Adomah, before the latter fired low at the bottom corner of the goal. Stockdale reacted smartly, plunging to the foot of his post to desperately make the stop. Unfortunately for Stockdale, on the evidence thus far, whether he is a good keeper is undecided, but he's definitely not a lucky one. His reaction stop served only to present the ball back to Adomah, who fired it home.
Has he ?
Well I'm not a HUGE Twitterite (although maybe my 3k tweets would contradict this), but I don't recall too much from Stockdale that would've set me off prior to today. I've no agenda against him. But seeing his retweets on the way home tonight, I just felt genuinely annoyed, which is REALLY unusual for me. It was nothing to do with his performance, I didn't come away blaming him one iota. But sheesh...seriously. What was he thinking ?